Lyrics with Laura
By Laura Valentine
For this special edition, I wanted to explore the intersection between music and caregiving. In doing so, I stumbled upon an organization called Musicians On Call, which brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients (and their caregivers!) in healthcare facilities. Their main premise is that all patients, families, and caregivers should have access to and benefit from the healing power of live music. This power is no secret. According to Musicians on Call, music has been proven to:
- Improve blood pressure
- Manage stress
- Alleviate pain and improve pain tolerance
- Improve outlook and overall mood
Musicians on Call has a great, long list of artist supporters who participate in their events. One of them is HAIM. They’re a band I really love, so I figured this would be a great opportunity to highlight them. The most recent event they participated in was a virtual Holiday Concert in December 2020 dedicated to front-line caregivers and patients in the time of Covid.
Haim is made up of three sisters from Los Angeles: Danielle Haim (lead vocals, guitar, and drums), Este Haim (bass guitar and vocals), and Alana Haim (guitars, keyboards, and vocals). They’re a pop rock band whose sound has often been compared to Fleetwood Mac – think Laurel Canyon, Americana, and classic rock. My personal favorite!
The Haim girls come from musical parents: their Israeli-born dad, Moti, played the drums, and their mom, Donna, was a singer. The family has been playing together from a young age. Their first album, Forever, came out in 2014. In 2017, we got Something to Tell You, and Women in Music Pt. III came along in 2020.
Their music has won them three Grammy nominations: Best New Artist in 2015, Album of the Year for Women in Music Pt. III in 2021, and Best Rock Performance for “The Steps” in 2021.
When they won the Best International Band award in 2018 at the VO5 NME Awards, Este Haim made a poignant statement: “To anyone that identifies as a girl: Whenever you walk into a guitar shop or a soundcheck or a recording studio, do not let anyone that’s there intimidate you, or make you feel like you don’t belong there, because you do belong there. Thank you.” Rock on, ladies.
Below are my top five favorite songs of theirs. It was really hard to pick, and, on a different day, this list could look totally different. But here they are!
- Want You Back
- Falling
- Little of Your Love
- Forever
- Now I’m In It
You can listen to The Thread playlist, which compiles all the songs from past Lyrics with Laura posts. So far, it features Annie Lennox, Selena, Sheryl Crow, and HAIM.
You can read more about and support our nation’s caregivers and their patients here.
Laura Valentine is the Chief of Staff for Engage. You can reach her at laura@engagewomen.org.
