Stop whatever you are doing. Recline in your swivel chair, make yourself a nice cup of tea, consider all that is good in the world and kick off those shoes of yours. If you’re in an office, probably best keep your socks on, unless of course you work in a travel company selling naturist holidays in which case you’re probably already naked. Cool!
Today is not only Friday 20 March, but the official International Day of Happiness. The day of joy and light. The day you get to listen to a playlist compiled by James Blunt.
At the start of this week, we asked you to nominate a song that cheers you up so that we could make a playlist to rival that of the United Nations’ – which has enlisted a number of stars including Blunt to curate a list of uplifting music. We assumed only the most acquired tastes would occupy the comment section – and you did not disappoint. Below the line was a menagerie of songs ranging from Paolo Nutini to Throbbing Gristle. Its only real theme was an ongoing disdain for Ed Sheeran:
Carcass make me happy. Also Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, nomeansno, Slayer, Neil Cowley Trio, Beethoven, Miles Davis, Fairport Convention, The Wedding Present, lots of so called 'world music' and even some Robbie Williams. Anything but Ed fucking Sheeran.
ed sheeren and james blunt help create a blanket of vapid banality that suffocates...
whereas Half Man Half Biscuit create joy on earth.
One commenter named Flyingburrito pitched for Sash’s trance smash Ecuador for reasons regarding work-based nostalgia (“Told an arsehole boss to shove his job where the sun don’t shine with that on in the background. It’s been a pick-me-up ever since”) while EcoGeek debated the merits of “deep, melancholic classical music” in its restorative, happy-making qualities.
As predicted, your nominations reached into the realms of music not normally affiliated with jubilance – but it’s important to recognise that there’s plenty of glee to be had from sadness, catharsis and Slipknot’s People = Shit.
So here is a compilation of some of the best picks. Enjoy.
Thing Of Gold by Snarky Puppy. definitely not Ed Sheeran