# Recommend me some songs to listen to during labor **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987 "2008-08-06T02:23:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/1 "2008-08-06T02:23:13Z")
I’m gathering a playlist as one of my tools to help me relax and keep my mind off the pain. Probably goes w/o saying, but I’m not looking for anything negative, angst-ridden, discordant, or (too) sad. It doesn’t necessarily have to be slow. (I don’t think. Who knows what might annoy me at the time.) As an example, here are some songs I’ve considered: Prelude in E Minor op. 28 - Chopin Cancion del Mariachi - Dois A Um I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor Arietta, from Lyric Pieces - Grieg Escucha Me - Gypsy Kings To Zion - Lauren Hill Tell Him - Lauren Hill Most any song by Ray Lynch Fantasy in D minor, KV 397 - Mozart Is It Possible - Sade You Think I’d Leave Your Side - Sade October: Autumn song, from The Seasons - Tchaikovsky Midnight Special - Buckwheat Zydeco (this song makes me happy and I like this version of it…I guess it is not real happy…“ain’t no food up on the table…” but this is what I mean about not (too) sad – it doesn’t have to be completely absent of sadness. I need more! I have a variety because I don’t know if peaceful classical will annoy me to death and I’ll want something more modern/something with words or vice versa. So what ya got for me? ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/2 "2008-08-06T02:48:01Z")
King of Pain by The Police Ordinary Pain by Steve Wonder Labor of Love by Randy Travis Push-It by Salt-N-Peppa Hurt So Good by John Mellencamp Paradise By the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf Turn of That Fucking Radio and Call the Anesthesiologist by you at 7 cm Hey man, all I had to do was watch, but I’m pretty sure music wasn’t going to be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/3 "2008-08-06T03:19:38Z")
I suggest “The Celts” from Enya. ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/4 "2008-08-06T05:59:26Z")
[QUOTE=WarmNPrickly] King of Pain by The Police Ordinary Pain by Steve Wonder Labor of Love by Randy Travis Push-It by Salt-N-Peppa Hurt So Good by John Mellencamp Paradise By the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf Turn of That Fucking Radio and Call the Anesthesiologist by you at 7 cm Hey man, all I had to do was watch, but I’m pretty sure music wasn’t going to be appreciated. [/QUOTE] Ha! Thanks for making me laugh, **WarmnPrickly**. If THOSE were the choices I doubt I would appreciate them either… I’m not familiar with that last one you named. 😉 Thanks for the real suggestion, **Bane.** ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/5 "2008-08-06T06:09:12Z")
I always said I’d use The 1812 Overture. I’m going to try to time it so the kid shoots across the room during the cannon shots. ETA: For serious, I’d probably second the Enya, maybe Tori Amos? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/6 "2008-08-06T06:11:22Z")
I was going to bring my Elliott Smith “XO” CD, and maybe some Jane Siberry. Then I was stupid and waited too long to leave for the hospital and had to make a mad dash, leaving behind everything I’d planned to bring with me, including my wallet and house keys. So, that’s not recommended. Check out the Elliott Smith, though! ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/7 "2008-08-06T13:13:59Z")
David Bowie, “Kooks” A lot of Cocteau Twins. Pretty stuff. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/8 "2008-08-06T14:51:33Z")
“O, Fortuna!” heh. (Well it would be dramatic!) How about some Dead Can Dance? They have a lot of really relaxing and neat stuff, (did you know that Lisa Gerrard makes up nonsense lyrics to a lot of her stuff? It sounds sort of Eastern but it’s not any language, apparently) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/9 "2008-08-06T14:53:33Z")
Pushing too hard? ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/10 "2008-08-06T16:03:11Z")
I had some “Brudder Iz”–Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, who always relaxes and amuses me. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/11 "2008-08-06T16:27:29Z")
“When the Levee Breaks” - Led Zeppelin ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/12 "2008-08-06T17:00:52Z")
[Music to Be Born By](http://www.amazon.com/Music-Be-Born-Mickey-Hart/dp/B0000009UA) by Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead seems to fit the bill pretty well. It’s totally unlistenable as anything else, but it’s set to the beat of his son’s in uetro heartbeat and was recorded as music for him to be born to, so maybe this will work. Warning - serious hippie vibes abound. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/13 "2008-08-06T17:17:56Z")
“Having my Baby” - Paul Anka ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/14 "2008-08-06T17:31:03Z")
Ha! I have a “Labor” playlist on my iPod. A lot of it is stuff that not everyone will dig (I doubt you want to listen to even the mellowest Alice in Chains, for example) but here’s some of the songs that I think might have universal appeal. “Orange Sky” – Alexi Murdoch “Save Me” – Aimee Mann “Rest Your Eyes” – Azure Ray “By My Side” – Ben Harper “I Try” – Ben Taylor (cover of the Macy Gray song) “First Day Of My Life” – Bright Eyes “Lullaby” – Dixie Chicks “Hope For the Hopeless” – A Fine Frenzy “The Part Where You Let Go” – Hem “My Own Two Hands” – Jack Johnson feat. Ben Harper “Could I Be Your Girl” – Jann Arden “Come And Find Me” – Josh Ritter “Crow’s Nest” – Kelly Joe Phelps “Trouble” – Ray Lamontagne “Samson” – Regina Spektor “Breathe Me” – Sia “Windfall” – Son Volt “Sweet Euphoria” – Chris Cornell “Feelin’ Good” – Nina Simone “Across the Universe” – Rufus Wainwright (Beatles cover) “No Lies, Just Love” – Bright Eyes “Playground Love” – Air “Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac “Hold You In My Arms” – Ray Lamontagne “Distractions” – Zero 7 ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/15 "2008-08-06T17:34:38Z")
Everybody’s labor experience is a little different I’m sure. I think music would help me, but not my wife. My wife was induced about a month ago. For about half a day, nothing was happening and we were both calmly surfing the web. Then she went from a 3 to a 9 in an hour. She was not happy. Stadol just made her feel ill. The best I could do was tiptoe around without making any noise, because anything that disturbed her made her sick. There were no breathing excersizes and no positions. My orders were “shut up and sit quiet.” “No sit over there!” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/16 "2008-08-06T17:52:09Z")
“(Push, Push) In the Bush” by Musique “Dont Push It, Don’t Force It” by A. Gordon “The Push and Kick” by Mark Valentino ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/17 "2008-08-06T18:21:37Z")
“Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/18 "2008-08-06T18:26:15Z")
A two-song combo: “Stand And Deliver” by Adam Ant, followed by Ray Charles’ “It’s Crying Time Again”. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/19 "2008-08-06T18:52:43Z")
Nobody’s put in for “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder yet? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987/20 "2008-08-06T19:50:46Z")
[QUOTE=tesseract] I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor [/QUOTE] I came in to post this one - a friend of mine had it playing in the L&D room when her daughter was born and she had the staff howling with laughter. How about John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good” 😉 (on preview, someone else suggested that). If you want relaxing, anything by Clannad would do. Anyway - if you’ve got an iPod (or other MP3) and speaker system, load it up with everything you can think of. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-songs-to-listen-to-during-labor/458987.md?page=2)