Your Happiness Playlist

Your Happiness Playlist - Karson McGinley

If you are blessed with ears that hear, there is high chance you have experienced the power of music to affect your mood innumerable times in your life. From the song you sang as a toddler learning the alphabet, to the song you danced to at your senior prom, music has an impeccable way of jogging the memory and tugging at your heartstrings.

While almost everyone has a song or two that makes them feel happy, did you know that science has shown that listening to positive music with the intention of feeling happier actually improves happiness levels? 

There are different kinds of happiness of course, so below you will find three distinct playlists of happiness inducers, aimed at meeting you where you are and raising your vibration from there.

Your Happiness Playlist 1: Sing-Along Songs
This list is all about the familiar, sing-along tunes for when you’re alone or in good company that are guaranteed to cause you to bop your head and shake your rump. If you were scanning the stations on your radio and heard one of these songs, you’d stop and listen.

1. “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers
2. “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
3. “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson
4. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys
5. “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes
6. “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown
7. “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry
8. “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves
9. “Cecilia” by Simon & Garfunkel
10. “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate
11. “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train
12. “No Rain” by Blind Melon
13. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake
14. “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
15. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder
16. “Kiss” by Prince
17. “A Little Respect” by Erasure
18. “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
19. “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
20. “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars
21. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
22. “Think” by Aretha Franklin
23. “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” by Travis Tritt
24. “Rumour Has It” by Adele
25. “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum
26. “What I Got” by Sublime
27. “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles
28. “Roar” by Katy Perry
29. “Beautiful Day” by U2
30. “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & the News
31. “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
32. “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” by Paul Simon
33. “Send Me on My Way” by Rusted Root
34. “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder

Your Happiness Playlist 2: Your New Favorite Songs
This playlist includes potentially less familiar, high-energy songs, with positive vibes that might just become your new favourites songs. If you heard these songs playing at a friend’s house, you’d ask them what song it was so you could listen again when you got home.

1. “Grace Kelly” by MIKA
2. “5 Years Time” by Noah and the Whale
3. “The Walker” by Fitz and The Tantrums
4. “Geronimo” by Sheppard
5. “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine
6. “Freedom” by Pharrell Williams
7. “We Are Young” by fun. feat. Janelle Monae
8. “Howlin’ for You” by The Black Keys
9. “I’m Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado
10. “Baba O’Riley” by The Who
11. “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai
12. “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees
13. “Good Old Days” by Macklemore feat. Kesha
14. “S.O.B.” by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
15. “White Flag” by Joseph
16. “Celeste” by Ezra Vine
17. “Ain’t No Man” by The Avett Brothers
18. “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff
19. “Wild” by Royal Teeth
20. “Ganesha Sharanam” by Jai Uttal
21. “Give Love” by MC Yogi
22. “The Sound of Sunshine” by Michael Franti & Spearhead
23. “Up All Night” by Beck
24. “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits
25. “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen
26. “Love Today” by MIKA
27. “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” by Shakira
28. “Fool in the Rain” by Led Zeppelin
29. “Free” by Donavon Frankenreiter
30. “Peace, Love, and Happiness” by G. Love & Special Sauce
31. “Good Life” by OneRepublic
32. “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads
33. “Budapest” by George Ezra
34. “Home” by Phillip Phillips

Your Happiness Playlist 3: Calm Happiness SongsThe calmer, more relaxed tunes for the end of the workday, or Sunday mornings while you’re making breakfast; great songs for when the windows are open, or you’re doing some yoga, or having an evening stroll with your earbuds in.

1. “Charlie Brown Theme” by Vince Guaraldi Trio
2. “For What It’s Worth (India Dub)” by DJ Drez and Joey Lugassy
3. “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
4. “Beautiful World” by Colin Hay
5. “Ocean” by John Butler Trio
6. “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson
7. “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
8. “(What A) Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke
9. “Banana Boat (Day-O)” by Harry Belafonte
10. “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley & The Wailers
11. “Lover’s Carvings” by Bibio
12. “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers
13. “We’re Going To Be Friends” by The White Stripes
14. “Mess Is Mine” by Vance Joy
15. “Let My Love Open the Door” by Pete Townshend (E. Cola Mix)
16. “Welcome Home, Son” by Radical Face
17. “Halving the Compass” by Helios
18. “One Voice” by The Wailin’ Jennys
19. “Lost in My Mind” by The Head and the Heart
20. “Brand New Day” by Joshua Radin
21. “Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison
22. “Never Going Back Again” by Fleetwood Mac
23. “Beyond the Sea” by Bobby Darin
24. “Follow the Sun” by Xavier Rudd
25. “The Mountain” by Trevor Hall
26. “Mellow Mood” by Slightly Stoopid, feat. G. Love
27. “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone
28. “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
29. “With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker
30. “Empire State of Mind (Part II)” by Alicia Keys
31. “If I Had $1,000,000” by Barenaked Ladies
32. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

So, turn it on, turn it up, and groove your way to happy! You can follow these playlists on Spotify, or better yet, make your own. In the words of Tom Petty, “Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There's not some trick involved with it. It's pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.”

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