The Soundtrack of Your Recovery

Many people in long recovery use music as a tool. It is part of our stress management, our spiritual practice and as inspiration to the ways we want to live in the world. But it’s not a tool that we talk about much in meetings.

This week I have been blasting the soundtrack to the film, “Oh Brother Where Art Thou”—the depression era award-winning movie by the Coen Brothers starring George Clooney and John Goodman. I’ve been signing along and belting the songs even though I truly have no singing voice. The poignancy of the roots music cracks me open, helps me to cry and some of the songs become recovery anthems.

Today I kept hitting the repeat button to hear “Keep on the Sunny Side” by The Whites, and “In the Highways” performed by the young Peasall Sisters.

Perhaps my all time favorite “recovery inspiration” music is the sound track to the Broadway show, “Les Miserables.” My personal anthem is the barricades song and in the privacy of my car I make up new lyrics for “Will you join us” and “We will not be slaves again.”

You can find recovery music everywhere. It is whatever resonates with that better part of you and the part that aspires to helping you live the principles of the program.

My friend “T” keeps one of her car radio buttons set to a Christian radio station. Her personal faith and theology is not that conservative but she likes the uplift she gets from the Christian songs and she says that she can make those lyrics into prayers on her way to work.

So please share: What is your “non-conference-approved” recovery music? Is it Broadway? Tupac? Top 40? Or Country?

Here is some inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpDbvlAI_A0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy1eOLEiyFY

A New Song and Recovery Anthem

I have loved Mary Karr's poetry for many years, then I gobbled up her first memoir, "The Liar's Club" and "Cherry" and then I savored her masterpiece of addiction, surrender and recovery called, "Lit".

This year her beautiful language became song lyrics and were performed by a collective of stunning musicians. The cd is  called, "Kin".  I put it on my IPad and I sing along making my daily exercise into recovery walks.

One of my favorite songs from Karr's album is called, "Just Pleasing You" and is performed by Vince Gill. It has become my new recovery anthem. I'm attaching the link below so you can hear this song. If the link doesn't work for you try ITunes or Amazon or just Google "Just Pleasing You" by Vince Gill. I assure you--this is a recovery song for our Out of the Woods crew.

Thinking about this makes me want to ask you: Do you have a recovery song? or a song from any genre that represents your recovery? For years my anthem was a gratitude song, "Your Love is Lifting Me Higher" (and yes, I did fantasize being both the lead and the fringe shaking backup singer). But what is your song? Share it here please.


Here is the link to Vince Gill and Mary Karr's "Just Pleasing You":


http://www.youtube.com/v/3V-gTM0Czmw?version=3&autohide=1&autoplay=1&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=1Aw_ncg44UtFOTfCT3UOAA&feature=share&autohide=1