I'd like to listen to some hopeful and reassuring songs

February 22, 2013 10:38 PM

I want to create a playlist that has themes along the lines of 'everything is going to be all right.'

I listen to music through headphones all day as I work. I like prog rock and metal, but find that the frequently-dark themes bring me down. I want to instead bombard my brain with relentlessly positive messages. Even if I'm only half-listening, I figure they'll get in through osmosis.

Lyrics that speak to personal strength, self-respect, perseverance, and --especially--hope for the future are what I'm after.

Any genre is OK although I'd prefer nothing overtly religious.

posted by (F)utility to media & arts (73 answers total)

All Will Be Well - Gabe Dixon Band
posted by charmcityblues at 10:44 PM on February 22 [1 favorite]

A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
posted by mostly vowels at 10:45 PM on February 22

Three little birds - bob marley
posted by ramix at 10:50 PM on February 22 [1 favorite]

This Year -- The Mountain Goats: "I am going to make it through this year if it kills me."
posted by shiggins at 10:55 PM on February 22 [5 favorites]

This Year - Mountain Goats is like the apotheosis of this.
posted by dersins at 10:57 PM on February 22 [1 favorite]

stupid not-previewing
posted by dersins at 10:57 PM on February 22

The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
posted by phoenixy at 11:06 PM on February 22 [2 favorites]

Overplayed, I know, but Phillip Phillips's "Home" does it for me, along with Capital Cities's "Safe and Sound."
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:09 PM on February 22

Ze Frank reminds you to just breathe.
posted by cgc373 at 11:10 PM on February 22 [2 favorites]

I know there was a similar thread but I couldn't find it. But my answer in that one was The Finn Brothers' "Nothing Wrong With You." It's the sort of song that should be cloying but it's not at all -- I love that it acknowledges that life is a rough road.

(I will second "The Middle" -- that's actually one of my favorite songs.)
posted by darksong at 11:13 PM on February 22

Bjork, "One Day".
posted by Ralston McTodd at 11:19 PM on February 22

Paul Weller, Brand New Start, Wild Wood, Uh Huh Oh Yeh

Madness, The Sun and the Rain

Curtis Mayfield, Move On Up

Crowded House, Distant Sun, Weather with You
posted by scody at 11:21 PM on February 22

Vaselines- Son Of A Gun
posted by mannequito at 11:22 PM on February 22

These are from my own happy music playlist:

Still Alright - Adam Merrin
Tears Dry on Their Own - Amy Winehouse
Beautiful - Athlete
Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
Find the Answer Within - The Boo Radleys
Human - Jon McLaughlin
Section 9 (Light & Day/Reach for the Sun) - The Polyphonic Spree
Float On - Modest Mouse
I Stand - Idina Menzel
Hope - Idina Menzel
Better Way - Ben Harper
Hey Now Now - The Cloud Room
Shake It Out - Florence + The Machines
These Broken Hands of Mine - Joe Brooks
posted by bigasthesky at 11:24 PM on February 22

Energy by Apples in Stereo
posted by fshgrl at 11:24 PM on February 22

Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House

Also, Here It Goes by Jimmy Eat World is my go-to reassuring, you're-doing-fine song. Best line: "It's not perfection, yeah, how boring if it is, nothing new for me."
posted by iadacanavon at 11:28 PM on February 22

No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley
posted by rjs at 11:40 PM on February 22

Horizon by The Cinematic Orchestra.
posted by aubilenon at 11:47 PM on February 22

P.P. Arnold - Everything's Gonna Be Alright
posted by hydrophonic at 11:49 PM on February 22

When we get there by Joshua Pyke

Nthing "This Year"
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 11:51 PM on February 22

The Zombies - This Will be Our Year
posted by hydrophonic at 11:55 PM on February 22 [2 favorites]

Brand New Day by Trevor Hall
posted by MoonOrb at 12:00 AM on February 23

Sly and the Family Stone have a bunch of songs that kind of fit the bill. Probably I'd go with "Stand."
posted by town of cats at 12:07 AM on February 23 [3 favorites]

I Can See Clearly Now by Johmny Nash.
posted by Specklet at 12:44 AM on February 23 [1 favorite]

Yes We Can Can by Alain Toussaint
posted by rongorongo at 12:50 AM on February 23

Bruce Cockburn, Wondering Where The Lions Are (especially if you read the backstory).

The Five Stairsteps, Ooh Child.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:55 AM on February 23 [5 favorites]

You can get it if you really want, by Jimmy Cliff.
posted by readygo at 1:13 AM on February 23

Peach Blossom by Eels is a great "light at the end of the tunnel" type song.
posted by rongorongo at 1:21 AM on February 23

Le Tigre - Keep on Living
Love the first Le Tigre album for a positive pump up!

Mirah - While We Have the Sun or Apples in the Trees
posted by dottiechang at 1:27 AM on February 23 [1 favorite]

Sebastian Sturm - Get Up and Get Going
posted by protorp at 3:00 AM on February 23

Feeling Good - Nina Simone
Ain't Got No, I Got Life - Nina Simone (the first time you listen to this one, you've got to wait for a minute, because it doesn't start off sounding positive)
Ooh Child - Nina Simone
It Be's That Way Sometimes - Nina Simone
posted by colfax at 3:11 AM on February 23

Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant?
posted by Seymour Zamboni at 3:17 AM on February 23

Float On Modest Mouse.
posted by sweetkid at 5:38 AM on February 23 [1 favorite]

Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle
posted by k8lin at 6:21 AM on February 23 [1 favorite]

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
posted by mugitusqueboom at 6:59 AM on February 23

How about something without words? The World is Our _____ - This Will Destroy You
posted by dobi at 6:59 AM on February 23

VNV Nation "Resolution" and "Gratitude". And most of their other songs.
posted by Ender's Friend at 7:32 AM on February 23

How about "I'll see you when you get there" by Coolio.
posted by mister_kaupungister at 7:47 AM on February 23

"Looking for the next best thing" by Warren Zevon.
posted by mister_kaupungister at 8:06 AM on February 23

Crowded House, "Better Be Home Soon."

Jason Mraz, "Halfway Home."
posted by southern_sky at 8:13 AM on February 23

Let's go way back to the British Invasion of 1964 for Freddie and the Dreamers' It's Gonna Be All Right.
posted by Rash at 8:40 AM on February 23

Oh, also, Dictators - I Stand Tall.
posted by dersins at 8:41 AM on February 23

Better Things by Bouncing Souls
posted by jeffamaphone at 8:42 AM on February 23

Must be developing Alzheimers -- that was Gerry & the Pacemakers, not Freddie and the Dreamers.
posted by Rash at 8:47 AM on February 23

"Drive like I never been hurt" by Ry Cooder
posted by mister_kaupungister at 9:08 AM on February 23

Plea from a Cat named Virtue by the Weakerthans.
posted by bibliogrrl at 9:12 AM on February 23 [3 favorites]

Actually, a lot of the Weakerthans catalog would be good. And The New Pornographers, too.
posted by bibliogrrl at 9:14 AM on February 23

Hang On Little Tomato by Pink Martini
posted by theuninvitedguest at 9:20 AM on February 23

Pennies From Heaven opens and closes with a couple old numbers like this - The Clouds Will Soon Roll By, and Let's Face The Music And Dance (which is actually from "Follow The Fleet").
posted by Rash at 10:30 AM on February 23

I always like Blind Melon's No Rain
posted by ch1x0r at 11:51 AM on February 23

I think a lot of the old hip hop music from the 80's had very positive, upbeat messages. My brother used to like Run DMC's Rock Box and even though it's probably considered cheesy now, I liked listening to Ollie & Jerry's There's No Stopping Us. For a more spiritual angle, I like Arrested Development's Tennessee.
posted by jenh526 at 12:52 PM on February 23

Maybe it's just me, but I'm Not Talking by AC Newman sounded pretty hopeful.
posted by Green With You at 1:03 PM on February 23

(Speaking of The New Pornographers, AC Newman was a founding member of said group).
posted by Green With You at 1:05 PM on February 23

Hoobastank Moving Forward
Ivy Feel So Free
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Live On
Incubus - Drive
Edgewater Lifter
Guster - C'mon
Shooting Star - Rainfall
Dream Theater - The Answer Lies Within
Adema - Rise Above
posted by a humble nudibranch at 1:55 PM on February 23

you are missing some fine cheese on this list...Wilson Philips~ Hold on. Corey Hart ~Never surrender. I can see clearly now the rain is gone! I love a rainy night by eddie rabbit. Lionel Ritchie~you are the sun. Komeda~I'm curious...consider some jazz or classical...good for the mind music.
posted by gypseefire at 4:30 PM on February 23

Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing by Stevie Wonder
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 4:45 PM on February 23

"I like prog rock ..."

So surely you've got Styx songs on your list, right? "Fooling Yourself" is a must, and "I'm Okay" would work, too. Heck, maybe even "Come Sail Away."

I also like some Todd Rundgren songs for this: "One World", "I Love My Life", "Change Myself", "Second Wind" (for a rather specific antidote-to-depressing-messages kind of thing).

Also, definitely Peter Gabriel's "D.I.Y."
posted by kristi at 7:03 PM on February 23

Boo Radleys, "Wake Up Boo!"
"I know I was up all night, I can do anything, anything, anything."
posted by kirkaracha at 8:51 PM on February 23

I'm Still Standing - Elton John
Don't Look Back - Boston
Main Event - RuPaul
Champion - RuPaul
One Girl Revolution - Superchick
posted by SisterHavana at 9:38 PM on February 23

Here's my personal "I can do this" playlist and I have taste in the neighborhood of yours. Maybe it'll help.

Best I Can - Queensryche
Hold Your Head Up - Argent
Fight the Good Fight - Triumph
Back in the Saddle - Aerosmith
Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't - Anthrax
posted by dean winchester at 1:22 AM on February 24

I Can See Clearly Now- Jimmy Cliff
Everything Will Be Alright- The Killers
There Goes The Fear- Doves
Hoppipolla- Sigur Ros
So Alive- Ryan Adams
I Won't Back Down- Tom Petty
You Get What You Give- New Radicals
posted by Rufus T. Firefly at 5:36 AM on February 24

Pocketknife -- Ferraby Lionheart
By the Time It Gets Dark -- Yo La Tengo
posted by stuck on an island at 6:58 AM on February 24

Coldplay - Everything's Not Lost

Often find myself yelling out the ending chorus to make me feel better.
posted by ccalgreen at 8:48 AM on February 24

Black Flag - Rise Above, or the Dirty Projectors' version.
posted by hydrophonic at 1:16 PM on February 24

How about some Weezer blue album? Holiday is my favorite.
Also yoshimi vs the pink robots - flaming lips
posted by natasha_k at 8:00 PM on February 24

The White Stripes - Little Acorns
posted by angermanagement at 6:48 PM on February 25

Carbon Silicon -
The News

This song is almost magically uplifting to me. The first time I heard it (on the radio) it lifted me out of a weeks-long funk.
posted by spacewaitress at 7:10 PM on February 25

Getting Better - the Beatles
posted by Asparagus at 11:43 AM on February 26 [1 favorite]

I like "Hold Your Head High" by the Heartless Bastards. It's not fast, but its steady-as-she-goes beat is oddly reassuring, and I find the chorus genuinely encouraging when I'm struggling.
posted by honey wheat at 5:36 PM on February 26

It Gets Better by yours truky.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:47 AM on March 4

Um... yours truly.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:36 AM on March 4

Dream Theater - The Spirit Carries On
posted by tenpointwo at 11:10 PM on March 5

These are all fantastic. I have some new favorites already and they're lifting me from my funk. Thank you, everyone.
posted by (F)utility at 9:01 PM on April 2