When music gives you goosebumps.
There was a thread on reddit today that asked what songs give you goosebumps. I meant to leave a single suggestion and ended up getting a bit carried away, and writing a stream-of-consciousness list of what I think are some truly great moments in music history. My list below. Add yours under it.
- Just about every single song on Arcade Fire’s first album.
- Most of Springsteen’s The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle, but especially the call-and-return climax of KItty’s Back, getting stuckin the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey in Rosalita (the whole verse), and but I know that she won’t take that train in NYC Serenade
- The first five notes of Everything in It’s Right Place by Radiohead.
- “Yeah for a miiiinute… I lost myself” on Radiohead’s Karma Police
- The first chorus/crescendo of Bon Iver’s “Creature Fear” when the floor tom kicks in. The whole song, really, from the first note… but especially that part. And hell, most of Skinny Love while we’re on Bon Iver.
- “Would you like to hear my voice, sprinkled with emotion” from Nirvana Unplugged doing Meat Puppet’s Oh Me.
- Both crescendo’s in The Beatles’ Day in the Life
- Orbital’s Adnan’s. While it’s raining.
- Bjork’s Cocoon. While it’s snowing.
- Underworld’s “Jumbo” while dancing in a large crowd of people on drugs in the sunlight.
- Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eye’s.” While I’m holding a boom box over my head.
- The entirety of Beethoven’s 9th – 5th movement (chorale)
- All the more intense movements of Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons (Summer, Movement 1 and 3, Winter Movement 1 and 3) — especially as performed by Nigel Kennedy and his chamber orchestra recorded in 89
- The opening notes of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue
- CHristmas Time is Here performed by Vince Guaraldi on the CHarlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.
- Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Just… the whole goddam thing. Repeatedly.
- “Just like witches and black masses” by Sabbath in War Pigs
- From the few few chords to the last few yelps of Tom Waits’ “Come on Up to the House.” Also, the entirety of his song Picture in a Frame, but I danced to that with my wife at our wedding, so that might just be me.
- When the beat kicks in on Death Cab’s “Different names for the same thing.” Chills all up and down.
- The entirety of Godspeed You Black Emperor!’s Lift your Skinny Fists
- Lightning Bolt’s “Dead Cowboy”… somewhere in the middle, it hits me and I think I have a seizure, my eyes roll way back into my head, and see the face of god exploding over and over like fireworks
- Animals Collective’s Fireworks.
- Somewhere in the middle of Steve Reich’s “Pulses” I have a reaction quite similar to Lighting Bolt’s dead cowboy, only God is made of recursive lamba functions.
- Bob Marley’s “Jamming.” Makes me feel like a kid again.
- Nine Inch Nails’ Eraser. Though maybe not like it used to since I lost all that teen angst.
- The moment Jeff Magnum yawlps “I am listening to hee-yaaaar where youuuuuaaaaarrre” in Neutral Milk Hotel’s Two-Headed Boy
- “And I tell you like before! You should say his name the way that he said yours! But you don’t wanna say his name anymore!” in Black by Okkervil River. I actually got goosebumps typing it.
- Randy Newman’s “Old Man.” And then I think about my Dad and cry.
- Red House Painters’ “Have You Forgotten.”
- “Too late to turn back now! We’re running out of sound!” from the Smashing Pumpkins’ Galapagos
- The Talking Heads’ “Once In A Lifetime” for being the pinnacle of modern music.
Comments
always always always movie soundtracks – i identified films by a few bars of their soundtracks when i was a kid and was pretty obsessed with the whole thing: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Labyrinth, Legend, NeverEnding Story, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Batman, STAR TREK…and the list goes on. i LOVE big epic instrumental story-telling pieces. lots of them make me cry if i involve myself enough.
the opening credits music for Star Trek First Contact makes me cry every time.
Janet Jackson – “Again”. There’s a part in the middle where her voice breaks. I feel the pain. That has affected me since 1993.
Queen and David Bowie – “Under Pressure” Freddie’s “give love give love giiiiiiive love…” part
Jimmy Eat World – “For Me This is Heaven” piano bridge
Nine Inch Nails – “Hurt” this song actually gets me twice. First, when the detuned guitars and floor toms start beating in the second chorus, and again, when they swell back in after “If I could start again / a million miles away”
Bloc Party – “Sunday” Guitar/piano solo. It’s still my favorite Bloc Party song, for that very reason
Wow. I agree with a good chunk of John’s, specifically the Okervill River, Neutral Milk, Miles Davis, Coltrane, and the Arcade Fire. But my others are:
- “Plainsong” by the Cure, but specifically that opening crash when the music starts, but also pretty much the whole damn thing. The whole album actually, but that opening crash….damn.
- “Jackie” by Sinead O’Connor
- “Pipeline/Kill Time” by Sonic Youth, but specifically that reverb laden drum roll right in the middle.
*The verse of “RE: Stacks” by Bon Iver. This is the only song I can think of where the verse is what gets me rather than the chorus. - “House of Cards” by Radiohead
- “Sometime to Return” by Soul Asylum
- Any 80’s song associated with John Hughes movies have a visceral goosebump effect because I was just that age when those were released, but specifically anything off of the Pretty In Pink soundtrack does it for me.
- Any Red House Painters, but if I had to pick one I’d go with Mistress.
- Big Black “Kerosene” right where he kicks in and yells “SET ME ON FIRE!!!!!” and that guitars start screeching and skronking.
- “Gimmie Shelter” by the Rolling Stones
- “Baba O’ Reilly”
- The entire “Cease To Begin” album by Band of Horses
- “One Big Holiday” by My Morning Jacket
- Every guitar chord and note on Siamese Dream.
- “Don’t Take Me For Granted” by Social Distortion
- “’59 Sound” by Gaslight Anthem
I’ll probably think of about a million others after I click “Post My Comment” but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.
I came in here to post “the first five notes of Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead,” figured you had already mentioned it, and was pleased to see that you did.
The most recent song to have this effect?
Go listen to Southern Point by Grizzly Bear. Right there at the 3:04 mark. Hot sweet goddamn.
A few others (I’ll just save on space and keep Radiohead off this altogether):
• At 15 or 20 indefinable points during “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel.
• “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire (our bodies get bigger, but our hearts get torn up, etc.)
• “Green Arrow” by Yo La Tengo, twice as goosebumpier when I’m driving through woods at night.
• The album “Makes Me Feel Better” by Honeychurch, but usually only if I’m listening to music while lying down at night in a place that’s not my home.
- Bon Iver – “The Wolves (Act I And II)”, specifically the T-Pained “What might have been lost” and that whole part being sung by the crowd at The Town Hall in NYC.
- Brian Wilson – “Our Prayer/Gee” and “Cabin Essence” off of Smile. Shit, layered vocal harmonies give me the chills no matter what, so I guess Brian Wilson’s entire catalog qualifies (except for that last album).
- Saves the Day – “My Sweet Fracture” outro. I’m sure this won’t be a popular pick around here, but I love it when his voice starts wavering during the “Rather forget the days we spent” part at the end of this song.
- Elliott Smith – “Angeles”. I mean really, his voice was designed to give people chills.
- Refused – “New Noise”. Maybe the best song ever written, but I’m wondering if “HOLY SHIT I AM PUMPED!” goosebumps are the same as Elliott Smith goosebumps.
Jay, thanks for reminding me of Saves The Day. That song you chose is good, but for me “At Your Funeral” gets the goosebump treatment.
Jay, I’m surprised you’re not more into the new Grizzly Bear if you’re that into layered vocal harmonies. Also, Fleet Foxes. But maybe you are?
And goosebumps are goosebumps. I totally called out Black Sabbath and Lightning Bolt and they sure as hell don’t give me the same goosebumps Elliot Smith does.
John said:Jay, I’m surprised you’re not more into the new Grizzly Bear if you’re that into layered vocal harmonies. Also, Fleet Foxes. But maybe you are?
I’m definitely into both of those. I lose interest in Veckatimest after awhile but the first few songs are awesome (Southern Point is amazing). Fleet Foxes were my winter soundtrack.
John- We share way to many for me to list, and I especially agree with Okkervil River, but for me it’s the verse with the “if I could tear his throat, spill his blood between my jaws” bit. It’s so good it makes me insane.
Here’s mine:
- The “You know, you know where you are with” bit at the end of Radiohead’s “Let Down”
- The last half of “Bleeding Hearts Show” by The New Pornographers. The drum fills are nuts.
- “Ready For The Floor” by Hot Chip
- The part in “Something Vague” by Bright Eyes where he yells “Fuckin’ glow in the dark!!”
- “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” by Spiritualized. The whole album.
- “I Summon You” – Spoon
- “It’s Only Time” and “Epitaph For My Heart”- The Magnetic Fields
There are many more of course.
I would say that pretty much every song mentioned in this thread has every right to be here as a list of great songs.
But very few songs get me purely on a musical basis. If I get emotional over a song it is usually from a revived memory. So, sometimes, the song may not even be that great…or even any good at all, but hearing it still makes me smile, laugh or, sometimes, cry.
Some of these for me would be
Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks
Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush
Take my Breath Away – from ‘Top Gun’ – I said they may not be good.
’I’m Not in Love’ – 10cc
The opening verse of ‘Life on the Line by Fad Gadget.
’Into my Arms’ – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, or any track off ‘The Boatmans Call’
The last one probably falls into this second list too.
If I was to pick purely on music then I would have to agree with Kev on the ‘Disintegration call and also Catch by The Cure.
’Birthday’ by The Sugercubes
The first track from the Sigur Ros debut EP
God Only Knows – Beach Boys
But
The Manc said:>
’I’m Not in Love’ – 10cc
I applaud this selection wholeheartedly and without a trace of irony.
Kevin said:The Manc said:>
’I’m Not in Love’ – 10ccI applaud this selection wholeheartedly and without a trace of irony.
I had to google it. I’ve never heard it before. I applaud your selection, but with as much irony as I would had you said “I wanna know what love is” by foreigner. Which is to say, a lot.
Jay, the synthy breakdown at the beginning of “New Noise” still gets me every time I hear it. The anticipation before “CAN I SCREAM?!” is too much for me to bear.
Also, I’ve come up with a few more, listed from not really corny to corniest.
The Twilight Singers – “Real Love” Piano outtro. It’s a cover of the Mary J. Blige song and probably my favorite all-time cover.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Maps” Pretty much everything about this song.
Van Halen – “Jump” These synths in general are amazing, but I particularly love the triumphant synth solo after the guitar solo.
Underoath – “Reinventing Your Exit” I don’t even know why. This song is standard mid-00’s screamo, but it still gives me chills.
And finally, Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle “A Whole New World”. It’s a well-known fact that this is one of, if not my #1, favorite songs of all time. I think it’s the dueling “Anywhere / there’s time to spare” line in the last chorus that does it.
John said:Kevin said:The Manc said:>
’I’m Not in Love’ – 10ccI applaud this selection wholeheartedly and without a trace of irony.
I had to google it. I’ve never heard it before. I applaud your selection, but with as much irony as I would had you said “I wanna know what love is” by foreigner. Which is to say, a lot.
I think it’s a matter of holding a special place of affection for the crappy music that’s played around the house when you’re a kid, and still clinging to some faint though most definitely misguided idea that there’s something special about what you hear your parents listening to as a kid. Just as for you that’s The Beatles, for me that’s most 70’s AM radio cheese rock.
I haven’t put much thought into this, hence only one item, but:
Bright Eyes – “Let’s Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and be Loved)”
This whole song kills me.
“He stopped me and said child, I love you regardless” gets me everytime and now I’m crying at work…damnit.
You cannot compare the Beatles to AM radio cheese rock. One is a massive step forward in pop music coupled with a summation of everything that came before it, and the other are a bunch of dudes inspired by the Beatles but writing songs for your grandma.
John said:You cannot compare the Beatles to AM radio cheese rock. One is a massive step forward in pop music coupled with a summation of everything that came before it, and the other are a bunch of dudes inspired by the Beatles but writing songs for your grandma.
I don’t think you get what he said.
No, YOU cannot compare the Beatles to AM radio cheese rock. I absolutely can. And I did. I can do it again if you’d like. There, I did it again.
The difference being that I’m fully aware that the music I’m talking about is sappy, syrupy, overly sentimental, and bad pop music that only retains any semblance of significance in my life because of the sentimental connection of a young, ill informed childhood mind whereas you have yet to come around to that fact about the Beatles. You’ll get there, John. You’ll get there.
I am also confused by John’s comment.
There’s no comparing Beatles to AM rock going on here.. just comparing time periods.
People in the 60s grew up with fond memories of listening to the Beatles.
People in the 70s grew up with fond memories of listening to cheesy AM rock.
People that grew up in the 80s/early 90s, like me, grew up with way too many fond memories of adult contemporary. Hello Amy Grant!
and acknowledging that because that’s what his parents listened to as a child he has a sentimental attachment to that music, just like you do with the beatles.
Just to be clear since the snark detector seems to be broken:
- What Reggie said is exactly what I’m saying. It’s the emotional connection of what you hear around the house or on the radio growing up and the emotional connection to that. If your parents play the Beatles there is emotional connection, if they play AM radio there is that connection, if they played 80’s pop, etc.
- I was subtly adding snark content by comparing the quality of the two just to do my usually intentional riling up of John (which clearly worked).
- Both those points being made, part of why I never liked the Beatles or took them seriously was because they were played always along side all the AM Radio 70’s light rock I grew up listening to as a kid. So whereas the rest of it faded from view until decades later when the nostalgia kicked in, the intervening 20 some years had me continually being told that for some unknown reason those Beatles songs were “different” or “better” than that other stuff they were played along side. When I started listening to rock radio they never played the Beatles. They played Zeppelin, The Who, The Kinks, The Stones, etc. So hence 39 years of equating the Beatles with crappy, maudlin, sappy pop music and not with Rock music.