When I was growing up, I used to love going to rock-n-roll concerts. One of my favorite bands was the group Triumph, a rock and roll power trio from Toronto, Canada. Guitarist Rik Emmet (who has to be one of the most underrated guitar players of all time) and drummer Gil Moore shared lead vocalist duties, with bassist Mike Levine often providing back-up vocals. At a time when most rock-n-roll bands were writing songs about "sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll", Triumph's music stood out for positive and motivational themes, with hit song titles such as "Magic Power", "Lay It On The Line", "Fight the Good Fight", "Never Surrender", and "Follow Your Heart". They were known for their melodic vocals, technical musicianship, and elaborate live shows. While I had heard them on the radio, I first saw them play on a live television broadcast of the 1983 Us Festival in San Bernardino, California. I was blown away! "There's only three musicians playing THAT?!???" I ended up seeing them play live multiple times over the years.
My favorite Triumph song had to be "Magic Power", a single from their 1981 album Allied Forces. The lyrics speak to the power of music to give all of us clarity, inspiration, and emotional healing. Just check out the first few lines of the song:
Something's at the edge of your mind
You don't know what it is
Something you were hoping to find
But you're not sure what it is
Then you hear the music
And it all comes crystal clear
The music does the talking
Says the things you want to hear
Music is magic. Music is emotion. And music has the power to heal.
I was thinking of Triumph's "Magic Power" while I was reading a section of the latest book by Arthur C. Brooks, The Meaning of Your Life. I've posted about Brooks and his research on happiness a number of times in the past (see "The mathematics of happiness", "Are you happy?", "All shall be well", and "Real friends are useless" for just a few examples). In a wonderful chapter of the book called "Surround Yourself with Beauty", Brooks talks about research by Rollin McCraty that studies the effects of different forms of music on mood and stress (see "The effects of different types of music on mood, tension, and mental clarity"). A total of 144 study subjects completed a psychological profile before and after listening for 15 minutes to four different types of music (grunge rock, classical, New Age, and designer). Subjects listening to grunge rock showed significant increases in hostility, sadness, tension, and fatigue, with concomitant reductions in caring, relaxation, mental clarity, and vigor. The results for New Age and classical music were mixed, while designer music (music designed to have specific effects on the listener) produced significant increases in caring, relaxation, mental clarity, and vigor with concomitant decreases in hostility, fatigue, sadness, and tension.
All of that is well and good, but does music have the "magic power" to make you happy too? As it turns out, listening to a song that you love triggers your brain's limbic system to release dopamine. Think of the limbic system as your pleasure and reward centers of your brain and dopamine as the neuromediator that regulates your happiness. Music has all kinds of positive effects on our mood and well-being (see Adam Croom's review article, "Music, Neuroscience, and the Psychology of Well-being: A Précis" in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology).
According to a study by music psychologist Michael Bonshor, the happiest-sounding songs have certain tempos, chords, and musical keys. Dr. Bonshor developed a formula to determine the "Happiest Song of All Time". Apparently, "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys scored the highest and was ranked by Dr. Bonshor as the happiest song in history. The top ten scientifically happy songs according to his formula are:
1. "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys
2. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown
3. "House of Fun" by Madness
4. "Get The Party Started" by P!nk
5. "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel
6. "Sun is Shining" by Bob Marley
7. "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys
8. "YMCA" by Village People
9. "Waterloo" by ABBA
10. "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire
So, next time you are feeling down, check out the "magic power" in any of the songs in the list above. Listening to music may not help you solve all of your problems, but it will certainly make you feel a little better. Here's another lyric from Triumph's song "Magic Power" that sums it all up:
She climbs into bed
She pulls the covers overhead
And she turns her little radio on
She's had a rotten day
So she hopes the DJ's
Gonna play her favorite song
Makes her feel much better
Brings her closer to her dreams
A little magic power
Makes it better that it seems
Music is magic. Music is emotion. And music has the power to heal.
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