Start singing
James Sills, author of Do Sing and founder of the Sofa Singers, shares his playlist to get you singing
Humans have always sung. In fact, there is evidence that singing developed before spoken language. There is no known human culture that does not sing. Some anthropologists believe that because singing in a group is a sociable, inclusive and co-operative activity, it provided an evolutionary advantage for early humans.
Even whilst we’re in lockdown, one activity we can all do is sing. We can do this at home, on our own or with our household. Alternatively there are online groups, which have formed in place of physical meet-ups. One such example is The Sofa Singers which is a free, online, weekly singing event that connects people from across the world.
Author and vocal leader James Sills has collated a list of songs to encourage us all to start singing. It doesn’t matter what singing ability you have; singing is about the experience. It can bring us joy and force us to stay in the present moment.
This list is for everyone. Take a look, have a listen and start singing.
Stand By Me — Ben E. King
Lean on Me — Bill Withers
Go Your Own Way — Fleetwood Mac
Three Little Birds — Bob Marley & The Wailers
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You — Andy Williams
Sit Down — James
Big Yellow Taxi — Joni Mitchell
Ring of Fire — Johnny Cash
Talkin’ Bout a Revolution — Tracy Chapman
Time After Time — Cyndi Lauper
American Pie — Don McLean
Brown Eyed Girl — Van Morrison
Eternal Flame — The Bangles
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) — Whitney Houston
Here Comes The Sun — The Beatles
Starman — David Bowie
Wonderwall — Oasis
All Night Long (All Night) — Lionel Richie
You’ve Got a Friend — Carole King
This playlist is available here on Spotify. For more song ideas and to feel inspired to sing more, listen to the Do Sing audiobook, available now to stream on Spotify.
Inspired by Do Sing: Reclaim your voice. Find your singing tribe by James Sills. Text copyright © 2019 by James Sills. Artwork © Hannah Cousins. Published by The Do Book Co.
Do Sing is also available from Do Books (includes free ebook download) | Bookshop.org | Audible
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