Live your life with arms wide open!

September 8, 2006 9:22 PM

Yet another mixtape thread: Looking for songs with the theme "You are valuable."

I'm going through a lot of bad stuff right now and I want to make myself a playlist of songs that remind me that I am special, valuable, worthwhile, that life is worth living, etc.

Natascha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" is pretty much perfect, and that's on repeat right now...but I need more!

Upbeat, dancey songs only please; the kind of stuff you can put on your alarm clock and feel good about getting up, the kind of stuff that makes you bop around the kitchen in your jammies. Please NOTHING about love, relationships (this is "I love me," not "He loves me" and absolutely NOT "I love him"), getting over a relationship, etc. I'm an athiest so "God loves me" is not going to work either.

I think a lot of Ani DiFranco's stuff would qualify, but I'd like some specific suggestions. Cheesy bubblegum pop is totally cool--totally perfect, in fact. But the genre is open. Bonus points if I can buy them from iTunes or download them (legally!) somewhere.

posted by fuzzbean to media & arts (38 comments total)

Jurassic 5 - Somebody
posted by phrontist at 9:27 PM on September 8, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

le tigre, "keep on living"
posted by lgyre at 9:29 PM on September 8, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

"You are loved" by Victoria Williams is perfect ...

As is "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World (more apropos if you're female, I suppose)
posted by jbickers at 9:36 PM on September 8, 2006

"You Are The Universe" - Brand New Heavies (sample here)
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 9:36 PM on September 8, 2006

Caribou (formerly known as Manitoba) - Hendrix with KO
or
Kid You'll Move Mountains
both are from the album Up In Flames

Really though, almost anything by Caribou is really positive and happy, without necessarily having relevant lyrics or any lyrics at all. It just makes me happy.
posted by utsutsu at 9:38 PM on September 8, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

From my Sing Out Loud mix...

32 Flavors - Ani DiFranco
Respect - Aretha Franklin
We've Got It Goin' On - Backstreet Boys
Loser - Beck
Philosophy - Ben Folds Five
Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera
Let Go - Frou Frou
I Don't Wanna Be - Gavin DeGraw
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz
Breakaway - Kelly Carkson
Bitch - Meredith Brooks
Light and Day - Polyphonic Spree
The 59th Street Bridge Song - Simon and Garfunkel
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Fly - Hilary Duff
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
The Lady is a Vamp - Spice Girls
posted by yogurtisgenocide at 10:12 PM on September 8, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

You might like Annie, she is upbeat and dancey , and completely bubblegum. Me Plus One sort of has the right lyrical feel, too.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:21 PM on September 8, 2006

"Video" by India.Arie is not super dancey, but is upbeat and definitely fits the theme.
posted by librarina at 10:28 PM on September 8, 2006

Mos Def - Fear Not of Man
posted by nomad at 6:14 AM on September 9, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Gold, Spandau Ballet
posted by Meatbomb at 6:18 AM on September 9, 2006

Man, definitely If It Wasn't For You by Handsome Boy Modeling School. The link goes to their page and there is an online player.
posted by micayetoca at 6:34 AM on September 9, 2006

La casa Azul makes me happy in a pop let's dance sort of way. Here's their myspace page. So sugary sweet and happy!
posted by dog food sugar at 6:57 AM on September 9, 2006

My wife swears by three songs when she's in a funk; I could take or leave the first one, but agree on her second and third choices.

• Matchbox 20: Real World (from "Yourself or Someone Like You")
• Enigma: Return to Innocence (from "The Cross of Changes")
• Switchfoot: This is your Life (from "The Beautiful Letdown")

I'd add:

• Semisonic: Get a Grip (from "All About Chemistry")

posted by Merdryn at 7:24 AM on September 9, 2006

The Switchfoot song isn't so much dance-y as it is (for me) uplifting. Get a Grip is an embarrassingly fun song to get caught jumping around to. Don't just read the words, listen to the song to REALLY understand the intentions of the lyrics. :)
posted by Merdryn at 7:31 AM on September 9, 2006

"Better Than Chocolate" - Sarah Maclachlan.
posted by Radio7 at 7:57 AM on September 9, 2006

Cheesy to some, but still inspiring and what a voice!

The Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
posted by LoriFLA at 8:30 AM on September 9, 2006

songs that make me way happy:

groove is in the heart - deelite
nature anthem (aka nacher anthem) - grandaddy
stray dog and the chocolate shake - grandaddy
the theme song from pee-wee's playhouse (sung by cyndi lauper)
beercan - beck
take your mama - scissor sisters
move your feet - junior senior
feeling good - nina simone
posted by troybob at 8:40 AM on September 9, 2006

Songs that do it for me...minimal relationship content in all. I was a teenager in the late 80s/early 90s so I had to do some serious brain digging for happy songs, most of which are recent.

Alive - Ryan Adams
Today - Smashing Pumpkins
When the Night Feels My Song - Bedouin Soundclash
These Are Days - 10000 Maniacs
Beautiful Day - U2
Good People - Jack Johnson
In My Place - Coldplay
posted by jimmythefish at 8:45 AM on September 9, 2006

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers
posted by Clay201 at 9:07 AM on September 9, 2006

Lust for Life / Heaven Can Wait. I know no finer anthems of "life is worth living".
posted by Wolfdog at 9:11 AM on September 9, 2006

Another one of my favorites of late is Lily Allen, she's ironic happy pop. LDN is about walking through a rather grubby London and seeing sunshine despite it all.
posted by dog food sugar at 9:21 AM on September 9, 2006

Oh, and I second Beercan by Beck. If that song doesn't get you into a jiggly good groovin' and movin' squirmy dance mood then you're dead.
posted by jimmythefish at 9:44 AM on September 9, 2006

Horizon by The Cinematic Orchestra is a fantastic track full of lyrics roughly along the lines you're looking for. You can download or listen to it here. It's hard for me not to listen to it on repeat for 6 hours every time I hear it.
posted by aubilenon at 9:45 AM on September 9, 2006

Thank You Friends - by the usually morose Big Star. It's about friendship.
posted by Kronoss at 9:51 AM on September 9, 2006

Beercan is what you're looking for. There's no better song for saying "Fuck everything, I have the right to feel good about life."

Alcohol on my hands, I got plans
To ditch myself and get outside...
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:00 AM on September 9, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Oh, and "Monday" by Wilco.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:01 AM on September 9, 2006

Superstar - Ivana Santilli
posted by phoenixc at 12:26 PM on September 9, 2006

Linear - Sending All My Love
posted by daninnj at 12:58 PM on September 9, 2006

Beta Band - Dry the Rain
posted by kuujjuarapik at 2:31 PM on September 9, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Rise, PIL.
posted by vers at 2:45 PM on September 9, 2006

Patti Smith - People Have the Power
posted by davebush at 4:01 PM on September 9, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

My happy band at the moment is The Grates, songs like 19 20 20, Inside Outside and Trampoline make me happy and want to dance =].
posted by cholly at 4:56 PM on September 9, 2006

La Citta Nuda by The Dining Rooms. The Soulpatrol remix (on the album Versioni Particolari) is happy, boppy and funky all at once.
posted by tackandgybe at 5:38 PM on September 9, 2006

Ah, I've been working on a mix like this for years. I don't have my playlist at hand, but I know that the two songs that anchor it are "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Sinead O'Conner and "Hold On" by Wilson Philips. I'm not sure they exactly match what you're looking for, but they're both very empowering songs.

If I can find my list, I'll post it. Meanwhile, I'll bookmark this thread for sure.
posted by jdroth at 7:29 PM on September 9, 2006

Also — and I know this may sound crazy — check out the "Bend it Like Beckham" soundtrack. Seriously.
posted by jdroth at 7:32 PM on September 9, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

northern star by melanie c
posted by meeshell at 7:52 PM on September 9, 2006

"One Girl Revolution" by Superchick
"My Own Best Friend" from the Chicago soundtrack (Broadway cast)
"I'm Still Standing" by Elton John is my all-purpose feel-better-about-myself-and-life song. : )
posted by SisterHavana at 10:09 PM on September 9, 2006

Savage Garden's Affrimation (the title track) may fit.
posted by divabat at 10:17 PM on September 10, 2006