Saturday, July 26, 2008

Shaking it off ... gimme music!

Okay, so recently we talked about songs that make us sad ... for the luv of all that's good, talk to me about the ones that make you happy!

Music really is a magic bullet for me. I remember when I was in college, having a stressful time. For some reason, I thought of the song Pop Musik. If I could just hear that song, I thought wistfully, everything would be better.

This was before iTunes, guys. Before the Internet, and right as CDs were becoming prominent. Like most of my schoolmates, I carted several plastic boxes of cassettes to college.

I rummaged through them. There! There it was! A homemade mix tape, from a junior high boyfriend, no less. And Pop Musik, taped from the radio.

I eagerly jammed it into my dual-tape boombox and impatiently fast forwarded. Not there, not there ... THERE!

I played it. And instantly, instantly felt better. Things were going to be okay. And they were.

So ... what about you? What are the songs that put a foolish grin on your face? Show me yours, I'll show you mine.

Like:

Ravel's Bolero ... because my usually private and prudish parents intimated that it was "dangerous" for Mom to hear. Tee-hee.

Jackson, done by June Carter and Johnny Cash. Don't they sound like they're having fun?

Jesus Loves Me (But He Can't Stand You) by the Austin Lounge Lizards. It's not sacrilegious. It's making fun of those who think they, and they only, have the hotline to God. I'm raising my kids in a righteous way. So don't be sending your kids over to my house to play. Yours'll grow up stoned, left-leaning, and gay ...

Institutionalized, Suicidal Tendencies: All I wanted was a Pepsi!!!! Bwahahahaha!

Happy Together. Done by the Turtles, or a punk version, doesn't matter. I love it in every permutation.

5 comments:

Lilylou said...

You're gonna laugh, but I like "Purple People Eater". The chorus just sends me into orbit---"one eyed, one horned, flyin purple people eater, pigeon toed, undergrowed, flyin purple people eater. who wears short shorts? we wear short shorts. what a sight to see!" I might have some of the words wrong, but I think it's hysterical.

Anonymous said...

I'm a music teacher, so I have too many favorite songs. My little kindergarten students love Raffi, Baby Beluga is a favorite every year.
However, I'm going to iTunes to check out some of your favorites!

Anonymous said...

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's take on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OMLoAtC9RY&feature=related

plaidshoes said...

I really like:

Hesitating Beauty - with Wilco & Billy Bragg (a little poignent, though).

Go West - Pet Shop Boys

Birdhouse in your Soul - They Might Be Giants

The Shins

Jack Johnson (esp. sweet is his soundtrack to Curious George)

I'm a Barbie Girl - Aqua (just for fun and dancibility)

Any Abba song

Anonymous said...

For me, songs that cheer me up are songs about people who are worse off than me -- it gives me perspective. So Fred Small's album called "I Will Stand Fast" -- the whole album.

Other than that, John Renbourn's "My Johnny Was a Shoemaker" and Ray Lynch's Celestial Soda-Pop (from an album called Deep Breakfast!), both instrumentals. The Renbourn piece is just my all-time favorite piece of music, and Celestial Soda-Pop is bouncy and cheery.
I'm sure there's some old rock songs, but I can't think of them at the moment.