10 songs guaranteed to make you happy

I’ll admit it. I do just want everybody to get along. I am one of those people who wishes we could hug everything out. Because I can’t escape this part of myself, I have decided to force it upon you all. The following is a tiny smackeral of songs that I promise will make you smile. You might even feel inspired to launch into your own little happy dance.

Seriously. If you are not smiling by the time you get through the list, you let me know; and I will dispatch some bunnies to your house with a cache of red balloons and little baskets of chocolate buttons. [Don’t lie just for the buttons. It is a very time consuming process and the bunnies will only bestow them on the truly deserving.]

I tried to include actual videos and live footage. But a couple are slide shows [I did that in cases where the song might not have an official video, or if that is the only video I could find with good sound quality] And of course, I don’t own any of these songs or claim I made them up, yadda, yadda, yadda. . .

One more disclaimer: this is an “off the top of my head” list. I have many more than 10 songs in my collection, and many more than 10 happy ones at that. I just wanted to offer a small sampler; the cream of the crop, if you will.

Now then. Here are the 10. In no particular order. Enjoy– and let me know what your Happy Songs are!

“Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles – One of my all-time favorite Fab Four tunes. I think almost every song on this list mentions being in love (including this one). But not every one of them talks about being barefoot, another essential ingredient for happiness that the Beatles did not neglect.

“Blessed” by Brett Dennen- Don’t think you’re surprised here. This is one of the Happiest of the Happy Songs. I like to listen to it first thing in the morning. Or sometimes after a long day, when life has particularly worn me out– two wonderful occasions to remember what you’re thankful for, if you ask me.

“Rainbow Connection” as performed by Jason Mraz- I would not pass up an opportunity to merge Kermit with Jason Mraz, and you shouldn’t either. This is a beautifully done version. I have to admit, though. It makes me really want to see the two of them do a duet. But that might be enough cute to shift the rotation of the earth. So I guess we’d better ease into that sort of situation.

“Sunshine” by  Matt Costa- The second song on the list with Mister Sun as the muse! No doubt a reflection of my longing for spring. By the way, Matt is a really happy guy. Saw him open for Death Cab for Cutie, and I don’t think he or his band members stopped grinning the entire set. They were great!

“Everybody” by Ingrid Michaelson- Go ahead and file this one under the “Adorable” genre when you add it to your iTunes. This is her latest radio single. Excellent call, record company. I’ve been rockin’ out to it for months and it’s about time you guys appreciated its awesomeness.

“I’ve Got Rhythm” as performed by Gene Kelly in An American in Paris- If you read my blog with any kind of regularity, you may remember this video featured in an earlier post. I couldn’t help but bring it back for the list of happy songs, though. I mean, can you blame me? Didn’t think so!

“Love You Madly” by CAKE- Nothing like a little feel-good 90s rock to lift the spirits. Listening to CAKE always makes me smile. They have cute lyrics, catchy melodies, and a trumpet player. I rest my case.

“(Say Hey) I Love You” by Michael Franti & Spearhead- Someone else I have mentioned a LOT in my writing. This song is his first top 40 hit after making music for at least a decade. But it won’t be his last. He has a great attitude and it shows in his writing. He deserves every drop of his success.

“Steer” by Missy Higgins- Sassy Aussie. Soaring melody. Chick anthem. There you have it.

“First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes- This one man band has a reputation for Anything-But-Happy songs. This one is a rarity in that it’s a sweet ballad. And I like that it’s simple. Great songs don’t often need a lot of bells and whistles.

So, that’s my list. Go on. Go ahead and grin. You know you want to!