This morning, as I was getting dressed and all that before work, I heard the song Call Me Al by Paul Simon, which, no matter how horrible my mood is, always brings a smile to my face and brightens my day. There’s no particular memory attached to the song, it just makes me happy.
What songs make you smile? Is there a memory associated with it that brings joy? Or is it just something about the tune or words or beat that has you grinning like a fool?
Some of mine:
-Sweet Child Of Mine - Guns 'n Roses (As I was driving one day, I went in the ditch whilst rocking out to this song. It wasn’t the song’s fault, my brakes went out. I continued to rock out in the ditch until the song was over. The guy who saw it happen and stopped to help thought I had sustained some kind of head injury.)
-Every Day is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow
-I Would Walk 1000 Miles - The Proclaimers
-Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
-Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
-Fishin’ in the Dark - ???
-Love Shack - The B52’s (My best friend, her boyfriend, and I always used to sing this at karaoke back when we were in college. That’s one of the few things I miss about college, karaoke night with Liz and Mark)
Santa Monica - Everclear
Where is My Mind - The Pixies
Blister in the Sun - The Violent Femmes (alternately, American Music)
It’s the End of the World As We Know It - REM
Under the Bridge - Chili Peppers
Anything by King Missle or Guster
Arlington - Emmit Swimming
The World Is Full of Bastards (and I’ve dated every one) - Mary Prankster
Rock and Roll Lifestyle - Cake
Too High For the Supermarket - The Uninvited
Lousiana Lowdown - Cowboy Mouth
I Can’t Stand You Now - Paul Sanchez
Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby - Counting Crows
Ghost of Stephen Foster - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Dammit - Blink 182
Inside Out - Eve 6 (supercheezy, I know)
Hit 'em Up - 2Pac (not a happy song, but makes me laugh)
“Good Times” by Inxs
“Istanbul” by TMBG
“White Lines” by Duran Duran
“Because the Night” 10,000 Maniacs version (but only because of associated memories)
“The Nations of the World” by Yakko Warner
I confess to liking Blister in the Sun too. It’s so odd and catchy.
No great work of music, I know, but a song that is infectious in its happiness is “Centerfold” by the J. Guiles Band. I also have good memories associated with it: when it came out a guy I had a crush on liked the song too. We never got together, but when I hear it, I think of him.
Mishell, “Graceland” is my favorite album. I adore “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes.”
Other songs I love:
Rosalita – Bruce
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2 (From Rattle and Hum)
Uncle John’s Band – The Grateful Dead
In the Mood – Glenn Miller
You Are the Everything – REM (Green)
Cowgirl in the Sand – Neil Young
There’s really nothing uplifting in the body of work by Pink Floyd, but any time I hear anything from “The Wall” I’m a senior in high school again.
Honeymoon Hotel (from Footlight Parade)
Adelaide’s Lament (Guys and Dolls)
Anything Goes
Always True to You Darling (in My Fashion) (Kiss Me Kate)
Comedy Tonight (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
Ya Got Trouble (The Music Man)
Brotherhood of Man (How to Succeed in Business)
Those Were The Good Old Days (Damn Yankees)
Sing (A Chorus Line)
Cocktails for Two (Spike Jones)
Ali Baba’s Camel (Bonzo Dog Band – anything by them, actually)
Mabel (Procul Harum “Don’t eat green meat, it ain’t good for you.”)
The William Tell Overture
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, 4th movement (“Song of Joy”)
Move it on Over (George Thorogood)
A big “Amen” to the posters who mentioned these two:
[ul][li]Blister in the Sun- The Violent Femmes[/li][li]Istanbul- They Might Be Giants[/ul][/li]
A few others:
[list][li]Rock and Roll High School- The Ramones[/li][li]Rock the Casbah- The Clash[/li][li]Salty Dog Blues- Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs[/li][li]That’ll Be the Day- Buddy Holly[/li][li]You Can’t Catch Me- Chuck Berry[/li][li]Twist and Shout- The Beatles[/li][li]I Saw Her Standing There- The Beatles[/li][li]Moondance- Van Morrison[/li][li]Great Balls of Fire!- Jerry Lee Lewis[/li][li]Rock Lobster- B52s[/li][li]That’s What I Like About You- The Romantics[/li][li]Turning Japanese- The Vapors[/li][li]Rock this Town- Stray Cats[/li][li]Sexy and Seventeen- Stray Cats[/li][li]Jambalaya- Hank Williams[/li][li]**Hell (In the Afterlife)[]- Squirrel Nut Zippers[/li][li]Cannonball- Kim Deal’s band after the Pixies (dang it! What were they called?)[/li][li]Amy- Pure Prairie League[/li][li]Friend of the Devil- Grateful Dead[/li][]Driver 8- R.E.M.
