what music makes you feel good?

[Perseus]

What music makes you feel good? Here are a couple of random songs that always cheer me up......

Doves - Pounding
the beatles - here come the sun
Oasis - whatever
bon jovi - its my life
Gerorge Harrison - My Sweet Lord
Electric Light Orchestra - Mr Blue Sky
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness

[Leandro Leme]

Hello Perseus (nice nick!)

Maybe you want to check this tread.

[John Wesley]

When I get down I usually listen to Bob Marley, his message of universal love always brings me up. For concentration I listen to classical, particularly Mozart, when I'm writing.

[Lynn 007]

I really enjoy tunes that are upbeat and remind me to enjoy life every day. Here is a short list of some of my favs which are also great for running.

It's my life - No Doubt
Right here, Right Now - Van Halen
You only get what you give - New Radicals
Lose Yourself - Enimnem
Life is a highway - Tom Cochrane
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams

[Perseus]

Hi Leandro, never noticed that other thread, thanks for pointin that out, thats exactly what i was lookin for! kinda pointless startin another one!

Hi John, i think every good music collection has to have some Bob Marley! I agree that classical helps concentration, whenever im studying it helps me focus, i especially like classical guitar

Hi lynn, i must check out more of Van Halens stuff, that song was pretty good!

[dor]

I am not saying these are hard and fast rules but generally i find:

pop music is like a boost of caffine - NOTHING wrong with that - but i find its a temporary 'high'
classical can lift your soul and give you a sense of exhilaration, pop is like a fun carnival ride...classical (the right classical or anglican/choir hymns) are like gazing on a beautiful mountain range at sunset....am I making any sense?

For pop, these days I almost exclusively listen to music from Indian Cinema "bollywood" the music has this unbelievable joy and optimism in it - that I think has been generally absent from western pop since the 60s (though new wave and ska had some of it too)

Also often the lyrics are quite philosophical/poetic:
every dream comes true when the fires of love are lit
the path you choose of your heart
you will find pearls in every oyster of time
when you listen to your heart
keep roaming thus oh traveler

also we forget the joy of making musics and singing it - even if you aren't good - go to a church (even if you aren't religious ) that has a good choir and sing along - (Anglican churches are good for this) it really does lift you soul- i think there have been studies done that singing makes you happier too. There is a reason people used to sing while working in the fields and such...it's a shame that that's missing in society today.

[aznandyboi]

Celine Dion doesn't necessarily cheer me up but she's very soothing.

[wolfgang]

Originally Posted by dor

...classical can lift your soul and give you a sense of exhilaration, pop is like a fun carnival ride...classical (the right classical or anglican/choir hymns) are like gazing on a beautiful mountain range at sunset....am I making any sense?

Definetly making sense! Although I've had some wild rides with classical music too. The length and time investment to listen to a whole symphony can be quite an experience and put you through all sorts of emotions if you let it take you.

For pop, these days I almost exclusively listen to music from Indian Cinema "bollywood" the music has this unbelievable joy and optimism in it - that I think has been generally absent from western pop since the 60s (though new wave and ska had some of it too)

Haven't gravitated to bollywood music and I'm all over the place with musical taste so I'll have to check some out. Ska rules!

also we forget the joy of making musics and singing it - even if you aren't good - go to a church (even if you aren't religious ) that has a good choir and sing along - (Anglican churches are good for this) it really does lift you soul- i think there have been studies done that singing makes you happier too. There is a reason people used to sing while working in the fields and such...it's a shame that that's missing in society today.

Mega echos on that!!! I was just reading about how non-creative society has become because everyone wants to be a star and we forget that it's not nessecary to be a star to be creative. It used to be common to have a piano in homes (before TV) and in the evening people would hang out and play and sing - what happened to us? I've sung in some choirs and amsolutely f#$%ng loved it! I didn't think I was good enough to do so but I am somewhat of a hacker musician so I can read music and play the piano parts to learn the singing parts. Then I found tenor voices are in demand so I was needed. On that note, music that moves me:

Verdi's requiem
Handel's messiah
Beethoven's symphonies (maybe the 5th mostly)


Otherwise, like I said, I'm all over the place - 311, Beatles, Gomez, Dead, Radio Head, Muse, Morphine, Johny Cash, Smiths, Led Zep, NIN, Moby, Chemical Brothers...

[Chrome]

I find the piano music of Erik Satie to be very calming and is great to listen to no matter what you're doing.

[skydust]

dance music, oldskool garage, jungle and happy hardcore.

[dor]

Originally Posted by wolfgang

Otherwise, like I said, I'm all over the place - 311, Beatles, Gomez, Dead, Radio Head, Muse, Morphine, Johny Cash, Smiths, Led Zep, NIN, Moby, Chemical Brothers...

me too, but its amazing not only with music but with pop culture, when you really start to listen, how many negative messages are out there - we're bombarded with them and music emotionally fuses you to them.

[moviestar]

Number one cheer up song:
Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky

[VeganMelissa]

These are a few of my favorites that get me going:
Take your Mama Out - Scissor Sisters (makes me happy)
Can't go Home - Bon Jovi (I feel thankful when I hear this song, I don't know why)
Fergalicious - Fergie (how can you not laugh at a song with that name!)

[Matthew Shea]

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is one of my all time favorite feel-good pieces. Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is one of the most relaxing pieces I've ever heard and also one of my favorites.

For inspiration, just about any classic organ work will do the trick with me, especially when I get to hear it live on a real pipe organ. I feel fortunate that my church has an excellent organist and a pretty decent organ (it's not actually a pipe, but it's as close as you can possibly get with an electronic setup - samples of real pipes stored electronically in the console with huge speaker banks spread throughout the sanctuary - very realistic). As far as I'm concerned, the organ's grandeur is absolutely unmatched in any other instrument and I find it very inspiring when played by a good organist. Some of my favorite pieces are organ/trumpet duets, the trumpet being one of a very few instruments that can compete with the organ's sound.

[Matthew Shea]

I also have this recording of Palestrina's Missa Aeterna Christi Munera. It's all sung a capella and is a very beautiful piece. The Gloria is absolutely incredible and is one of the few songs beautiful enough to move me to tears.

[notquitehere188]

Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon, wish you were here, animals
The Who - Baba O'Riley (Ever since i saw it live this year, the entire concert was actually the most motivational thing i have ever done/heard, beat any motivational speaker)
Journey - Any way you want it
Supertramp - Fools Orchestra
Lynyrd Skynard - Free Bird

And tons more

[Erock]

I like the soft stuff like Rage Against the Machine

[andrew]

Ska. Really, there is no more feel-good music than ska. Hell, the guitar strokes are even UPBEAT.

From 1st wave ska and regae to 3rd wave like sublime, pepper, and reel big fish. There aren't any really depressing songs in this genre. It's THE feel good music genre. I went to a pepper concert, and I just danced and grooved and felt really good.

Any mood I'm in, start listening to ska, I can't help but to shake my shoulders and shimmy. (aka: skank)

[cgs]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

I also have this recording of Palestrina's Missa Aeterna Christi Munera. It's all sung a capella and is a very beautiful piece. The Gloria is absolutely incredible and is one of the few songs beautiful enough to move me to tears.

Great stuff. The more you listen to it, the more beautiful it gets.

I'm also a big fan of traditional Irish music.

[rush23]

I absolutely love music - I truly believe it's food for the soul and it energizes me spiritually more than any religious sermon ever could. A world without it would just be dull and lifeless.

I listen to anything and everything as long as it sounds good. Music has the power to enhance my mood (it's my drug!) so when I want to feel good, I just put some really good dance music or some good old rock 'n roll. Any pop/rock from the 80s (the decade that ruled music IMO) will just fine thank you.

I also love to turn the volume up wherrever I am and just dance - I love dancing. Within seconds, the endorphins kick in and I'm in the best mood ever.

[Matthew Shea]

Originally Posted by cgs

Great stuff. The more you listen to it, the more beautiful it gets.

I'm also a big fan of traditional Irish music.

Wow, I never expected anyone else to be familiar with that recording. Another beautiful piece in that same vein is Rachmaninoff's Vespers. I also have another CD called Hymns to the Mother of God at the Moleben. The latter is all in Russian, sung in a Gregorian Chant style.

[alexander.kharlamov]

Although "Mr. Blue Sky" is great, I think the best ELO song has to be "Fire on High"... but my personal favorite is still "Ticket to the Moon."

I really don't think there's a more fulfiilling genre of music than progressive rock. It can be anything - heavy, dark, lush, majestic, beautiful, foreboding, uplifting, soft, epic.. It can make you laugh, cry, think about meaning of life, remind you of the best times you've ever had.

I think bands like early Genesis, King Crimson, Marillion, Yes, etc.. should be talked about in the same sentence as Mozart & Beethoven - beautiful, timeless music that will always remain relevant

[Leandro Leme]

Originally Posted by alexander.kharlamov

I think bands like early Genesis, King Crimson, Marillion, Yes, etc.. should be talked about in the same sentence as Mozart & Beethoven - beautiful, timeless music that will always remain relevant

Hello Alexander,
I love progressive rock too, mostly Pink Floyd and Yes...check these videos, I think you´ll like it. This is a local Yes cover band that compensate the lack of shows of Yes here in Brazil
YouTube - Yessongs - And You And I (2006)
YouTube - Yessongs - Heart Of The Sunrise Solos (1999)

[Erki]

Jamiroquai makes me feel good. Any suggestions of more bands/artists like that?

[Brien]

Originally Posted by andrew

Ska. Really, there is no more feel-good music than ska. Hell, the guitar strokes are even UPBEAT.

From 1st wave ska and regae to 3rd wave like sublime, pepper, and reel big fish. There aren't any really depressing songs in this genre. It's THE feel good music genre. I went to a pepper concert, and I just danced and grooved and felt really good.

Any mood I'm in, start listening to ska, I can't help but to shake my shoulders and shimmy. (aka: skank)

Haha, yeah, nothing like music that makes you wanna skank. My favorite ska is pretty angry though: Ska-P, The Locos, King Chango, Skalariak... good stuff if you want to get riled up.

Other music that makes me feel good: Bersuit Vergarabat, They Might Be Giants, Jarabe de Palo, The Unicorns, Islands...all so good.

[JAlvy]

Originally Posted by Erki

Jamiroquai makes me feel good. Any suggestions of more bands/artists like that?

Jamiroquai does have a pretty unique sound, but one of the first similar artists off the top of my head would be John Legend. It's similar in the "piano with a bass beat" type of way.