Parsons Playlists: “Hope is the thing with feathers …”

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library Associate Melanie and features some songs that make her feel hopeful. 

Hope is the thing with feathers  … 

Things can feel pretty overwhelming (especially lately) so we have to find things that can help us get through.  Music is often good for that, so here’s a playlist of some songs that make me feel hopeful on bad days. (The title of this playlist was taken from an excellent Emily Dickinson poem that’s worth a read, btw.)  What would YOU add to this playlist?

urple flower growing on crack street, soft focus, blank text

Paul McCartney – “Hope of Deliverance”

Moon Taxi – “Say”

Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now”

Bill Withers – “Lovely Day”

New Radicals – “You Get What You Give”

The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

The Impressions – “Keep On Pushing”

The Stone Roses – “Waterfall”

Des’ree – “You Gotta Be”

Jackie Wilson – “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher”

Billy Joel – “The River of Dreams”

Sting – “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”

Labi Siffre – “My Song”

Bruce Springsteen – “Hungry Heart”

Ella Fitzgerald – “Blue Skies”

Ben Folds – “Still Fighting It”

Nat King Cole – “Let’s Face the Music and Dance”

Stevie Wonder – “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”

The Traveling Wilburys – “End of the Line”

Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky”

Sly & the Family Stone – “Stand!”

The Beatles – “Dear Prudence”

Fred Astaire – “Pick Yourself Up”

Simon & Garfunkel – “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”

Tears for Fears – “Sowing the Seeds of Love”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zex3pi–z07ZHsysqvGRHKpE&si=H6l2GX5-sUsVraBm

And here it is on Spotify:

Parsons Playlists: Take Me To The River

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library associate Melanie and features some music having to do with rivers.

Take Me To The River

This is a playlist with lots of songs about rivers – both literal and metaphorical – around the world. Enjoy!

Al Green – “Take Me To The River”

Madness – “Night Boat To Cairo”

Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Green River”

Mavis Staples – “In The Mississippi River”

Alison Krauss (from O Brother, Where Art Thou?-2000) – “Down to the River to Pray”

Lefty Frizzell – “James River”

Original Broadway cast of Big River – “River in the Rain”

Joni Mitchell – “River”

Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe McCoy – “When the Levee Breaks”

Old Crow Medicine Show – “James River Blues”

Hemant Kumar (from Kabuliwala – 1961) – “Ganga Aaye Kahan Se”

Gerry and the Pacemakers – “Ferry Cross the Mersey”

Billy Joel – “River of Dreams”

Pete Seeger – “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy”

Paul Williams (from Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas – 1977) – “When the River Meets the Sea”

Neil Young – “Down By The River”

R.E.M. – “Cuyahoga”

Enya – “Orinoco Flow”

The Melodians – “Rivers of Babylon”

Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint – “The River in Reverse”

Pixies – “River Euphrates”

Ike and Tina Turner – “Proud Mary”

Randy Newman – “Burn On”

Jimmy Cliff – “Many Rivers To Cross”

Bruce Springsteen – “The River”

Zitany Neil/Soukous Stars – “Marcory Gasoil”

Talking Heads – “Take Me To The River”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZeyX1sWqgssBjMJjTw11gEgh&si=pluZcqQHX3VZYmVi

And here is a version of it on Spotify: