Funny…my Nomad played is set to my “bouncy” mix for walking around campus today. Songs include:
“Helmet” by The Bobs
“Just What I Needed” by The Cars
“A Wink and a Smile” by Harry Connick, Jr.
“Castlevania Theme (Gothic Techno Remix)” by, uh, Nintendo or something
“Old” by Paul Simon
“This is the Road” by You Were Spiraling
“SenSurround” by They Might Be Giants
“Parcel Post” by Uncle Bonsai
“Fuck the Creationists” by MC Hawking
“Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett
Never let it be said that my tastes aren’t eclectic!
I love a lot of these songs for getting in a good mood, but I’m a little bit weird about music anyway. The absolute best things to get me in a good mood are either Vivaldi’s Gloria, or almost anything by Mozart.
A lot of Cole Porter, including “Always True to You in My Fashion,” “Let’s Not Talk About Love,” “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” “Anything Goes,” “Let’s Do It,” and “Let’s Misbehave.”
Harry Warren: “We’re in the Money,” “Shuffle Off to Buffalo,” “Honeymoon Hotel,” and “42nd Street.”
“Hooray for Hollywood”
Fourth movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (i.e., “Song of Joy”).
Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.”
Saint-Saens “Carnival of the Animals,” especially after watching Fantasia 2000
“The Intro and the Outro,” “Dr. Jazz,” “Ali Baba’s Camel,” “Humanoid Boogie,” and many others from the Bonzo Dog Band
Tom Lehrer, “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” (naturally), “My Home Town,” and “We Will All Go Together When We Go.”
“Me and Julio down by the old school yard” Paul Simon
“Steal My Sunshine” Len
“Summertime” Will Smith
“Gimmie Some Lovin” either Spencer Davis or the Blues Brothers
Almost any Delbert McClinton will do it.
In the interest of brevity, and my sanity, that is all I can add for now. Time to bounce
“Fiesta” - The Pogues
“Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen” - XtC
“Living With the Dreaming Body” - Poi Dog Pondering (I challenge anyone to hear this song and NOT be immediately put into a bouncy mood!)
“She’s A Dancer” - Crack The Sky
“Hyperactive” - Thomas Dolby
“My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style” - The Dream Warriors
“Spanish Bomb” - The Clash
Queen Bitch-David Bowie
Star-David Bowie
Shake it up-The Cars
Along Comes Mary-The Association
Hoedown–Aaron Copland (you know, the beef commercial song)
The Telephone Hour from Bye Bye Birdie
Honky Tonk Woman-The Rolling Stones
And It Stones Me-Van Morrison
Sing, Sing, Sing – You can’t not be happy listening to this song. I always listen to this while I’m getting ready to go swing dancing.
Fugue for Tinhorns from “Guys and Dolls” – My best friend, my sister, and I used to do a whole little routine to this song, much to the amusement of our moms.
Are You Kidding Me? by Anouk – Not exactly upbeat subject matter, but it always puts me in a bouncy mood.
I’ll Be the One by the Backstreet Boys and Rock DJ by Robbie Williams – Hey, everyone’s allowed their cheesy moments.
Sh-Boom by the Crew Cuts – I’ve loved this song ever since I first heard it in the movie “Clue.”
Posin’ by Jimmie Lunceford – Another great swing song.
I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor – Sometimes, you’re allowed lots of cheesy moments.
My taste in music matches my taste in movies: eccentric and sucks.
For irrational happiness:
anything by Mozart
Beethoven’s 7th symphony
some C&W songs I don’t know well enough to put titles to but always lift my spirits when I “channel surf” onto them. (Don’t mean to sound like a snot; can’t put title/artist to most songs.) But some of 'em are so unpretentiously, gorgeously right there they make me happy every time I hear 'em. That’s specific, huh?
Now there’s adreneline pumping, zest for life music but narrowing it down…
For bouncing:
Cecelia by Simon/Garfunkel
Bright Sunny Day by Johnny Nash
Jump by The Pointer Sisters
just about everything already mentioned
I sing along to all these, loudly, Beethoven included. My singing voice has been compared–not flatteringly–to an alley cat being neutered without benefit of anethesia.
I forgot “Cherry in Your Tree” by XTC. Fine, bouncy song. If I’m in a good mood, I can listen to it on repeat for hours.
<semi-rant/hijack>
Oh, and speaking as a person whose real-life name is Katrina, if I hear the first few bars of the chorus of “Walking on Sunshine” as sung by a person to whom I have just introduced myself ONE MORE TIME, I’m headed for the clock tower. And my parents thought they were keeping me from a life of pop culture connections, but NO. Instead, I was doomed to a lifetime of giggles from elementary school classes whilst watching the Disney cartoon of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” never finding my name in the personalized keychains, and “Walking on Sunshine.” Katrina and the Waves, if you’re still out there, I wish you ill.
<semi-rant/hijack>
“The Weight” by The Band
“Little Red Corvette” by Prince
“You are the Sunshine of my life” by Stevie Wonder
“Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac
“Good Day Sunshine”, “Here Comes the Sun”, “With a Little Help from my Friends” and many many more by the Beatles
“Wouldn’t it be nice” by the Beach Boys
“Rocks Off” by the Stones
“Baba O’Riley” by the Who
“You Wear it Well” by Rod Stewart
“Rock and roll never forgets” by Bob Seger
“Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves
“What is Life” by George Harrison
“And it Stoned Me” and “Caravan” by Van Morrison
