Tea Tunes: Green: Impermanence and Rebirth

Kevin

知足 Contentment by 五月天 Mayday

 

It's a simple, peaceful song that helps when life feels too busy or stressful. It teaches us to appreciate beautiful things without trying to own them. The soft music feels like taking a deep breath, while the louder chorus sounds like letting go of worries.

Jordan S

Meyer by Neil Cowley Trio

 

My father is an expert pianist and there is something about piano instrumentals that make me feel the sense of being grounded listening to them. Each melody helps calibrate to a useful plane of reality where I identify more with the observer of phenomena instead of the experiencer of.

Marcos

I'll Be There by Delicate Steve.

 

One of my favorite guitar players, Steve really got me with this one. Always makes me feel upbeat and grounded. Calm but optimistic.

 

Amanda

Recuerdame (Arrullo) - Gael Garcia Bernal, Lucy Hernandez

 

This song is a part of my grounding force. It's this special thing my dad and I share -- we'll just randomly send it to each other across the border.
Almost my whole family is in Mexico while I'm here, and my dad can't travel to visit. I literally can't get through this song without tearing up, thinking about everyone I love being so close yet so far away.

I miss so much between my visits -- watching babies grow up, birthdays, those Sunday family hang-outs that I never take for granted when I am in Monterrey and just aren't the same when I here in Chicago without my family.

When I listen to this song, it reminds me that even though it's tough having family I love so much far from me, we're always in each other's thoughts. We wish we could be present for all the big and little moments, but sometimes our memories are what have to get us through. It makes those memories feel alive again, grounding me when everything else feels like it's shifting.

 

Helen

tkm by Boy Pablo

 

This song contains a repetitive but pleasant guitar melody that always makes me feel grounded. I've come to learn that there is a stability earned in the repetitive nature of routine and it's something that has brought me a lot of peace. Life always gets chaotic, but I can always rely on my routine to bring me back to stable ground.

 

Danny

The Wind by Yusuf / Cat Stevens

 

This is a song about looking inward to find peace and direction. I always feel comforted when I hear it, the lyrics are both freeing and help put things in perspective when I feel adrift.

 

Jose

Bocanada by Gustavo Cerati 

 

This is a song that's followed me since I was 12 looking through my uncle's CD booklet. I don't listen to it often anymore but whenever I do, I think about how much my life's changed since the last listen. It never gets old to me . it feels nostalgic but fresh.

 

Emily

Time's A Wastin - Erykah Badu

 

Naturally, Erykah Badu's music, her voice and aura.. makes me feel grounded. The lyricism and melody of this song make you pause and truly listen to what she's saying. The song emphasizes the importance of not letting time slip away and encourages taking action, especially when it comes to love, dreams, and personal growth. The message is clear: time moves, so it now, because time won't wait for you. Remember to smile and be nice to yourself. We all deserve to give ourselves grace.

 

Taylor

Airbag - Radiohead

 

It's a pang of revelation. It sounds like rain falling in rescue lights on the side of a highway. Something so stark and alien and somehow entirely comforting. Because there's nothing like (almost) dying to make you feel alive. Those rare moments where in the perfect clarity of shock you see all those worries were not so real, that you possess ecstatic power greater than any of them.

 

Z

We Get By (ft. Ben Harper) - Mavis Staples

 

This song reminds me that even through the darkest of nights, there is comfort to be found--in shared silence, in steady presence, in the quiet strength of love. It's a gentle reminder of the support and care that exist within community, friends, and kin. Of how we continue to show up for one another, even through the trials and tribulations of this world. That reminder helps me stay grounded when everything else feels uncertain.

 

Stacy

Dazzle by Siouxsie and the Banshees

 

When the world feels like it's spinning too fast, the best way I find my footing is to move with it--whether that's a brisk walk, a heart-pounding workout, or an impromptu kitchen dance. Dazzle features soaring strings that feel wild and turbulent, but its driving drum beat keeps it grounded. It's the kind of song that invites you to move and shake off the chaos.

 

Jordan N.

Preludes / Book 1, 117: VIII. La fille aux cheveux de lin

 

I discovered this piece while I was on a solo trip in Germany in 2017. This was during a time of great uncertainty and change in my life and I remember it having a very profound effect on me at the time. In that moment, it served as a reminder that despite all uncertainties, taking a step back and remaining in awareness of the present moment (and not living in the past or the future) is sometimes all you need to find peace.

Lael

Cherry-Coloured Funk by Cocteau Twins

 

This song encourages me to settle into myself. I've read that it's not uncommon for this singer to make up words or compile nonsensical lyrics...which I find resonates with how the world tends to feel these days. Somehow the pace and cadence of this song can breathe both motion and rest into a space. A reminder that there can be peace and progress in chaos.

 

Tricia

Hang on Little Tomato by Pink Martini.

 

This songs makes me cry every time. It's a reminder that even when we can't see the sun, to keep going and hold on to hope. Everything will be alright even when things are dark, don't give up.

 

Nicco

Green shower - Hiroshi Yoshimura

 

I chose this song because it has the word green in it and that's the name of the theme for this release so I think that checks out.
Alright, in all seriousness it's hard to describe a song that doesn't have any lyrics, it's hard because I have no musical talent whatsoever. But just listen to the song, you can't help but feel something if you put this on and step outside of yourself for a moment.

For me that moment was a car ride up to the mountains of Shizuoka, Japan. We were on our way to visit tea farms out there and in the space before our arrival I put this song on and let myself appreciate what surrounded me.
Engulfing shades of green, from the tall trees varying in size and hue, to the patina of old homes passing by as quickly as the time. This song captured that moment for me in its peace and power. It's an enabler of reflection, and from that reflection maybe you'll step back in with something new.

Chris

Etched Headplate by Burial

 

Burial has been one of my favorite artists since I discovered his work over ten years ago. Since I started listening to his music, his songs always remind me of how far I've come on my journey in life. They are filled with contrast; ambiance vs rhythm, static vs clarity, depth vs surface. Where life often feels like navigating a series of changes; this is one of many songs that ground me amidst those changes.