$ense & $ensibility Monday: Music Makes the World Go ‘Round

Usually I wake up to my local NPR station on my radio and then listen to podcasts on my commute to work. I’ve been going about my daily routine as usual for the past few weeks, and will admit that I was a bit on autopilot.

By Wednesday I had already finished my favorite podcasts and wasn't interested in any of the others. So I decided to listen to one of my favorite bands during my commute instead. It was like a switch had been flipped – I was instantly feeling peppy and had a smile on my face. The day was looking brighter and I was no longer disconnected from the world, even with my earphones in my ears.

The next morning, I set my alarm to wake me up to music instead of NPR – again, what a difference! I was instantly out of bed and ready to go, dancing around my room while getting ready (I’ll admit I missed Steve Inskeep’s voice a little bit, but the dancing was too much fun to go back to the radio).

Sometimes I get so involved with knowing what is happening in the world, that I forget to listen to what’s happening to me. I forget that my soul needs something other than news programs and podcasts to get by. That’s where the music comes in.

Music is one of the easiest ways to make me smile – put on one of my favorite pop songs, and I’m a smiling, dancing fool. I love all types of music, but I’m particularly susceptible to pop and rock, both American and international. I have more French, Japanese, Korean, Algerian, and Egyptian music on my iTunes than I know what to do with. I only understand the French, but the rest are just as important to me because of the way the music makes me feel.

I’ve remembered over the past week just how important it is for me to listen to music from time to time in order to get out of my head and get into my soul. If you’re feeling the winter blues or have been running on autopilot lately, why not turn on some of your favorite music and have a dance party with yourself?

What are some of your favorite tunes? Check out a few of my faves after the jump!

Katharine Albritton is an art market specialist and writer. Read her art market blog and follow her on twitter.
The Feeling - Fill My Little World


Better Than Ezra - Absolutely Still


Christophe Maé - Dingue Dingue Dingue (Crazy Crazy Crazy)


Gackt - 君が追いかけた夢 (Kimi ga oikaketa yume - The Dream that You Chased) - Live
The song starts around 1:50



Amr Diab - Habibi ya nour el ain (My love, you are the light of my eyes)
Again, the song starts a bit late, around 1:15