Let’s Talk About It…

Every once in a while somebody says something so simple and so true that it basically dares you to turn it into a whole blog.

Enter my friend Cindy.

Cindy works with me at Take Time To Travel. She’s wildly good at what she does. But more importantly, Cindy is one of those rare humans who makes people feel seen without making a big show of it. I genuinely do not know a single person who doesn’t adore her… and honestly, if you don’t, we’re gonna assume you just need a snack and a nap.

So Cindy drops this comment like it’s no big deal, listing songs that are THE best song ever, songs that kick you right in the feelings and songs that make you dance in the kitchen. And I’m over here like ma’am, you just handed me a whole Music Education lesson.

Because here’s the truth… we all say music taste, but what we really mean is music makes my brain light up in specific ways.

Let’s break Cindy’s picks down and talk about what they teach us.

1️⃣ Category 1: “Best Song Ever” (Also Known As: Fight Me, Respectfully)

Cindy’s Best Song Ever Toss Up…

❤️ I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe)

❤️ Hero (Mariah Carey)

❤️ Juke Box Hero (Foreigner)

That list is a whole personality test.

Music Education takeaway: “Best” isn’t one genre. It’s impact. Different sounds, same magic.

2️⃣ Category 2: “Kicks You in the Feelings” (AKA: Wrecks Your Mascara)

Cindy’s Feelings Songs…

❤️ I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)

❤️ Bubbly (Colbie Caillat)

Now this pairing right here… this is emotional range.

Music Education takeaway: The “feelings” aren’t just lyrics. It’s dynamics. Loud and soaring can feel like devotion. Soft and simple can feel like safety. Either way, your nervous system goes, “Oh. This matters.”

3️⃣ Category 3: “Dance in the Kitchen” (The Cheapest Therapy Plan Available)

Cindy’s kitchen dance starters:

❤️I Feel Good (James Brown)

❤️ Old Time Rock and Roll (Bob Seger)

❤️ You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)

These songs all have one thing in common: they move before you even decide to.

What makes a song “kitchen dance” approved?

🥄 A beat you can’t lose (steady backbeat, clear groove)

🥄 A hook you can sing without thinking (because you’re holding a spatula, not studying poetry)

🥄 Energy that hits fast (no slow build required, we’re already in motion)

Music Education takeaway: Dance songs are about rhythm clarity. If your brain can predict the beat, your body trusts it enough to move.

4️⃣ Cindy’s “So Many Others” List and Why It Matters

Then Cindy casually adds she loves:

🎤 George Strait

🎤 Little Big Town

🎤 Chris Stapleton

🎤 Willie Nelson

🎤 Jennifer Nettles

🎤 Gov’t Mule

🎤 Tedeschi Trucks

🎤 Elton John

…just to name a few.

That’s not all over the place! That’s wide open ears!

That’s someone who loves:

🎸 Storytelling (George Strait, Willie Nelson)

🎸 Harmony & heartbreak (Little Big Town, Jennifer Nettles)

🎸 Soul grit & truth (Chris Stapleton)

🎸 Guitars that preach (Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks)

🎸 Songwriting that sticks to your ribs (Elton John)

Music Education takeaway: Taste isn’t about genre loyalty.

It’s about what you respond to: story, voice, groove, melody, mood.

A Little Listening “Homework” (But the Fun Kind)

🤔 Next time you hear a song you love, ask:

🤔 What’s pulling me in first? (lyrics, beat, voice, riff)

🤔 Where’s the payoff? (chorus, bridge, key lift, final chorus)

🤔 How does it make my body feel? (calm, hyped, heavy, hopeful)

That’s it. That’s the lesson. You’re welcome, class.

And Cindy, if you’re reading this: thanks for the comment that turned into a whole blog. You keep being everybody’s favorite human. You’ve earned it.

Now tell me, lovelies… what’s your:

🏆Best song ever

🏆 Kicks-you-in-the-feelings song

🏆 Kitchen dance song?

I’m collecting them for my Journeys With Jani music journey this year and yes, I will absolutely judge you a tiny bit… but lovingly.

XOXO, Jani