Do you get the chills from listening to music?

Definitely the National Anthem for me. It always gave me chills but now that my son is in the Army, I can’t get through it without tears.

The original graduation song. (pomp and circumstance)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0242yFKRpU

All the time. @romanigypsyeyes Johnny Cash singing Hurt is very intense, the video heartbreaking. If you get to Nashville, the video will be the last thing you see at the Johnny Cash Museum.

It was only a matter of time when Nimrod would show up in the movie. You might like this blatant show of patriotism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66owXqZaexs&t=352s

Other music that give chills is The Lark Ascending by Vaughan William(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOWN5fQnzGk), Sibelius Symphony No. 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8qiAMOiygs) and the first two movements of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NKEHosQf2k).

Suzuki Twinkle Variations. Seriously.

So much can hit you, some of it out of the blue. Speaking of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sinfonia Antarctica gets to me. Have loved finding moving things unexpectedly in a movie-Rodrigo Concerto de Aranjuez in Brassed Off, music from Brief Encounter , Legends of the Fall, etc. Just today, I was at an amusement park, of all places, and one of the shows had Streets of Dublin. I got tearful and I’m not even Irish! I have been to Dublin though! :slight_smile:

Enya’s How Can I keep from singing

The Grateful Dead’s Uncle John’s Band

I agree also with Garfunkels voice in Bridge over troubled water, and U2’s Still haven’t found what I’m looking for

My son wrote one of his college essays about how he connected to music emotionally - and that his favorite music was Johnny Cash, Finnish Metal and Tchaikovsky.

Funny, I was going to say something along the same line B-)

Hearing the Battle hymm (Marine corps) or Anchors Away (Navy) in a parade setting or air show will have me tearing up in no time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-3ws7b4sZg

My son used to start crying whenever he heard the final verse of “Puff The Magic Dragon” ("Dragons live forever, but not so little boys . . . ") Not just when he was 5 or 6, it kept on well into his 20s, although I think he’s over it now. Or at least over that reaction.

I can’t get through the first verse of Malvina Reynolds’ “Turn Around” without choking up (". . . Turn around and you’re two, turn around and you’re four, turn around and you’re a young girl walking out of my door.") I teared up typing it just now.

Oh, wow, interesting thread! There is another discussion here, about why music can do this to us (got into one hell of a row with a music appreciation teacher in college about this one…), but here are some of mine:

1)Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, about a dad talking about his son growing up and the father and son relationship through it, still can make me cry.

2)The opening song from the show “big little lies”, the pain evoked in that song just hits me deep (see the video of it being performed by the artist who wrote it, both chilling and powerful)

3)Forever Autumn sung by Justin Heywood of the Moody Blues (it was done as part of an audio version of HG Wells “war of the worlds”, read by Richard Burton). I saw him do this live as part of a MB concert many years ago, him singing with two keyboard guys, wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

4)The Rite of Spring when played live by a good orchestra, guaranteed to give the chills, probably from being overloaded emotionally

5)Watching my son performing these days, especially now he seems to be really finding his footing as a musician, it is a combination of pride, a bit of sadness that he is no longer a little boy, and feeling the passion he puts into the music.

How about Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof? I don’t remember growing older, when did they? :((

Yes, yes, yes to so many of the songs listed! Heart beats faster, goosebumps, hairs stand on end, skin feels tingly on top of my head.

I am not exactly a patriotic person, but Stars and Stripes Forever gets me every time.

Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah sung by Jeff Buckley:

https://www.google.com/search?q=hallelujah+jeff+buckley&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

(Or as sung by Kate McKinnon as the SNL opening after the election)

I was just going to say Hallelujah. It really doesn’t matter who sings it–it always gives me goosebumps, including when the women’s chorus I’m in performs it. I always choke up when I hear Cat’s in the Cradle and Green Day’s song Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). Often when I sing certain pieces of music I can hardly get through them because I start tearing up and my voice cracks.

First chord of Hotel California. But the song has layers of significance for me. And it relaxes (maybe I should say, transports.)

Being in a chorus that focuses on specific harmonies the “raising goose bumps” is a literal response when the chords are absolutely ringing (all is in sync) and it almost feels and sounds like there are other voices singing above you. It will raise goose bumps even if you are not enthralled with the particular song. It’s a visceral reaction which can even happen during warm-ups.

There are lots of songs I have emotional heart strings tugged at.

I listened to the interview in the OP’s link and read the technical paper. I could follow the methodology and the statistical analyses in the paper, but not the brain physiology data. Anyway …

In the interview, the Harvard/USC researcher points out that music that triggers the chill response typically “starts out slow and builds and builds over time.” I’d noticed this before, in my own response to music. It explains the appeal of Free Bird (oh boy, does it build and build!) for lots of people, including me. If I were a musician aiming for a big hit, I’d take note.

I didn’t see a discussion in the paper about what percentage of the population has the chill response. Is it really indicative of a “unique brain”? Idk. It’s interesting that nobody lacking the chill response has responded to the thread question, only those that can reply affirmatively.

Black by Pearl Jam is one of those songs that really builds and builds.

Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus performed live. I guess if it has “Hallelujah” in the title it makes my list. :wink: