Top 10: Songs to cheer you up- Part 1

Let's face it: sometimes, we all need some cheering up. We all have different ways of doing that, but I think that the right music at the right time can be one of the quickest ways to change one's mood. Therefore I present to you, in no particular order, my top 10 songs that have historically done the best job at cheering me up.

Andrew W.K.- "It's Time to Party"

I don't give one-half of two fucks (that's right, a math joke. Anyone who says my writing is unintelligent and classless can lick my hairy nuts) what you think about Andrew W.K. in general. The first time I'd ever heard of him, I was watching Saturday Night Live and he was performing. As I sat and watched this big, hairy, sweaty man-child jump around and contort his face into expressions that would make Jim Carrey burn red with envy whilst playing one note over and over again on the piano, my first thought was, "What the fuck...?". My second thought was also "What the fuck...?", but my third thought was that even though this was the most over-the-top yet somehow simultaneously simplistic bullshit that I'd ever seen, I couldn't help but immediately like it.

Andrew W.K.: like Jesus, but with more partying.

A lot of people tend to write Andrew W.K. off as an overgrown retard who writes nothing but songs about partying, and that's all very true; but that's also exactly what makes him appealing. I don't care who you are, on a Friday evening, after a long week of work, listening to this song in the car on your way to the bar will immediately make you shift gears, emotionally speaking (hopefully not literally; that could be dangerous). Clocking in at just over a minute and a half, it's a furious outburst of pure positive energy. And if you're just in a bad mood in general, well...at the very least, this song will make you smile. Sometimes, that's all you need, and it sure as hell is all you can ask for from a man who also has written a song called "Party Til You Puke" and frequently appears on VH1 shows wearing T-shirts that read "Andrew W.K.".


Creedence Clearwater Revival- "Lookin' Out My Back Door"
As far as I'm concerned, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better song to sit out on your front porch, smokin' cigarettes and sippin' whiskey to. If you're in a bad mood, there's no way this song won't cheer you up. There's not much more I can say about it than that, so instead I'll tell you an embarrassing story about myself. When I was a kid, I remember being annoyed by CCR because they would always get mixed up with the Creed CDs in the record stores, and it made it hard for me to easily find the Creed CD I wanted. So there you go. Laugh all you want, but Creed is still a huge guilty pleasure of mine, in the same way that watching MTV's "The Real World" religeously is: I wouldn't admit to it on a first date or anything, but maybe once we've gotten to know each other well enough that you can laugh at my poor taste without immediately thinking I'm a loser, well...girls like guys that can make them laugh, right?


Third Eye Blind- "Semi-Charmed Life"
Picture this: you've just had a long day on the street corner, hustlin'/sucking dick, and man, you are just beat. You break out the pipe and the revolver and are smoking meth and contemplating suicide, when this song begins to play on the radio. The second the immediately catchy "do do do, do da do-do" vocal hook comes in, the corners of your mouth start doing this weird twitchy thing. Are...are you smiling? Why, yes you are, and even though it has been so long since you've smiled that your facial muscles have atrophied, causing excruciating pain (also, that vicious meth habit ain't helping either, buddy), you're starting to feel a little better.

Aw, what a happy crack head.

Here's a song that really gets you. After all, you've been feeling lately that your life's a bit semi-charmed. Suddenly, you decide to check into rehab, drop the habit, get a job, and get your life back on track.
You are promptly murdered leaving your apartment by another meth head.
...Whatever, here's my point. This may be a controversial statement, but I'm gonna go ahead and say that this is the happiest, most positive-sounding song about crystal meth addiction out there. Even if you don't do drugs (let's be honest, if you're reading this, you probably do), it's still one of the most uplifting sounding and catchy songs that I've ever heard. Add to that the nostalgia factor, which comes from the fact that this song came out when we were younger, and it's hard not to be put in a better mood by it.


Goldfinger- "Superman"

If you're anything like me, your junior high days were spent playing "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater", restarting the levels over and over until either Goldfinger or Suicide Machines came on instead of going outside and getting better at real skating. And while today a whole new generation of kids are busy playing "Guitar Hero" instead of learning how to play a real instrument, I still look back fondly on my simpler days of Nintendo 64 and semi-credible ska-punk. For me, the nostalgic feelings for a time when I had absolutely no responsibilities and my biggest concern was trying to figure out how to see some boobs/touch a vagina that this song conjures up alone are enough to cheer me up. However, it also sports one of the best horn section hooks I've ever heard (and I fucking hate horn sections in punk), as well as immediately singable lyrics and an easily-relateable sentiment. Break out the skateboard, remember to quit pretending you're a Superman, and cheer the fuck up.


Wheatus- "Teenage Dirtbag"
You forgot this song even existed, didn't you? Remember when this song was on the radio, and they censored the line "he brings a gun to school", but not "her boyfriend's a dick"? Man, as a culture, we sure are sensitive, aren't we? I don't doubt for one second that concerned parents would have complained about a song on the radio talking about someone who brings a gun to school- talking about it, mind you, not advocating it. What I find ludicrous is the fact that anyone could think that listening to a song as ridiculous as "Teenage Dirtbag" would be enough to make disturbed individuals want to act it out. Hey idiots: the type of kids who would consider going on shooting sprees don't listen to Wheatus. I can almost gurantee that.
That being said, I'm convinced that this song is almost impossible to dislike. From the oddly high-pitched singing voice of the singer, to the baffling obsession with "listening to Iron Maiden, baby", this song is tailor-made to bring you out of whatever funk you may find yourself in. There's something oddly therapeutic about singing "I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby" over and over again at the top of your lungs.

Pictured: Teenage Douchebags. Similar to the teenage dirtbag, but not quite the same thing.

Be sure to stay tuned for Part 2!