The Carpenter's "Top of the World" always brings a smile to my face. (Sometimes followed by happy-tears because it's so pretty to me.)
What's a song that makes you smile?
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27 comments:
Star Wars told as Gangsta Rap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=493ljyoox6o
Have a couple!
One of my favorite (modern) folk songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhop5VuLDIQ
A sci-fi filk I ran across on youtube that's rather awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5q3kbAgS3w
Hmm - I have complicated relationships with a number of the songs that make me happy, but for a sweet, light, bouncy one, I recommend Hannah Georgas, especially her debut "The Beat Stuff".
It's a bit tough to find the original video for "M.A.G.I.C" by The Sound of Arrows, but well worth it, since it is wonderful and adorable (although I will add a minor warning that the video's premise involves all of the adults in the world inexplicably vanishing, though this is treated as mysterious rather than apocalyptic>.
I am occasionally saddened by the problematic subtext in some of Regina Spektor's songs, but "The Calculation" is straightforward and upbeat and a bit nonsensical.
And if you're up for a song that's (probably) about getting over a breakup as filtered through a dream about the end of the world, then I must point you to my favourite song, "The Great Collapse" by The Zolas. It should be noted that I am terrible at picking favourite anythings. Favourite food? Favourite movie? No clue. Favourite song? For the first 20+ years, I had no idea. Then I heard this song and I was just sort of "Oh, that's it."
I kind of love many Ke$ha songs, shamefully enough.
But the genuinely cheerful smile (as opposed to lecherous/badass) is probably "Child of the Wild Blue Yonder" or "Let the River Run", because I am secretly a) a sap, and b) living in 1980. (Annnnd "Walking on Sunshine". Also occasionally "You've Got the Touch".) Also "Reasons to be Cheerful."
For humor: "Final Boss," by MC Frontalot, or "Spoiler Alert", by same.
I'm really fond of Classiquiai's Lalala. www.youtube.com/watch?v=20omcZBOwPg
@ Will Wildman - Okay, The Great Collapse is awesome. I am now going to find it, download it, and add it to my End of the World soundtrack.
I love the Butterfly PIkachu remix.
Birdhouse in your Soul by They Might Be Giants is pretty awesome.
Do literal music videos count? The literal music video to "Anything for Love" is crazy awesome.
Touhou's Bad Apple makes me pretty happy, as does "Human" by the Killers, and in the right mood "Fuck You" or "Not Fair" by Lily Allen.
Interestingly, you can download a lot of music for free in China---legitimately, I mean---but it's censored*, which means that half the song for Lily Allen's "Fuck You" is increasingly goofy censoring sound effects. I don't know whether her studio made a censored version or if someone prepping it for Chinese release was being inspired.
*I don't mean that it's censored in the sense of Chinese censors laboriously editing out any references to anti-Chinese sentiment or anything; I mean, it's censored like kid-friendly cable.
Not necessarily guaranteed smile territory, but the songs I list/embed/whatnot here tend to lift me up.
Well, there's always the Smile song from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNrXMOSkBas
(As on the nose as that is, I mean that genuinely. :))
Something about the happy beat of this song is just so....... happy! It's Royksopp - "Happy up Here"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Bpx63wkbA
Wow, this was fun. I haven't listened to music in a long time.
I like whimsical.
Alanis Morissette - Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love); The Babys - Isn't it Time; Bobby Darin - Splish Splash; LeAnn Rimes - Nothin' 'Bout Love Makes Sense; Rose Royce - Car Wash (from the silly but fun movie); Simon & Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy); Slade - Run Runaway; Steve Azar - I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday); They Might Be Giants - Meet the Elements; Three Dog Night - Joy to the World; Toad the Wet Sprocket - Nanci;
Chicago - Old Days == I mostly don't understand nostalgia, and I'm too young for many of the things talked about in the song, but something about it reminds me of growing up in Chicagoland in the 1970s. I LOVED the 1970s.
Therefore, anything by the Bee Gees or KC & the Sunshine Band. OMG, I love disco and funk. Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke and Superstition
The Theme from a Summer Place. A movie I've never seen, but the music takes me back to a happy place when I was really small.
Confederate Railroad - Trashy Women; Cyndi Lauper - She Bop; Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breakin' My Heart; Jeff Debhnam - Home Among the Gumtrees (mentions bilbies); Toby Keith - I Wanna Talk About Me; Van Halen - Hot for Teacher & Jump
One Night in Bangkok, from Chess
Huh, of course the My Little Pony song was already mentioned, so I couldn't link it.
Let me be clear, I'm not really a "fan" of My Little Ponies. It looks to be the sort of show that would be great to have on tap when I have a daughter (or a son! ) in a few years, and a show that I would actually be able to tolerate and enjoy as background noise while my kids watch. It definitely goes into my "kids shows that actually have quality" file.
That said, the reason I'd use that song is much more personal: At a moment some months ago when I was feeling my most depressed in a very long time, my friend Amelia sent me that song as part of her attempts to cheer me up. She didn't succeed, since I can't just magically be made to feel better when I'm just that down... but I still appreciated it, and that song is probably something that will always make me think of her. And THAT is worth a smile!
Actually, I'm gonna put in another vote for Bad Apple.
On that note, there's a whole range of of anime songs I've got a good reaction to. Connect, from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, is a particularly good example; that song is the sun emerging from amidst dark clouds that have been gathering inexorably. Credens Justitiam is also very assuring; it's so safe, and powerful and compassionate. It carries so much the implication of some grand and benevolent force has come into your presence to put right to the world; it feels like being embraced by God.
Two acoustic covers of hip-hop songs:
- Hey Ya, as covered by this dude Obadiah Parker. Surprisingly sweet and poignant.
- My Humps, as covered by Alanis Morissette. Performed in a sweet and poignant manner. Completely hilarious.
I think one of my all-time cheerful/must bounce and dance songs is Give a Reason by Megumi Hayashibara. Must dance. Must.
I'm a soundtrack person. Love them. One of the pieces I love right now is The End Run from Mass Effect 2, because it is you escaping from big boom thingy. Gotta love that.
Still love the Mortal Kombat theme. But I think that one doesn't need an introduction.
I still love a lot of church hymns. While I still really feel uncomfortable at church, I loved the singing. They still make me happy.
I love "Midnight Star" by Weird Al Yankovic (it's about a tabloid similar to the late lamented Weekly World News). A postdoc of mine and I performed it at a biology conference once--it was quite well received.
My mentor started a tradition which I have to carry on when he's not there, of singing "It's a Long Way to Amphioxis" at molecular evolution workshops. We get the assembled scientists to do the chorus. I was told by a scientist with two little daughters that they had been looking forward to the sing-along *all year* since the last workshop--that really made my day.
The opening-credits song on Civilization 4, which is apparently the Lord's Prayer in an African language, definitely perks me up. So, in a much more morbid sort of way, does the closing-credits song from Portal. There are several awesome ASL performances of this song on YouTube--it seems very well suited to ASL interpretation, which can play up the cheery/malevolent discord in the lyrics.
"Take On Me" by A-ha makes me happy to listen to, but I never could understand the lyrics--I just looked them up and they don't really do it for me. It's the thing with the pacing in the chorus, and the pure line of the singer's voice... an unusual reaction for me as I'm really lyrics-minded.
I hear you on the hymns. Some of my favorite songs are hymns from my childhood, but I cannot bear to step foot into a church.
Oh god so many.
Breakbot's baby I'm yours. It's romcom sentiments but the beat just gives me a happy.
Walter Ostanek's Heel and Toe polka is always a good time, too,/a.
Oh, and I can't forget one that has stuck with me since it first came out so very long ago. Gettin' Jiggy With it
Almost anything by The Muppets or Garfunkel and Oates> the fact that I have a huge crush on Oates might help that. Axis of Awesome's 4 chord songs is always good for a giggle.
On a sunny day after the rain, I break out singing "Walking in Sunlight." Can't help it. Still love it. And "In the Garden."
I really like "Gort na Salean"(Sally Garden) by Susan Hamlin. She sings it in Gaelic. Gorgeous. :)
Is there an easy way to find all your Narnia posts? I read your Nikabrik one and thought it was excellent so I want to start at the beginning, but I don't know how to find them!
"Bad Project", a parody of the Lady Gaga song "Bad Romance" - when I was in grad school, it made me smile in a bitter way, but now I just appreciate that it is such a pitch perfect parody of Lady Gaga's music videos and of grad school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl4L4M8m4d0
If you do a search on the page for the word INDEX, you'll find a link on the right hand side. Click on that, and it will take you to a number of posts that index the deconstructions, including a Narnia index.
This one is so smiley! www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKx45wKC3FY
This *post* made me smile. :)
But since it's not a song, I'm not sure it counts.
As far as songs go...oh, dear...there are SO many. First song that sprang to mind was Haydn's Serenade (although originally arranged for violin, I still prefer the flute arrangement). Every time I hear that song, something inside me lights up. It's simple, sweet, and just puts me in a good mood. But I understand it's not exactly...modern...so, I guess a recent song that always seems to put a smile on my face is Shakira's Waka Waka song does the trick. It always makes me want to jump and shake my ass, too. Then again, maybe that's too modern. The next song on my list would have to be the Sesame Street theme. Yes, that song makes me smile something fierce.
(Maybe this entire song--India Arie's Talk to Her--doesn't make me smile, but there's a line at the end where she says, "You wanna slap her down? Say so." Cracks me up every time. Erm...out of context, it might read badly, so I'd recommend listening to the song.)
Since this comment is getting a little unwieldy, I'll just stop there. Now...must go listen to others' favourite songs.
Completely random: I love the Carpenters.
I, too, love the Carpenters. I know many of the songs by heart and will sing along. I have no shame. :)
Edith and Ben recommend "I'm Into Something Good".
Lucifer and Nick Andes recommend "The Revolution Starts Now".
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