Songs that Changed My Life (For Now)
My son's holiday ask triggers a flurry of music
This is an impossible task.
Music has always been a part of my life. Listening to it, playing it, writing it. I have never categorized myself as a “professional” musician. But I played for money in my day—in a band, as a single player. What I can say about music is that it, like for many, has created a soundtrack of my life. I know that’s a bit of a cliche, but cliches come from truth. Songs have given me hope, given me peace. carried my anger and my joy, given notes to my love life, evoked tears and laughter. So, when my older son suggested that he, his brother, and I gather up a handful of songs that mean much to each of us and share them over the holidays, well, I was paralyzed.
How in the world could I choose only five songs? How in the world can only five songs sum up my musical life? I would need a list of 100 at least. The songs that moved me in my teens may not be the songs that move me now.
Yes, an impossible task.
Still, I decided to give it a go, knowing that the songs I choose today may not be the songs I would choose tomorrow. There are varied and sometimes fleeting reasons why I chose the five listed below. But I tried to explain the best I can why, for at least today, these are the songs that resonate with me in this place and time, at this moment, and may have resonated with me the longest. Maybe. I’m truly not sure. I can’t be certain. Still . . . here we go . . .
For me, this song includes one of the best lyrics in music history: "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now.” (I had that line etched into one of my guitar straps.) Those lines have been interpreted as Dylan’s rejection of his personal and political idealism, and his desire to understand the world in a more complete and nuanced way. But for me that line and this song represents wisdom in growing older, growth in understanding life, a realization gives us youth, a freeing of the spirit. With age comes a lightness, a balance. And in that more enlightened state of being older you feel more at peace with a world that is inherently unpredictable.
“From the Morning” by Nick Drake
Drake’s life is tragic, dying in his 20s from what was believed to be an accidental dose of anti-depressants. But what he left behind were some of the most beautiful, complex, and layered songs ever written. His song “Pink Moon” is how many know him, but “From the Morning” may be his most beautiful and joyous. A line from this song is inscribed on Drake's tombstone: "Now we rise and we are everywhere." For me, this song suggests how life and death, joy and pain, and beginnings and endings coexist and justify each other. Yet, on every morning, we are resurrected. I cry nearly every time I hear this song.
This was my mother’s favorite Beatles song. And it’s easy to see why this song resonates with so many and is one of the most suggested songs to be played at a wake. “In My Life” is not my favorite from The Beatles. I think “Eleanor Rigby” may be the best song ever written. But this list is not about that. It’s about what the song means to me, and as John Lennon said many times, it’s “a remembrance of friends and lovers of the past.” It is a song that when coupled with the beautiful and somewhat haunting melody evokes melancholy, good melancholy, the kind that allows us all to see how life and the people in that life have shaped who we are.
“Call it Dreaming” by Iron and Wine
Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam says he wrote this song about the way time effects our hearts, how we must accept our role in the universe, about returning our love and care to the people who have loved us. Yet, the song is a flurry of imagery, a Beam staple, that offers a lush poetic experience which allows for the listeners own interpretation. Still, what is universal in the song is the attention drawn to our deep connection to the passage of time and what we do with it. Beam compares the moon and the human body, both “like shining glass” — a reflection of our connection to nature and experience.
“Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine
There are a lot of angry protest songs that will forever resonate with me—Dylan’s “Masters of War,” Creedence’s “Fortunate Son,” Stephen Stills’ “Word Games,” Gil Scott Heron’s recording of his poem “The Revolution Will Not be Televised.” I could go on and on. But Rage’s “rage” in this song is as raw and edgy as anything ever written about man’s inhumanity to man. It’s a call against violence, using violent and agitated guitars and vocals. Written mostly by singer Zach de la Rocha and guitarist Tom Morello, “Killing in the Name” is a rap-metal song of protest against the abuses of power, inspired by the Rodney King beating by Los Angeles police in 1991. It’s in-your-face sound pierces through me, and, like any good protest song, enrages me.
Music triggers an emotional response in the brain where passions and memory are processed, acting as a powerful tool to evoke and relive experiences. And individual songs are the triggers for this. We crave them, even need them for our emotional stability, development, and growth. And beyond this, they are markers for our own personalities, our loves and losses, and our interpretation of our world.
I’ll be curious now to see what songs my sons bring to the table, how they match or conflict with mine, how they reveal their lives, their hopes and dreams, their joys and troubles. I’m not sure there’s a better way to share our deepest emotions than through the words and melodies of our personal and intimate soundtracks.
David W. Berner is the author of several books of award-winning fiction and memoir. His latest, Daylight Saving Time: The power of growing older is available now. His novella, American Moon will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2026.
Thank you for this piece! "In My Life" has also been poignant song for me, but I have preferred the Judy Collins version. It has also been one of the theme tracks to my life's movie, as well as "Bird on a Wire" by Leonard Cohen. Oh...there are so many! But this article really got me thinking about the ones that have spoken the most to me. I may end up writing a similarly themed post as well, inspired by yours!
Wonderful piece, David. Music has been a huge part of my life and my family’s life, especially since my children were born. My younger girl is today a performer who was born for the stage and loves to sing so she has kept us on the top of music for the last few decades.
But of course, your piece got me thinking about what my favourite songs are, and like you, I have a hard time narrowing it down to only five. In fact, I find it nearly impossible. Either I simply know too many songs or too many songs speak to too many parts of me and my life. So I’ll leave it there, but I thank you for throwing a challenge like this out at me. At my age, the more I have to think about the better. Since 1 am also a writer (I hang out on Reedsy) may be it’ll prompt a short story out of me somewhere along the line. Anything to keep the old mental wheels turning these days LOL.