35 Songs to Live By. With Fine Lyrics. All released between 2000 - 2025.
Plus practice instructions for Dharma Dancing
We, the oldies, can find ourselves vulnerable to getting stuck in a musical time warp of the 1960s, 1970s and 80s with rock, pop and indie music. Perhaps we know little about the wave after wave of creative music emerging this millennium to bless our ears, spark our energy and reveal to us insights we hadn’t known before.
I am a so-called product of the 1960s and still love the sound and challenging lyrics of the Gods of Music - the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Along with us, a sangha of hippies, they inspired a cultural/spiritual revolution including against the conformity of the suit and tie, dress and high heels world.
There is much to appreciate in the impassioned music of this millennium with lyrics spelling out to us the ways things were or have become.
If you look into the distance, there’s a house upon the hill
Guiding like a lighthouse….”
Music with a message. Dance. Love. Peace.
Here are my favourite 35 songs released between 2000 - 2025. I listen to songs including my favourites list at home using Spotify, in the gym while pushing the weights up to heaven and lowering them down to earth and in the coffee shop in Totnes (Devon, England) using YouTube to write down a memorable line or two of the lyrics appearing on screen.
I am blesssed with a precious 18-year-old family member living in the loft for more than four years. Contemporary music wafts its way down the stairs. I regularly shout up, “What’s the song. Who is the singer?” Then make a search on the devices. One or two others in the beloved sangha have introduced me to several of the songs. They only have to look down the list to know their precious influence.
If you love a song from this millennium, do send over the name of the song and singer. I will lend an ear. Do not expect a reply.
35 Loved Songs Released between 2000-2025
Title of Song. Name of Singer/Band and Year of Release of Song
(No paricular order)
1. Beautiful Day. U2. 2000. 2. Apocalypse. Cigarettes after Sex: 2017 3. Budapest. George Ezra 2013 4. Cold Little Heart. Michaeo Kiwanuka 2016 5. Chasing Cars. Snow Patrol 2006 6. Jerusalema. Master KG Nomcebo Zikode. 2019 7. Daylight. David Kushner 2023 8. Ho Hey. The Lumineers 2012 9. Hero of War. Rise Against: 2008 10. River. Leon Bridges 2015 11. Human. Ragn’Bone Man 2016 12. Society. Eddie Vedder 2002 13. The Seed. Aurora: 2019 14. Leave a Light On. Tom Walker 2017 15. Video Games. Lana Del Rey: 2011 16. Mad World. Gary Jules 2001 17. Saturn. Sleeping at Last: 2014 18. Say Yes to Heaven – Lana del Ray. 2023 19. Wasting My Young Years. London Grammar: 2013 20. Heal. Tom Odell 2013 21. Shallow. Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper 2018 22. Exile. Taylor Swift & Bon Iver 2020 23. The Scientist. Coldplay. 2002 24. Stay. Rihanna 2012 25. Take Me to Church Hozier 2013 26. The Night We Met. Lord Huron. 2015 27. I Will Wait. Mumford & Sons. 2012 28. The Silence. Manchester Orchestra. 2017 29. To Build a Home. The Cinematic Orchestra. 2007 30. Wicked Game. Lusaint. 2021 31. Stay With Me. Sam Smith. 2014 32. Clown. Emeli Sandé. 2012. 33. Skinny Love. Bon Iver. 2007 34. Never Let Me Go. Florence and the Machine. 2011 35. Simple Man. River Crombie. 2025
Later this month (October 2025), we hold one of our residential teachings of the primarily online 12 month Mindfulness Teacher Training Course (MTTC) at the Waldhaus Buddhist Zentrum near Andernach, Germany. On the final evening after the last meditation, we will play for an hour around half of the above songs in the meditation hall. I call the session Dharma Dancing - a time to let the spirit flow freely. Before the dancing session, I give bare instructions in mindfulness of love of dancing and noting any expression of the judging mind of others dancing or the music or themselves. After all, one of my primary roles roles includes teaching mindfulness.
Practice is practice including dancing to the Gods of Music.
Substack newsletter finishes here.
Go and put some music on.
Lots of Love
Christopher
What a beautiful expression you are Mr Titmuss!