Happy songs redux

First of all, thanks for the prayers and well-wishes. I'm not back to full health yet, but I'm well on my way. Turns out I had a particularly nasty case of strep throat AND what seemed to be a sinus infection all at the same time. Lemme tell ya, it wasn't pretty for a few days, but I'm getting there. Voice beginning to come back, coughing at a minimum, no more sore throat and no more expectorating blood and phlegm and other such things multiple times per day.

Life is slowly getting better.

I had plenty of free time on my hands over the last 10-12 days, and when one has that kind of time and one is alone and one is on powerful medications, one's mind will wander...that is, when one isn't asleep. Which one was. Quite often.

One of the things I thought about--probably since I needed something, anything, to serve as a pick-me-up, was the question: what songs do I consider "happy songs?" You know, those songs that are guaranteed to lift your spirits, to transport you, songs that invigorate and refresh and renew. Songs that, no matter how you may feel, make you smile when you hear them on the radio. I think we all have a catalog of "happy songs."

I first wrote about "happy songs" in this post back in August, and said that my absolute favorite "happy song" is I Got a Name, by Jim Croce. Still holds true...in fact, it deserves to have the song re-linked (especially since the original linked video is no longer available). So here you go:



Another one of my faves is '65 Love Affair by Paul Davis. Especially when you get to the middle section with all of the "doo wop diddy wop diddy wop doo"-ing. I just saw a picture of Paul Davis for the first time, and he definitely doesn't look like the kind of guy who would sing this song:



He rather resembles a biker. One who will kick your you-know-what if you look at him the wrong way. But here's his happy song:



Much of what James Taylor sings is pretty mellow, and often leans toward melancholy. Nuthin' wrong with that...he's one of my fave singers. Your Smiling Face stands in contrast to so much of his other work...mood-wise at least.

I. Totally. Love. This. Song.

How can you not be smiling at the end of it? I defy you to try:



Okay...one more. Here's where I allow my innate cheesiness to shine with this selection from The Carpenters. Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved the song Top of the World. And I don't care if the Carpenters aren't "cool..." this song never fails to make me smile.



Any other "happy songs" that ought to be added to the list?

LH