I'm somewhat of a pessimist, sometimes I may regard myself as a realist. However I don't really like putting labels on myself, only when necessary. So when it comes to music I have a certain disdain towards "happy" music, let me explain. I'm not a person who just lets negativity encompass my being, I just find most of these happy go lucky music a bit corny and generic. I'm a person who appreciates the dark elements of life more than the good. Let's be honest the darkest parts of the world is more intriguing than a bland happy feeling. Now of course I accept nuances, there can be an in between. Like I said before I think of myself as a realist, meaning I like a bit of truth in the music I listen to. So how about you guys? What are you preferences, do you like straight forward uplifting music, dark tunes or do you hold the position of middle ground?
ok, I'll bite... let's just see. I'll load my general music folder, (as opposed to my specialised folders like Medieval European, or Middle Eastern for e.g.) shuffle, and write down the first ten tracks. 1. Concrete Walls - Fever Ray 2. The Garden of Souls - Vas 3. Gary Numan - Metal '98 4. The Undertaker - Puscifer 5. Cold - The Cure 6. Battle of Evermore - Heart 7. Inertia Creeps - Massive Attack 8. Implant - Killing Joke 9. How Sweet the Moonlight - Andreas Scholl 10. Birds for the Mind - Wim Mertens I don't think any of those tracks come into the happy, happy, joy, joy category. Edit: Even number nine, which sounds ostensibly happy has a 'too sweet to be wholesome' undercurrent about it.
I'm not always sure where to draw the line between happy and dark 'cause I'm often happy in the dark... And dark-ish music makes me happy, so... I was looking at my current Spotify playlist and the happiest songs there are by The Sounds. Usually I listen to metal or rock, so there're maybe less happy tunes in that genre (although there're exceptions, bands like Korpiklaani and Flogging Molly). I'm not a happy-go-lucky person in real life, so I couldn't imagine myself listening to top 10 party anthems, either.
Looked at the 10 most played songs on my ipod. Some dark songs on there, no really happy songs. Oh fortuna, Andre Rieu Profession of violence, UFO Stray Cut Strut, Stray Cats Toccata, Sky Slumming Angel, Rory Gallagher I can stand a little rain, Joe Cocker The Outsider, Ian Hunter Emma, Hot Chocolate Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac Burn, Deep Purple Night Moves, Bob Seger Set fire to the Rain, Adele
This dichotomy is not fair . Top forty isn't for happy go lucky people, it's for stupid people. There are plenty of beautiful uplifting songs that would never qualify as "party anthem." Sarah brightman, for instance. There is also good upbeat Rock , like Bob Seger (holly wood nights) or Rolling Stones or Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen(dancing in the dark and I'm going down come to mind) and even Pink Floyd has some happy songs like learning to fly. led Zeppelin has a bunch of crazy stuff too like Whole Lotta Love. bon Jovi....U2. Wait a minute, lots of Rock has happy energetic high quality awesome songs, with meaning and "truth" Also, PRINCE Then of course there's Enigma which has uplifting high quality songs I could go on forever
You're right. Come to think of it, to me a party anthem is either Metallica's version of 'Whiskey in the Jar' or, when I was a teenager and Children of Bodom's Hate Crew Deathroll had just been released, 'Sixpounder' or 'Bodom Beach Terror.' I'm trying to think of beautiful, uplifting songs I truly like, but again, what's uplifting to me might not work for others. Maybe Miranda Sex Garden's 'Close to the Sky.' Or some of the happier songs by Rasputina, like 'High on Life.'
Yup. Agreed. It's not simple as this is a happy song and this is an angsty song and this is an angry song... I was never more happy and slick and owner of my world than in the Linientreu in Berlin dancing to FRONT242 and Nitzer Ebb and Front Line Assembly with the skinheads. The music was angry and ominous, like some great beast that held you in thrall, coming to consume you. And you wanted that consumption. It was awesome.
I like happy, upbeat songs.... lol But I can get down on some sad songs too. Anything by Fun., The Cinema, or Twenty One Pilots. I used to really like Sara Bareilles, A Fine Frenzy, and Regina Spektor. Nora Jones and Michael Buble will never go out of style for me, though. My current favorite song is Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. My last favorite song was Stolen Dance by Milky Chance. Song before that was a tie between Letting Go by St. Raymond and Paris by Magic Man. I just like stuff that makes me feel. I don't really care if it's happy or sad.
Have you considered a course in the 'Joy Division?' or Throbbing Gristle perhaps, they are horrid, let me see: eh eh @123456789 listens to Sarah Brightman. AHAHA Boogie
If you like being miserable, you could do worse than bands like Tool, A Perfect Circle, The Melvins, Nirvana and Metallica.
Dark music appeals to me but what I really like is originality. For instance; Marilyn Manson, his music is just original. I can't put him as a genre or a type of feel because his music is diverse overall. Originality > Banality.
The problem I find with Manson is everything after the Golden Age of Grotesque sucks. I mean it, where was the quality control?! And he wasn't particularly good to start with really. He gets way too much credit for doing not a whole lot I think.
Eat Me Drink Me sucks? I'm sorry, I have to beg to differ. He has some amazing albums, his older albums are the ones that are overrated even though I still love them.
Fair enough. But, yeah, you are right in one important way - I can't think of many like him. Alice Cooper maybe, but that's about it really. You like Slipknot?
Doesn't matter to me. If it's good, I'll listen to it whether it is upbeat or downbeat. I like a lot of big band era music, and a lot of 50s and 60s stuff, which tends to be implausibly upbeat. Also like the aforementioned Melvins and Nirvana. Also, Pixies, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Opeth, At the Gates, Agalloch, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, Dimmu Borgir (old stuff), Peste Noire, Triumph, Rush, Pink Floyd, Ani DiFranco, Iron Maiden, Jethro Tull, A Fine Frenzy and so on. I could fill up a page. If it's good, it's good.
I hear Classic FM calling my name. Such assured broadcasters, mellow yet firm, and all the tunes are kind of familiar in my driving chair. Mmm, slippers. For god sakes has anybody not read the Peter Hook autobiography? Bloody pop stars, thick as a plank. 'At the end of the day it were me and Ian Curtis up Hacienda and it was great.' Even John Lydon has got dementia, gone all Germaine Greer. So tragic. As for MManson, come on, get climbing those stairs.
Haha,now I know three people who listen to PN. The two others are me and the hubbie . I mean, that band is fairly UG. Most of the time I haven't a clue what their songs are about, but my guess is themes of medieval and bubonic nature.
Nice! I now know three people who listen to them as well I don't understand French, even a little bit, so I also don't know what they're about. Apparently what you suggest, and also a bit of French nationalism thrown in.
I always found Type O Negative's Black no. 1 to be a happy dark song. My fiance is getting annoyed with me right now because I have gone back to the original Pure Moods album as my morning shower routine soundtrack.
The Blocked but found it somewhere else. This video is even better than Pop Goes the World Prince is arguably the most all around talented musician of our day.
