Otis Writes:
Shine – Collective Soul
I always go back to the 90s, because, you know, people go, “I’m an 80s kid.” No, I’m a 90s kid. The 90s were my favorite time because there was so much good music coming out.
Shine by Collective Soul — it’s literally in the title. I love them because they were a great alt-rock band. I love Shine because there’s a really lovely spiritual element to the song that I thought was really beautiful. And in the chorus it says, “Heaven let your light shine down.” I always loved listening to that because it picked me up so many times during that particular time in my life when I was really depressed. It made me feel absolutely top of the mountain.
Drops of Jupiter – Train
The other one was Drops of Jupiter by Train, because it’s got that beautiful string section in it, and I love that chorus. Both of those songs sound like sunshine — they’re very optimistic, very upbeat.
Strangely enough, Drops of Jupiter is actually about the lead singer’s mother dying from cancer, but it’s so beautifully written that you don’t feel like it’s about death. You feel like it’s about living, and that’s what I love about it. Both songs pick me up, and I still love listening to them to this day — and I’ll probably still love listening to them when I’m in my 80s.
Read what’s been making Otis’ life brighter recently
Andie Writes:
When I thought of the prompt “feels like sunshine”, I instantly thought of good times, being outside, hanging out with the right people, and fun car rides. It’s like happiness and a stress-free environment, really. Dear To Me by Electric Guest, Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder, Lucky Man by Courtney John, Passed You By by Chicano Batman, and Good Life by One Republic – all of these songs resemble those feelings to me They’re so upbeat and preppy and bouncy and good vibes! For instance, “Passed You By” sounds like a sunny day in the park, “Dear To Me” makes me feel like I’m spending time with the one I love and we’re just enjoying each others company! “Isn’t She Lovely” – I wanna describe this as a sun ray for some reason. “Lucky Man” feels like a sunrise song to me, all love song-ness aside, its so smooth and sunny. And lastly, “Good Life” just makes me picture having a reaaaally good time like going on a sunny road trip or those few seconds before jumping in a pool. How cool!!
Read what’s been making Andie’s life brighter
Jenna Writes:
All of these songs give me so much joy. I instantly just feel warm and fuzzy the second I hit play. No matter what mood I’m in, it’s impossible to feel anything other than joy for those couple of minutes. The lyrics are uplifting, the melodies are bright, and the beats just make everything feel lighter. These are the songs I play when I want to smile for no reason. “Shine on top” reminds me to keep glowing, even when things get cloudy. “Golden” by Harry Styles feels like running through sunlight, carefree and bright. “Saturday Sun” captures that perfect feeling of a day that’s all yours.
These are the kinds of songs you play with the windows down, heart open, and face turned toward the sun.
Read what’s been making Jenna’s life brighter lately
Track Listing
- Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) – Train
- Good Life – OneRepublic
- Golden – Harry Styles
- Shine – Collective Soul
- Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
- I Feel Good – Pink Sweat$
- Good Day – Nappy Roots
- Buttercup – Hippo Campus
- Dear To Me – Electric Guest
- Open Season – High Highs
- Holiday – Confidence Man
- Lucky Man – Courtney John
- Passed You By – Chicano Batman
- California – Tchad Blake Mix – Phantom Planet
- Hello Sunshine – Super Furry Animals
- Heart Go Boom – Apollo 440
- Pink Sunshine – Fuzzbox
- Single For The Summer – Christian Lee Hutson
- Shine On Top – Surfaces
- Colouring In – Glove Compartment
Playlist Image by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash
This playlist is part of The Human Collective. Each week we take a prompt and create a playlist and accompanying articles. This week we were looking at songs that make life seem less scary. Learn more about The Human Collective here.
