While I do love lyrical songs, I also gravitate towards instrumentals since the listener can interpret unique meanings from their personal reservoir of emotions. Non-verbal media helps people communicate just as much as verbal media, and despite their different approaches in doing so, they share a key component of being able to impart comfort to others.
The song that I gain comfort from the most comes from a movie I could never bring myself to finish — “Path of the Wind” by Joe Hisaishi from “My Neighbor Totoro.”
With a gentle, soothing beginning that invites the listener to relax but torpedoes into a quick passing like a fever dream, the song mimics the journey of a small breeze swelling to a tornado on the horizon, close enough to convey a magnificent display of power but distant enough to ensure safety. When I first heard this song, it evoked such a nostalgic feeling that I thought I had already associated the song with a pleasant childhood memory.
Because of the peaceful turbulence of “Path of the Wind,” I hold this song close to my heart. Seemingly cheerful with melancholy string solos, the overall composition harkens to the extraordinary capacity of humans to harbor hope for the future despite mistakes of the past. If I could, I would list all soundtracks from Studio Ghibli, but there are too many songs that deserve recognition as well.
Such as “Love” (feat. Fisherman) by Cosmic Boy has a dreamy, melancholy quality to it that makes you feel like your bed is softening into a cloud that gently lifts into the air as the stars surround you and take you around the highest of mountaintops. The composition starts off airy and simple, with muted piano, and then slowly becomes more complex with more modern, synthetic sounds that mimic the twinkling of stars with distinct, yet familiar sounds not unlike a violin. Near the end of the song, the instrumentals are a complete contrast to the familiar, classic sound of the piano from the beginning of the song –– however, it ends with a single instrument, with what could be described as a lonely feeling, just like how it started.
The “Queen’s Waltz” by the Rock Diamond also starts off simplistically, with soft piano taps paired only with plucking from string instruments. As the song goes on, a low-pitched instrument takes lead, and the rest is history. It’s the visual description of a queen and king taking the first formal dance at a ball, where everyone else waits with bated breath for the first few seconds to pay their respects before diving into the festivities themselves. However, it would not be as interesting if it didn’t sound like there was some desperation in the song, as if it was going to be everyone’s last dance…
Another favorite of mine is Gustavo Dudamel’s “Danzón No.2.” The composition starts off so serenely and peacefully it’s hard to imagine how crazed and frantic it sounds later. I am sad to spoil the surprise ascension into madness within this piece, but no words could do the experience of listening to it firsthand justice. It sounds like 4 different pieces all at once but they work into each other so smoothly it’s hard to tell which part is before or after. I could say the same thing about Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Waltz No. 2,” except it begins with a cheeky tone similar to what I would expect when seeing two mafia leaders discussing some illicit trade in an old film.
The true beauty about all of these songs is that they can elicit completely different reactions and descriptions from different listeners. I was extremely tempted to put all my favorite soundtracks from classical composers, movies, games, anime, TV shows, and more, but then this list would become “My Top 100 Instrumental Songs,” and to spare myself the emotional strife of having to pick out my favorites, I just picked the ones I listened to most recently.