Lungs and Music
Songs of the Vital Spirit: Air, Breath, & Oxygen
| Song Title & Link | Meaning & Connection to “Vital Spirit” |
| “Breathe (In the Air)” by Pink Floyd | This song serves as the opener to the album The Dark Side of the Moon. Its meaning is a direct instruction to the listener to be present in their life. The “air” is a symbol for life itself. The lyrics encourage you to “Breathe, breathe in the air / Don’t be afraid to care,” reminding you to engage with the world and live your own life, as “all you touch and all you see / Is all your life will ever be.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcz0YxYl6Ac&pp=ygUiYnJlYXRoZSAoaW4gdGhlIGFpcikgYnkgcGluayBmbG95ZNIHCQkDCgGHKiGM7w%3D%3D |
| “Breathin” by Ariana Grande | This song is a very literal representation of breath as a tool for survival, specifically against anxiety and panic attacks. Grande described it as a reminder to herself to “just keep breathin'” when she feels overwhelmed and unable to get a full breath. It treats the physical act of breathing as the ultimate grounding mechanism and a vital lifeline back to stability.
https://youtu.be/ikWnhLSx9ec |
| “The Air That I Breathe” by The Hollies | In this classic ballad, the “air” is used as a powerful metaphor for an essential love. The singer states they don’t need “cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound” because the love they share is as fundamental to survival as the air itself. It equates love with the “vital spirit” of the air, making it the only thing necessary for life: “All I need is the air that I breathe / And to love you.”
https://youtu.be/-E6WIkHxyTw |
| “Locomotive Breath” by Jethro Tull | This song uses “breath” as a metaphor for a relentless, unstoppable, and destructive momentum—the “locomotive breath” of fate or perhaps a life spiraling out of control. It’s not a gentle life-giving air, but a powerful, chugging, steam-driven force pushing the “all-time loser” headlong toward his end. The “breath” here is a powerful, almost oppressive, vital force.
https://youtu.be/OyyQ2XRPOnI |
| “Every Breath You Take” by The Police | This song has a famous double meaning. On the surface, it’s a song about love and connection, with “every breath” symbolizing a shared life. However, its true, darker meaning is one of surveillance and obsession. In this sense, “breath” represents the constant, inescapable presence of a possessive ex-lover, making it a “vital spirit” that is being watched and controlled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs |
| “Oxygen” by Ben Nicky & ARTY | As a high-energy dance track (interpolating the classic “Don’t Give Up”), this song uses “oxygen” as a metaphor for the exhilarating, life-giving feeling of a relationship or a moment of euphoria. The lyrics “You’re my oxygen / In a world so broken” frame the person as a source of clean, vital energy that allows the singer to “breathe” and escape.
https://youtu.be/VwziKFacX7c |
Chamber Music for Wind Instruments
| Piece Title & Link | Meaning & Significance (Instrumentation) |
| Trio Sonata No. 1 in F Major, ZWV 181
by Jan Dismas Zelenka (Baroque) |
This is one of a set of six sonatas that are considered the pinnacle of Baroque wind music. They are famous for their virtuosic and demanding parts, especially for the two oboes, which weave complex, expressive lines against the foundation of the bassoon and harpsichord (continuo). It’s a brilliant display of counterpoint and expressive harmony.
Instrumentation: 2 Oboes, Bassoon, and Basso Continuo (Harpsichord/Cello)
https://youtu.be/iZGpfjDyR8I |
| Serenade No. 10 “Gran Partita,” K. 361
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Classical) |
This is arguably the most famous and beloved piece ever written for a wind ensemble. It’s a grand, seven-movement work of incredible emotional depth. The “Adagio” (3rd movement) is especially famous for its sublime, interwoven melodies, famously described in the film Amadeus as “a voice of God.”
Instrumentation: 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Basset Horns, 4 French Horns, 2 Bassoons, and Double Bass https://youtu.be/NecLh4YOT9M |
| Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16
by Ludwig van Beethoven (Classical) |
Beethoven was so proud of this piece that he reportedly called it “the best work I have written so far.” He deliberately modeled it on Mozart’s quintet for the same instruments. It’s a true dialogue, with the piano and the four wind instruments exchanging musical ideas as equals.
https://youtu.be/aXJjESS1yGw |