IPod Nano 5th Generation dead and gone forever? Tried every restart method possible

Question

(skip to second paragraph if you want to get straight to the point)
Let me start out saying, my ipod is my everything. Yes I'm pathetic.
Anyway, this is my third iPod and my third nano. I bought it used because the news ones look annoying. But it was from a reliable seller and it worked/looked like new. I have had it for many months. Anyway, I have a bad habit of sleeping with it. I try to take it out before I doze off, but eh sometimes I forget. So this morning I wake up with it still in my ears and I take it out and accidently drop it (happens all the time to be honest). Wasn't a long or hard drop though. I go back to sleep, and wake up in an hour and plug it to my charger (like always). I go to add some more songs to it on my computer a few hours later and it won't even turn on.
The screen was blank and it wouldnt turn on at all. I plugged it into my computer, and iTunes didnt even recognize it. So having had an ipod nano for years, of course the first thing I did was restart it. And restart it. And restart it. With no results at all. It had been on the charger for hours, so it couldnt be dead. Anyway, I still let it charge with a blank screen. I googled loads on how to get it to start, and finally just tried messing with buttons. While it was plugged in to the computer, I pressed down menu and center (like you would to restart it) but for an abnormally long time. I am talking 2 minutes. And finally the computer recognized it. It asked to restore it and my heart sank because I have stuff on my ipod (200 songs) that were never backed up to my computer. And I dont know all 200 songs...ugh. Anywhooo...The screen said "Do not disconnect" but it looked older like the old nano's "do not disconnect" screen. And I let it restore, but it wouldnt? I forget why it said it couldnt (something mounted?) but it led me to a page that didnt help at all.
I unplugged it and it froze on that "do not disconnect" screen and so I tried several more times to restart it and do what I had just done previously (hoping it would restore), but it still just froze. I let it die out. Came back to it in 6 hours, and tried playing with it some more. I attempted to restart it about 8 more times and finally after holding down those buttons until my fingers calused, there was hope. The screen read "Connect to Charger" and it was the new modern looking screen message and image. I did as it told me, and connected to my iHome charger, but ugh it died out and it wouldnt restart. Came back to it in a hour and tried to restart it and finally I saw that lovely apple logo. And yep thats all I saw. It froze like that. And ten minutes later died out.
At this point I have a feeling there is no hope for it, but any tips would be lovely. Even a way to revover that lost music. Its not on my computer. I was dumb to put it straight on my ipod and not in my itunes library. Thank you for reading through this novel. Any help would be apprectiated.

Answer 1

I have the same iPod Nano and when it freezes, I press the menu and center button at the same time until the Apple logo apears. That should wake up your iPod Nano. Also, make sure the lock is off.