Help me find songs for my 2025-2029 Playlist

November 16, 2024 4:07 PM

I'm looking for songs from any era or genre that will get met through the next four years and beyond, that I can listen to at the start of the day or when things are starting to feel hopeless, to help lift my mood. Thanks for your suggestions!

The ideal songs will be some combination of the following:
expressing hope, kindness, compassion, peace, joy
pro-woman
kick-ass
upbeat
aspirational
inspirational
sassy

Songs that are already on the list:

Ray Charles: America the Beautiful
Nina Simone: Feeling Good
Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars: Uptown Funk
Indigo Girls: This is My Song (Finlandia)
Little Jimmy Scott: When You Wish Upon a Star
The Beatles: Because
Willie Nelson: Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Rainbow Connection
Barbra Streisand: Happy Days are Here Again
Pink Martini: Hang on Little Tomato
Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine
Eva Cassidy: What a Wonderful World
Storm Large: 8 Miles Wide
Aretha Franklin: RESPECT
Cyndi Lauper: Time After Time and True Colors
Sarah McLachlan: Prayer of St. Francis

posted by QuakerMel to Media & Arts (24 answers total)

Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club is everything
posted by maya at 4:14 PM on November 16

Janelle Monae's Turntables
posted by Sauter Vaguely at 4:28 PM on November 16

If you're looking for restful songs, I would group these, in a way, with Time After Time - they give me some of the same flow-state feelings of quiet.

John Cale Big White Cloud

Brian Eno Everything Merges With The Night

Lately the most soothing thing I have been listening to is an old Sesame Street song, That's About The Size because it makes me think of the universe going on and on forever.

Le Tigre's Song for Les and Ray is canonical in the "humans can be good" genre. It also has a roller rink eighties feel to me.
posted by Frowner at 4:35 PM on November 16

Dead Man Fall's "Bang Your Drum" does this for me, and Craig Ferguson's version, as used in his final show is a lot of fun.
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 4:43 PM on November 16

I'd put The Call's "Let the Day Begin" on there for sure.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:51 PM on November 16

I love this question and I'm looking forward to seeing responses from other people.

On the morning of November 6th, I checked the news, turned lights back out, and just held my husband in bed while we listened to Tony Bennett sing You Must Believe in Spring. The sun came up after all.

I pulled myself together and listened to Iris DeMent sing Workin' On A World while I made breakfast.

I listened to Dolly Parton sing Light Of A Clear Blue Morning on the way to work. It starts gently but ends like a revival.
posted by gatheringwater at 5:01 PM on November 16

Trip the Light with Matt Harding.
posted by SPrintF at 5:03 PM on November 16

Out of left field:

Heilung, because they will make you want to burn all the cities of Men and retreat into the forests.
posted by aramaic at 5:11 PM on November 16

Once, when I was very, very sad and feeling dispirited (the kind of dispirited where you sit in a cramped shower for far too long just because warmth is a primal comfort), I found a shared iTunes folder. Being nosy, I listened to this stranger's music and found a song called "Sunny" by Boney M. That song, with its hopeful lyrics, upbeat sound, and absurd number of key changes, is still on my comfort playlist.
posted by cardboard box at 5:36 PM on November 16

I'm not entirely sure about this, but I find I keep listening to

You Rise and Meet the Day by Dar Williams

a lot lately.

Thank you for asking this.
posted by kristi at 5:36 PM on November 16

The Kinks have some silly songs about getting away from the annoyances of civilization and politics, notably Apeman and Animal Farm, both of which I find comforting to play on guitar in these times.
posted by caviar2d2 at 5:38 PM on November 16

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - What A Wonderful World - IZ Kamakawiwo'ole

and I have been singing lots of old protest songs. We have come through some things, and I find that comforting.
posted by theora55 at 5:41 PM on November 16

Just listened to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive and it really helped me today.
posted by bitbotbit at 5:55 PM on November 16

Frente! - Accidently Kelly Street
Xavier Rudd - Follow the sun
John J Fracis - Simple Ben
Lincoln Jesser - Tides around the Moon
posted by Thella at 5:59 PM on November 16

The Mountain Goats - This Year
posted by Champagne Supernova at 6:27 PM on November 16

But We Keep On Trying by The Go! Team. Or maybe just put Thunder, Lightning, Strike on repeat.
posted by chrisulonic at 6:28 PM on November 16

Paprika by Japanese Breakfast. It's a rush!
Summer Child by Dar Williams
And maybe a little Sparks. (and a little more, and a little more...)
posted by serena15221 at 8:02 PM on November 16

Live Your Life by Mika
posted by extramachine at 8:09 PM on November 16

ELO, Mr. Blue Sky.
posted by Archipelago at 8:18 PM on November 16

This rendition by Nina Simone of My Sweet Lord + Today Is a Killer recorded live at Ft Dix, November 1971 got me through the early days of the aftermath of the 2016 election.
posted by maggiemaggie at 8:42 PM on November 16

Rance Allen - Let the music get down in your soul
posted by niicholas at 8:58 PM on November 16

R.E.M. - Finest Worksong

What we want and what we need
Has been confused, been confused...
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:24 PM on November 16

Vienna Teng - Level Up
posted by emmling at 2:45 AM on November 17

I made a similar "I need encouragement" playlist some time ago for different reasons. A couple are already listed here; some others that might work for you -

Great Big Sea, Ordinary Day
The Five Stairsteps, Ooh Child
Anna Nalick, Breathe (2 am)
Aaron Copland, Fanfare For The Common Man
The Waterboys, Fisherman's Blues
INXS, The Stairs
Foo Fighters, Times Like These (I prefer the acoustic version)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:25 AM on November 17