Irrational joy!

[gurdonark]

It is my theory that we all have one song which is our Universal Irrational Source of Well-being. It's a song which just lifts one's spirits to the highest heights, even though it is wholly irrational that it should do so. The "irrational" part is not really a "song" thing, but instead refers to the fact that this song just makes one completely, religiously, rapturously high even though it is an entirely different genre than one's favorite music, and is not by an artist or band one particularly considers one's favorite artist or band.

My Universal Irrational Source of Well-being is the Earth, Wind and Fire song "September", whose pulsing tones make me feel emotions of joy I can only describe in ways which read much better as they scroll across my mind than they would read in a weblog, as the language of ecstasy is so inadequate (not to mention roo reliant on the intimate metaphor) to describe the inner rush inspired by such songs. I'm not a huge E, W, & F fan otherwise, and I'm not much for dance music, but with an almost novel-like coincidence, this song is always playing when the tide has turned and joy is mine once again.

Do any of you have songs which are so wholly unlike anything to which you like to listen, but which are for you Universal Irrational Sources of Well-being? Has an odd song ever saved your soul?

Comments

[platofish.livejournal.com]

i've got too many to list!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

That I can completely get. But what is one?

[platofish.livejournal.com]

I will survive Gloria Gaynor

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I will survive is a poster child for this post's point, all right ! :)

[coollibrarian.livejournal.com]

My would be "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats

"You can dance if you want to, you can leave your friends behind"

or Madonna's "Into the Groove"

or Katrina and the Waves "Walking on Sunshine"

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes! all 3 of those songs have real irrational joy potential...I love that scene in Suddenly Seeking Susan with the song playing....

[circebleu.livejournal.com]

Holiday - Madonna
Walking On Sunshine whoaoohh!

it would be so nice

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I suppose if I have a Madonna opinion, it's that I miss songs like Holiday and Get into the Groove, when she was a bit more fun than she is now.

[kelquestor.livejournal.com]

Without Me - Eminem
and
Baby Got Back - Young MC


Against my better judgment, these just make me grin and my feet want to do all these gangling Jackson-spoof steps.

Before settling on this as my submission for today's question, I came up with numerous blinding flashes of irrational aural pleasure, but then realised that my bad taste was actually presenting some kinda bad taste pattern, and in most cases, if I listened to an album from the band whose one song I thought was irrationally joy-giving and I wouldn't like any of their other stuff, I would prove this theory wrong by liking at least one other of their songs. Witness: Level 42, Gino Vanelli, ALT, Rollins, etc. I am not sure if this is because I am extremely easy to please or perhaps just that I have had the opportunity to listen to a lot of albums without buying them. Or?

My own gurdonark-inspired LJ musical post is still fermenting in the grey vat. Now and then I sample it to see if it's matured. It's not yet seemed quite ready but it makes me merry anyway : )

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I'm eager to see your music post. No Eminem song does it for me, and I was just pondering whether to post my "what's wrong with Eminem" post, but I'd much rather read your music-inspired post instead.

Baby Got Back! I had almost forgotten that old chestnut.

Re:

[kelquestor.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of things glaringly wrong with Eminem, that's what makes my enjoyment of the song so irrational.

And 'Don't want none unless you've got buns, hon'?
I get overcome with this desire to continue the allegory in the most unsubtle manner.

[babilary.livejournal.com]

Weezer, Island in the Sun
Southern Culture on the Skids, Banana Puddin'

and the old favorites
Peter Gabriel, Big Time and/or Sledge Hammer
My Way, redone by none other than Sid Vicious

also, back in jr high & high school I used to run to steve winwood. I never listened to him otherwise, but it was great running music--it made you feel you could keep running all day.

[babilary.livejournal.com]

ps. I'm smiling just thinking about them!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Stevie Winwood is jogging music if ever there was if ever there was. I love Sledge Hammer, from the opening riff to the close of the video :)

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

"I Wanna Know What Love Is" by Foreigner, especially the backing vocals by the choir.

Miracle of miracles, I have discovered (and been blessed with) VH1 Classic. Oh, man, does it rule!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

That choir sound on "I Wanna Know what Love is" is really amazing. I really wish the whole song were that choir. Foreigner counts as a decidedly guilty pleasure in my book.

I don't think we get VH-1 Classic, but only VH-1.
I'm disappointed that y'all get BBC America and VH-1 Classic, while we get all sorts of odd things. I guess I'm not nice enough to my cable guy!

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

Hah! I give the cable guys Cokes!

(Actually, we got a free upgrade or something on our digital cable since we decided to try a cable modem as we can't get DSL in our new place. But I did give the cable guys sodas! We also now get MTV2, which is much better than MTV, and about 50 Discovery channels and the Biography channel--I may never leave the house again.)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I do miss Los Angeles, where one got not only channels in Spanish (as here), but also in Armenian and Korean. I always liked that Korean TV had sub-titles so that all could follow along it its soapy goodness.

We get MTV 2, but we don't get VH 1 Classics, I don't think. We get more sports channels than a sports bar, though.

Tee hee!

[koffe.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to ask if you were able to have that played at the wedding? I think of your "confession" everytime I hear that song!

Hmmm... I guess my guilty pleasure is Aerosmith's "Angel." Of course, there are MANY others, but that's on par with naco's Foreigner tune.

Re: Tee hee!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Aerosmith is fun stuff, but my own Aero song is the oft-played "Dream On", perhaps the only song which rivals my other favorite, "Hello, It's Me" for the Prize of Most times Released as a Single yet not Recorded by the Beatles.

Re: Tee hee!

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

Pah! God, it is a "true confession" isn't it! Oh, well. I'm okay with it. I saw a crazy cover of "Our Lips Are Sealed" on VHI Classic the other day that blew me away! I could understand the lyrics better--much better.

Re: Tee hee!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I like "Our Lips are Sealed", but as good as the Go Gos cover is, the Fun Boy 3 original is better, I think.

Re: Tee hee!

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

Doh! Fun Boy 3 is the original?! That's what I saw...and it was awesome. I was only aware of the Go-Go's version. And it's a running joke with koffe that I once thought the lyric was "So how does it feel" even though the song is called "Our Lips Are Sealed." I always hear lyrics wrong--but I usually think mine are better...

Re: Tee hee!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes, Fun Boy 3 is the original. It's a great song!
Still, I always had a crush on jane wiedlin, and never on Fun Boy 3!

Happy songs

[fathoming.livejournal.com]

You know what song I really love? That freakin' Ricky Martin & Christina Aguilera song. I do not listen to either of them, but they really hit the emotional highs and depths in that one.

But I'd say my happy songs are "World Shut Your Mouth" by Julian Cope and "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel.

Re: Happy songs

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I love Solsbury Hill, although I never would have thought of it as irrational joy material, but now I am going to think of it that way, and expand my horizons!