What Songs Give You the Chills?

A study called "Anatomically Distinct Dopamine Release During Anticipation and Experience of  Peak Emotion to Music" was just published and articles about it are being shared online among music lovers. Basically, what the study says is that the brain produces dopamine, a substance that makes one feel good, in anticipation of or while listening to music that is so good it gives us the chills. The more chills one has listening to a particular piece of music or song, the more dopamine is produced by the brain.

The opening paragraph of this article from Discovery News says "People love music for much the same reason they're drawn to sex, drugs, gambling and delicious food, according to new research. When you listen to tunes that move you, the study found, your brain releases dopamine, a chemical involved in both motivation and addiction."

The test subjects in the study brought their own selections of chill producing music. The most popular choice was Barber's Adagio for Strings. My classical music loving parents would be ashamed to know that I had to go online to listen to it, and am not familiar with it. It is lovely. I've provided the link just in case you're in the same ship of fools with me.

I'm not sure if it's just cold in my studio right now, or if a few of the songs on Dierks Bentley's Up on the Ridge album are giving me the chills, but there certainly are many songs that have this affect on me.  When these songs come on, I overwhelmed by the same sensations as when I'm taking the first bite of a piece of rich chocolate cake or thinking about sex.

My first memory of getting the chills from a song was The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Charlie Daniels Band. I think I was eight. That fiddle still gives me the chills.

   

Sometime in my early 20s, I discovered Fleetwood Mac, although I suppose I've heard them most of my life. Landslide definitely gives me the chills. With that guitar and Stevie Nicks' raspy voice I'm going to guess that this is one of the most chill producing songs ever. I think I read that somewhere (not really).



I have always been a sucker for the soaring, emotionally charged song that elevates the spirit like Celine Dion's, "It's All Coming Back to Me"  and Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up." 



And now onto the humble country song.

Whiskey Lullaby, Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss. The chills come on from the first pick at that guitar and then escalate as I anticipate Krauss' voice joining Paisley's. I have listened to this song three times in a row. As sad as this song is, I feel good!



Old Things New, Joe Nichols.  He could sing the phonebook and give me the chills. He is, as you know if you read my blog, my absolute favorite singer. This is my favorite songs of his. Unfortunately, this is the best video of it that I have found online. It's a live recording from a concert.  Even with the ambient noise and a lady gabbing in the background, it gives me the chills. After a week on vacation without access to music, I listened to forty-four Joe Nichols songs in a row. I was jonesing for some music and he gave me my fix.



Bad Things, Jace Everett. Doesn't everyone get the chills when they hear this song? It's the high twang of the guitar and his deep voice singing something naughty. Dang.

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Dierks Bentley, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes".  I'm not sure why this song gives me the chills, but it does. Perhaps it's the instrumentation, sexy lyrics and his sleepy voice. I suppose it is similar to the Jace Everett song in some ways.



Most people wouldn't decide to put Jason Aldean on their short list of chill producing artists. From the first moment I heard it I've thought the song "Truth" sounds like the hidden wailing of an average guy's broken heart. When he breaks into the last verse, my skin breaks out in goosebumps.

"Have some mercy on me." After listening to these songs over and over, since these are all songs that I can't listen to only once, I'm high as a kite. Whew!



I'll finish by throwing in something a little unexpected, Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters". I could have picked almost any song from The Black Album. The sound is loud, larger than life, energetic, a little bit scary, and to my ear, beautiful. Metallica gets that dopamine pumping. In fact, if I really need to run, Metallica is the one band that can get me through the miles.

What songs give you the chills, causes your brain to release dopamine, and turns you on?