During a summer where I was stuck in a job and a show that I hated, I played "The Last Five Years" soundtrack every single day.

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Reaching back a little further, Michael Jackson's death reminded me of how Thriller got me through a rough summer. Between seventh and eighth grade, our cheerleading squad (which I'd joined in a desperate attempt to fit in, after undergoing some pretty intesne bullying in seventh grade) held a garage sale to raise money for new uniforms. Thriller was 10 years old by that time, and I bought the cassette for a quarter. I remembered the bigger singles, but had never listened to the album as a whole. I played that damn thing to death all summer, making up dances in my head to every song. I had never fit in at school, but something about that album helped me realize that maybe this was a good thing.

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I swear Motown (and a dose of Excedrin) cured a migraine once.

And the other day when I had what may very well have been my first minor panic attack in Target putting my headphones back on and hearing U2 helped me regain my calm (I now have a playlist specifically for this purpose).

And considering that I was walking around with untreated and insane hypertension for a while, music that helped me relax probably has saved my life multiple times.

Also, sometimes my iPod plays certain songs exactly when I need to hear them ("Too Many Fish in the Sea" when I'm feeling bad about a breakup, "Hear My Song" from Songs for a New World when I need to know that I'm not alone, etc).

The following songs hit me closer to home than I'm happy with, but listening to them still feels good:

"I'm Not that Girl" and "As Long as You're Mine" from Wicked

"Ghost" by the Indigo Girls

"I'd Give it All for You" from Songs for a New World

"Come On Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson ("I miss the sound of your voice, I miss the rush of your skin... I ache to remember all the violent sweet perfect words that you said")

(No, my love life's not fucked up at all, why do you ask?)

And U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (the Rattle and Hum version) is my anthem..

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Michael Jackson

Alanis

Ani

Bjork

Tori

PJ

Nirvana

NIN

Afghan Whigs' "Gentlemen" album

Radiohead

Mark Lanegan

Modest Mouse's "Lonesome Crowded West"

Sleater-Kinney

Thanks to those artists for keeping me sane over the years.

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Pre-iTunes, I made mix tapes and mix cds ad nauseum, so um, there really isn't an album, per se.

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Eels- Electro Shock Blues.

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