5 Instant “Feel-Good” Songs
Songs to calm you down, lift you up, and drive you right to Good Mood City.
Let’s admit it: sometimes, we just want to be sad. We put on a sad songs playlist, curl up in a corner, and look out the window — bonus points if it’s raining outside to add to the gloom.
But there are days when being sad is just out of the question — maybe you need to do something important that requires your energy and focus, or you’re just done with the melancholy and want to feel bright and alive!
In that case, here are some songs to put you right in a lively mood. It’s seriously impossible to be upset with these playing in the background.
Do Myself Better by Davi Boy
Sometimes, you just gotta fake it till you make it. Davi Boy reminds you to try to feel better so you can feel better. Aside from that, this song is seriously hard not to dance to. Don’t even try to resist it!
Perfect for: the commute to work, for obvious reasons. Also, a good one to start your self-care routine.
Best lyrics:
I’m putting on a happy face
I got some bags I got to chase
I’m sleeping, takin’ care of my skin
I’m slowing down, I’m going within
I’ll let it all fall into place
Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves
If there is one thing to always keep in mind, it’s that everyone’s life is going at different paces. There is no point in comparing yourself to others, especially when you know there are multitudes of factors that push and pull people in all kinds of directions. In this song, Kacey and the comforting guitar strums remind us to take our time and do it our way.
Perfect for: when you meet extended family members who berate you for your life choices.
Best lyrics:
Old soul, waitin’ my turn
I know a few things, but I still got a lot to learn
So I’m alright with a slow burn
Don’t Let It Break Your Heart by Coldplay
When life knocks you down, and whatever it is you’re trying to chase doesn’t get any closer to your grasp, it’s always worth remembering that your best is good enough. This upbeat song will fuel you to get right back up, ready to go again.
Perfect for: the commute from work, when things went kinda all over the place. We’ve all been there. It’s gonna be okay, I promise.
Best lyrics:
Though heavily we bled
Still on we crawl
Try to catch a cannonball
Dog Days Are Over by Florence + the Machine
There are many interpretations of this song — as with any popular piece of art — but for me personally, this song represents that feeling of gaining momentum after being dormant for some time. It’s like a warning to the world: “Look out, here I come!”
Perfect for: when you long for that burst of inspiration, going back to school, just moving out, or when you’re on a road trip with your best friends — this song just works on so many levels.
Best lyrics:
Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive
Semoga, Ya by Nosstress
I wanted to put something from an Indonesian artist on this list, so the last one goes to this beautiful song, which was, fun fact, introduced to me by an ex. This song talks about hope for better days ahead and the realization that true change and expansion do come from within.
Perfect for: when you’re making your morning coffee or driving down the highway at sunset.
Best lyrics:
Semoga ya malam ini lebih cantik dari malam kemarin
Bersama bulan kan kutemukan kamu yang kurindukan
roughly translated as:
Hopefully tonight would be more beautiful than the last
With the moon I will find you the one I long for
Now it’s your time to share the goodness! Do you have a go-to song for when you need to get into a good mood? Let me and the other readers know, so we can add it to our playlist immediately.
Oh, and also, these songs — and many others — are featured in Pour Moi, my playlist for when I need to hype myself up. Go check it out!
Nirinda Niatiansya is a poetry, essay, and flash fiction writer from Jakarta, Indonesia. She loves to write made-up, romanticized meanings. Sometimes she stretches before she makes that reach, but most of the time she just likes words that sound pretty together. You can find her on Instagram, on Medium, or in her room drinking iced coffee and watching Modern Family for the thousandth time.
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