So I'm trying to figure out a few good songs to listen to during labor. I didn't listen to any music out loud with Miriam, but I did manage to get Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind" stuck in my head. I still can't listen to it without getting the shivers and possibly shedding a tear or two.
To give you an idea of the kind of music I'm looking for, here are the two songs I've chosen already, from the movie Dear Frankie (which you really should see).
Opening Title, and The Final Letter. Those links lead to Amazon's music page, but you might have better luck listening to a sample on iTunes. Both of these songs are piano-based, not to slow, not too fast, and for me at least, are very evocative of deep, positive emotion. Maybe it helps if you've seen the movie, or if you listen to these songs while on a bus ride through the verdant Vermont countryside as I've tried to do to build positive association.
Some other ideas that I've had for the soundtrack are music from Masterpiece Theatre's versions of Sense & Sensibility and Persuasion, music from the original Amanda Root version of Persuasion, and maybe a Jon Schmidt song or two. The problem is that as far as I can tell, soundtracks have not been released for any of those Jane Austen movies, and I am not familiar with any Jon Schmidt song except "Waterfall."
The other problem is that any song I use may very well be rendered unlistenable after the actual birth experience is over (see Gordon Lightfoot, above). That's why I'm not pulling out the big guns and adding the soundtrack of the 2005 Pride & Prejudice to my list, even though it's pretty much my favorite soundtrack ever. I just can't risk having it ruined for everyday casual listening.
An alternative might be the soundtrack to Atonement, which was written by the same composer as Pride & Prejudice. It gets rave reviews on iTunes - is anyone familiar with it?
What other songs are you aware of that might fit the style of what I'm looking for?
To give you an idea of the kind of music I'm looking for, here are the two songs I've chosen already, from the movie Dear Frankie (which you really should see).
Opening Title, and The Final Letter. Those links lead to Amazon's music page, but you might have better luck listening to a sample on iTunes. Both of these songs are piano-based, not to slow, not too fast, and for me at least, are very evocative of deep, positive emotion. Maybe it helps if you've seen the movie, or if you listen to these songs while on a bus ride through the verdant Vermont countryside as I've tried to do to build positive association.
Some other ideas that I've had for the soundtrack are music from Masterpiece Theatre's versions of Sense & Sensibility and Persuasion, music from the original Amanda Root version of Persuasion, and maybe a Jon Schmidt song or two. The problem is that as far as I can tell, soundtracks have not been released for any of those Jane Austen movies, and I am not familiar with any Jon Schmidt song except "Waterfall."
The other problem is that any song I use may very well be rendered unlistenable after the actual birth experience is over (see Gordon Lightfoot, above). That's why I'm not pulling out the big guns and adding the soundtrack of the 2005 Pride & Prejudice to my list, even though it's pretty much my favorite soundtrack ever. I just can't risk having it ruined for everyday casual listening.
An alternative might be the soundtrack to Atonement, which was written by the same composer as Pride & Prejudice. It gets rave reviews on iTunes - is anyone familiar with it?
What other songs are you aware of that might fit the style of what I'm looking for?