Ten Songs That Make Me Happy to Be Alive

1. Yumi Arai, "Rouge no Dengon" (1975)

Memorably included as the opening theme to my favorite movie of all time, Kiki's Delivery Service, "Rouge no Dengon" fits perfectly as a song that overtakes me with joy whenever it's on.  The retro (even for the time) girl-group instrumentation is a fantastic foundation for Yumi's voice, which sounds as sweet as ever.  I'm only just starting to really explore her discography but I could just have easily included five other songs of hers on this list; the reason I chose this one in particular was the amazing video. 

2. Car Seat Headrest, "Something Soon" (2015)

If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that Will Toledo knows how to make a song climax like nobody else.  CSH are great at easing you into the first few minutes of a song before making sure your heart is exploding by the time it's over, as happens on songs such as "Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales", "Drugs With Friends" and especially "Something Soon", which gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.  Toledo may be a fantastic lyricist but no lyrics have ever carried quite as much emotion as his gorgeous, nearly incomprehensible wailing that closes the track.  Stunning.

3. Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run" (1975)

My second favorite Springsteen song, "Born to Run" rivals "Something Soon" in the power of its outro.  Unlike "Something Soon", though, it doesn't slowly build; rather, "Born to Run" starts with the pedal to the metal and stays that way for the duration of the track.  There are few pieces of music in the world that will ever feel half as triumphant as this song, and few performers that could ever sell it with as much conviction, emotion and power as the Boss.

4. Talking Heads, "What a Day That Was" (1984)

Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense is often regarded as the best concert film of all time, and rightly so - the energy is infectious and the musicians seem to be having an absolute blast.  Perhaps the centerpiece of the concert is their performance of "What a Day That Was", originally written for David Byrne's The Catherine Wheel soundtrack but most definitively performed by the Talking Heads here.  It's rare that I'll proclaim a live-only song to be a band's best, but this may very well be the highest point in the Talking Heads catalog, and this is the band that did "The Great Curve"! There are a million things I could point out as highlights of this performance, but I'll keep it to two words: Steve Scales.

5. Pizzicato Five, "Twiggy Twiggy" (1991)

Pizzicato Five's unique amalgamation of lounge, surf, alternative dance and vocal jazz is so quintessentially '90s and yet timeless.  "Twiggy Twiggy" stands out as both impossibly catchy and impossibly cool, with lead singer Maki Nomiya delivering one of the most flawless vocals I've ever heard.  I was in love with this song the moment I first heard it as a kid and I'm even more in love with it today.  I promise I'm not merely picking these songs for their music videos, but this one happens to come with an amazing one as well.  Check it out:

6. Joan Jett, "Bad Reputation" (1980)

They say nobody's perfect, but clearly Joan Jett is the exception to the rule.  What I wouldn't give to spend one day in her shoes!  (Or, studded leather boots.)  What always struck me about Ms. Jett is how she was able to keep her punk rock edge through her entire career, long after she had moved on to hard rock and power pop from her roots in the Runaways.  "Bad Reputation" is definitely her most punk-rock solo hit, though, and I never cease to be floored by its fierce energy and singalong-ability.  If any song deserves to be the Freaks and Geeks opening theme, it's definitely this.

7. CSLSX, "Futuretapes" (2010)

Every time I hear this song I find myself asking if this may well be the best song ever made.  I've listened to this forgotten electropop gem about a million times and I still don't know what almost any of the words are, but who needs quotables when you've got the sweetest robot vocals this side of a Zapp album?  Every melody in this song is golden and every beat is pristine.  The perfect space-age groove to shake your cybernetic hips to.

8. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, "Furisodeshon" (2013)

The language barrier seems to be the only logical reason that Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was never as big a sensation in the Western hemisphere as she was in Japan, but I can't think of any excuse that would justify "Furisodeshon" not hitting the top 40.  This song is gorgeous beyond words.  I could make a list of 50 KPP songs that make me happy to be alive, but this is without question my favorite song of hers; it evokes a bliss in me that can only be equaled by a Tillie Walden graphic novel.

9. Kirin J Callinan & Alex Cameron, "Big Enough" (2017)

One of those songs that feel just like one big celebration, lists like this are what "Big Enough" is tailor-made for.  I played the music video for my dad the other day and it was great watching him fall in love with this song in real time.  It's got plenty of humor (see Jimmy Barnes' disco-diva screaming) but it's got even more heart.  By the time Callinan & Cameron pose the question "This town! This world! Are you big enough?" it truly comes off like an invitation for the entire world to come and party.  This song could melt the bitterness off of even the most cynical bastard, and I bet if you played it for all world leaders we could achieve world peace.

10. Andrew W.K., "The Moving Room" (2006)

Would this list really be complete without Andrew W.K.?  It's no surprise that AWK is a motivational speaker on the side, because so much of his discography makes me want to give the world a bear hug.  "The Moving Room" is pretty simple: a 3-minute wave of euphoria that doesn't let up.  Seemingly a nod to Springsteen sonically, AWK takes things to the extreme (as usual) with a huge, jubilant wall of guitars and piano that closes his Close Calls With Brick Walls album in a most rocktagious way.