The Best Feel-Good Songs

The Best Feel-Good Songs 

This blo, unfortunately, has become a bit depressing music-wise, a lot of the songs I pick for lists or albums that I talk about tend to be in a minor key and have heavy, serious or depressing lyrics, not necessarily on purpose just because that tends to be what a lot of the music I listen to is. So for once, I'm focusing on the tracks that stick a smile on my face and make it difficult not to at least sing, if not dance, along to. As always, there's a playlist to follow along with.

1. Jamie T - Sticks N' Stones

Probably the Londoner's most well-known songs, but not exactly in line with the rest of his music, trading the down-to-earth Hip-Hop-Inspired tales of people and their woes for a bombastic, fast-paced and rowdy song about... well I'm not entirely sure, something to do with not letting things affect you or something like that, oh well it's just a banger.

2. Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know

One of a few bands on this list who could have a large number of entries but this is one of the most iconic British festival tunes, it's got to the point where the crowd sing the guitar chords (this is one of my favourite live videos of all time), another one where everyone knows pretty much every single word but never really stop to think about what it means. Forever a track associated with warm beer and sunburns, just a tune. 

3. Example - Kickstarts

Heading into a slightly more subdued cut but just as catchy and iconic, Example is an odd guy in that he hits that blend between rap, indie and electronic beautifully but never quite hit superstar status as a result but this song stands out as a perfect mix of an upbeat dance tune, easy-going lyrics, fun lighthearted message and an incredible melody.

4. The Waterboys - Whole Of The Moon

Probably played at most weddings - which is not an insult in any way, a track with a slight touch of melancholy in its verses but still makes it difficult to not belt out the choruses and at least tap your foot along. 

5. Matt And Kim - Daylight

Probably one of my absolute favourites on this list, a duo which is realistically a one-hit-wonder but with an obvious amount of talent, at the end of the day a 'chin-up everything is gonna be okay' tune for when things feel a little bit bleak, not being so sickeningly sweet to be annoying. 

6. Bilk - CM2

Bilk are part of the growing Lad-Punk scene that's thriving in the UK with the likes of Sports Team reshaping modern punk into an accent-heavy, bouncy, catchy and fantastic sound. CM2 is definitely part of the catchier side with  'CM Fucking Two' bouncing around in my head for the best part of the last 2 days making it hard to not at least sway your head even if you don't fully bang it around.

7. Chumbawumba - Tubthumping

Very few people don't know the iconic 'I get knocked down but I get up again' and almost all are able to sing it at a moments notice, likely with that exact accent too. This obviously lends itself well towards a feel-good hit but a lighthearted and breezy female-vocal hook and fun and quirky drinks order halfway through make it easy to bop along to and an icon of the feel-good playlist genre. 

8. Generation X - Dancing With Myself

Billy Idol and crew create one of the most infectious songs of the 80's which makes a brilliant feature in the equally incredible Sex Education. A self-empowering song about independence laid over the top of a vibrant, simple yet infectious guitar chord progression making it difficult not to grin. 

9. Fast Animals And Slow Kids - A cosa ci serve

I listened to like 2 German songs on Spotify 2 years ago and for some reason that means that every single bloody week on my Discover weekly I get a foreign language song which are often a bit crap, except for the odd gem like this. While it may not immediately seem to be a super feel-good song I can't help but smile at the guitar licks between verse and chorus and just how emotive and raw the vocals are.

10. Rainbow - Since You Been Gone

Heading back to a classic again, a soft metal mainstay all about the sickening spell of love, all backed up by that ' Dun dun dun' after the chorus. A catchy, easy to belt chorus, head-banging conducive melody and add in some air-guitar worthy solos and you have an easy pick-me-up.

11. Imagine Dragons - It's Time

 While most people probably became sick to their teeth of this nauseatingly positive single off Imagine Dragons' debut in 2012, I somehow managed to avoid the overexposure. Don't get me wrong, it's cheesy, not even the band's best cheesy hit and the production is a little cloudy but that opening rhythm, 'Sod it let's have fun' attitude and crashing drum fill just make it pretty much unstoppable.

12. Enter Shikari - Stop The Clocks

Anyone who's read the blog a bit knows I'm a massive ES fan and this song is fairly controversial due to it being so pop-based but honestly when it's as good as this, who really cares? Another one that has a very specific memory attached to it in my mind (catch me in the blue tee) and just brings me up.

13. Madness - Our House

It baffles me that Madness never made it outside of Britain when songs exist like this. It's impossible for someone to say the words 'our house' without me wanting to blurt out 'in the middle of our street' (Or 'in the middle of our house') and for me, any party playlist is missing without this song. 

14. The Wombats - Let's Dance To Joy Division

The fact that a lot of people found about Joy Division through this song (me included) is always something so funny to me considering how demure the titular band can be whilst this cut makes you want to run crashing into a mosh. No matter what this hedonistic track from one of the modern pinnacles in feel-good music fits the bill perfectly.

15. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Moving onto the aforementioned band with one of their few songs that doesn't make you want to curl up in a ball (feels appropriate to mention I absolutely love the group), although when you think that this was one of Ian Curtis' last songs and ultimately it was love that tore him apart, it does sober it up. That aside, synths, a melody to whistle along to and a fairly upbeat message make it one of my all-time favourites.

16. Louis The Child - Every Color (with Foster The People)

A very recent cut, featuring a band whose most famous song is about school shooters, it seems odd for them to be making a dance-pop tune but here we are. A fairly calm one that has me more just happily bobbing my head along rather than jumping head-first into a crowd but nevertheless doesn't fail to fit a good vibe.

17. WALK THE MOON - Anna Sun

The less-well-known of the two summer hits for WALK THE MOON, with the other being a stand-out wedding song in my mind. But the late-night party production quality, building chorus and meaninglessly hedonistic lyrics often keeps this rattling around in my head for a few hours. 

18. MGMT - Time To Pretend

From one of the most iconic out-of-nowhere albums of the 2000s is a song about doing drugs, having sex and generally doing all the things that the pop-stars the band was originally parodying when writing the album. Anyway, the iconic track makes you want to go do all the things they wail about in distortion

19. The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness

Off arguably the second-worst Strokes albums comes arguably one of the Strokes best songs (especially when you take Is This It’s tracks out of contention). No matter how many times I listen to this, no matter how hard I try, I can never figure out what it's actually about, partially in thanks to the pretty muddy production but largely down to 'Soooo loooong, my friiiiiend'.

20. The National - Mr. November

Incredibly appropriate after the last Mr November that did fuck us over is now gone. Closing out one of my all-time favourite albums on a magnificently high note with probably the most rock-based song the notoriously sleepy Ohio band have ever got, Matt screaming "I won't fuck us over" is an all-time top moment in their discography for me.

21. Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks

Anyone from the UK will know this as the Homebase song, the opening whistle becoming instantly iconic. The rest of the song is admittedly not quite as upbeat or energy-filled but simply that small part manages to lift my mood so easily.

22. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony

A complete British classic, if you don't know the story of this song I highly recommend this video, the opening instrumental alone is enough to get people going. The Verve were definitely a staple in Britpop, but this one managed to become one of the best in British music.

23. The 1975 - Give Yourself A Try

Stealing the riff from Joy Division's debut album opener Disorder, The 1975 manage to twist the admittedly downbeat song into a Millennial and Gen-Z self-motivating banger. Featuring the admittedly awful 'Like context in a modern debate I just took it out' and the somewhat whiney vocals this is still a must-have for a bedroom-dance list. 

24. The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

I recently met someone who doesn't know this song and have never felt more sorry for someone. Quite how the Goth icon Robert Smith managed to produce a sweet and feel-good love song puzzles me but I'm in no position to complain as this is on my bucket list of tracks to hear live, as well as starting the trend of randomly going through the days of the week.

25. Sundara Karma - Flame

Capping the list off on a less well-known song but one that definitely should be, an indie classic in the making with all the necessary pops of energy, catchy chorus and lyrics that make as much as sense rowing pits.

I've not been posting at all recently what with starting university and being in and out of isolations and local lockdowns, but hopefully there'll be more coming soon.

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