Music Helps Us Navigate Life's Turning Points

One of the things I love most about the Come Together Music Project is watching music dissolve hierarchy in real time.

On paper, John Oates is almost larger than life: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member, legendary songwriter, half of one of the most successful duos in music history. You walk into a conversation with someone like that expecting stories about sold-out arenas and platinum records.

And then he tells a story about getting stood up on a date.

During our recent live TEDx Nashville Mixtape session with John Oates and MŌRIAH, I asked each guest to share a song connected to a turning point in their life. John chose “She’s Gone,” the timeless Hall & Oates classic that he credits as the song that truly launched his career. But the origin story wasn’t glamorous at all. He described sitting alone in his New York apartment on New Year’s Eve after a date never showed up. Frustrated and disappointed, he started absentmindedly strumming his guitar and singing, “She’s gone…”

That painfully ordinary moment became one of the most iconic songs of its era.

I think that’s part of music’s magic. It reminds us that behind every title, accolade, or public persona is a person living through the same emotions the rest of us experience: heartbreak, hope, insecurity, joy, longing, connection.

Throughout the evening, both John and MŌRIAH shared songs tied to identity, artistic struggle, family, and hope for the future. What emerged wasn’t simply a conversation about music. It was a reminder that stories — especially stories carried through songs — have a way of humanizing us.

That’s ultimately why CTMP exists.

At a time when we’re often encouraged to flatten people into categories, caricatures, or headlines, music invites us to encounter one another differently. Sometimes all it takes is hearing someone’s song choice — and the story behind it — to realize you may have more in common than you thought.

Thanks for reading and I’d love it if you shared this episode with a friend!