Music expresses the feelings of the artist when they sit down to write. We choose to listen because it reflects how we feel.

The beats and the patterns of motivational music can inspire people to move, while relaxing music can calm them. People who are jogging want to hear something like Gotta Keep ‘em Separated by the Beastie Boys, and other types of music that will get them up and moving.

When choosing music people often pick what they can connect to or understand. Lyrics speak to people in ways that connect to personal experiences or feelings.

When Brandon Boyd, the lead singer of Incubus, sings Drive, people relate because they understand what it is like to feel they don’t have control of their own lives.

As many hockey fans know, music can set the mood and make the crowd go crazy. Cheerleaders use music in the same way, to motivate the people to cheer more, be happier and yell louder.

Lyrics can heal one’s heart or head like chocolate. When feeling down, beats and lyrics smooth over all the problems. Hearing other people who have the same problems and listening to how they deal with them can sometimes make the problems feel smaller.

On the other hand, music can also make people laugh. Listening to Carrie Underwood sing Before He Cheats, can make anyone laugh about how she handled her cheating boyfriend. Hearing that song can make anyone imagine “trashing their boyfriend’s car.”

Popular genres today seem to be mostly rap and rock. They flow throughout the media, and people understand them because they display lyrics about partying and having fun. Most people can relate to that because everyone wants to have a good time.

So whether it’s a fight with a best friend or needing something to work out to, music will always be there to help with everything.