10 good vibe songs to cheer you up

Finding a way to keep a positive state of mind during a global pandemic is not easy, but some good vibe songs can help you through the hard times. 

Music has a lot of therapeutic effects and tons of articles have already tried to explain how songs can help you feel better. Sometimes, sad songs fit your mood but don’t minimize the effects of good vibe songs on your global mood. They probably won’t make you forget your problems, whatever they are, but they can help you change your mind for three to five minutes. 

In a global, long-lasting pandemic, everybody needs a little bit of hope and joy in their life. If regular songs don’t give you that feeling then a catchy rhythm and good lyrics can cheer you up and help you have a good time, even if it’s short. When you’re not feeling good, try to dance your sadness away. I promise you’ll feel better, even if only for a few minutes. 

In this article, you will find ten good vibe songs that you can play as loud as you want to help you feel better. Maybe ask your neighbours if they wouldn’t  mind or do it in your car (cars are always safe places for music). Give it a try. Whatever kind of music you like, you’ll probably find one song that corresponds to what you’re looking for on this list.

Good as Hell, by Lizzo (2016)

This one is probably a climax in self-appreciation and self-confidence, especially during hard times. The song looks like someone cheering someone else up after a bad break up, but it is not the most important message. It’s all about feeling good and adopting a positive state of mind. “How you feelin’? Feelin’ good as hell” sounds like a very good motto, something you can easily repeat to yourself when you need a little self-boost. 

Lines like “You know you’re a star, you can touch the sky” are very appreciated when you just need to hear someone tell you that you can do it. “Boss up and change your life, you can have it all, no sacrifice”.  Sometimes you can’t change a bad situation because you don’t have the power to do so, but sometimes you do. Something’s crucial here: remember your own value. 

“Got to take a deep breath, time to focus on you.” This line hits different these days, doesn’t it? We are all running and we would probably all like a little break. Take it, take this deep breath you need and focus on yourself because you matter too and if you don’t take care of yourself, nobody else will do it for you. 

This song is truly a self-love anthem. The rap and hip-hop style will probably make you want to both dance and sing. It’s definitely a good vibe song, so just press play and enjoy it when you need it. 

 

Treat People with Kindness, by Harry Styles (2019)

The music video may have put 2021 in a good light, coming out on the 1st of January, and even if the last few months didn’t live up to the expectations we could have placed on them when we started the year, it sure felt good to have such a positive note to (try to) leave 2020 behind us. 

“Maybe we can find a place to feel good” is something we probably all need to hear these days, just to help us believe better times are coming. Hearing Harry Styles tell you that “it’s okay” makes you feel some kind of way.  

Globally the song is positive, both in the lyrics and the rhythm. Treating people with kindness is something we should all try, especially when we are all together in the same bad situation. There is also this good feeling throughout the whole song that just makes us want to dance and appreciate life. “Feeling good in my skin, I just keep on dancin’” is a kind of personal state we all want to reach, isn’t it? This pop song is automatically classified as a good vibe song, it truly places you in the right mood for at least three minutes. 

All-star, by Smash Mouth (1999)

If you just listen to the song without thinking about it, the rhythm can instantly make you feel good. It is lively and, without knowing why, you probably feel like a rock star. Well, maybe it’s only because you heard the lyrics. But feeling like a rock star is obviously a good mood. 

Then you can take a look at the story behind this song because it’s also very positive. In fact, it’s a positive way to see bad things, and that’s probably what we need to do today. Life happens, you can’t stop that, you probably can’t stop most nasty things from happening either, but you get to choose to do it your own way: “you’ll never know if you don’t go, you’ll never shine if you don’t glow.” 

“Didn’t make sense not to live for fun”, right? Who would argue with this statement? Life is passing by, so just do what you want to do and try to appreciate it because you only live once. This good old 1990s sound is here to remind you of that by giving you everything you need from a good vibe song.

 

Singing in the Rain, by Simple Plan (2016)

We stay in the same kind of lyrics, but we change the style. If some of you know Simple Plan, you’re probably used to deeper songs about life difficulties, but this one has certainly earned its place in a list of good vibe songs. Indeed, just like “All-Star”, “Singing in the Rain” is about hard times. All the verses are about bad news and sad things, but the chorus makes it up for everything. 

“Storm clouds are circling around, but I won’t let that shit drag me down” is a good way to put things when so much darkness is around but you just feel good and you tell yourself that nothing can change your good mood.  

“I’ve got a song in my heart and I’m bulletproof, there’s nothing in the world that’s gonna kill this mood,” tells you why you’re here today, reading this list. Music has this kind of superpower. Besides the lyrics, the music itself is joyful and light. The song is everything you need to remind you of what you already have and to help you feel as happy as you should be. 

 

Dynamite, by BTS (2020)

If you can keep calm and not dance on this one, please explain how. Maybe some of you are a little hesitant but give it a try. Even if you don’t define yourself as a K-pop fan, this song might help you see this group in another light. 

A fun and catchy song that will probably make you feel good and confident and even give you a boost you need when you’re having a bad time. “I’m a diamond, you know I glow up”, listen to them, you deserve to know that you are great. 

It’s light, it’s fresh, it’s probably everything a good vibe song needs to be. “Cause I’m in the stars tonight so watch me bring the fire and set the night alight”. Same vibes as Lizzo’s song in these lyrics. The song is also about self-appreciation but in a feeling-good kind of way. It is difficult to define this feeling only with words. So, just put the song on and let the flow take over you. You won’t regret it. 

 

Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head, by BJ Thomas (1969)

Call it a musical split, there is no other way to describe the succession of Dynamite and this song, but everyone needs to find what they want in this list and maybe you don’t want the catchy, dancing songs I already told you about. 

Here we are not only 50 years in the past, we are also in a different musical genre. It’s slow, almost peaceful. For someone who doesn’t like modern pop songs, this is the good vibe song you need, because the rhythm is quiet, the voice is charming, and the meaning is also there. 

The song’s character is talking about seeing light in a dark time and saying that “it won’t be long ‘til happiness steps up to greet [them]”. It’s probably something we all need to hear when, for some of us, happiness seems very, very far away. “Crying’s not for me cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining” is also a very good message if you want to find a way to calm your sadness. 

This 1960s pop song is a different kind of good vibe song, but nobody can tell that the vibe isn’t here and that this song doesn’t give them a nice and warm feeling. It’s what we expect of a song like this one.

 

I’m Still Standing, by Elton John (1983)

Another type of good vibe song is the one when you can feel that the person singing is almost taking revenge on life after it did them wrong. Just like Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” could cheer you up after a breakup, “I’m Still Standing” is here to tell you that you are better off without the person who broke your heart. 

But it is not always about a breakup, it can be about life itself and any other kind of things that trapped you in a bad situation. So why is it a good vibe song if the story has this much darkness in it? First because of the song itself: who doesn’t like a good 1980s sound?

“Well look at me, I’m coming back again”: this line probably tells you why. Because the person singing feels good and it makes you feel good too. Because hearing “I’m still standing better than I ever did” can make you realise that you could do that too. It’s like a rebirth, becoming a better version of yourself by getting out of a bad thing. The vibe is good, and if someone disagrees, please let us know why. 

 

It’s a Beautiful Day, by Michael Bublé (2013)

Let’s keep going on breakup songs that feel so good you almost forget they are breakup songs. This one is surprisingly joyful, both in the rhythm and in the lyrics. It is not about hard times like “I’m Still Standing” or about self-appreciation like “Good as Hell”, no, it’s just about life and a beautiful day. 

“It’s a beautiful day and I can’t stop myself from smiling” will probably make you want to smile too because when Michael Bublé sings it, he is convincing. “The sun is up, the music’s playing” is also a good definition of what a good day is. This song will help you imagine this beautiful day, even if you’re stuck at home and it’s raining outside. Good vibe songs are for that too. 

“And even if it started raining you won’t hear this boy complaining” looks like the line we just quoted from “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” and the meaning is probably the same, except than here, the character’s song tells us that nothing could break in his beautiful day, almost like “Singing in the Rain” by Simple Plan. And that’s probably the best way to see life: when something good happens, don’t let anything bad ruin it. 

 

Don’t Stop Me Now, by Queen (1979)

What an anthem! If we all agree that Queen is a legendary group, “Don’t Stop Me Now” is a legendary song. It’s not a hazard if it exceeded one billion streams on Spotify earlier this month: the song is not only a masterpiece but also a mass of good feeling. 

Dancing and singing on this song seem like an obligation, but the whole positive attitude is also there. “I’m a shooting star leaping through the sky”, if you feel like that, you are probably in a good mood. “Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity”: does it actually mean something? Nobody knows. Does it need to mean something? Not at all. We just hear a very excited person saying how they are enjoying their time and feeling good. What more do we need? 

The good vibes are everywhere in this song, from the lyrics to the rhythm, not forgetting the variations which create a certain atmosphere, almost impossible to describe, but surely marvellous. “If you wanna have a good time, just give me a call”: if you want to have a good time and you can’t call anyone, playing this song is definitely a good starting point. You’ll have the time of your life. 

 

Shake it off, by Taylor Swift (2014)

When we are talking about good vibe songs, this one is a classic. The music and the lyrics are both full of positivity, especially in such a judgmental world. The message is clear: people are going to talk, they are going to say bad things about you as soon as you start doing something or being in the light. It’s something you can’t stop, and Taylor Swift surely lived through such things. 

Dancing to this song, you will probably feel free. Free to enjoy yourself however you want to without thinking about what the next so-called good thinking person will have to say about what you’re doing. Because life is short and difficult, and you can’t waste it by keeping yourself inside boundaries someone else puts there for you. 

“It’s like I got this music in my mind saying it’s gonna be alright”: these are wise words we all need to hear sometimes. Because it’s true, at the end of the day, it’s going to be alright if you just learn to appreciate life a little more. “Can’t stop, won’t stop moving” and you shouldn’t either. 

 

Keep that in mind: you are allowed to be in a bad mood, but you are also allowed to want to feel better. And the quickest way to feel that is to listen to good vibes songs that will cheer you up, maybe not in the long term, but at least for more or less three minutes. So, do you think these songs are good enough to cheer you up? If you have your own good vibe songs, share them with us in the comment section!

Laurine Tiran
Laurine Tiran

I'm a French student doing a Master's degree in International Politics at the University of Toulon, France.

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