10 songs that boost my mood
Music’s a natural mood-booster (or mood-downer, depending on what you’re playing), wouldn’t you agree? And if you hit shuffle on my iPod, here’s a happy list of tunes that might randomly come up.
1. I Can Do That (A Chorus Line):
A nod to my long-time love: musical theatre. This reminds me of listening to the soundtrack on my walkman in bed at night, trying to figure out whether he was shuffling, ball-changing, cramp rolling or what. (Full disclosure—I was an assistant tap dance teacher in high school, hence my love for a song all about learning to love tap dancing.)
2. Home for a Rest (Spirit of the West):
How can you not perform an impromptu jig to this song? To this day, Home for a Rest gets me clapping, twirling partners and hopping all around the dance floor, just like it did back in university when I first heard it. (And later, kicked off my heels at my wedding to dance to it.)
3. Like a Virgin (Glee cast):
While I--like many woman in their 30s--am a Madonna fan, I’m also a self-professed Gleek and totally dug this particular number. The way they intertwined the performances, the singers, the storylines, I have to restrain myself from singing this out loud when it comes on.
4. Learn to Fly (Foo Fighters):
While I’m a long-time Foo fan, this video and song have got to be my favourite—it still makes me laugh when I watch this video about them on the airplane with a then-lesser known Jack Black.
5. Today (Smashing Pumpkins):
The last song at my wedding is almost more resonant to me than our first song (Everclear’s Brown Eyed Girl).
Not only was it one of the happiest nights of my life, but dancing with my new husband, the remaining wedding guests formed an impromptu circle around us as they danced to this song.
6. Forever (Chris Brown):
I’ll admit, I’ve seen Jill and Kevin’s wedding video so many times I’m pretty sure I could perform the moves if it was demanded from me.
7. Trees (Marty Casey & The Lovehammers):
More admissions..I was a big fan of Rock Star-INXS. Not so much of Casey, until I heard this song and loved it. (Those lyrics! “I don’t want to go through this life/without you by my side”) And when I played this song in the car, my then toddler daughter and I would sing it loud and proud, as I told Casey himself at an autograph signing later that year. (I’m sure he thought I was just some weird fan, but who cares?)
8.Basket Case (Green Day):
This always reminds me of the start of my final university year (whoop!—almost done!)—my roommates and I were gearing up for our frosh week events and had this blaring on our ghetto blaster. And this song in particular had us jumping around the living room.
9. Single Ladies (Beyonce):
Catchy song that earns its own happy nod. But it’s this spoof of the video that still has me spitting-out-my-coffee laughing.
10.I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ (Scissor Sisters):
Here’s the scene—I’m about eight months pregnant with my second child, my first one is three and is cooped up in the house on a chilly winter’s night. What to do? Why a dance party of course—and I’d crank this up for us to dance to because the irony of course is you do feel like dancin’ to this tune.
So what songs make you happy?
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