muckefuck: (Default)
muckefuck ([personal profile] muckefuck) wrote2005-05-20 09:39 am

"Let's get happy!"

Question from [livejournal.com profile] spookyfruit last night: What is the most cheerful song in the world?

My immediate response was "Walking on Sunshine". But, later in the conversation, he clarified that it had to be the most cheerful song in every context. Any song about the joys of being in love is not at all cheerful when your love life is in tatters. That wipes out about 99% of all carefree pop right there, doesn't it? I still made a good case for one-hit wonders, though. How can you be 100% cheerful listening to the Cocteau Twins' "Carolyn's Fingers" is you're inevitably reminded of "Blue Bell Knoll" or "Blood Bitch"? (When I say "you", I mean "me" of course.) You'd be better off with Aqua, which knows no nuance or variety.

After discarding dozens of possibilities, I finally settled on "Skokian"--not necessarily the Brave Combo version, though you can make a case for it being the best. As someone on the Web sez:
""Skokian" is a truly perfect song that has been done and redone by any number of bands. Although everyone has heard the song, not everyone remembers it. (It's popular in movie soundtracks and at weddings, but not on radio stations.)
According to another blurb, it's actually based on a Zulu song, which explains all the guff about "happy happy Africa".

Of course, if even mention of Africa makes you think of Rwanda, Congo, and Idi Amin, then this song isn't going to work either. So can I have some further nominees, please?

Apply the Happy Helmet

[identity profile] my-tallest.livejournal.com 2005-05-20 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah! I got it: the Happy Happy Joy Joy Song from Stimpy's Invention (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-3536/epid-56645)

Maybe if you didn't have a grandmother to teach to suck eggs, but really, it's nonsense, so who cares?

I bet [Da] is somewhere being sad. I will make him happy again!

[identity profile] muckefuck.livejournal.com 2005-05-20 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh, that'd good! Have you heard the thrash-pop cover by Wax?

[identity profile] my-tallest.livejournal.com 2005-05-20 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Playing it right now. It isn't perfect true to the original lyrics and all, but at least it's legally purchasable (I got mine off that Saturday Morning Cartoons cover album thang.)

Re: Apply the Happy Helmet

[identity profile] mollpeartree.livejournal.com 2005-05-20 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh, you just reminded me of the Charlie Brown theme song. That may be the happiest tune in the world.

Is it cheating not to have lyrics?

[identity profile] muckefuck.livejournal.com 2005-05-20 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, we decided to disallow instrumentals. And the tune doesn't work for me, since it reminds me of Mancini's other Peanuts music--including what has got to be the most depressing Christmas song this side of The Conventry Carol.

[identity profile] lhn.livejournal.com 2005-05-20 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
it reminds me of Mancini's other Peanuts music

Nitpick: Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts music. (It happens I was just listening to the CD recently, or I might not have remembered this.)

[identity profile] muckefuck.livejournal.com 2005-05-20 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Really? It doesn't sound anything like his "Four Seasons"!