That Which Makes the World Skip a Beat

Do you have songs that go right through you? Maybe they send shivers down your spine, maybe they make you stop everything you’re doing. Maybe it’s the whole song; maybe it’s those 5 seconds when the song reaches the peak of everything it’s been working towards for the last 3 minutes and all of the instruments and vocals work together to make the world skip a beat.

The reason 'music' is in capital letters on the Bliss List is the profound effect it has on me, every day of my life. If you’re not a music lover, maybe your heart-stopper is the smell steaming from your cooking as the right mix of herbs and spices finally realise they’re supposed to hold hands and not let go. Maybe it’s the long awaited kiss in a romantic comedy, or the moment the characters in a novel realise the reason they were created. Maybe it’s the feeling of being low on a motorbike as its dances around the corners of a gorge (yes, motorbikes dance round corners, it’s an awesome feeling!).

For me, its most definitely music. I have long said that music runs through the blood in my veins and I don’t know a better way to put the feeling into words. A good song honestly feels like it is taking over and it is the primary accelerant for all that makes me breathe. A really good song feels as though if it were to stop during the aforementioned peak, your heart would literally stop, as it needs to be let down gently by the last verse.

I can’t do justice using only words. Don’t get me started on seeing one of these songs live!

Even if you’re not a music lover, I'll happily bet that you have at least one heart-stopping song in your collection. I have a few of them, but today I’m listening to Wonderful Life by Alterbridge - the peak will stop my train of thought every time! Another long standing favourite is Wicked Game - the Three Days Grace version is the best - and I would highly recommend Hello by Evanescence, even if you’re not a fan. Actually, none of these songs are stereotypical of the artists that recorded them... but any bad day is automatically turned on its head by any of them.

Go and put yours on, niiiiiiice and loud. Then tell us what you chose? Sometimes if you know someone else loves a song, you get a whole new perspective on it; I’m keen to try some new ones.