by Jesse Hudgins
Cover and compilation albums can either work really well or they’re huge flops. Some that come to mind that worked are the Rock Against Bush series and the Punk Goes Pop series. While those collections are great and had their share of popularity, I want to give attention to a different series of cover/compilation albums that haven’t gotten as much attention: The Songs That Saved My Life.
The Songs That Saved My Life collections feature bands covering songs that came at an important time in their lives, or just have importance to them, in general. Some of the bands featured on these albums are Neck Deep, Taking Back Sunday, Mayday Parade, State Champs, and Stand Atlantic, all well-known bands in their respective scenes. Including them on these albums certainly adds to their reach, though.
While the featured bands are all great, the real highlight of these is that they’re charity albums, benefiting mental health organizations like Crisis Text Line, Hope for The Day, The Trevor Project, and To Write Love on Her Arms. On their website, you can find interviews with Ben Barlow of Neck Deep, Bonnie Fraser of Stand Atlantic, and other artists going over the songs that they covered and why they covered them. They also discuss different times in their lives when they struggled, which brings a sense of grounding to the musicians, the albums, and the message of the whole brand.
Where The Songs That Saved My Life really shines is the overall message of not being alone and that music is a safe haven. When a band I love shows they have songs that saved and helped them, it makes me feel normal. I know I’m not the only one, either. Friends of mine who’ve listened to these albums agree that they give them a feeling of being normal, and the experiences they’ve been through are shared with some of their favorite artists.
Mental health and tough moments in life aren’t easy to get through, but music is something that many people, including myself, use to get through it all. Knowing that no person is alone in their experience, and even sharing it with musicians, is relieving. Overall, I highly recommend The Songs That Saved My Life, as well as their website, for a great cause and great music.
