Cheerful songs?

[mdlbear]

I was on the point of sending a copy of "Pack Up Your Sorrows" in email to a friend to cheer her up, but took a good look at the lyrics. Apart from the fact that it didn't actually look all that cheering, I didn't really understand it.

"The Mary Ellen Carter" is more my style. It's gotten me through a lot of bad times. OK, it's not exactly cheerful -- defiant is more like it -- but it's cheering.

What songs cheer you up?

added 9:35am I also meant to add "Desolation Row". Obscure, sure, but snidely funny and greatly cheering in a "things are rotten here, but what the hell, it's home" sense.

Comments

[singingpatient.livejournal.com]

for oldies i like "sunny side of the street"
otherwise, beach boys and huey lewis always cheer me up.
oh and the Chet Atkins version of main street breakdown which is instrumental but it's so dang peppy!

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Hmm. For singing, since I'm an old hippie, the first two that spring to mind are the Beatles' "Octopus' Garden" and Donovan's "I Love My Shirt". For listening, nothing cheers me up as thoroughly as zydeco music.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

being a new hippie (see my tie-dye shirt! :) I'm with Great Big Sea's "Ordinary Day"... especially after seeing it do such healing to annathepiper at the show recently.... or their "When I'm Up"...

gaiaconsort's "Cry Freedom" is a good song of defiance, along with the old 80's anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It"...

A good spirited bagpipe tune can get me going at a brisk march... and certain Seanan McGuire songs are also good for getting me going ("Evil Laugh", "Pretty Little Dead Girl" - the subject matter is morbid, but hey, it's surfer rock and 50's shoop-shoop respectively... and trystel on keys on anything punches my happy buttons. :)

[a capella]
When I'm up I can't get down
Can't get down, can't get level
When I'm up I can't get down
Get my feet back on the ground

(Sing it, B'ys... :)

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

I'll see your tie-died shirt, and raise you a peace sign ;-D

I had to go search for Great Big Sea; in spite of the fact that many of my friends like their music, and two of my friends actually live in Newfoundland, I'd never listened to Great Big Sea. The samples I found on their website were very rollicking, which is, of course, a great way to be cheerful. (Goes looking for Gaia Consort... oooh, downloads!)

[telynor.livejournal.com]

"Solsbury Hill", by Peter Gabriel.

[brmj.livejournal.com]

Bizarre coincidence: "The Mary Ellen Carter" was playing as I read that.

[brmj.livejournal.com]

To actually answer the question, I have a small-ish playlist of some of the songs I can never seem to get tired of. In addition to a mixture of optimistic and constructive kinds of defiant, it also include quite a few that are just really good and not particularly depressing. I don't have too many on the playlist that "cheerful" is the ideal word for; many are more hopeful and/or determined. Representative songs include "Leaf on the Wind" (the one from the Bedlam Bards, not the other one), "The Mary Ellen Carter", the Firefly theme, "Freedom Costs", and about half of the stuff from "To Touch the Stars". "Millennium's Dawn" also makes that list, because of the ending and it having the awesome nature in general. That one is probably among my favorites of your songs.

I also couldn't agree with technoshaman more about the bagpipe, though whether it or the right type of filk works best depends on the exact nature of the mood I am in.

Now, I should probably go refill my coffee, finish my calculus assignment and go to bed while I can still get some sleep. I am in eastern standard time.

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

I... have whole play lists, but I'm particularly fond of Tom Smith's 'Walking Along the Beach' which manages to be depressed and cheerful at the same time.

[mdlbear]

Oh, yes; absolutely.

And I meant to add "Desolation Row"

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

Cheerful songs don't cheer me up. If I'm feeling down they often come across as superficial and insipid instead. I think the music that's most likely to help my mood is something intricate and engaging, but from the late-60s/early-70s (because that's where my musical heart lives).

Close To The Edge or Roundabout by Yes; Wish You Were Here, Comfortably Numb, or Shine On, You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd....

Defiant is good

[capplor.livejournal.com]

You disclaimed knowlege of the whole era once, but Atlanta Rhythm Section's "I'm not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight" is a good "I refuse to be kept down" song. Lyrics:

The world is in an uproar & I see no end in sight//but I will not let it bother me tonight.

Sort of like AA's "just for one day" pledge. When things are really down, I can deal with THAT much optimism, and no more.

Re: Defiant is good

[mdlbear]

I still disclaim knowledge; never even heard of the group, let alone the song. Or even know what whole era I'm disclaiming.

But just for enlightenment

[capplor.livejournal.com]

http://ingeb.org/songs/packupyo.html

Lucifer is a match; fag is a cigarette; boche is derogatory slang for German (soldiers, enemy); and pak is probably "gang/group of friends"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pack_Up_Your_Troubles_in_Your_Old_Kit-Bag

Re: But just for enlightenment

[mdlbear]

You're thinking of "Pack Up Your Troubles" and thinking I'm having trouble understanding the slang. In fact, I never did have any trouble with that slang (I'm a lot closer to that era than you are), but was thinking of an entirely different song - the chorus goes

If somehow you could pack up your sorrows
And give them all to me
You would lose them
I know how to use them
Give them all to me.

Re: But just for enlightenment

[mdlbear]

And the reason for my lack of understanding has nothing to do with the vocabulary, but that the verses simply don't make sense to me.

Re: But just for enlightenment

[capplor.livejournal.com]

Ah! The Richard & Mimi Fariña song.

It's sometimes confused me too.

Cheerful and cheering songs

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

"Let Your Love Flow," by the Bellamy Brothers. I think it was between 25 and 29 years ago that this wonderful song came on the radio as I was driving on four-lane blacktop and I just had to pull onto the shoulder and let waves and waves of joy just roll over me until the song was finished. Also, the other Stan Rogers song that does it for me is called either "The Athens Queen" or "The Wreck of the Athens Queen."

Nate

Re: Cheerful and cheering songs

[mdlbear]

Those are both very good, yes.

[mia-mcdavid.livejournal.com]

"Julian of Norwich," but I don't think it will work unless you already know and love Julian for who she was.

"Music for the Royal Fireworks." All of the Brandenburg concerti.

Carmina Burana.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

Parts of Carmina Burana are very depressing. The famous part ("In Taburna" I believe it's called) is extremely uplifting.

One can say the same for various parts of Vangelis' Heaven & Hell.

For some reason I (Fred) find "Waltzing Matilda" does nice things for my soul. I'm certain that it's not the words though.

[mdlbear]

Not familiar with "Julian of Norwich". The others, I agree with completely.

[saffronrose.livejournal.com]

Mary Ellen Carter for sure. Got me through the awful job at Getty Oil in the 80s. I have the memory of Stan singing it live several times, and his voice in my head singing it as well.

[kayshapero]

Simon and Garfunkel's "59th Street Bridge Song" for some reason.

[mdlbear]

Definitely.

There's a lot of Dylan in the same general category of "slightly whacked-out but fun".

[fractalwolf.livejournal.com]

I have a list of songs I use, but the first ones that spring to mind are:

"Don't Swear At Machinery" by Graham Leathers (which I will buy on CD if I ever find somewhere it's in stock!)

"Hugga Hugga Hug" by Rosenshontz

"Programmer's Alphabet" by you (and Mushroom Song, and Hot Coffee & Hacking)

"Barbie Girl" by Aqua

"Have a Nice Day" and "Moving the Bones" and "Middle Manager" by Dr. Jane

and, though she may hate me forever for this, "Banned from Argo" by Leslie Fish

[mbumby.livejournal.com]

I second Mary Ellen Carter & Julian of Norwich. (Ring out, bells of Norwich and let the winter come and go. All shall be well again, I know.)

Songs that make me smile, or make me cry that have a tender spot in my heart include:

Add to that "Light of Love", "Manuel Garcia", "Thanksgiving Eve", "A Healing in this Night", "Yes Mr. Rogers", "Bottle of Wine", "Wasn't that a Party", "Honor of your Company", "Heart Of The Appaloosa". If I had a week to think about it I could probably send you a few hundred...