A journey may seem to begin the moment a plane takes off. In reality, it often starts much earlier.
Late nights spent studying maps. Time spent imagining streets that have never been walked. And certain songs that somehow keep finding their way back into the playlist.
This article introduces eight songs that seemed to arrive in those unseen places before the journey itself began.
The Night the Map Stays Open Is Already Part of the Journey.
Travel may seem to begin the moment a plane is boarded.
However, the journey often begins much earlier.
Open the map.
View photos of the city.
Imagine what the view will be like.
What color is the morning light?
What does the wind smell like?
What kind of sound do the cobblestones make?
The time spent thinking about such things is already part of the trip.
And strangely enough, even the way music is heard can change before a journey.
A familiar song can suddenly reveal a different landscape. A song heard countless times may uncover a new story, while a previously overlooked lyric begins to linger in the mind.
The destination may still be far away, yet the music seems to have arrived first.
It can feel that way sometimes.
These are songs that seem to belong to cities not yet seen.
- Stay/Zedd & Alessia Cara
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This song feels like walking through a city at night. It fits well with the lights of a city yet to be seen and the quiet exuberance of the night before a journey.
🎧Listen to "Stay" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "Stay" on Apple Music - Flashdance... What A Feeling/Irene Cara
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This is a great song that pushes people who are moving toward their dreams. Thinking of a destination yet to be reached, this song inspires another step forward.
🎧Listen to "Flashdance... What A Feeling" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "Flashdance... What A Feeling" on Apple Music
The Music Arrived First.
That city remains unexplored.
Yet certain songs somehow seem to belong there.
The view along the canal in the morning light.
The sound of footsteps on cobblestones.
Peaceful time flowing on the terrace of the café.
Of course, it is all imaginary.
Although the scenery remains unknown, music has a mysterious power to lead the imagination toward places not yet seen.
Sometimes a familiar song begins to take on a different meaning.
These songs remained for the same reason.
- Kaikyo no Machi nite / GLAY
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Life doesn't always unfold as expected. This song gently accompanies those who continue to walk while thinking of someone else. It is a gentle affirmation of the imperfection of life itself.
🎧Listen to "Kaikyo no Machi nite" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "Kaikyo no Machi nite" on Apple Music - BRIGHTEN UP / GLAY
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Perhaps dreams do not come true all of a sudden, but are reached little by little over a long period of time. It reminds listeners that moving forward with anxiety and hesitation is perfectly okay.
🎧Listen to "BRIGHTEN UP" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "BRIGHTEN UP" on Apple Music - Preach/John Legend
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Perfect for a walk through streets rich with history. It reminds listeners that love and kindness are expressed through actions, not words alone.
🎧Listen to "Preach" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "Preach" on Apple Music - Pompous Fool/Eric Clapton
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This is a song that fits well with the terrace seats of a cafe or the cobblestone streets of a town. It's the kind of music that invites a slower pace and a deeper enjoyment of the city's atmosphere.
🎧Listen to "Pompous Fool" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "Pompous Fool" on Apple Music
What Does Freedom Mean?
Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to travel.
To enjoy good food.
To see beautiful scenery.
To walk through unfamiliar streets.
Yet there may be another reason hidden beneath the surface.
A different landscape often makes it easier to see what truly matters. Things hidden by the rhythm of everyday life can suddenly come into focus.
Perhaps that is why people are attracted to travel.
What is freedom?
What is happiness?
What is truly important?
There is no need to answer such a question immediately.
However, there is always a little more time to think about it than usual.
- Only One,Only You / GLAY
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This song asks the question, "What is freedom?" Freedom may not be the ability to do anything at will, but the ability to recognize what truly matters. It invites reflection on such questions.
🎧Listen to "Only One, Only You" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "Only One, Only You" on Apple Music
For Those Who Never Gave Up on Their Dreams.
Sometimes the word "dream" is a little too dazzling. Perhaps it is because only stories of people who have achieved them stand out.
The difficult part is not dreaming, but continuing to dream.
Some days things do not go as planned.
Some days feel like a long detour.
Still, the journey continues.
Such landscapes are often reached only through the accumulation of time.
Those are the songs gathered in this playlist.
Rather than songs for those who are chasing their dreams, these songs are for those who have not given up on their dreams.
- Hashire! Mirai / GLAY
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A song best heard while looking up at the sky. It speaks of believing in the future, even when others say it is impossible. The song is filled with such straightforward strength.
🎧Listen to "Hashire! Mirai" on Spotify
🎧Listen to "Hashire! Mirai" on Apple Music
🎧 The songs featured in this article can also be enjoyed on Amazon Music Unlimited.
It is a companion for an evening of opening maps and imagining landscapes yet to be seen.
The rest of the playlist can be found here.
🎶 Try Amazon Music Unlimited for free
Sometimes Places Never Seen Before Feel Nostalgic.
The Portuguese language has a word "Saudade" (Saudade).
Nostalgia and longing.
It is a feeling that is close to all of them, but a little short of just one of them.
It is a place never visited, yet somehow it feels nostalgic. It is a landscape never seen before, yet somehow strangely familiar.
Before a trip, such a strange feeling can arise.
A city known only through maps.
A view seen only in photographs.
Sounds that have not yet been heard.
And yet, music makes it feel as though the journey has already begun.
Perhaps the journey really begins even before the plane is boarded.
Some nights, the map remains open.
Time to play the same song over and over again.
Somehow, even an unseen landscape can feel nostalgic.
It's all part of the journey.
And today, only the music seems to have reached that unseen city ahead.
You may also like to read
- Spring Songs That Feel Like Fresh Starts and Quiet Afternoons
- Why GLAY's Winter Songs Still Hit So Hard
- See the World Through Someone Else's Eyes
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