Music: Soothing the Savage Beast of Depression
Research shows music has a profound effect on mood, something humans have known for millennia. Read on for more!
The old expression, “Music soothes the savage beast,” has its roots in two poems. The first was Pharsalia by Lucan, which states, in part, “ . . . Whose charming voice and matchless music moved the savage beasts, the stones, and senseless trees.”
The second, by William Congreve in 1697, was called The Mourning Bride. It says, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks or bend a knotted oak.” Other common iterations include “calms” or “tames” instead of “soothes.”
Regardless of the expression’s true provenance, the maxim holds true, as shown by the many studies that have been conducted about music, frequency, hertz, and their effect on depression.
My entire life has been predicated on music that I love. Some of my earliest memories are of a plastic avocado green record player that looked like a suitcase with a picture of the old Disney “Aristocats” cartoon on the front.
As an only child, I remember playing with only the Jackson 5 for company, or later, as a bullied elementary school kid, coming home and crying to the tunes of my favorite boy band, the Bay City Rollers.
To this day, you can tell how it’s going by what music I’m listening to.
That’s one of the tools in my mental health toolkit, playlists*. If it’s a bad day, you might hear Finnish progressive metal with lots of drums, or what I call “skippy music,” medieval lute and flute that can’t help but make me happy, or a playlist I’ve just dubbed “Loud,” featuring Living Colour with “Cult of Personality.”
And, yes, on the absolute worst days, you’ll still hear the Bay City Roller singing to me as I process.
Read God’s songbook, the book of Psalms. Songs of joy, songs of suffering and sadness, Anger. Disappointment. Betrayal. They’re all there. We know that the author of many of the Psalms, David, the shepherd boy, played the harp for King Saul during his bouts of depression. Ephesians 5:19 says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord.” Music has such a profound impact on our mental states that I believe it is why James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.”
Yes, music has a definite effect on mood. Prepare your playlists now. Let the Good Times Roll, or realize that Everybody Hurts.
Chime in with the songs on your playlist below!
*Additional playlist for premium subscribers here.



