The songs that get me through

Over the course of this trip, I have been building a playlist on my iPod of songs that help me through difficult times. These moments include everything from deep soul searching to annoyance at the passengers around me on an airplane. It started as the “Rainy Day Road Trip” mix in Vietnam, but has gotten me through much more than that over the last five months. Somehow, when I put my headphones on and press play, my breathing slows, my muscles un-tense, and everything feels a little more manageable.

So for those of you who are interested, here’s the playlist:

• I Don't Care What You Call Me, David Ford
• In the Sun, Joseph Arthur
• Lost Cause, Beck
• Don't Panic, Coldplay
• I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You, Colin Hay
• Fade Into You, Mazzy Star
• Breathe Me, Sia
• The Blowers Daughter, Damien Rice
• Only Talking Sense, Finn Brothers
• Goodnight Moon, Shivaree
• Eyes, Rogue Wave
• Honey and the Moon, Joseph Arthur
• What Can I Say, Brandi Carlile
• New Slang, The Shins
• Wicked Game, Bassboosa
• Into Temptation, Crowded House
• Save Me, Aimee Mann
• Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley
• Miss Misery, Elliott Smith
• The Funeral, Band of Horses
• Love Hurts, Damien Rice
• Days Go By (acoustic version), Dirty Vegas

Click on the song titles to find them on iTunes, or click on the artists to go to their MySpace pages, where you can listen to samples of their songs. I've linked to Amazon.com for bands with no MySpace page, and for the songs that aren't available on iTunes, feel free to e-mail me and I’ll do my best to help you track it down.