Songs That Make Me Smile

So, last year I wrote about my favorite workout songs and why they motivated me. Now I want to write about songs that put me in a good mood, no matter what. Tonight I was feeling mopey over my lack of a valentine, frustrated with the lady that came into Boom one minute before close and hung out there for another 20 minutes, and stressed out about the bus schedule and getting home. But then I took out my iPod, and before I knew it I had to hold myself back from singing out loud / standing up and dancing on the bus. Here are the top 10 songs guaranteed to put a smile on my face (in no particular order):

1) Little Bitty Pretty One by Bobby Darin — Remember that scene in Matilda when she stands up on the coffee table and makes the poker chips fly all around her? This song was playing on the little jukebox. It makes me feel like a little kid.

2) Sweet Mistakes by Ellis Paul — There are two lines I love from this song. The first: "Thank the Lord for the friends he cast in the play he wrote for you." The second: "If you live your life in a three-peice suit, a cocktail dress or combat boots, you pick your path and you walk your truth and the world will come 'round to you." It's a good life motto.

3) Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows — This song makes me want to be in love. It's joyful.

4) Jack and Diane by John Cougar Mellencamp — My love for this song began at Wilderness Adventure, the backpacking camp in Virginia that was my home away from home for many summers in a row. One summer when I was 14, the guys in my group sang this song during one particularly hard hike and it made the experience so much more fun. Whenever I hear this song, it takes me back to that summertime life.

5) Open Happiness by Kardinal Offishal — Yes, the Coke song. But specifically the Canadian version (the girl singer is so much better). It never actually mentions Coke, it's just about having a positive attitude and starting each day happily.

6) You Make Me Smile by Uncle Kracker — Old, but this song is wonderful. It doesn't remind me of anyone or anything specific, but just of the people in my life that I love. All the people who make me smile. :)

7) Gimme That Girl by Joe Nichol — I hope the guy I end up with will feel this way about me. That's all.

8) Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show — Eternal tri team bonding song and my all-time favorite song to harmonize to. If you play this song in my presence, you better be prepared to hear me sing.

9) The Captain by Guster — This song will always make me think of my dad. Especially the line "Courageous, just like a captain, marching forward with no doubt in his head." We blast this song in the car every time I'm home, and sing that line as loud as possible. When I'm away from my dad when I'm in Boulder, this song reminds me how lucky I am to have so much love in my family.

10) Born to Fly by Sara Evans — This has been "my" song ever since I was little. I love Sara Evans' country voice, and I love the lyrics:

"But how do you wait for heaven, and who has that much time? 

And how do you keep your feet on the ground when you know you were born to fly?"

Give and take,

Caryn

Music

The one thing I can always count on to get me through a workout is a great playlist. I like anything that makes me feel strong or competitive, and of course anything with motivating lyrics. High energy is a must. Here are some of my favorites on my current running mix and why they work for me:

1) We Just Won't Be Defeated - The Go Team: I first heard this song as the background music for a YouTube video of the 2008 girl's Foot Locker cross country final. When I listen to it, I think of Allie McLaughlin pushing the pace for most of the race and how easy she made it look.

2) My Time - Fabolous ft. Jeremiah: This was my contribution to last year's Tri Team Nats Mix. Last February, I had a really bad day during a time trial that was a Nats team qualifier. I wanted to make up for it at Havasu, to prove that the TT was just an off day and that I had Nats team potential. "Go hard today, can't worry about the past 'cause that was yesterday..." I was the 6th CU girl to finish at Havasu, and I scored for the team in my first real triathlon. :)

3) Hello, Good Morning - Dirty Money ft. T.I.: This song is especially good for 6:30 am Thursday practices. It wakes me up for the dark ride to the Rec and gets me energized for drylands and a hard swim.

4) Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Cudi: I listened to this song on weekend mornings last spring while I got ready for our loooong brick or track workouts. I had it stuck in my head during our hardest brick workout last year. We climbed Lee Hill and Old Stage multiple times, then headed to the track for 5x1 mile at race pace. After that horrible/wonderful day, it became my favorite hill-climbing song.

5) Till I Collapse - Eminem ft. Nate Dogg: My favorite for spinning or long tempo runs. The beat keeps me from slowing down and the lyrics make me feel strong. I don't care what anyone says, Eminem still has some of the best pump-up music out there.

6) Kick, Push - Lupe Fiasco: This song helped me through Flagstaff Fridays several times last semester. It's all about a kid who discovers a talent and works at it until he's a pro.

7) Black and Gold - Sam Sparro: I still don't know what this song actually refers to, but when I hear it, I think of CU and how proud I am to be a part of the Colorado Tri Team. I picture myself at Havasu in my CU jersey, passing someone on the run while they think about how good our team is. ;)

8) Black and Yellow - Wiz Khalifa: See #7.

9) Show Me the Money - Petey Pablo: I think violin sounds SO cool in hip hop songs, and this song pretty much does it perfectly. It's from the movie Step Up (feel free to laugh at me), and I love it for intervals.

10) Better Than Her - Matisse: My song when I'm feeling competitive. Even though I just did the sprint race last year at Nats, it felt pretty cool to pass so many Texas A&M girls in their ridiculous zebra-striped uniforms!

11) Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap: The morning of Nats, I was in a car with Jesse Prather, Sharanya,  Courtney, and Rihanna from the hotel to the race parking area. As we pulled up, we played this song with the windows down. It was just starting to get light out, and athletes from all teams were nervously unloading, warming up, and preparing their transition areas. Ever since then, this song has captured that quiet excitement for me, a combination of nerves and energy ready to let loose.

I could go on with about 30 more songs, but I'll save those for a later post or else I'll be here all day. I will end with a word to my iPod: Thanks, you wonderful little purple rectangle. You make training alone this break so much easier. :)

Give and take.
Caryn