Midweek Crisis #8

Inspiration Station September 🎶✍️🧘‍♀️ Featured: "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, Earth Wind & Fire, Bo Diddley, Jackie DeShannon, Kiki Dee, "The Sunscreen Song", Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Nox Vahn & Marsh

Sep 01, 2021

Hello,

Let’s begin the new month together. September is here. Autumn is just around the corner 🍁. For me, it always means time for cleanup and making plans for the last quarter of the year.

The mission of this issue is to inspire and energize ⚡️. And I hope you’ll find it that way. I prepared 8 songs for this 8th issue of the “Midweek Crisis”. Here’s a link straight to this issue playlist on Spotify, and here’s a YouTube one. Enjoy listening! 🎧🎶✨

With the start of a new month, I come to you with more recommendations, not only musical ones. For some time now, I've been fascinated by the wisdom of James Clear and his “Atomic Habits” book.

James Clear and his "Atomic Habits" book — James Clear and his “Atomic Habits” book

He starts it with his shocking bio, giving a background for what pushed him to change his own habits. One of the things he said deeply resonated with me: „You’ll get what you’ll repeat”. It’s so accurate. We all are just cumulations of different habits, the good and the bad ones. James Clear shares his tools and frameworks to help us form ourselves from scratch. He teaches how to get rid of bad habits, and instructs how to build new good habits on top of the existing ones 🔨. His newsletter, with a bunch of stimulating quotes and questions, always makes my day. It helps me change my perspective, motivates me to stay on track, and broadens my mental horizons. Give it a try if you want to get inspired and energized like this ⚡️.

And lastly, I want to recommend some of my other Spotify playlists. If you need better focus, listen 💡Brain Stimulators💡, or Brain Massage. If you prefer house music and techno check out 💎True Progressive House & Melodic Techno Gems💎, or 🧩Coding is like a puzzle…🧩 . Here’s a link to my Spotify profile, if you wish to give me a follow ✌️.

Okay, so it’s high time to end this avalanche of recommendations avalanche and start this day. September, here we come!

Hugs,

Stygi

Something Energetic 🕺

Earth, Wind & Fire - September

There’s no better song to start September with. It’s iconic, upbeat, and it’s impossible not to vibe to it ✨. Since 1978 this banger makes us wanna dance 💃.

The fun fact is that if you’re curious about what happened on the 21st night of September or what “ba-dee-ya” in the chorus means, you won’t get a satisfying answer. The band musicians tried to sing on many different dates until they found out the 21st sounded the best. And “ba-dee-ya” was just a nonsensical placeholder that somehow made its way to the recording session. There’s no story behind it. It just sounded right for the artists 👂. As Maurice White, one of the writers of this song said: “Never let the lyrics get in way of the groove”.

Open in Spotify

Something Worth Considering 🤔

Bo Diddley - You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover

I love the simple message in this rock & roll hit from the 60s 🔥. The lyrics tell us many scenarios to show that no one should judge just by appearance.

Bo Diddley was supposedly a stage animal and loved to make a show, shaking his body, jumping, playing his guitar above his head, and balancing on his toes.

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Something Sweet 🍬

Jackie DeShannon - Put A Little Love In Your Heart

It’s this kind of music that hugs you and makes you smile 😊. Jackie DeShannon once said in an interview that her mom was an inspiration for this song. She used to say that “people should put a little love in their heart when things are not so good”. The catchy lyrics, vibrant melody, and soothing voice of Jackie DeShannon are doing the thing. In my case, I can’t help but put in on repeat 🔁.

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Something Fiery 🔥

Kiki Dee - I’ve Got the Music in Me

It is a powerful song about confidence, ambition, and achieving one’s goal by not letting anything stand in the way ✊. Kiki Dee screams here like Janice Joplin and brings out the soul like Aretha Franklin. What a vibe! What a vocal range! I love how many emotions are flowing throughout this song. It’s impossible to listen to it and not tap your feet 👟.

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Something Inspiring 💡

Renegade Soul - Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

This one is a song that I always come back to when I’m down. It helps me get back on track. It’s a list of things to apply in your life so that you won’t regret not doing them in the future. The lyrics for this song are from an essay by Mary Schmich, written for the Chicago Tribune in 1997. 2 years later Baz Luhrmann, an Australian filmmaker, remade it as a slow song with a clip “Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen”, aka "The Sunscreen Song". It was a huge hit that resonated with people all over the world 🌎. Many artists made their covers and parodies over the years. The version I like the most is the one by Renegade Soul. Some may say it’s naive or cliché and sounds like a classic self-help book, but it somehow just makes you feel good. So give it a try, and hear it yourself 🎧:

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I couldn't help myself but recommend another song inspired by “The Sunscreen Song”. It’s from an album titled “Music To Help You Read More” by Star Slinger, DJ, and producer from Manchester, UK. Words are by James Altucher who wrote the self-help guide “Choose Yourself”. I really like Slinger’s vocals, and the pieces he picked from the book. The quote, that struck me the most: “One candle can light a thousand other candles and still remain lit itself. Be that candle.” 🕯. I’m curious which one will resonate with you. It would be awesome if you could share it with me.

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Something Heartwarming ✨

Yusuf / Cat Stevens - If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out

Yusuf / Cat Stevens wrote it for the very dark romcom “Harold and Maude” in the 70s. The movie tells a story of a suicidal young man Harold, who meets a Holocaust survivor, Maude. She manages to change his perspective and shows him how precious the gift of existence is. Song lyrics are about living life to the fullest, doing the things that the heart desires ✨.

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Something Meditative 🙏

Nox Vahn & Marsh - Come Together (Extended Mix)

Today we will close our “session” with the deep house version of guided meditation by famous British philosopher, Alan Watts. Get ready for over 8 minutes of pure pleasure ✨🧘‍♀️💭.