Songs that cheer you up and make you feel happy.

With the global recession really biting and nothing but doom and gloom being reported in the news there’s a general feeling of despondency which seems to be affecting everyone; so here’s some songs from the last four decades which are guaranteed to cheer you up...

When disco was in its heyday, it was the height of uncool for a kid living in the UK to like disco music; punk was in and we were listening to the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks etc, wearing ‘Death to Disco’ t-shirts.  Now I’m older I can appreciate how good 70s disco was; better than some more recent dance music.  A 70s disco nite is great fun, especially if you dress in keeping with the occasion.

What’s not to like about this 70’s funk outfit? They recorded some fabulous joyous, uplifting tunes such as Boogie Wonderland, September, Star and Fantasy, plus their outfits were something else!  EW&F are currently back on tour so go to see them if you can.

Not a big hit when originally released in 1976; it had more success the following year after it was included on the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack. More recently used in ‘Kingpin’, one of my favourite comedy films, which is another reason why it makes me smile, I get a mental image of Roy Munson doing the spilts!

‘Queen of Disco’ Sylvester James in collaboration with Patrick Cowley were pioneers of Hi-NRG dance music way ahead of their time. They produced some wonderful tunes including ‘Do ya wanna funk?’ and ‘Dance Disco Heat’. Sylvester sadly died of an Aids related illness in 1988 aged just 41.

1979 Euro-disco from one-hit wonder, Frenchman Patrick Hernandez; although what a hit to have had, the song has made $25million.  Madonna toured the USA with Hernandez as a dancer and can be seen in the linked video at the bottom of the page – her moves haven’t changed much!

The 80s had enjoyed a revival over the past couple of years.  A lot of the music from the time was pretty depressing; Joy Division, The Smiths, The Jesus and Mary Chain... but when you’re 16 it’s what you wanted to listen to as you wrestled with teenage angst, alone in your bedroom with no mobile phone, internet, games-consoles...  This Hub is about being cheered up though, so here are some more lively songs.

This bouncy old-school synth classic is almost 30 years old – where did the time go?  Written by Vince Clarke before he left DM and they became an industrial goth-rock band playing more depressing music.  JCGE was recently covered by the Saturdays (WHY?) who also ripped-off Christina Aguilera’s Candyman video to go with their dreadful version of the song.

Judee Levinson: “Oh, I’ve seen some of the people on your estate, staggering around the car park of the Chained Bull Saturday afternoon, half cut with the backs of their skirts tucked in their knickers.”

Iris: “Well, girls just want to have fun!”

(The League of Gentlemen – Series 2, Episode 6)

Phil Oakey took time out from The Human League to record this song for the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name.  Oakey thought it ironic that the track took which him 10 minutes to record was a bigger hit than some of his other work which took a over a year to complete.

Day-glo-a-go-go.  You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day!  What was George trying to tell us?  Georgios Panayiotou is now more frequently in the news for habitually driving his Range Rover whilst stoned, which is a shame because he is a truly talented songwriter, has a beautiful voice and is one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen.

Whitney in her heyday looked beautiful and had a fantastic voice. Unfortunately another great talent who has let drugs get the better of her; her comeback performance on X-Factor last year was dreadful, even before the part where her ill-fitting dress fell to bits - see the link at the bottom of the page.

I'm glad I wasn't a 90's teen; a lot of the music was pretty depressing and you didn't even have to make an effort to get dressed up for a night out; jeans and trainers would do fine. As a new Mum my nights out were few and far between, so when I did get the opportunity I liked to party!

“Dressed up to the eyes, it’s a wonderful surprise to see your shoes and your spirits rise”, sums up that lovely Friday feeling when the whole weekend lies ahead.

Very catchy 1990 hit.

As soon as I hear the opening trumpets of this fantastic pop song I want to dance and I love the way it goes along at such a fast tempo – until he ‘wakes up in NYC’ and it slows for just a moment before resuming the breakneck speed.

1-2-3-4-5 everybody in the car so c’mon let’s ride...

Who can hear this without thinking of Jim Royle & Twiggy stripping the living-room wallpaper with fish-slices! Even careworn Barbara has to shake her booty whilst putting the bacon into the frying pan. 

Bob the Builder also covered this song - so I have fond memories of dancing with my young son :-)

I must be getting old because the noughties flew past faster than any other decade.  In this decade of excess music generally seemed more upbeat.

Shake it – shake, shake it - shake it like a Polaroid picture!  One of the catchiest songs ever, never fails to put a smile on my face.

A nostalgic 1940s big-band style song with raunchy noughties lyrics that would make the Andrews Sisters turn crimson. 

OK it takes about a minute and a half to get going, but when it does you would be hard pushed not to start jumping around - Mazel tov!

Well I hope that these songs have cheered you up and if you have any suggestions of your own please add a comment.