We all have our bad days and sometimes a pick-me-up tune is all we need to turn our mood around (or at least calm us down for a while). Music is a great escape, so finding that one song can bring a smile to our face and change our entire state of mind. Luckily, we have some solid picks to add to your playlist. Whether you're ready to bust a move to "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, sing your heart out to "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield or need an empowering anthem like "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga, here are the 63 best feel-good songs to have you singing, dancing and manifesting only happy vibes.
When it comes to feel-good songs, this one by the Spice Girls is on the top of our list. Grab your girlfriends and belt out the chorus together (or brush up on your rapping skills the second Mel B says "So here's a story from A to Z...")
The British electronics firm Alba carried out a survey that asked customers to name their favorite feel-good songs. Alba then asked Dr. Jacob Jolij, a neuroscientist at the University of Groningen, if he could determine if there was a pattern to the songs the customers named and devise a formula that would allow music producers to create hit feel-good songs at will.
The project resulted in a collection of 10 songs that was promoted with headlines like "The 10 most uplifting songs ever - according to science." Did the headlines get it right? Has science come up with a formula that captures what makes a song feel good? Are these the songs the formula picked out? Not even close on all counts.
Rather than dismiss the whole project as silly, however, Jolij analyzed the songs he was given by Alba to see if they shared a set of distinctive characteristics. He had planned to use a linear mixed model, or possibly a machine learning algorithm, to identify the set of characteristics that distinguish successful feel-good songs from all others. That turned out to be impossible because Alba had only given him examples of feel-good songs and you need a lot of examples of both feel-good and non-feel-good songs for the mathematical techniques to work.
Jolij next compared the distributions of tempo and key for feel-good songs and average pop songs and found clear-cut differences. Feel-good songs have average tempos in the 140-150 BPM (Beats Per Minute) range while typical pop songs average around 118 BPM. In addition, feel-good songs are overwhelmingly in major keys.
Armed with this information, Jolij examined the lyrical content of the songs and codified what everyone already knew -- feel-good songs are about positive, happy things. Alba had asked for a formula so Jolij put together everything he found and gave them one.
Okay, it's not perfect but it's better than nothing, right? So, what are the best feel-good songs according to this admittedly imperfect formula? We don't know because Alba didn't use the formula when they compiled the list. Instead they "took the most often mentioned song per decade" and left it at that.
If you're still interested, here they are. The 10 best feel-good songs ever according to a bunch of people who filled out a survey in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Your mileage may vary, mine certainly did.
If we're lucky and careful enough, every single one of us will grow old and die, having heard countless songs performed countless ways by countless people. But each new generation has the privilege of hearing everything anew, and each gets to imprint its own ideas about what forms and experiences to embrace. This is part of how movements come and go, how fads are embraced and erased, and how bad ideas and bigotries are, we hope, resigned to cautionary tales.
Playing along to songs is a great way to practise drums. It exposes you to different styles of playing, develops your sense of timing, and is a practical way to explore song structures. Drum kit is usually played as part of a band so it is important to practise drums in the context of real music to help develop musicality and performance skills.
It seems these are all songs that anyone can learn. Good drummers carry the beat in time, while great drummers polish it up with some Peart like technicality. It is what separates the good from the great
As a U2 fan from pre-Joshua Tree, I have yet to hear a U2 recording as well produced as this on vinyl. Quite frankly, I don't sit in the music room sweet spot to listen to U2 albums of the past, but this two LP set is different. Now, would I want to go see U2 in the Sphere play this collection of songs as recorded, hell no! I'd likely be bored and reach for my phone to check my Twitter feed, but when relaxing in my comfy recliner spinning these albums on a high end audio system, I sure do appreciate the maturity of the music as well as the quality of the pressing. As a 61 year old, I appreciate this album for what it is as I sometimes like music stripped down. I also like when artists play full on acoustic versions of songs that are no longer fuzzy with intentional distortion and feedback, not always, but sometimes as it's different. The last U2 concert I attended was the Joshua Tree anniversary tour and the music was fun, it brought back a lot of great memories from when I was in my twenties and that's what you expected to hear at that show/tour. This compilation of songs is not intended to give you that same "remember when" connection, it is intentionally different and for me it meets its purpose. When I received my LPs in the mail I immediately cleaned them and planned on listening to just two sides of the first LP, but was so captivated by the mature vocals and the production of the sound that I ended up, like fellow reader Bruce B., listening to all 4 sides. Maybe the music sounds lazy to some, but I like the music and appreciate the stripped down artistry. I also appreciate Bono's aging and mature voice as I can relate. At 61 years of age, I don't need a full frontal assault from U2, if I want that then I'll see them in concert again for maybe one last time. For those unfortunate souls who only listen to music with ear buds from compressed digital sources, you are truly missing out on what I and others believe to be U2s best pressing to date on vinyl while the music is what it's designed to be for this particular release.
Saw their Tiny Desk concert and thought the songs they played from this album were great. I enjoy stripped down versions like this, especially when well done. Perhaps not for everyone, but as others on this thread have already mentioned, played on a good hi-fi when you're in the right mood it can be a wonderful experience. No, this is not U2 in its prime, did anyone really expect this album to be that? Instead, it's something for U2 fans interested in hearing a different take on these songs. I'm good with that. Malachi's views, as usual, push the extreme, but it's probably a fair representation of his demographic's general opinion of U2. U2 was not of their generation, so their opinion is kind of irrelevant in my mind. They don't have any of the rich experience each of us who grew up with them have. For many of us these songs were the soundtrack of our youth. That gives them a richness that someone like Malachi simply doesn't have. It's like commenting on Woodstock because you watched a documentary on it - it's a perspective, but it's not an authentic one.
They say music soothes the soul and we agree (it can soothe the heart and mind, too). We started a conversation with our staff about songs that help us feel better and then we asked fellow board members and volunteers to share their choices.
From the hours spent packing boxes to the days spent on the road, moving to a new home is oftentimes a long and tedious process. Fortunately, blasting the right tunes can make the time pass more quickly. Playing songs about moving away (particularly those that are upbeat) will also give you a bit of pep in your step throughout the moving process. When putting together your moving day playlist, we recommend adding these feel good songs about moving away to the queue. Best of luck and happy moving!
Music therapist Ryan Judd is back! In his previous guest post, Ryan shared three instruments that are easy to adapt for little hands. Today he gives blog readers some fun, easy-to-learn interactive songs you can play with those instruments.
There is so much you can do with some simple songs and simple instruments. Just make sure that you join in the fun and model the actions for your child. For more help, watch this video of me adapting and using musical instruments myself:
Unfamiliar with their favorite type of tunes? Simply choose our go-to love songs that have stood the test of time! Every love matters, so no matter who you are charming this year, tailor a romantic moment to their favorite love songs!
For generations, songwriters have shared their experiences with romance and love through their lyrics and musical composition. For the lover of timeless hits, choose one of these classic love songs to serenade your valentine.
From cute odes to deeply romantic music moments, romantic country songs are tried and true for triggering emotions and a feeling of love. Pick one of these romantic country songs to convey your love for your valentine.
Please note that this list is subjective, and personal music choices differ across cultures and upbringings. If you have additional songs that you think would be great to add to this list, please send us a chat and let us know.
As mentioned, this list is only a starting point. If there are more songs that should be added the list feel free to chat with us on our website and let us know what other songs we should include as a resource for grieving families and funeral directors.
Many churches today have abandoned hymns in favor of more modern songs. Yet others are re-writing old hymns to eliminate gender references and older, less familiar words. Still others are removing hymns and verses that refer to "warfare" even though spiritual warfare is ongoing.
This is a relatively common issue amongst songwriters, and not one you should overly worry about. Part of the problem is psychological in the sense that how we connect with songs (even our own) comes down to mood and state of mind. And since these are always changing, our attitude toward songs will change as well.
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