“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.”- Elton John

Music is powerful, with the ability to channel and change our emotions through sound and lyrics. There are songs that provide a cathartic expression of complicated feelings we might have, and others that help us move on and past a struggle or obstacle in our lives. When we’re falling apart, music has the ability to stitch us back together, note by note and beat by beat.

For mental health week this year, our Music Team has curated a collection titled “Patchwork Songs: Songs to Stitch You Back Together”. The songs in this playlist are representative of the power of music to help you through tough times. They remind us that others have felt this way before and have found a way out of it, or at the very least have found a community of support through music that can help you stay afloat.

The playlist is quite literally a patchwork of different artists, genres, and sounds. Everyone has different patchwork songs. Some may need time to wallow in their emotions, to really feel them before working through them. Others need a distraction, an upbeat tempo and a dance-floor to get them through the day.

Music may not solve all our problems, but it can definitely support you through your healing.

from the Music Team…

Marijka Vernooy, Head of Music

Ragged Wood- Fleet Foxes

This song represents the changing of seasons to me, about coming out of a winter in your heart and realizing that no matter the weather or circumstance, you have the ability to enter the springtime of your own life!

You Get What You Give- New Radicals

This song feels like it should play while the credits roll on your own messy, funny, coming-of-age indie comedy. Maybe the journey was grueling and you struggled along the way, but the audience (and all of the very real people in your life who love you) laughed and cried alongside you… and then it all worked out.

Dancing With Myself , I Melt With You

Both of these are 80’s dance anthems that can’t help but get me up and dancing. Bonus points if it’s in your own bedroom, using a hairbrush as a mic. The little moments of triumph mean the world, and you can truly be your own cheerleader in the times when you need it most. Don’t be afraid to try dancing it out, even when you feel a little cheesy! That’s what self-love (and 80s music) is all about.

Onie- The Electric Prunes

This song feels like someone is cradling my head and brushing my hair behind my ears while they sing to me, which makes me really uncomfortable as a real-world concept but is a great quality in a song. Sometimes, it’s nice to be held and comforted, and reminded you can’t be someone you’re not. And you shouldn’t be— you’re wonderful just as you are!

Room Temperature- Faye Webster

I’m a sucker for songs that are sung from a bad place with a humorous take. It’s okay if things feel like they’re falling apart, and it’s okay to approach it with a little sarcasm. Sometimes laughter and brutal honesty are the best medicines, and nobody knows this better than Faye.

Abby Rossman, Online Music Editor

Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters

This song is full of nostalgia for me; one that reminds me of a simpler time and comforts me when I need it most.

The Logical Song - Supertramp

This song reminds me that although many do not emphasize its significance, placing value and importance on thinking about who I am as an individual and what I want out of this life is an amazing thing.

Ooh La La - Faces

Ooh La La by Faces is that one song that will always put me in a good mood. It makes me want to dance and never fails to put a big, cheesy smile on my face.