The Songs That Soundtracked My Month
April has always been one of my favorite months — soft in a way that feels almost intentional, like the world is moving more gently on purpose. There’s a quiet stillness to her, and with each day that passes, she slowly brings everything back to life. Morning birds sing their delicate songs outside my window again, and the sun lingers a little longer on my skin. April is when spring offers her first true hello.
This month, my listening has felt just as gentle — a mix of old favorites, new discoveries, and plenty of folk. These songs carry the same softness and warmth of April, and almost every song feels like it belongs in a field of flowers. Here’s my April on repeat, and the songs that have soundtracked my month.
“Gentle On My Mind” – Glen Campbell
“It’s knowing that your door is always open and your path is free to walk.”
If sweetness could be put into a song, it would be this one. Glen Campbell is a classic, and his voice is just effortlessly easy to listen to. At its heart, this is a song of gratitude and love. Whenever it appears on my playlist, I find myself thinking of every small kindness that has ever found its way to me.
What makes this song so special is how it captures something universal — a feeling both deeply personal, yet widely shared. It feels like a warm spring breeze brushing past, like a familiar softness you recognize before you can even name it. Campbell just knew how to capture human emotion, and his song remains, as ever, “gentle on my mind.”
“Tupelo Honey” – Van Morrison
“She’s as sweet as Tupelo Honey. She’s an angel of the first degree.”
Van Morrison’s voice is pretty hard to beat. His music has a kind of soul that makes you feel something you can’t quite put into words — maybe it’s peace, maybe it simply makes me feel alive. Whatever it is, I know I could listen to him forever.
This song is all about love and longing, carrying hints of softness in every note. It feels like the first sunny day after a long, dark winter. Morrison just knows how to bring people alive through his music, almost like the world coming back into bloom.
“Taos To Tennessee” – Tish Hinojasa
“And if I could have my way, I’d take your love when I leave town today.”
This might be the most comforting song I’ve ever heard. It almost feels familiar, which is funny given that it’s about change and leaving. On my first listen, it felt like I had always known it — like it had been patiently waiting for me to find it. Her voice is simply beautiful — not loud or forced, just soft, effortless, and lovely. The guitar feels like home, carrying you back in time to simpler days.
Her soft lyrics rest like a perfectly warm spring evening, when the sun lingers a little longer than expected, and wind-chimes sing gently through the air like they’re having their own conversation. It’s definitely a must-add to the playlist.
“What A Difference She Made” – Jalen Ngonda
“Out every night on the avenue, she lights up the sky as she sings the blues.”
Released in 2023, this song somehow feels timeless. Jalen Ngonda has one of those voices that just stops you in your tracks, like it shouldn’t belong to any one moment of time. His use of instruments is absolutely magical, layered, warm, and whimsical.
It’s simply a feel-good song, the kind that takes you somewhere else for a while, like stepping into a different world without even noticing. Once again, it has soul — and when a song has that much soul, it makes you feel alive in a way that’s hard to explain, but easy to recognize.
“Early Morning Rain” – Cleveland Francis
“You can’t jump a jet plane like you can a freight train. So, I’d best be on my way in the early morning rain.”
Originally written in 1965, there have been so many renditions of this song, each carrying its own meaning through the way it’s sung. But Cleveland Francis’ 2022 version is especially beautiful. It moves slowly, with a quiet strength — gentle, yet deeply powerful, and just a little bit of melancholy in the way it lingers.
It’s the kind of song that settles in rather than simply passing through. Calm and reflective, it invites you to think, to drift, and to sit with whatever comes up in the stillness.
“Who’ll Stop the Rain” – Creedence ClearWater Revival
“Five Year Plans and New Deals, wrapped in golden chains. And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?”
We’re just going to keep the “rain” theme going. Creedence ClearWater Revival is a classic — the kind of band I’m sure a lot of us grew up hearing through our dads at some point or another. This song is short and sweet, but its messaging is anything but simple.
Released in 1970, it’s often read as a protest against the Vietnam War, which fits with much of the band’s political songwriting at the time. There’s something telling about how this song still feels relevant today — how its questions don’t stay in the past. With everything going on in the world today, it’s worth a listen and a moment to think about what “the rain” might mean in our own time.
“Come on Michael” – Labi Siffre
“Come on Micheal, you can make it if you want to. It’s just not the same without you.”
There has never been a moment of my listening where I don’t have at least one song that reminds me of my dad. This one is particularly special — even his name is in it! Labi Siffre has such a unique voice and style, and I truly adore his music. It feels welcoming and deeply personal, like he’s speaking directly to you.
If you give this song a listen, I hope it feels like a gentle push forward and serves as a reminder to get up, to keep going, and to fully step into your own life.
If April is a soft kind of return, then these songs were the way I learned to listen to it. They made the month feel fuller, sweeter, and a little more tender than usual. I’m grateful for that — and for the songs that seem to find me just when I need them most.
I hope April has been nothing but kind to you, and that whatever filled your headphones this month brought you the same sense of happiness.