Relax: Songs to calm the nerves

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Image from the cover to Laraaji's 2023 album, Segue to Infinity. / Courtesy of the artist

If you've been gripping the great armchair of life, this week's All Songs Considered is here to help, with songs to lower the shoulders and slow the blood. NPR Music's Hazel Cills and Stephen Thompson join host Robin Hilton to share their go-to tracks to calm their nerves, from the transcendent sounds of Arooj Aftab and Laraaji to Brian McBride's ambient wonder "Girl Nap," Cassandra Jenkins' profound tear-jerker "Hard Drive" and more.

We've also got the one song scientists, presumably wearing lab coats in secret, underground facilities, determined is the single most relaxing song of all time — so relaxing, it may reduce your anxiety by up to 65%.

Featured songs and artists:

1. Marconi Union: "Weightless"
2. Mary Lattimore: "Wawa by the Ocean" from Collected Pieces
3. Van-Anh Nguyen and Noshika Masuda: "Spiegel im Spiegel" (Pärt)
4. Brian McBride: "Girl Nap" from The Effective Disconnect 
5. Laraaji: "Meditation No. 1" from Day of Radiance
6. Arooj Aftab: "Saans Lo" from Vulture Prince
7. Eluvium: "One" from Talk Amongst The Trees
8. Enya: "Watermark" from Watermark
9. Adele: "Someone Like You" from 21
10. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, John Pritchard & London Philharmonic Orchestra: "O Mio babbino caro" from Kiri Te Kanawa Sings Puccini and Verdi
11. Yo La Tengo: "Our Way To Fall" from And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
12. Cassandra Jenkins: "Hard Drive" from An Overview of Phenomenal Nature
13. Ruth Laredo: "Clair de Lune" (Debussy) from My First Recital
14. Rachika Nayar: "Our Wretched Fantasy" from Heaven Come Crashing
15. Radiohead: "Everything in its Right Place" from Kid A
16. Clem Snide: "Nick Drake Tape" from A Beautiful EP

The Top 10 most relaxing songs of all time, according to the British Academy of Sound Therapy:

1. Marconi Union and Lyz Cooper: "Weightless" 
2. Airstream: "Electra"
3. DJ Shah: "Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix)" 
4. Enya: "Watermark"
5. Coldplay: "Strawberry Swing"
6. Barcelona: "Please Don't Go" 
7. All Saints: "Pure Shores"
8. Adele: "Someone Like You" 
9. Mozart: "Canzonetta Sull'aria"
10. Cafe Del Mar: "We Can Fly"