Songs for New Beginnings

Music has the power to bypass our normal thought processes and connect with our imaginations, our hearts and our souls. It has the power to soothe and inspire, to motivate and uplift.

When lyrics and music combine, and we choose the right songs, they can become mantras, affirming what we want to create in our lives.

In that spirit, here is a selection of songs and potential deeper meanings that could assist in making a fresh start, anytime.

And once we get the knack of finding meaningful messages in the lyrics of these songs, we can apply the same technique to our favorites and create playlists to help us make the most of every area of our lives.

So let’s harness the power of music to make a fresh start!

Feeling Good

Written for a Broadway musical, it was recorded in 1965 by Nina Simone and has since become a standard. It has been covered by pop and rock artists like Muse, Michael Bublé, The Pussycat Dolls, George Michael, Eels, and Jennifer Hudson.

The magic of the song is the combination of brassy boldness and a connection to the life force found in nature. In a nutshell (insert deep breath here):

“Birds flyin' high…Sun in the sky…Breeze driftin' on by…Fish in the sea…River runnin' free…Blossom on the tree…Dragonfly out in the sun…Butterflies all havin' fun…Stars when you shine…Your freedom is mine… this old world is a new world and a bold world for me…It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me…And I'm feelin' good!”

Message: Life and freedom are natural gifts, and we can claim them for ourselves in every moment.

The World is New

This upbeat song from 1997 talks about the impact of a voice on the other end of a phone call saying, “You’re not alone”. It leads to a realization that renewal can occur in a moment by simply closing her eyes and thinking of someone. Though it is not specified who the storyteller thinks of, we can imagine either a loved one that makes her heart glow, or a higher power that restores hope. When she opens her eyes, the reset button has been pushed, “and the world is new.” And good things follow:

“Life was getting hectic

And things were unexpected

When I first received your call

But now it is the best thing

That filled up what was missing

And now my life is envied by all”

Message: Shift your experience in any moment by closing your eyes, dropping from your head into your heart, and starting again.

Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing

Stevie Wonder may be trying to impress a girl in this 1973 song, but also teaches us a little Spanish with the oft-repeated phrase, “Todo 'stá bien chévere” which loosely translates to "Everything's really cool."

Many love songs can be re-interpreted as being sung to us by a loving God. In this case, He’ll be watching, supportively, as we seek our heart’s desires. At the same time, the responsibility for our choices is our own:

“Everybody needs a change

A chance to check out the new

But you're the only one to see

The changes you take yourself through”

Message: If we are but expressions of God experiencing Himself, and we all return home to that great Oneness at the end of our lives, there is truly nothing to worry about as we explore the great and wondrous world our creator has made for us.

3 Things

Here is a brief overview of the recovery steps Jason Mraz mentions in his 2014 single:

First – Cries and releases the past,

Second – Closes his eyes, with gratitude for every moment of life so far and lets love fill him up,

Third – Takes a breath, looks to the future and tries again.

And in the chorus, we are reminded that despite appearances to the contrary, there is still good: “…above the clouds the sun is shining”.

A lesson in introspection, and connecting to the heart. And also the necessity of making the shift to gratitude. But we don’t have to wait until our lives fall apart to use these steps and make a new start.

Message: Shift your experience in any moment by closing your eyes, dropping down the 18” from your head into your heart, and starting again.

The Opposite View

This song by the Scottish alternative rock band, Del Amitri, from their 1989 breakthrough album, Waking Hours, is about a guy trying to get his girl to inject some adventure into their spare time. He suggests a variety of getaways and playful ways to see the world differently, but all are met with reasons why they should continue to do what they’ve always done. And finally, as if in a final plea, he almost whispers:

“Every precious second

There's a chance to change.

The present tense is perfect, baby.

Let's rearrange it.”

Life requires creativity, and is, in fact, an act of creation. If we are made in the image and likeness of our Creator, then we too are creators, with creative power to create the life we choose to live!

Message: In the present moment is all the power to start again, to experience life in new ways.

Best Day of My Life

This 2013 hit talks about the limitless possibilities we accept in our dreams at night, and the reluctance to wake up.

But we can choose to lift many of the limits we accept in our lives, and embrace the possibilities at any moment.

“I hear it calling outside my window

I feel it in my soul

The stars were burning so bright

The sun was out 'til midnight

I say we lose control”

It is often our choices that truly hold us back, and our illusion of control. But we can relinquish control, and choose instead to focus our attention on all the magic and beauty that surrounds us every moment.

Message: We can live as if in a dream, while affirming that this day, right now, is going to the best yet!

It's Time

Imagine Dragons imparted an important message in the chorus of their 2012 single, “It’s Time”. Although it may be time to make a change, (“It's time to begin, isn't it?”) we must hold on to who we truly are as we shift and fine-tune our lives.

So often our pain we experience comes from trying to change in order to be accepted by others or achieve a certain status. But in the midst of a challenge, we are on our way to the light above the clouds.

“The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell.

Right to the top, Don't look back….”

Heaven is a state of consciousness, a clarity and peace that is possible for us all. Reaching the mountaintop will allow us to comprehend the beauty of the whole.

Message: Our real power comes from embracing our true selves and letting our unique light shine.

Someday

This song and its music video from 2009 echoes the belief we tend to hold that things will be better someday in the future.

“And maybe someday
We'll figure all this out
Try to put an end to all our doubt
Try to find a way to make things better now and
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud
We'll be better off somehow
Someday”

But it shifts throughout the course of the song, evolving first to “maybe you can change your mind…You can shine a little light on everything around you”

And then:

“'Cause sometimes we don't really notice
Just how good it can get
So maybe we should start all over
Start all over again”

So as we begin to notice how good things actually are right now, we can start again. And in this new paradigm, we see that today is “someday”.

Message: Someday is today, the power to act is in the now, and we don’t need to allow doubt to keep us from living out loud today.

More Words of Wisdom

Listen to the songs listed from the YouTube playlist on the Pop Conscious channel at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzURH7lDr327LTSgvGkMf8YqSI4jYoL8x

These suggestions have nuggets of wisdom in them:

Brand New Day – Sting (1999) – “I’m thinking in a brand new way… Started up a brand new day”

Closing Time – Semisonic (1998) – “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”

It’s My Life – Bon Jovi (2000) – “I just want to live while I’m alive…”

Let it Go – Frozen Soundtrack (2014) – “The past is in the past. Let it go, let it go!”

Starting Over – John Lennon (1980) – “It’s time to spread our wings and fly”

Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – Michael Jackson (1982) – “Yes, I believe in me, So you believe in you.”

You Get What You Give – New Radicals (1998) “You’ve got the music in you…This world is gonna pull through.”

Make sure only the positive words get stuck in your head!

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