8 Types of Songs to Add to Your Cheer-Up Playlist
We’re three months into pandemic limbo, and the chaos doesn’t seem to be winding down anytime soon. By now, you’ve probably come to recognize your own patterns of exhaustion and restlessness, disquiet and peace. You may have also tried to curate a quarantine playlist to help you power through long, similar days.
Banishing the blues with a happy song, however, is often easier said than done. In moments of extreme malaise, the vaguely motivational choruses of radio hits might seem meaningless, and the jaunty melodies of Spotify’s “Happy Hits” playlist might sound grating. This is when it’s time to dig deep — to build a playlist that’s based not just on the abstract notion of happiness but also on happiness as it manifests in your life.
Of course, the conquest of cheer isn’t always the healthiest option. Sometimes it’s necessary to let yourself feel sad or angry instead of pushing your feelings away. Other times, though, a quick boost of positivity is just what you need to get through the day.
Cheer-up playlists aren’t one-size fits all; it’s important to consider your own preferences and experiences when building one. These methods have worked for me in times of strife; I hope they’ll work for you, too. Here are a few types of songs you can add to your playlist to make it more effective.
1. Songs That Instantly Transport You Back to Good Times
We all have those songs that are inextricably bound up with memories. This is the perfect time to blast the tracks that bring you back to all your fondest moments, from the mundane to the extraordinary. You won’t be the only one looking back. According to this “Forbes” article, in the wake of coronavirus, plenty of people have been turning to nostalgia because it “serves a psychological adaptive function,” allowing us to time-travel to less stressful days.
2. Songs You Listened to in Your Youth
The songs you heard at family parties, vibed to in the backseat before you could even comprehend the lyrics, raged to at high school dances — dig them up again, if you so please. The nostalgia fest continues!
3. Songs Recommended to You by Friends
Your phone lights up with a notification. You check your texts and see a message from your best friend: a link to a song with the accompanying message “I feel like you’d like this.” Song recommendations are some of the best gifts to receive, and they keep on giving every time you listen to them. Add a few to your playlist, and take a moment to remind yourself that yes, you are still enveloped in your friends’ enduring love, even when you can’t see them face-to-face.
4. Soundtrack Songs
Maybe “The Polar Express” hit you really hard as a kid, and turning on that eerie twinkling score still makes you feel like you’re clutching onto the roof of a speeding train, not even minding the sting of the snow against your face because you’ve got something to believe in. Or maybe Stevie Wonder’s theme from “The Outsiders” reminds you to “stay gold” whenever it comes up on shuffle. (Confession: the “you” in both of these examples is me.) Whatever the case, listening to a soundtrack can be the perfect way to channel the boost of positive energy you get from your go-to feel-good film or recall the empowering lessons learned from your favorite characters.
5. Total Escapist Fantasy Songs
Some songs are just so out-of-the-box, so removed from the bounds of our banal everyday reality, that it’s impossible not to be whisked into a different world by them. I’m talking about sea shanties, dubstep, Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” the entire genre of Halloween music, and pretty much everything on Spotify’s “Lute Music for Alchemists” playlists. You’ve got a lot of options here; pick your p̶o̶i̶s̶o̶n̶̶ antidote.
6. Inspiring Songs by Musicians You Actually Like
Motivational words mean a lot more when they’re coming from someone you admire or identify with. With this in mind, round up all the most encouraging, positive songs by artists you love, and let them work their magic. Almost every musician or band has got one — or a few. My go-tos are “One More Try,” an oddly heartwarming Rolling Stones deep cut about the value of persistence, and “Numb Bears,” an Of Monsters and Men song about rising past others’ expectations and judgments (and also about bears).
7. Songs About “Your Favorite Things,” Whatever They May Be
“I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad,” Maria sang in “The Sound of Music.” Try using her strategy — round up some tracks about California or outer space or sunsets or whatever brings you joy. In a time when a scary abstract entity seems to be ruling the world, focusing on simple concrete pleasures can be a good way to ground yourself.
8. Songs That Make You Feel More Confident
When you can’t instantly trigger a dopamine rush, don’t fear. You can ease yourself into a mindset that’ll make it easier for you to get there later. Constantly reminding yourself that you have the strength and finesse needed to conquer obstacles as they present themselves will ultimately do more good than chasing a temporary high.
When you find songs that help you channel this sense of self-esteem and capability, be it through driving beats or empowering lyrics, hang onto them. If you can’t make yourself feel happy, at least you can gear yourself up to face challenges head-on — and in the long run, that’ll help you find happiness, or at least contentment, in all kinds of situations.
— Brittany Menjivar
Brittany Menjivar is a music journalist for The Young Folks. She is currently studying English and Film at Yale University.
