Songs for Hard Times

Music is powerful and can help transport us to a clear and positive space when times get tough. These are some of the songs that helped me through my prostate cancer diagnosis.

Memories of carefree summer evenings

The girls in their summer clothes - Bruce Springsteen, Magic

The song that brings back those memories of warm, balmy summer evenings when everyone is happy, carefree. Those who think Springsteen is all about harsh, hard-edged songs of poverty and struggle will be surprised that he has this soft romantic edge to him. It always lifts my mood and reminds me that warmer better times are around the corner.

Well the street lights shine
Down on Blessing Avenue
Lovers they walk by
Holdin' hands two by two

You really can change your destiny

Days like these I feel like I can change the world - Asia, Then and Now

Asia was a stadium rock band formed by key names from UK groups including Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Best known for Heat of the Moment and Only Time Will Tell from their first album Asia, this track recreates much of the intensity and energy of their early work:

I had a vision
A revelation
I took a look inside of me
And I am a sensation

Days like these I feel
Like I can change the world

This a song to play when you wake up and realize that only you can really control and change your destiny. You might not change the entire world but if you can improve your small piece of it then the day has been a success.

A man’s love for a woman

I drove all night, Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison needs no introduction. The voice, the intensity, the clarity all give him the ability to enter the soul. This song is no exception. It tells the story of a time when a man’s love for a woman was total.

I had to escape, the city was sticky and cruel
Maybe I should have called you first
But I was dying to get to you

As the song progresses you can sense the speed at which he drove, the burning desire and the sense of completeness of them both when he reached his destination. It’s a song that says do it now, do it while it matters, because you really want that final goal.

What music has helped you through your diagnosis? What songs would be on your playlist?