“Go to sleep, go to sleep little baby,” sings the mother of a newborn child. She watches as the baby just lies in bed, tucked safely under the covers, and his eyes slowly start to droop. After another rendition of the lullaby, the baby now has his eyes closed, and has rolled onto his side to fall asleep. His mom will sing to him for another couple minutes; to make sure that he has fallen asleep, and because she loves him so much that she can’t bear being away from him. This ceremony goes on for years, until the baby grows up and is embarrassed by the thought of having his mom sing to him. But even then the sound of soft music right before bed conjures up images of his early life, and soothes him enough to the point where he can sleep soundly.
But what constitutes a “sleeping song?” I know that I have gone to sleep listening to a variety of music, everything from screamo to folk. But is there an ideal quality that a song should have to be considered a sleeping song? I believe there is. I always enjoy listening to slow songs before I go to bed. The slow tempo has a calming effect on me, and I always find that it is harder for me to keep my eyelids open after a good slow song. In addition to having a slow tempo, I find that the fewer instrument a song has, the better. There is something hypnotic about the simplicity of a piano or guitar with the voice of the singer that always calms me down. The song should also be easy to listen to and enjoyable to listen to, but at the same time forgettable. This seems like a paradox, and while that may be, think about how you listen to music when you are falling asleep. When you can feel yourself becoming unconscious, are you really listening to the music anymore? I’m willing to bet that although you are aware of the music, you aren’t actively listening to it; it has become something of background music. I believe this fact to be the defining aspect to what a sleeping song is: something that calms you down to the point where you are enjoying the song, but it has become part of the background noise of your brain.
With my areas of expertise being both music and sleeping, I feel that I may be somewhat of an expert when it comes to sleeping songs. So sit back, put your feet up, and listen to these songs as I go through them… No! Wake up! Just kidding about that, sit straight up in an uncomfortable chair, and listen to the songs as I go on an in-depth journey on what makes each of these songs a great sleeping song.
It’s only midnight, but you still know it’s time to go to bed. If only your body knew it was time to sleep. Good thing you already have the top five sleeping songs as prescribed by me queued up on your iPod. Or if you consider yourself to be a non-conformist, you will have your Zune plugged into your ears. Either way, you look at your music device and select the following songs in this order to listen to: “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley, “Hold it up to the Light” by David Wilcox, “For Good” by the cast of Wicked, “My Immortal” by Evanescence, and finally “My December” by Linkin Park.
The first song in a playlist for going to be is perhaps the most crucial because it sets up the flow for the following songs, and creates the relaxed feeling that is so essential for sleep. To help create this feeling of relaxation, first turn the volume down so that it is barely audible. If you have an iPod like mine, this means that you can still hear everything that is in the song, but it is just softer. Now queue up “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley, and close your eyes as the soft guitar rolls over your whole body, creating the sense of calm that you have been wanting all day.
You may remember this song from the movie Shrek, when all the characters go their separate ways and they realize that they were much happier when they were all together. This is the theme that Leonard Cohen was trying to convey when he first wrote this song. A feeling of heartbreak because of something that happened in the past, but he still gets by because Hallelujah not only links him to the past, but also gives a vague hope for the future.
Jeff Buckley starts the song by playing an introduction on the guitar that gives us an idea of the melody and sets up the solemn feeling that continues throughout the song. Then Buckley’s voice enters, whispering the first verse to us, which happens to be one of my favorite song verses of all time. As the chorus comes in, his voice strengthens, and the vocal prowess of Jeff Buckley shines.
As the song progresses, you can feel yourself fading with the lulls of Buckley’s voice and the minor falls and major lifts of his guitar. Soon the haunting voice fades out, and the last note has rung, and it is time for the next song. The second song for our playlist is equally as important as the first, maybe even more so. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes, which equates to about two full songs. If the first song was to relax the body and mind enough to get ready to sleep, then the second song is to ensure that this feeling is carried on. The soft voice and rhythmic guitar in “Hold It Up To The Light” by David Wilcox makes an obvious second song in my mind.
As a side note, this recording is done live, and it has some ramblings given by Wilcox, which are still entertaining.
"Hold It Up To The Light" is a song that preaches the message that we shouldn’t worry about making decisions because God will always make sure that our choices will turn out to be in our best interest. Even if you don’t believe in God, this is a truly comforting message. Don’t worry about the decisions that you have made or will make because they will all lead to you the destination that you are meant to go to. This comforting message, along with the rhythmic strumming of the guitar and lullaby type singing of Wilcox puts you in such a relaxed state of mind that you would have to drink a Red Bull to stay awake past this song.
Now that we have finished listening to the second song, it’s on to the third. In case you couldn’t already guess, the third one has to maintain the calm and tranquil feelings of the previous two. “For Good,” by the cast of the musical Wicked, does just that. I have the deepest personal connection with this song because I saw the musical Wicked in Chicago and fell in love. I’m not usually the kind of guy who enjoys musicals, but I was smitten by the cast’s performance, and to this day I still catch myself singing some of the songs to myself.
“For Good” is a song about how people’s lives become better just because they knew someone else. A very heartwarming song indeed. As soon as this third song comes on, you know it came from Broadway with the full symphony orchestra providing the music, not to mention the beautiful voices of Kristin Chenowith and Idina Menzel. If you aren’t asleep by the time you reach this song, you will be well on your way. The voices of both women are so soft and passionate that you can’t help but get lost in the music when you are listening to them. Although some parts are a little louder because the women are projecting their voices, or the brass instruments are reaching a crescendo (a climax in volume), they still come in appropriate places, and don’t stir you from your sleep. By the time you finish this song, you will be one of two things: asleep or crying because this song is so touching that I have had a tear roll down my cheek after listening to it.
Once you wipe the tears from your face, it is time to move on to song four: “My Immortal” by Evanescence. “My Immortal” details the relationship of the lead singer, Amy Lee, and how everything she did for him came to naught because he still left her. As a listener, the pain that Amy Lee felt is evident not only through the lyrics, but also through the instruments. The violins that accompany the piano are long and drawn out, which give the feeling of longing and heartbreak. This is one of the main reasons why I believe this is a great song to fall asleep to. The simplicity of the piano and violins gives off a feeling of submission, that there is nothing else that can be done, but at the same time they also convey the agony of the song. These two facets connect for a beautiful sound, one that hypnotizes and lulls from a state of consciousness to unconscious.
Now for the last song in the playlist. If you aren’t asleep yet, this one will do it. “My December” by Linkin Park. Now I know what you must be thinking. How can you go to bed listening to a Linkin Park song? Aren’t they known for their screaming and up-beat electronic sound? Well, yes they are, but with “My December,” they also proved that they can slow it down and Chester Bennington also proved to us that he can do more than rap. “My December” was written to describe the loneliness of a lost relationship conveyed through the metaphor of winter. Not only is this a great comparison, but it also puts me straight to sleep whenever I listen to it before bed. The melody comes from a piano playing a very basic scale that has pitches that go up and down. Although the melody is simple, this is what makes it a great sleeping song. Also, Bennington’s crooning voice describing his lost love as opposed to his usually abrasive rap gives “My December” the balance of hypnotic music and soft voice that makes a truly great song to fall asleep to.
I must confess that while I am writing this on a bus, I have been listening to my playlist and taking notes for the better part of forty minutes. I feel like this playlist is full of solid sleeping songs because I find myself nodding off while listening to them. I highly encourage you to try this playlist out while trying to sleep. If you find that these songs aren’t really up your alley, that is fine, go out and find your own sleeping songs. Although I find it hard to compete with the voices of Jeff Buckley, David Wilcox, Kristin Chenowith and Idina Menzel, Amy Lee, and Chester Bennington, there may be some others out there who can match them. So it is my challenge to you to go out there and find the top five songs to fall asleep to, according to you of course.
