Soundtrack by Katrina: an introduction and beginning

Someone once told me that when they were riding around in my car, it felt like a movie. This is one of the best compliments I've ever received. I'm a little obsessed with finding the right soundtrack for every single moment, which translates into what I call "Music ADD." My iPod is always plugged in and on shuffle and I am usually hitting next after roughly a second of any song. If it doesn't quite fit what I'm feeling, I'm not happy. So I thought I'd try and share some of what I have discovered.

So you're having a bad day? Try one of these songs (in no particular order) and see if it turns it around for you.

1. A More Glorious Dawn by Carl Sagan ft. Stephen Hawking





That "not in any particular order" thing was sort of BS. This one is first because it came up on shuffle tonight and reminded me to start doing this.

This song falls into roughly the same category as "Do You Realize??" by the Flaming Lips, except that one will not necessarily pull you out of a funk. They both make you feel small, but "A More Glorious Dawn" simultaneously makes you feel like you're part of something bigger. And going "Whooooop, pah, whooooop, pah pah" is fun.

2. Chantilly Lace by The Big Bopper







I dare you to be in a bad mood with this stuck in your head. Seriously, it's impossible. This randomly came up on my drive to work one day, wormed its way into my brain, and pulled me through what, in all honestly, should have been a truly hellish day. Every time my brain decided to go "Helloooooo baby!" I couldn't help but smile. An ounce of ridiculousness can really make a difference.

3. Funny Honey from Chicago








This song is tailor made for days when all you want to do is rage at the universe. It starts out sweet, letting you smile while singing (singing along will increase the efficacy of these songs a trillion-fold. Serious scientific data there), which will help a little. But then, oh sweet lord, you can scream. LORD KNOWS HE AIN'T GOT THE SMARTS! Just rage along, don't sing. Yell it. Don't care who is listening. It helps to have a buddy. Josh and I have successfully employed this one time and time again.

4. The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music








You thought if I went for a Sound of Music song I'd go for My Favorite Things, huh? Well suck it imaginary person who thought they'd see a Sound of Music song on here! My Favorite Things sucks for cheering you up. You'll get stuck on the "When the dog bites..." portion. Trust me.

The Lonely Goatherd is not perfect for turning a day around, but it can be a great way to nip a bad day in the bud, as long as you're willing to be enthusiastic. You will have to yodel along. I cannot emphasize that enough.

5. Hallelujah from Beethoven's Mount of Olives









This one is sort of cheating. It's more of a day divider. Throw this on during a drive home from a bad day at work and listen to that triumph! When we moved crazy far away from my job I would listen to this for the home stretch as a way to say "Okay the crappy portion of my day is over (HALLELUJAH!) and now I will begin the good portion. Apologies if this one makes no sense to anyone else, but I have a weakness for baroque music.

Okay so that was fun. Maybe I'll actually continue this. Expect a lot of sad music!