ten on tuesday: sing a happy song

While some of Carole’s suggestions for “Ten on Tuesday” are, shall we say, not my speed, this one is perfect: songs that put you into a good mood.

Y’see, today I made the tough decision to withdraw from the Death Ride this coming July. Healing from my injury is taking longer than I hoped (and certainly longer than I like), and I had to make the choice: heal under the pressure of having a big event ride on the horizon, one that would test my physical and emotional mettle, without knowing whether I’d be physically healed enough for the challenge; or let it go and heal as my body tells me it should, however long that takes.

I chose the latter.

So some happy songs are on order – great timing, Carole! And, as Sarah did, I had problems limiting this list to just ten songs.

1. “Here Comes The Sun” – The Beatles. An optimistic song, with such lovely acoustic guitar from George Harrison, great drumming from Ringo, and lovely harmonies from John and Paul. Abbey Road is The Beatles’ true swan song, and this song, which opens side 2 of the LP, is so, so great.
2. “Good Vibrations” – The Beach Boys. A song that is summer to my ears: such masterful work from Brian Wilson, Mike Love and the other Boys.
3. “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” – Simon & Garfunkel. I can’t help but sing along and shuffle to this song. I’ve seen both Simon & Garfunkel and Artie, as a solo act, perform this. The latter was fun because he brought his then-four-year-old son on stage to sing it with him.
4. “Little Lies” – Fleetwood Mac. Weird choice? Well, this song reminds me of skiing in Summit County, Colorado, as it was a hit when I first went to a fall ski racing camp at Keystone, back in 1987. Good times, those.
5. “On The Road Again” – Willie Nelson. A song about hitting the road and traveling – love it.
6. “Moving” – Supergrass. Britpop, with killer beats and hooks galore, is always a fave.
7. “Linus and Lucy” – Vince Guaraldi Trio. No words, but how can you not dance to this song? Envision the Peanuts gang in A Charlie Brown Christmas as they “rehearsed” for the Christmas play: dance, dance, dance.
8. “Good Day Sunshine” – The Beatles. Another happy song from the Fab Four, this one from Paul. Sure, it’s a rather simple love song, but it’s so infectiously happy – what’s not to like?
9. “Love Shack” – B-52s. The Athens, Georgia, band’s consumate road song, and one that sticks in my craw from the old high school days. “Tin roof – rusted!”
10. “That’s The Way God Planned It” – Billy Preston. You can hear the joy in Billy Preston’s voice in this song, and when he performed it live, he would dance his way around the stage as he really got into the moment. Sure, I’m an atheist, but this is religion in song, without a doubt.

Got your own happy songs? Share ’em in the comments.