When I’m studying or writing papers, I always have some sort of music playing. Depending on what type of day it is, the music can vary from 90’s hip-hop to blues/jazz, but I always prefer Country Music. Some songs certainly stick out above others, and some songs are not meant to listen to while studying. I try to shoot for the medium-paced soothing country songs to help me focus on my work. Any type of loud/fast up-tempo songs usually distract me from my work. I’m sure there are some that disagree, but as I care to tell it, this is how I prefer to groove while doing school work.
- Sinners Like Me – Eric Church
There are certain songs I listen to depending on what type of homework I have to do. This song is a prime example of a not too slowed-down melody that would be great to listen to while writing a paper. Eric Church tells a story that many people can relate to in this song. Personally, I enjoy hearing a story like this while writing papers, it puts you in a better mood and keeps your mind off how much you have left to write. When writing a paper, nobody should listen to a song like Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley. This type of song could potentially put you in a sad mood and make you not want to write any further.
- Wayfaring Stranger – Johnny Cash
Wayfaring Stranger has been performed by different types of artists such as Jack White, Ed Sheeran and Johnny Cash. I prefer to listen to not only the Johnny Cash version, but any Johnny Cash tunes when i’m studying for an exam for various reasons. There is something about listening to older country music that really helps me concentrate while studying. When I listen to older country songs, I don’t know the words to a lot of them. I think this helps me focus on learning a topic because i’m not singing the words in my head, and these songs are rather used for background music.
- Georgia On My Mind – Willie Nelson
This song incorporates my two favorite types of music to listen to while doing homework: Country & Blues. It’s unique to me in many ways, and can be listened to in either writing a paper or studying. First written by Ray Charles, Willie Nelson combines the bluesy rhythms into his own country twang to create a musical masterpiece. It might be a little slower than Sinners Like Me, but it’s an uplifting song that one could listen to while writing a paper. It’s also an older song that could be listened to while studying or reading. The Blues part slows the song down and helps me focus on the object at hand.
Willie Nelson (left) and Ray Charles (right)
I enjoyed reading your blog. I must say I definitely agree with you on this. I love listening to music while I do my homework, study, or write papers. It helps me tune all the outside distraction out and just focus on my work. However, I can’t listen to anything that is too upbeat because then that too becomes a distraction. Country music is my favorite type of music and that is usually what I listen to while doing my work. It helps me get in the mood to actually sit down and do my homework or study. I really like your song choices, especially the last one. I am a huge fan of that song, Georgia On My Mind. I love Ray Charles and my dad is a big Willie Nelson fan so I know a little bit about him as well. It’s good to know that other people enjoy the company of country music while studying, writing papers, and/or doing homework.
Thanks, Will, for uploading the songs. I enjoyed listening to them while reading your thoughts about them. I have such mixed feelings about listening to music while writing. I used to be able to do it. Sometimes when songs come on I can remember what undergraduate papers I wrote while listening to them. But now, I find the music too much of a distraction, particularly when I don’t know the words. Maybe I am just weak. Side note: Ray Charles’s version of “Georgia on My Mind” was actually a cover. According to Wikipedia, it was first written/performed in the 1930s.
JOB WELL DONE. I thought the ideas behind this post were interesting, because of the fact that you listen to different types of music (mainly country) depending on what you are working on. Personally, I don’t listen to any kind of music while I do schoolwork because I get too distracted (I probably have ADD or something). I also thought it was helpful and something I may implement that when writing a paper because it helps take your mind off of how much you have left and it keeps you in a better state of mind, which makes sense. Since I sometimes have trouble staying on task, especially when writing papers, I am going to try to have music on in the background next time to see if it helps me focus at all (I have a feeling it will). I also approve of the use of the word “groove” in the first paragraph of your post.
When I saw this post, I could instantly relate to it. I love listening to music, especially country music, while I am doing homework; however, I also have the same problem of getting distracted. I have actually found that listening to music that I have never heard before helps me focus more, since I can’t sing along to the songs. I love the songs that you included on your list, and I definitely am going to keep these in mind next time I need some good study songs. Having music to listen to helps me kind of tune out the rest of the world, so that the only thing I have to deal with is my work. I would love to know if you have any more song recommendations for studying, especially less popular music that I might not know. I loved your topic and look forward to seeing more of your writing!