Songs That Feel Like Spells

I am a firm believer in magic. The kind I believe in is not complex; it can be derived from almost anything— a stone carried in a tote bag for good luck, a spritz of perfume that’s been deemed a love potion, a wish scribbled onto a scrap of paper and tucked under a pillow— but one of the easiest ways to summon magic is with a song. I’ve always relied on music to guide me from one emotion or era to the next, and some songs have proven to be especially powerful in their abilities to promote a shift within me.

I use these songs like spells, pressing play on the right one when necessary and letting it work its magic. Here are a few pulled from my personal song spell book— which, yes, is technically just a Spotify playlist. 

Whole New Mess - Angel Olsen
for starting over; for relocating; for rebirth; for a rest

My life sometimes feels like one long string of starting over, of making one mess after another, of promising myself to get back on track. These rebirths are often punctuated by a new home— one lease ending and another one beginning, unpacking cardboard boxes in sticky August air, a long shower after it’s all done. “Whole New Mess” was released just as I was preparing to move into my final house in my college town after a long period spent at home with my family during quarantine. I remember pressing play while lying down on the floor of my new bedroom, ready to start once again, knowing that in a year’s time I would be doing it all over. Although an endless cycle can be exhausting, I find a sort of comfort in these lyrics, in the idea that “it’s every season where I’m going.” There’s a restorative property to the slow-moving melody and the promise to “really do the change”— even if it’s temporary, even if the promise won’t be kept. Change comes like clockwork; we fall back into our old selves in new ways; this song is a spell to welcome it and to rest between it all.

Garden Song - Phoebe Bridgers
to ward off anxiety; to stay grounded; to manifest

The first time I heard this song, I knew immediately that it was a spell; “Garden Song” is the spell song to end all spell songs for me. It hits me like a sedative when I am at my most anxious. It looks forward while still remaining nostalgic, which is everything I need when I feel afraid— the comfort of the past, the hope of the future, the promise of the house up on the hill. The realization that, despite everything, I have grown taller, that my resentment is getting smaller. When the present feels unbearable, when I don’t know how I will ever see anything through, I press play on this song, let it wash over me, and remind myself that the future is lush, that it’s mine, that it’s whatever I want it to be, and that there are so many flowers in it, and I’ve planted them all myself. I am planting the seeds right now.

All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
to make the night last longer

I’ve listened to this song on countless walks home with friends. Someone is always taking the opportunity to play it into the open night air, the shitty iPhone speaker quality only amplifying the gritty rush of youth. “All My Friends” is the ultimate sun-coming-up song, the one-more-drink song, the we-can’t-go-to-sleep-yet song. I swear by the fact that this track can delay the break of dawn, that it can give you a few more minutes to sip up the last bits of starlight. It’s one of my favorite songs of all time, and it will always remind me of my own friends. Someday, I imagine it will have another purpose; it will be a spell for time travel, a portal to my most precious memories, a reminder that “I wouldn’t trade one stupid decision / For another five years of life.”

Successful - Ariana Grande
to ace the job interview

Ariana is so right: it does feel so good to be so young and have this fun and be successful! Miss Grande is a master of spell songs. A powerful manifestor. A master mantra crafter. And I know she knows it: “I thought you into my life / Woah! / Look at my mind,” she boasts on “Pete Davidson.” A more obvious selection from her discography would be “Just Like Magic,” but “Successful” has brought too much luck to my life to leave out. This song in particular first landed its spot as my go-to pre-job interview spell when I was applying for two different internships during my junior year of college. I listened to “Successful” on repeat before both of my interviews to calm my nerves, and in the end, was offered both. I have now become very superstitious about this ritual and make sure I listen to it before every interview. It has never once failed me. (Knock on wood.)

Ascend and Try Again - Okay Kaya
to move forward; to try again

This one is simple; the title itself serves as a grounding mantra that’s repeated throughout, and the water metaphors mixed with Okay Kaya’s soothing voice are enough to make me feel like I’m floating in a sensory deprivation tank, free of all external stimuli. Sometimes a spell can be as simple as a reminder that it’s okay to start over, that when things become too much to handle, you can go back to square one. “If there’s too much pressure / you need to stop and / Ascend and try again.” We can always try again, as many times as we need to, over and over.

Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac
to recover from a breakup; to leave a mark; to get a tiny tiny tiny bit of revenge 

There comes a time in every young woman’s life where she memorizes the lyrics to “Silver Springs” after getting her heart broken. I say this because I refuse to believe it was just me. Who among us does not feel empowered while shouting “Time casts a spell on you / but you won’t forget me / I know I could’ve loved you but you would not let me?” With my whole heart, I believe that Stevie Nicks is quite literally casting a spell when she sings, “You will never get away from the sound of a woman that loves you.” This song is a spell she has gifted to all scorned lovers. When you play it, the winds pick up; somewhere, your name pops into someone’s mind. It isn’t enough to do any real damage, but it’s enough to leave a bruise on the heart, to make sure you’re remembered. 

Don’t Let It Get to You (Reprise) - Rostam
to release worry

While studying abroad in London, I quickly adopted the lyrics of “Don’t Let It Get to You” as a mantra throughout all the confusion and worries that came with being so far from home: “’It’s still all up to you.” My semester abroad was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I grew tremendously; it hurt to do so. During a time when things were especially difficult— when I was overthinking everything and riddled with fear and homesick and mad at myself for being homesick and, also, well on my way to heartbreak— I listened to this song on a flight from London to Paris, sleepy and mesmerized by the city lights below me, and felt a warmth and gratitude fall over me like a blanket. I didn’t know how things were going to go, but I knew, somehow, that everything would ultimately be okay. That it really already was, if I would let it be. Change can feel impossible to get through— like the lyrics say, “It’s not gonna feel the way that you expected / and it’s gonna hurt to figure it out.” But we do figure it out, without fail. Whenever I find myself in bouts of anxiety, when I’m paralyzed by indecision and wrought with the pressure of the future, I listen to this song and remind myself of that. 

Enchanted - Taylor Swift 
a good old love spell

This has been my go-to crush song since the eighth grade; I listen to it on repeat any time I feel the first inklings of infatuation (which is often). I can’t promise that picturing your crush while repeating “Please don’t be in love with someone else / please don’t have somebody waiting on you” will ensure these wishes are granted, but it will absolutely serve as a way to honor all the middle school-like longing in your chest. Sometimes, the magic of a crush is even more powerful than actually seeing it through. Write a love letter you may or may not send, spray it with your perfume, and stare at your ceiling for a while for good measure. 

A Better Son/Daughter – Rilo Kiley
to lift the fog; to push through it; to survive

Maybe even more than it is a spell, A Better Son/Daughter is also a battle song. This is a song I play on repeat on my lowest days, when my brain holds me hostage and traps me in my bedroom. The honesty of it all— gut-punching lines like “The lows are so extreme / that the good seems fucking cheap / and it teases you for weeks in its absence,”— is comforting, allowing me to honor the weight I feel, but the climax serves as a string of affirmations I let swell in my chest: “You’ll be a real good listener / You’ll be honest, you’ll be brave / You’ll be handsome and you’ll be beautiful / You’ll be happy.” Those final lines, “You’re weak but not giving in / And you’ll fight it, you’ll go out fighting all of them,” are sometimes enough to get me out of bed and ready to face the day.

A Burning Hill – Mitski
to induce a good cry; to survive (again, because sometimes we need multiple)

Sometimes my body will not let me cry. It’s as if I reach such a level of emotional exhaustion that even producing tears is a task too large for me to handle. This is the song I use to coax the tears out of me. It serves as a release, a shedding of a weight that’s been on my shoulders for too long— “I’m tired of wanting more / I think I’m finally worn.” And, most importantly, it is a reminder to myself that no matter what, no matter who fails to keep their promises, no matter who fails to witness the forest fire, I can do it myself, I can care for myself, I can be gentle with myself. I can survive, and I can take it step by step: “I’ll go to work / and I’ll go to sleep / and I’ll love the littler things / I’ll love some littler things.”

 
 
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