@JLMcMillan
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 2:42

What gives you the musical chills?

article image placeholderIf You Get Chills While Listening to Music, You Might Be a More Open and Emotional Person
Reading small verse, I wanted to ask everybody what gives them the chill. Musically. I just recently, in the last year or two learned the term free song, which is a French word that explains this aesthetic. What gives you the music chills, psychophysiological response that has a very wide range of reactions. So for myself, it's a rush of basically goosebumps all up the sides of my legs and the back of my neck and sometimes the feeling of warmth, but definitely all over my arms

https://s.swell.life/SSnousCgFd94lSp https://s.swell.life/SSnouaE5uF93sbc https://open.spotify.com/album/60gQ6EG1JFQWWUcasx7wKc?si=cO4kokS5Rgut7s4ln4

19
@Raretodd
Todd Wiese
@Raretodd · 3:37
But on the metal side of things, not only do I get goosebumps and musical chills from some bands, one of which a great song by Celtic Frost from their monotheist album called A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh. It's got lots of bass in it, and it really builds. And then there's a crescendo. Not only does that give me goosebumps, but it makes me hold my invisible oranges. And you might have seen metal fans do this. It shows
8
@PKBriggs
Sontaia Briggs
@PKBriggs · 1:53

The Rite of Spring Igor Stravinsky https://s.swell.life/SSnqMO44gWBascI

But I did learn a lot, and I discovered a lot of really beautiful music. So thank you, as always, is for making my musical brain think or make me feel like I have a musical brain. Have an awesome night. Peace. Bye
4
@Charlieri
Charlie Olivieri
@Charlieri · 1:36

Nina Simone - Sinnerman https://s.swell.life/SSnsUHNdaLyefbI

Hi Jessica. You have yet again tapped into one of my playlist ideas, though I have actually started a small playlist of songs that Give Me goosebumps. There are very few, but I'm going to listen to all the songs mentioned in this thread and see if I can add any to the list. So my example is a pretty classic one. It's Nina Simone's cinema, but I think this song is often neglected because it's used so regularly in film and TV
8
@JLMcMillan
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 1:43

@Raretodd

So thanks for reminding me of this. It is my favorite LCD sound System song. I'm guessing based on the other tracks, you mentioned, that you're a bit of a sucker for the long tune, and I think actually sometimes the long songs are the ones that give us free songs because they give us the space to play with sound to change with time signature changes and dissonance and things like that. And thanks for the chuckle, the Junse or whatever you said
5
@JLMcMillan
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 2:04

@PKBriggs

But the other thing I really like is just this idea of spring and maybe even musically harnessing the power of nature for me, kind of from a poetic basis I've explored. Spring is something that's not always gentle, but can be quite violent for where I live. It can bring some pretty harsh winds and sometimes snow. And this piece seems to contain all of that. That's amazing. Thank you so much. And I'm very envious of your gig at Carnegie Hall
4
@JLMcMillan
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 2:08

@Charlieri

It's definitely a collective thing. My goodness, thank you so much. This is my jam for the day, and I wanted to mention to everyone that I will be including their suggestions or their example on to my weekly review. I'm just really grateful to be hearing all these moving songs. Thank you so much
6
@JLMcMillan
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 1:02

@Charlieri https://s.swell.life/SSnuNewMTCJBaoJ

Charlie, I also forgot to mention, please share your list. Now you have two lists that are making me very, very curious and eager. So please do let us know if you have a few others or if you have playlist going for that or the playlist that we were talking about earlier, where people end in a chuckle. And by the way, just yesterday, I was listening again to the Ellis Regina version, I guess, duet with Antonio Carlos, Joe Beams Waters of March
4
@Tim
Tim Ereneta
@Tim · 2:38

I haven’t experienced chills… part 1

That tells me that my emotional response is not necessarily from the music but from the narrative of the play. But there's one exception. I think Stephen Sandham's Sunday in the park with George is essentially a musical about the creative process through an artist. George soratt pointless. Act one and Act Two, the characters are all different, so it's not really a story from beginning to end. It's really an exploration of a theme, and the theme is, how do you create?
4
@Tim
Tim Ereneta
@Tim · 1:27

Part 2: that one time, a different experience 🐋

I do have a memory now of a time where I did get chills, but I'm not sure it was raisin. The context was I was in a Symphony Hall hearing a live concert by Paul Winter, which included Paul Paul Halle on the pipe organ and the Paul Winter Consort is known for composing songs, including The Voices of Animals. And there was a song they did that night Concerto for Oregon and Whale. And it was a duet between the live pipe organ and the song of a humpback Whale
4
@JLMcMillan
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 2:59

To feel alive

As much as it is an emotional thing, our brain centers are absolutely wired for melodies, and I think they thrive and maybe even become more elastic when they're challenged with interesting things like dissonance or a whale song. And, you know, perhaps for the first one, there could be just a real emotional investment in the elevated theme of art. But I guess I wonder if it matters why, as much as just I guess embracing that surprise itself as a wonderful experience
4
@Raretodd
Todd Wiese
@Raretodd · 2:18
If I sing along, then I start to well up. And it's not pretty because I remember that time in my life. And that album got me through a lot of hard times. But other chills. I had some amazing metal chills this weekend because it was the mass destruction metal Fest here in Atlanta for three days. I'm exhausted. Maybe that's why I got the chills because I'm tired and old. But no, it was the music
5
@Charlieri
Charlie Olivieri
@Charlieri · 1:04

@JLMcMillan

I think there's a lot of interesting stuff about her personal life as well, which backs that up. But yeah, I think I really liked your recommendation, and I just really loved watching the video. She's just so French and engaging and gives me, like, big lesbian vibes just in her cheekiness of the camera. Maybe I'm projecting a little, but I really enjoy of that. So I think it will definitely have to go on my list
5
@Raretodd
Todd Wiese
@Raretodd · 0:27
Hey, Jessica, did you ever check out that Celtic Frost song that I was talking about earlier in this thread? What's it called a dying God coming into human flesh. Did it give you goosebumps? Oh, it gives me goosebumps? It gives me the chills. I was just curious if you had listened to it. Okay, take care
3
@JLMcMillan
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 1:21

Righteous🤘🏾

It just reminds me of almost like a hybrid between tools and Ministry. But it is great. I love those dropped chords. I love the guitar technique that they use. And then, just like the sheer intensity of it, it definitely elevates my feelings. And I think if I had the chance to listen to it on earphones, it would absolutely give me the chills. It sort of like seizes you by the teeth. Excellent. Thank you so much
2
@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 1:37

https://youtu.be/sRxrwjOtIag

Hey, this is a great post. I really didn't know that this intense physical response that you sometimes get while listening to music actually has a fancy name to it. So thanks for sharing this article. Very interesting. There have been many songs that have evoked very strong emotional and sometimes physical responses in me. But just a few days back, I happened to listen to the full ten minute version of Taylor Swift
5
Swell user mugshot
0:000:00