# Feel Good Popular Music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892 "2014-11-29T12:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/1 "2014-11-29T12:36:38Z")
I found a pretty good list of feel good popular music: [http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/FeelGood.php](http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/FeelGood.php) One of my favourites is top 8 - “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. I like how it is the song at the start of the "School for Scoundrels" movie. It introduces Jon Heder's character - he also played Napoleon Dynamite. The song Napoleon dances to (Canned Heat) is also in the list: I plan on checking out all of the songs in the list tomorrow to help prepare me for when I have to go back to my job. Before I saw that list I also thought East 17’s “It’s Alright” and The New Radical’s “You Get What You Give” but they don’t seem to have the heart that those previous two songs have. Any other favourites? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/2 "2014-11-29T15:37:47Z")
That’s a very comprehensive list! I would add “Love Shack” by the B-52s, “Red Red Wine” by UB-40, “Mary’s Boy Child” by Boney M (for Christmas) and maybe “Itchykoo Park” by The Small Faces. And “The Rain, The Park, and Other Things” by the Cowsills. “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family…I find this year holidays so excrutiatingly stressful I am listening to smoooooth jazz on Sirius Radio every day. We’ll trim the tree, traditionally, to the soundtrack of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. And on January 6, when I finally get to drag the tree to the curb, I may just play some of my Broadway show tunes to celebrate. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/3 "2014-11-29T21:50:54Z")
Barbie Girl is a feel-good song? Interesting. I’d add the following: – [Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEOF_rcND8) by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – [I Don’t Feel Like Dancing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bra-GWDka48) by the Scissor Sisters – [Let’s Go!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJNazEjVd6Y) by Wang Chung – [Tarzan Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r0n9Dv6XnY) by Baltimora – [Take on Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914) by A-ha ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/4 "2014-11-30T07:26:38Z")
How can a list of 100 feel-good songs not include [I Got You (I Feel Good)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuDeBcpLITQ) by James Brown? Here are some more: [I Feel the Earth Move](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbQ4m-NqeF8) by Carole King [I Just Want to Celebrate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLwkT5vAzCE) by Rare Earth [Late in the Evening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57RIlznOpDM) by Paul Simon [Come Dancing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiKgQYxUnTs) by The Kinks [California Sun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy57Xdk9u0o) by The Rivieras [Pata Pata](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq5S5sH1Ikk) by Miriam Makeba [Let the Good Times Roll (Feel So Good)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj3RJh4HWAg) by Bunny Sigler [In the Summertime](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUQcnfwUUM) by Mungo Jerry ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/5 "2014-11-30T08:02:49Z")
I don’t know how I forgot this one: [Celebration](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvX_5ym_ajI) by Kool and the Gang ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/6 "2014-11-30T10:10:47Z")
James Brown [I Feel Good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5TqIdff_DQ). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/7 "2014-11-30T12:58:48Z")
[Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter #23](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0bdLdTJdKI) [ELO - Mr.Blue Sky](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98P-gu_vMRc) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/8 "2014-12-01T03:41:23Z")
Mmm Bop (no, seriously) I Only Wanna Be with You - Hootie and the Blowfish ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-good-popular-music/705892/9 "2014-12-01T14:57:47Z")
Two contributions from very different eras: Wooly Bully - Sam the Sham The Middle - Jimmy Eat World But this thread, and the list in the OP’s link, remind me that very different things make different people feel good.