Playlist For Life (part 1)

I knew I had this photo. Uncle Glade and me—on a “date” in 1969. I remember singing along with him to “I’m leaving on a jet plane don’t know when I’ll be back again …”

I’ve been thinking about the idea of a playlist for life for months, but my brother Theron gets credit for motivating me to get started. At our family reunion last week, he inspired me simply by playing songs and talking about his love of music—especially ROCK. The more he talked, the more I remembered specific memories and shared times together. See his hand drawn flow chart below!

This episode is all about the almost mysterious and evocative power of music, even one song, to transport a person back in time. I’ll share the beginnings of my playlist along with a few of the stories these songs spark for me—and I’d LOVE to hear from you: The songs you love and the stories they tell. Send me an email stacy@stacyjulian.com or leave me a SpeakPipe message using the orange button in the sidebar!

Here’s my playlist so far …

1. A Bushel and a Peck
   Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely

2. Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
   BJ Thomas

3. Leaving on a Jet Plane
   John Denver

4. Let’s Groove
   Earth, Wind & Fire

5. Rock Around the Clock
   Bill Hailey & His Comets

6. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
   Jim Croce

7. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
   Neil Sedaka

8. I Made it Through The Rain
   Barry Manilow

9. Bandstand Boogie and American Bandstand
   Larry Elgart & Barry Manilow

10. Don’t You Want Me
    The Human League

I was so delighted to find Playlist for Life online—a charity that helps people create personal , memorable playlists for family members suffering from dementia. You can learn much more HERE. Music is neurologically special in the way that it stimulates many parts of the brain at once. This means that even if parts of the brain are damaged, music can still reach other parts. The video below can help you begin the detective work and process of compiling songs that can reconnect the patient and their loved and help them experience JOY together.