Office Tunes
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For quite some time now – at least a month or two – I have been forgetting to take my little iPod shuffle to work with me.
Today, I finally remembered again.
It feels like sliding into a warm bath on a cold winter night. It’s…refreshing. Relaxing. Right.
It seems like such a small thing, but my music uplifts me. It sets my sprits soaring, curls my lips into a smile, and twitches my foot to a-tapping.
The sense of urgency and stress from work just…fades away. Work gets done with a lighter heart, which also means it gets done faster. Time flies. People try not to stare as I shimmy down the hallways, lip syncing to the songs.
It’s fun. It makes me happy.
My daily mix is called “Poppy”. It’s a mixture of oldies, ska, pop, country, alternative, and disney music. High energy is key. If it doesn’t make me want to sing along with it, it goes in a different playlist.
What about you? What music do you turn to for regular listening?
I have a (soon-to-be-discontinued) subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio. My favorite Sirius station is/was “The Bridge.” Mainly mellow rock from the late 70s to early 80s, performers include Bruce Hornsby, Jackson Browne, Bob Seeger, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, a little Rod Stewart, some Jimmy Buffet, Van Morrison (SO much more than “Brown-Eyed Girl” and “Moondance”!), among others.
So, I’ve replicated those tracks, plus some others, in my “The Bridge” playlist. I’ve added 10,000 Maniacs, Traveling Wilburys, Roy Orbison’s last couple albums from the mid-late 80s, Clapton, The Eagles, Dire Straits, Chicago and Billy Joel.
Not everything is “singalong” but there’s definitely some toe-tapping going on there.
If I’m in a more mellow mood, I’ve plenty of “new age”: Suzanne Ciani, Enya, Clannad, Secret Garden, and more.
Or, I can rock to the Oldies from the 60s. :D
I have both Pandora and Slacker Radio accounts. Since I sit in front of a computer all day, both of these websites are ideal for providing me with just about any kind of music I could ever want to hear (yes, they even have well fleshed-out comedy stations!) I have multiple stations I’ve created on both accounts, and I listen to each just depending on what kind of mood I’m in. These radio sites have been a total lifesaver – I was running out of new material for my iPod, and just listening to these a couple of hours a day has introduced me to so many songs – Many of which have quickly become my favorites :)
As for specific song recommendations:
- “Come on Eileen (cover)” by Save Ferris. You said you listen to ska. You said you like upbeat and poppy. You will love this <3 I have had it rotating in and out of my playlist for at LEAST 5 years now, and I’m still not sick of singing my heart out to it in the car :D
- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (cover)” by Israel Kamakawiwo?ole. Soooo much love for this song. The only instruments are a ukulele and his gorgeous voice, but this is one of my all-time favorites. It’s bouncyhappyfun :)
- “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show. I highly recommend this song. It’s superduper bluegrassy, but reaaaalllly enjoyable. Take a listen on youtube before downloading, it may not be your style :) At least let it get to the chorus, though. This is sooo not my type of song, but I love it to bits.
- He Mele No Lilo from Lilo and Stitch. This is the opening credits song from Lilo and Stitch…Not quite singable, since it’s all in Hawaiian, but I certainly try my darnedest.
- Guilty pleasure secret: I still listen to Hanson. Don’t judge me.
- A fun trick is to just search for covers of songs that are fun in the first place. Ska and soft punk bands tend to do a pretty good job of making already good songs just a little bit poppier and more danceable :)
I’m sure there are more, but I’m probably already stretching the page here :) I’d looove to pick your brain for more happyfun songs to squeeze into my tiny iPod as well sometime <3
@Courtney!
You know I love your taste in music. That Come on Eileen is one of my favorite songs ever, and I will track down the others immediately! <3
*lovelove*
(Welcome to the blog!)
To my utter embarrassment, I literally JUST discovered Google Reader, so I’ve got this on lockdown now :D I can check in and comment much more often <3 <3 <3
@Courtney!
Oh! Also? I totally have Mmmbop on my all time playlist. Oh yes.
I so wish we could listen to Pandora at work, I only recently discovered it when I downloaded it to my iPod Touch and completely love it! Anything I want to listen to, there it is.
Music comes in waves for me, and what I listen to changes wildly based on my moods. Rarely do I find music I don’t enjoy.
However, I do find myself spending more time listening to (mostly) instrumental soundtracks, rock, classic country and alternative. If I’m feeling particularly dark, I usually steer towards something with a deep, heavy sound. Lighthearted, it’s usually country or alternative (Green Day just makes me giggle sometimes).
Music with vocals though tend to get put aside in favor of instrumentals and classical music when I’m feeling stuck in a creative slump. Nothing gets the creativity flowing like the visuals that dance in my head when there are no words to guide my brain.
Music is amazingly powerful, I hope we never have to live without it.
@BadKitteh
Your collection of movie soundtracks is incredible.
@Tami
Lol! It’s about a quarter of the size it should be. Soundtracks just seem to be it for me, I can’t get enough of them.