Friday Happy Hour: What Song ALWAYS Puts You In a Good Mood?

Posted on by Bryn Donovan
young woman in restaurant blissfully listening to music - how to describe happiness in writing

Hey friends, happy Friday! This is an open thread, so if you just want to chat about how things are going this week or comment on what other people say, that’s great. And I thought I’d ask a fun question on Friday and see what kind of answers I get.

Some of you know I love to make music playlists. I make a new one for each writing project, plus I listen to a different musical genre every month and put a new playlist together for it right at the beginning of the the month (I’ve started sharing those through my newsletter.) The other day I was thinking about songs that always make me feel positive and happy. Here are just a few of mine:

 

Nina Simone, “Feeling Good” 

https://youtu.be/OfJRX-8SXOs

 

American Authors, “Best Day of My Life”

 

Avicii, “The Nights”

 

Tony Bennett, “The Best Is Yet to Come” (Tony is one of my all time favorites!)

 

Want to suggest a happy song? Want to chat about life? Feel free in the comments section! And even if you don’t, thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

 

47 thoughts on “Friday Happy Hour: What Song ALWAYS Puts You In a Good Mood?”

  3. Lorraine says:

    Hey Bryn!
    I listen to instrumental music such as, The Best Pessimist (funny name for inspiration), Those Who Ride With Giants, God is an Astronaut, Eluvium, and This Will Destroy You to name a few. I found them on Spotify in one of the Focus categories a couple of years ago. They are my staple, since I cannot listen to lyrics while I write or I end up writing them instead of my own words. Bad habit of mine.
    I love your blog, it always gives me inspiration and makes me laugh. I am a fellow ginger, and also thought I was an ugly kid. All pasty white, freckles and red hair growing up in Miami, FL. where I was the odd ball out. The kids nicknamed me, Casper. The little shits! I love the pictures you share with your beautiful smile! “Just Keep Smiling!”

    • Bryn Donovan says:

      Lorraine, “The Best Pessimist” made me laugh! I am putting together some writing playlists and I am going to check these out! I can listen to lyrics when I write, but I’ve heard a lot of people say the same thing as you… that they wind up writing the lyrics down. It makes sense!

      Aww, thank you so much for the kind comments! Yeah, kids can be such little shits. I really believe that saying that happiness is the best revenge. 😀 Have a great weekend!

  12. DAfan7711 says:

    Fun post, Bryn! To accompany your four pick-me-ups and everyone else’s offerings, here are four random songs from my playlist for cruising with friends in the car. All of these can be purchased as singles:

    Going Nuclear by Miracle of Sound (Gavin Dunne) – Contemporary song with a 1950’s vibe and irreverent humor – It’s fun, even if you’ve never played Fallout 4.

    Pacific Rim (feat. Tom Morello) by Ramin Djawadi – Electric guitar accompanies orchestra – Great for head-bopping.

    Miracle (Amaryllis album) by Shinedown – “The storyline that keeps me alive!” My butt cannot stop dancing in the driver’s seat.

    The End Run (Mass Effect 2 soundtrack) by Jack Wall – Everyone on earth should hear this orchestral/choral masterpiece. If it doesn’t make you feel like a badass saving the galaxy, I don’t know what will.

  13. Artemis Crow says:

    A song that always makes me happy is, “Best of my Love” by The Emotions.

    And Supernatural is my absolute FAV show. The mood, the music, the Winchesters and their relationship…I’ve watched it since the pilot! And if I ever won the lottery I would buy my own “Baby”. I’m seriously obsessed with the show.

    For my current WIP I’ve been listening to dark epic music, “The Sound of Silence” cover by Disturbed, love, love, love “Sledgehammer” by Rihanna.

    I’ll stop there…

    • Bryn Donovan says:

      Aww, “Best of My Love” is a great song! Did you ever see Last Days of Disco? I really liked that movie…

      I did not start watching SPN at the pilot! The boys were so pretty that I assumed it would be vapid and not emotional enough for me (HAHAHAHA sob.) I came in at season 4. Little did I know that would be relatively early in the show’s run!

      • Artemis Crow says:

        Oh, goodness, I though the same thing about SPN. My “boys” are so pretty and the premise simple but as S1 went on the writers did such a good job of enriching the relationship that I became a fan pretty early on. I can remember holding my breath to see if the show would get renewed. It became the little show that could…

  14. Delilah Beck says:

    Stevie Wonder. My typical playlist involves tha Avett Brothers, Sunset Sons, Coldplay, the Scriot and John Mayer but when I need a guaranteed smile with an added butt wiggle – I throw on Stevie. A little Superstition does it every time!

  15. Lawrence Clarke says:

    Gordon Lightfoot – Cotton Jenny
    Beatles version of Chuck Berry’s Roll Over Beethoven
    Benny Hill – Ernie (the fastest milk cart in the west)
    America – Ventura Highway
    and I could go on calling up songs from a 60’s tragic.

  16. Bryn Donovan says:

    Hi Lawrence! The only Gordon Lightfoot song I know is “Sundown” — which I have always loved, since I was a little kid. 🙂 Hope things are going good with you… have a great weekend!

  17. Lawrence Clarke says:

    To get an idea of what I do, type, Lawrence Clarke – Wix, into your search engine; if you are so disposed. Not advertising … well … kinda not.

  20. Lucy says:

    Hi Ms Donovan,
    In Adelaide, South Australia, there is a rock/folk band called the Timbers. I would recommend any of their songs as a feel-good chart, but I think one of the best ones is Sailing My Way, from their album Lawless. They recently dropped a new album, called Restless, which is also well worth listening to.
    Hope this helps!

    Cheers,
    Lucy.

  21. Jessica says:

    I love pretty much anything by Owl City (Adam Young). His songs capture emotions and essences of so many themes in life. If I had to choose one song that makes me smile the most, it would be his original hit, “Fireflies.”

  23. Me says:

    The thread may be a bit old, but I couldn’t resist putting in my two cents.

    Linkin Park, ‘Iridescent’. It’s a good song for someone who’s going through a bit of Hell, as I’ve been, because the chorus is filled with so much hope. You just want to close your eyes, breathe, and be free to be joyful.

    Imagine Dragons, ‘Tiptoe’. This one’s just got a fun sound to it; it always makes me want to dance.

    I second the person who mentioned Owl City’s ‘Fireflies’; that’s a fun song!

    David Bowie (RIP; I’m still dazed that he’s gone), ‘Thursday’s Child’. I’ve sort of adopted this lately as my personal theme song.

    And pretty much anything with an out-there, different feel to it. I’ve always been sort of an outcast, sort of Other (my way of putting it). So I’m drawn to any very unusual-sounding music. It makes me feel like I’m not so alone, that there are others–or perhaps I should say Others–out there like me, who understand.

    Also, going in a more fandom-related direction: The two bits of music used as the Eleventh Doctor’s themes in Doctor Who. Every time I hear them in an episode, I know something really fantastic is coming, and it just perks me up. (It may just be my own partiality for that particular Doctor, though, lol. I may possibly have a bit of a fangirl crush on Matt Smith.)

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