"You Got This" songs
April 26, 2017 6:23 PM   Subscribe

I'm going through a really tough time at work. I stood up to my boss about something and got threatened with disciplinary action for being "disrespectful". All that to say, I need some music to make me feel better about standing up for myself and taking care of myself. What songs inspire you to feel that?
posted by aclevername to Media & Arts (58 answers total) 72 users marked this as a favorite
 


Sara Bareilles - Brave
Chumbawumba - I Get Knocked Down
posted by kimberussell at 6:34 PM on April 26, 2017 [3 favorites]


Cortex's little ditty has been on repeat 'round here
posted by mce at 6:34 PM on April 26, 2017 [2 favorites]


Keep Your Head Up
posted by KwaiChangCaine at 6:38 PM on April 26, 2017


It's too saccharine for everyday use but appropriate in certain circumstances..

The Jayhawks - Smile
posted by Nerd of the North at 6:41 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


TKO- Le Tigre
posted by Champagne Supernova at 6:45 PM on April 26, 2017


This Year - The Mountain Goats
Invincible - OK GO
Do it Anyway - Ben Folds Five
Feet Up - Chris Hadfield (Yes, the Astronaut)
What You Waiting For - Gwen Stefanie
Me Too - Megan Traynor
Glory and Gore - Lorde
Wait For It - Hamilton Soundtrack
posted by Caravantea at 6:57 PM on April 26, 2017 [4 favorites]


There's always Take This Job and Shove It.
posted by clawsoon at 7:01 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


And there's nothing wrong with raising a little hell. "If you know there's something wrong / Why don't you right it?"
posted by clawsoon at 7:06 PM on April 26, 2017






Old and cheesy, but one of my standbys is by The New Radicals - You Get What You Give
posted by floweredfish at 7:25 PM on April 26, 2017 [2 favorites]


The Middle, Jimmy Eat World
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 7:29 PM on April 26, 2017 [3 favorites]


Deftones - Headup
posted by corvine at 7:30 PM on April 26, 2017


Rage Against the Machine: "Killing in the Name." The refrain of, "FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!" is very empowering. I often yell it in the car.
posted by Aquifer at 7:42 PM on April 26, 2017 [14 favorites]


This is the theme of nearly every song I listened to when I run:

Fighter, Christina Aguleira

Titanium, Sia

The Greatest, Sia

Run the World (Girls), Beyoncé

Fight Song, Rachel Platten

Stronger, Kanye West

Heads will roll, The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
posted by teamnap at 7:46 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


Rachel Platten's Fight Song. For extra bonus feel-better vibes, check out the version from the DNC.
posted by Weeping_angel at 7:48 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


The Underdog - Spoon
posted by unknowncommand at 7:49 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


Katy Perry - Roar
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 7:52 PM on April 26, 2017 [2 favorites]


Seo Linn - Óró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 7:52 PM on April 26, 2017




Particularly delicious lyric in The Underdog: "The thing that I tell you now, it may not go over well. It may not be photo-op, the way that I spell it out. But you won't hear from the messenger. Don't want to know 'bout something that you don't understand. You got no fear of the underdog. That's why you will not survive."
posted by unknowncommand at 7:58 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


Ah, let's see. I keep a playlist of songs that have come to mind at work over the years. (OK, so there may be crossover between work thoughts and love thoughts, but this is how my mind works. Breakup songs are cathartic, even if, like me, you love your job.) I added some from my Depressed playlist as well.
posted by limeonaire at 8:12 PM on April 26, 2017 [12 favorites]


Useful if you're still kind of pissed about the whole situation but also want to feel better: the Dixie Chicks' Not Ready to Make Nice.
posted by Weeping_angel at 8:20 PM on April 26, 2017 [7 favorites]


Pink Raise Your, Glass.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 8:46 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


When you're past the seething anger and on the route to calm (but resentful!)
Frazey Ford's Done

Good luck and hang in there!
posted by Sauter Vaguely at 8:51 PM on April 26, 2017 [3 favorites]


"Won't Back Down" - Tom Petty
posted by Alexandra Michelle at 8:54 PM on April 26, 2017 [4 favorites]


Diva - Beyonce

Flawless - Beyonce

Survivor - Destiny's Child

Run the world is another good Beyonce song for this kind of thing, but "Diva" and "Flawless" are my go to's.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:16 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


"Better Things" by the Kinks. There is a newer version with Ray Davies AND Bruce Springsteen that is absolutely amazing.
posted by Ostara at 9:45 PM on April 26, 2017


i by Kendrick Lamar
Good as Hell by Lizzo
Fight Song by Rachel Platten
Rise Up by Andra Day
Quiet by Milck (with an a capella choir - this song became sort of an anthem after the Women's March)
Shake It Out by Florence and the Machines
Better Things by Dar Williams and Gail Anne Dorsey (there are lots of versions, but this is my favorite)
posted by lunasol at 10:01 PM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]




Sia - The Greatest
Patrick Wolf - Accident and Emergency
posted by kinddieserzeit at 12:51 AM on April 27, 2017


Prince Rama - Fake Til You Feel
posted by aubilenon at 1:16 AM on April 27, 2017


Respect - Aretha Franklin
posted by lakeroon at 2:40 AM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


This is hugely embarrassing but I recently listened to Snap - The Power to psyche myself up on the way to a job interview. Reader, I got the dream job.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 2:55 AM on April 27, 2017 [6 favorites]


Oh so many Sia:
Cloud
Alive
The Greatest
Bird Set Free
Unstoppable
Never Give Up
Titanium
posted by Ness at 4:03 AM on April 27, 2017


Oh, and Pat Benatar, Invincible!
posted by gideonfrog at 4:17 AM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


Get Gone - Fiona Apple
posted by King Bee at 4:25 AM on April 27, 2017


Weapons Grade "You Got This" track. Only break out in case of extreme emergencies:

You're the Best Around - Joe Esposito
posted by Aznable at 4:47 AM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


Cheesy as hell, but Do Your Thing by NSync
posted by Kris10_b at 5:23 AM on April 27, 2017


I can't decide whether this is not really what you want, or exactly what you want:

"Sensitive Badass," by The Doubleclicks
posted by Shmuel510 at 5:42 AM on April 27, 2017


"The Authority Song" John Mellencamp
posted by jtexman1 at 5:43 AM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


Came here with the express purpose of adding Joe Esposito's You're The Best Around to the list, but Aznable has beaten me to it! Totally agree though: that song is next level self-hype. Use it wisely.

Cliche, but for a reason: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

This one's about a breakup probably, but widely applicable: Move in the Right Direction by Gossip

If you want a song that inspires all the fist-pumping: We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister

Maybe one of the more perfect songs to ever exist: Sabotage by the Beastie Boys
posted by helloimjennsco at 6:31 AM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


HOW HAS NOBODY LINKED EMINEM YET? (Lose Yourself)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:39 AM on April 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


DJ Shadow "Walkie Talkie" (NSFW)
Elvis Costello "Hand in Hand"
Semisonlc "This Will Be My Year"
posted by jocelmeow at 8:02 AM on April 27, 2017


Wendy & Lisa "Staring at the Sun"

The bridge is money:

There but for the grace of God go I
I pretend I'm not afraid to die
If there's a heaven, then I will apply
Devil heat, you better take a ride
I'm not crazy, but I believe in butterflies
Dreams that die should be a big surprise
And life is my favourite nursery rhyme
I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf

posted by DrAstroZoom at 8:34 AM on April 27, 2017


I can't link it but Charli XCX "I Love it" is my go-to when I need to shake something off.
posted by Bacon Bit at 8:43 AM on April 27, 2017


Let it go by Morcheeba is excellent when you need to 'Let it go before it kills you'
posted by Heloise9 at 9:12 AM on April 27, 2017


If you like punk rock, I Won't Say I'm Sorry by Face to Face is my current jam.
posted by Twicketface at 10:32 AM on April 27, 2017


Love the suggestions so far! My song is is Just Fine by Mary J. Blige. "So I like what I see when I'm looking at me when I'm walkin' past the mirror..."
posted by BeBoth at 11:20 AM on April 27, 2017


I Am What I Am from the La Cage Aux Folles soundtrack.

Bang Your Drum by Dead Man Fall.

Baby I'm A Star by Prince.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:28 AM on April 27, 2017


Response by poster: Thanks everyone, these will be a big help. Gonna try and make a spotify playlist with them this weekend. Will post a link if I am successful!
posted by aclevername at 9:50 AM on April 28, 2017 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Here is the spotify playlist for this thread. I'm sad there are about 6 songs missing, including the apparently for-emergency-use-only "You're the Best Around - Joe Esposito"! Thank you all for helping me so much.

Spotify Play List
posted by aclevername at 7:39 PM on April 28, 2017 [9 favorites]


("Sensitive Badass" hasn't had an official release yet, and thus is not on Spotify, but it will be on Love Problems, expected out in September. Stay tuned!)
posted by Shmuel510 at 12:10 PM on April 29, 2017


Late to the party, but Yeasayer's "Ambling Alp" is my go-to for this. "You must stick up for yourself, son/Never mind what anybody else done ..."
posted by Devika at 5:12 PM on April 29, 2017


I'll toss in:

Muse - Uprising
posted by Blue Genie at 10:17 PM on April 30, 2017


I'm late, but this thread needs:

Juicy Karkass - Punch 'Em in the Dick (Metafilter's own...lyrics here)
Arnocorps - I'm Ballsy ("no matter what you do, there's some always trying to control you / Hey! That's just an opportunity right there / An opportunity to express who you are and what you stand for"). Last Action Hero might be good too.
Springsteen - Badlands
Already mentioned, but co-signing The Mountain Goats - This Year
posted by Pink Frost at 1:12 AM on May 2, 2017


aclevername: Here is the spotify playlist for this thread. I'm sad there are about 6 songs missing, including the apparently for-emergency-use-only "You're the Best Around - Joe Esposito"! Thank you all for helping me so much.

Found that song as a part of the Karate Kid soundtrack.
posted by Political Funny Man at 9:04 AM on May 12, 2017 [1 favorite]


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