If he is of a more classical bent you could find a copy of Elgar’s Powick Asylum Music written when the classical composer was band master at the lunatic asylum. Surely that will provoke some research.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Psycho Killer from the Talking Heads yet.
IANAP, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to give gifts to your therapist. It seems to me that this might make your relationship start drifting into weird areas.
What if (s)he doesn’t respond with a gift in kind? What if (s)he does? What if you start wondering if the your therapist reads too much into the songs you chose? What if you later find that one of the songs you thought was innocuous is really a well-known song about something else? (I’m thinking about Puff the Magic Dragon, but hell, you might think YMCA is about youth athletics). I see lots of negatives in this gift-giving and not a lot of positives. Of course, that’s just my opinion.
“Everything Reminds Me of My Therapist” by Nancy Tucker is a hilarious little song, though not easy to find I imagine. (“Pillows remind me of my therapist/Especially when I beat them up”)
I came across a song from this album (by Katie Lee incidentally) off of a compilation CD by Re/Search called “Incredibly Strange Music Vol. 1”. That compilation has the song “Will to Fail” set to a toe-tapping beat while talking about purposefully setting yourself up to fail.
**Barenaked Ladies’ ** “Crazy” is good too.
But my pick goes to one of my fave artists, Cheryl Wheeler. She did a song called: “Is It Peace Or Is It Prozac?”
“Institutionalized”- Suicidal Tendencies
“Mad World” - Tears For Fears
“Doctor Worm” - They Might Be Giants
“Dark Secret” - Matthew Sweet
“Polaroids” by Shawn Colvin
“Please no more therapy,
mother take care of me…”
“Mad Mad Me” by Wendy Waldman
“Losing My Mind” and “You Could Drive A Person Crazy” by Stephen Sondheim. And there’s an entertaining medley of the two on that Sondheim tribute album that came out several years back.
Agreed. Music is too personal a gift for such a professional relationship. Tongue-in-cheek humor gifts also have the potential for misunderstanding (people’s senses of humor differ). And trust me, your therapist has already heard all these songs before. It’s called psychiatric grad school.
Also consider the occasion for the gift-giving: “one year anniversary.” Only couples do that. You wouldn’t give a one year anniversary gift to your hair stylist or car mechanic.
Stick to a tin of cookies or a fruit basket on the holidays. A parting gift for when the professional relationship is over would be appropriate, since your therapist won’t ever have to look in the eye and lie when they tell you how much they like the mix and listen to it all the time.
Peace.
Ask your therapist what ‘transference’ means.
I can’t believe I’m the first person to suggest “Helter Skelter.”
“Still Crazy After All These Years” – Paul Simon (one of my favorites)
Most psychiatric professionals discourage gift giving for good reason. The relationship is strictly professional. Anything other than that is not good for you and the progress of your therapy. No matter how much concern and mutual respect there is, she or he is not your personal “friend.”
Out of My Mind - Buffalo Springfield
Voices - Russ Ballard
Fucked Up Girl- The Vandals
The Thorazine Shuffle - Bongos Bass and Bob(Pen Jilette’s late 80s band)
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun - Julie Brown
A Tom Lehrer medley comprised of: The Masochism Tango, Poisoning Pigeons In The Park, I Hold Your Hand In Mine, and Irish Folk Song.
Get Nervous - Pat Benatar
Fear of the Unknown - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Oh… forgot:
Obsession - Animotion
Can’t Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue
One Step Beyond - Madness
From the I can’t believe nobody has said as yet department:
Stone Cold Crazy - Queen, or better yet the Metallica cover (Garage, Inc. CD)
Not so much as I can’t believe nobody’s previously mentioned “Insane” by Texas or Queen’s “I’m Going Slightly Mad”.
But it’s not about that: http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/puff.htm
“I Don’t Like Mondays” Boomtown Rats
Brain Damage by Pink Floyd (from Dark Side …)
if you can find it, Alice Cooper’s Ballad of Dwight Fry sic