Music has an awesome power to affect the human mind.
Horace called it the "sweet and healing medicine of troubles." To Thomas Carlyle it was "speech of angels," and to Samuel Johnson "the only sensual pleasure without vice."
Today, "mood music" usually refers to the canned sounds heard in elevators or the single person's well-worn album of Ravel's "Bolero." But music can inspire many moods and the right selection can enhance almost any activity, as shown by those on this page from radio station personalities:
WHUR (96.3 FM) -- Melvin Lindsey
WVKX (105.9 FM) -- Jerry Paxson
WGMS (103.5 FM, 570 AM) -- Renee Channey Gabriel
WKYS (93.9 FM) -- Donnie Simpson
WMAL (630 AM) -- Tom Gauger
WETA (90.9 FM) -- Beth Hancock
WWDC (101.1 FM) -- Howard Stern
These connoisseurs of music -- hereafter referred to by their station call letters -- have a wide range of tastes, from country to classic. Their choices just could help you make it through the day -- or night -- and whatever it is you're doing.
To Lull a Baby
WHUR--Evergreen, Barbra Streisand
WVKX--My Sweet Lady, John Denver
WGMS--Lullaby, Johannes Brahms
WKYS--Knee Deep, Funkadelic
WMAL--Prayer, from "Hansel & Gretel" by Engelbert Humperdinck
WETA--Berceuse for Piano, Frederic Chopin
WWDC--The Beer Barrel Polka, The Andrews Sisters
Wake Up a Mate
WHUR--Early Morning Love, Lou Rawls
WVKX--Kiss an Angel Good Morning, Charlie Pride
WGMS--Minuet, Op. 13, No. 5, Luigi Boccherini
WKYS--Love to Love You, Baby, Donna Summer
WMAL--Lever de Jour from the Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2, Maurice Ravel
WETA--Le Reveil-matin (the alarm clock), Francois Couperin or Coffee Cantata by J.S. Bach
WWDC--Start Me Up, Rolling Stones
Muddle Through Traffic
WHUR--Sign of the Times, Bob James
WVKX--East Bound and Down, Jerry Reed
WGMS--Ancient Airs and Dances, Ottorino Respighi
WKYS--No Answer: "I never deal with traffic."
WMAL--Listen to Bill Trumbull on WMAL
WETA--Give Us the Wings of Faith, Ernest Bullock
WWDC--Highway to Hell, AC/DC
Defrost the Refrigerator
WHUR--Feel the Fire, Peabo Bryson
WVKX--Dreams of the Everyday Housewife, Glen Campbell
WGMS--Domestic Symphony, Richard Strauss
WKYS--Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Egg
WMAL--Mefistofele, by Boito
WETA--The Household Muse, Darius Milhaud
WWDC--Cool Jerk, The Capitols
Jog By
WHUR--Get It Up, The Thyme
WVKX--Orange Blossom Special, Charlie Daniels Band
WGMS--Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, W.A. Mozart
WKYS--Any album by Earth, Wind & Fire, or Michael Jackson
WMAL--Hooked on Classics, The Royal Philharmonic
WETA--Second movement, Symphony No. 8, Ludwig van Beethoven (his tribute to the inventor of the metronome).
WWDC--Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
Dine By
WHUR--Come Go With Me, Teddy Pendergrass
WVKX--Any album of Don Williams ballads or Chet Atkins instrumentals
WGMS--Tafelmusik, George Philipp Telemann
WKYS--Any album by Angie Bofill or Michael Franks
WMAL--An Evening with Cole Porter, The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra
WETA--Trout Quintet, Franz Schubert
WWDC--Dixie Chicken, Little Feat
Enliven Your Funeral
WHUR--I Can't Go for That, Hall and Oates
WVKX--Heaven Bound, The Oakridge Boys
WGMS--William Tell Overture, Gioacchino Rossini
WKYS--Get Down on It, Kool and the Gang or Funeral for a Friend, Elton John
WMAL--Love Music from Acts II and III of Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner
WETA--The Heavenly Life, Gustav Mahler
WWDC--Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd
Lift Your Spirits
WHUR--Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Diana Ross
WVKX--Come On In or Bobbie Sue, The Oakridge Boys
WGMS--Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, C. Camille Saint-Saens
WKYS--For Once in My Life, or anything else by Stevie Wonder
WMAL--Disco Inferno, The Trammps
WETA--Cum Sancto Spiritu, from the B Minor Mass, or anything else by J.S. Bach
WWDC--In Heaven There is No Beer, The Whoopee John Orchestra
Give In to Your Blues
WHUR--Alone Again, Naturally, Sarah Vaughn
WVKX--I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Hank Williams
WGMS--Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber
WKYS--Don't Answer the Door, B.B. King
WMAL--Play an old lover's favorite song
WETA--Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life, sung by Sarah Vaughn
WWDC--Constipation Blues, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Woo a New Love
WHUR--The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Roberta Flack
WVKX--Looking for Love, Johnny Lee
WGMS--Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43, Sergei Rachmaninoff
WKYS--Let's Get Physical, Olivia Newton-John
WMAL--Anything by Rachmaninoff ("The Second Piano Concerto is guaranteed"), or the soundtrack to "Superman," the movie
WETA--Siegfried Idyll, Richard Wagner
WWDC--Come Together, The Beatles
Break Off With an Old Love
WHUR--Maybe Today, Dee Dee Bridgewater
WVKX--For the Good Times, Ray Price
WGMS--Farewell Symphony No. 45 in F Minor, F.J. Haydn
WKYS--Take This Love and Shove It
WMAL--Sousa marches, played loudly
WETA--Trio from Act 3 of Der Rosenkavalier, Richard Strauss
WWDC--Love Stinks, The Jay Giles Band
Get Dressed Monday
WHUR--Rainy Days and Mondays, Sarah Vaughn
WVKX--Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good, Don Williams
WGMS--Overture to The Bartered Bride, Bedrich Smetana
WKYS--(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
WMAL--That's Entertainment, The Boston Pops
WETA--Washington Post March, John Philip Sousa
WWDC--Brown Shoes Don't Make It, Frank Zappa
Get Undressed Friday Night
WHUR--Night Games, Stephanie Mills
WVKX--Take This Job and Shove It, Johnny Paycheck
WGMS--Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome, Richard Strauss
WKYS--Never Too Much, Luther Vandross
WMAL--Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pink Floyd or Meditation from Thais, Massanet
WETA--Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome, Richard Strauss
WWDC--(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
