The song that makes you happy - right now

Beatles- Everybody’s Got Somthing to Hide 'Cept for Me and My Monkey

(come on come on)

I recently discovered “From Little Things Big Things Grow” by Paul Kelly and the Messengers. It’s the story of Aboriginal struggles to reclaim their land in the 1960s.

Kelly is a lovely story teller and this is among his best songs.

Tea & sam are listening to the same radio station as I am. Everytime This Love comes on me and my daughter grab our pretend microphones and perform.

My latest song that makes me happy is I’m a Believer by the Monkees. I always did like Mickey Dolenz & he sings this song not that crooning Davy Jones.

Isn’t This Love a remake of an old song? It sounds familiar to me and I just can’t place it.

Waterfall by The Stone Roses and Slight Return by The Bluetones.

Right now it’s Hotel Yorba by the White Stripes. It reminds me a lot of I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag by Country Joe McDonald.

Right now today? Tangled up in Blue by Bob Dylan.

Today my 3 year old son and I have been singing loudly in the car along to Sunrise by Norah Jones - I’ve become obsessed by that song at the minute, although I’m not entirely sure its a happy song as such!

My wife and I love that tune so much we put that on our wedding CD that we handed out to all our guests.

And Moody Bastard beat me to the White Album reference, although mine is Savoy Truffle.

“Heaven” by The Fire Theft, formerly known as Sunny Day Real Estate.

Spirituality well done in modern rock ? who woulda thunk it ?

It’s really more a question, ie “Heaven, are you really waiting outside the door, never thought I’d heard these words before, the road the road…”

contemplation can make one happy I suppose, just having the energy to still ask the question is sort of uplifting to me.

“Yeah” by Usher (with Lil’ Jon and… Ludacris? Maybe?) At first I liked it because it made me think of Chappelle’s Show, but now I like it for itself.

It sounds a lot like a song Stevie Wonder might have done, or perhaps a song by Jamiroquai like “Virtual Insanity.” Very similar structure and style to those artists.

Lydia, the tatooed lady.

I’m not fussy about ‘happy songs’, since my CD collection is wide-ranging enough for me to find something to listen to. For some odd reason, I’ve never liked songs which are happy in themselves. Maybe commercial radio has left me with a deep-seated aversion to cheery pop?

That said, the day I can’t find a Dream Theater song that doesn’t take my mind off things (or make me giggle derangedly) is the day I… um, nope. Simply unimaginable.

chucks Vacant/Stream of Consciousness/In The Name of God onto the playlist

Justifying violence
Citing from the Holy Book
Teaching hatred in the name of God…

What? Stop looking at me like that.

I’ll go ahead and second “Hey Ya” by Outkast. It has such a fun uplifting beat!

My happy song right now is probably “Scarlet Begonias” by the Grateful Dead.

Cloudburst at Shingle Street by **Thomas Dolby ** is very happy song. It makes me feel so ambitious; optimistic; makes me feel how great it is to be alive!

And in an utterly opposite direction, Rule Britannia! I don’t know why, but it makes me feel all powerful and patriotic (despite not being British).

“Mary’s Prayer” by Danny Wilson. Last week it was “Sister Madly” by Crowded House. There is something strangely satisfying about playing these “it” songs over and over and over until you’ve had enough. Ahhhh!

Along with This Love, nothing gets me up and jiggling happily more easily than Black Eyed Peas’ Hey, Momma. It’s because I’m off the Richter.

Why, Reach for the Sun by Polyphonic Spree, of course!

Why didn’t I think of that one? The video is great too.