Effective Living > Music > Heart Songs
Summary. The 2009 Heart Songs Selections are now available. This is one of the most significant Heart Songs compilations in a decade. These songs were selected among hundreds reviewed this past year. The theme for this year’s Heart Songs selections is High on Life. As with the 2008 Heart Songs selections, listening from the beginning through to the end, the purpose of the music is to take the listener from a world of hurt, to a world of hope.
Track 1 is Tabla Tales by Shanti Bros. as included in the Buddha World Lounge – Ethno Chillout Bar album. This is an uplifting instrumental and vocal piece that lifts the listener to new heights of awareness and understanding.
Track 2 is Mar Jaava by Salim-Sulaiman, Shruti Pathak, and Salim Merchant as featured on the soundtrack from the Indian movie Fashion.
Track 3 is El Corazon by Arno Elias as featured in the Buddha-Bar: Nature album.
Track 4 is Pockets by Strange Arrangement. I met their lead keyboard player, Joe Hettinga, on 12 February 2009, outside of Java Juice in Iowa City.
Track 5 is Bruises by Chairlift. It’s a playful upbeat song with nice instrumentals and vocals.
Track 6 is Realize by Colbie Caillat. It’s a song of hope and inspiration for relationships. This was a song suggested by the iTunes store when purchasing music by Chairlift.
Track 7, Set the World On Fire by Britt Nicole, is a song about having dreams, plans, and hopes with a passion and commitment to make things happen with the help of the divine.
Track 8 is Just Stand Up! by Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Natasha Bedingfield, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood, Keyshia Cole, LeAnn Rimes, Ashanti, Ciara, and Mariah Carey. An amazing list of artists. This is a very uplifting, motivational, and hopeful song. The song was produced as part of a cancer awareness initiative, but speaks a universal message of overcoming challenging situations. This was a song suggested by the iTunes store when purchasing music by Chairlift.
Track 9 is Spiralling by Keane from their album Perfect Symmetry. “I made you in the image of myself. I gave you everything you wanted. So you would never know anything else. But everytime I reach for you, you slip through my fingers… laughing at the things that I had planned.” Listening to the song, one might think it is the story of humans being made in the image of God, but the song is really about humans making God in their own image with human-like attributes, temperment, and characteristics.
Track 10 is High on Life by DJ ENCORE from their album Intuition. This is a song about creating a life of ecstasy and transcendence.
Track 11, Open Your Eyes by DJ ENCORE, is a song about taking a relationship to the next level. The chorus is, “What does it take to open your eyes? Don’t let it fade. You’ve got to let the sunshine through the rain. Open your eyes. Don’t make me wait. You’ve got to let the sunshine through the rain.”
Track 12 is Dreamworld (Original Version) by Doruntina. Is a song about creating a transcendent life of paradise. “In this world, it’s hard to believe in anything, but I know you will catch me when I fall. I believe… It’s like we’re living in a dreamworld. The moon is dancing and the stars twirl. Don’t wake me up. I never want to leave… this dream world.”
Track 13, Walking in the Sky by DJ ENCORE, is a song about living on a higher plane of conciousness and existence. An excerpt of the lyrics: “When you’re walking in the sky, heaven is holding hands with you, so you better learn to fly before you’re falling through.”
Track 14, Without Breaking by Da Buzz, is a song about having clearly defined goals in life, and continuing on in life beyond the dissapointments and heartbreak.
Track 15, River Flows in You by Yiruma, is a beautiful and soothing instrumental piano piece.
Track 16, Llajctaimanta by Tinku, is an Andean melody that seems to tell the entire story of human history; past, present, and future, in 5 minutes and 50 seconds.
Track 17, Fruta Fresca by Carlos Vives, is a song of profound love and passion. An excerpt of the lyrics translated from the Spanish: “This love (I have for you) is profound… and the entire world knows it.”
The complete list of songs are shown below (requires the free Adobe Flash Player to view). The listing below provides links to songs, artists, and albums available on iTunes. There are 30-second previews of songs on iTunes.
