Fairly randomly, or perhaps targeted ads, brought me to know of Mary Lambert yesterday. From that introduction to the ‘Happy Holigays’ EP, this little playlist came into being. I titled it, “Seasonal Depression,” after the song by Mary Lambert, because it was so appropriate. I think many of us are feeling it and these songs reminded me that these aren’t new or unique feelings for this time of year. The distance is farther, the days are shorter, and the darkness presses in, and it always has.
So, from me to you, here’s my “Seasonal Depression,” playlist:
- River, Indigo Girls
- Christmastime is Here, Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Seasonal Depression, Mary Lambert
- White Wine in the Sun, Tim Minchin
- Winter Song, Leslie Odom, Jr
- There’s Still My Joy, Indigo Girls
- Little Drummer Boy, Bing Crosby and David Bowie
- In the Bleak Midwinter, James Taylor
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Judy Garland
- Little Altar Boy, The Carpenters
- White Winter Hymnal, Fleet Foxes
- Blue Christmas, Cast of Hadestown (If The Fates Allow)
- I Pray on Christmas, Harry Connick, Jr
While many of these songs reflect the melancholy notes of this dark season, they are also songs about hope and I tried to round it out into an uplifting ending. It’s okay to feel the heavy and the dark, so long as we remember, it gets better and spring will come again.