Saturday 14 July 2007

Happiness is...

Interesting comments about 'happy' songs. I know they're not 'traditional' happy songs, but I may as well have given in and had a top 5 of:

5. Don't worry be happy - Bobby McFerry
4. I wish I could fly - Keith Harris and Orville
3. Lovely Day - Bill Withers
2. Walking on sunshine - KC and the sunshine band
1. Happy talk - Captain Sensible

For me, I need to have happiness which acknowledges sadness in some way. I need something which surpasses a feeling of simple 'well-being' and tackles some of life's ups and downs, so that it doesn't become a sort of hedonic, sugary delusion.

That's why 'How to disappear completely' really is about happiness. But it is a transcendent sort of happiness, like seeing yourself from above, or being completely absorbed in a task other than yourself (flow). Try running to it. Or 'Everloving' by Moby.

Happiness is about finding meaning and purpose. Happy songs can be fine for a while, but they soon make me feel sick.

Mind you, I do like Dodgy....can I have 'In a Room' though??

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, here goes, my top ten happy songs....which will undobutably make you ill, I'm sure, but here goes, anyway.

No particular order and there are surely many more but these make a good start and always lighten my heart when I hear them.

1. Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the waves.
2. 1234 by Feist
3. Beautiful Day by U2
4. Octopuses Garden by Beatles
5. The End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys
6. Girls Just Wannna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
7. Call Me Al by Paul Simon
8. Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson
9. 1999 by Prince
10. Ode to Joy by Beethoven

I don't need any sadness in my happy songs....that's what sad songs are for. ;) Z

Rob said...

Nice! Love a good list. I absolutely love Jackie Wilson and I'm going to try and find Ode to Joy now.

The music of Ringo Starr is often underappreciated so it's good of you to buck the trend.