Exuberance:
“Exuberance is an abounding, ebullient,effervescent emotion. It is kinetic and unrestrained, joyful, irrespressible. it is not happiness, although they share a border. It is instead, at its core, a more restless, billowing state. Certainly it is no lulling sense of contentment: exuberance leaps, bubbles, and overflows. . . Exuberance is joy’s more energetic relation. . .Exuberance is a peculiarly pleasurable state.” from Kay Redfield Jamison’s book Exuberance: The Passion for Life.
I suspect it’s a rare emotion in adults. How sad!
When was the last time you felt exuberant? Do you want to dial up an exuberant mood right now?
I reckon the easiest way to do it is to choose an hour’s worth of your favourite exuberant songs (exuberant music and exuberant lyrics), load them onto your Ipod with no other non-exuberant songs polluting them and then go for a pleasant walk for an hour.
I swear after an hour of non-stop joyous exuberance infecting your brain, you will come back bouncing off walls! Try it! It’s amazingly powerful!
I think the reason people haven’t noticed this before is that usually their playlists mix up the moods a lot – sad songs, happy songs, slow beat, fast beat, etc. Your emotions are getting yanked all over the place. Just listen to pure concentrated exuberance and see what happens to you!
Everyone has their own versions of favourite exuberant songs. But remember, when you’re putting your compilation together, make sure the beat is super fast and the lyrics are super-upbeat too.
Here are some of my favourite exuberant songs. Many are from old-time musicals. That’s no accident: it’s because many of the songs from those old-time musicals were so incredibly exuberant! It was a golden age of exuberant songs!
Think of these songs not as old fuddy-duddy has -been songs but as musical happy pills! You listen to them because they are good for your mood – not because they are you favourite songs.
1. A lot of livin’ to do from Bye Bye Birdie
2. Oh What a beautiful Morning from Oklahoma
3. Honey Bun from South Pacific sung by Reba Mcintyre
4. You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun from Annie Get your Gun sung by Reba McIntyre
I prefer Geraldine Peters’ version, but it doesn’t start till 2′ 27″ on this video (slide the button to it – don’t listen to the first song! It will kill the mood!)
5. Shall we dance from The King and I (sung by Marni Nixon, not Deborah Kerr)
6. Happy talk from South Pacific
7. Put on a happy Face from Bye Bye Birdie by Dick Van Dyke
8. It’s Almost Like Being in Love from Brigadoon by Nat King Cole
or sung by his daughter Natalie Cole
9. Sukiyaki – Japan’s most famous song (I’m cheating here because the lyrics are in Japanese and are quite sad) but it feels so happy!
10. You’re the Top from What’s Up Doc by Barbra Streisand (sheer exuberance!)
11. if i were a Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof sung by Topol
12. Hello Dolly from Hello Dolly sung by Louis Armstrong and Barbra Streisand
13. Horse Right Here from Guys and Dolls
14. Life is a Caberat from Cabaret sung by Lisa Minelli
15. Singing in the Rain from Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly
16. Puttin’ on the Ritz from Puttin’ on the Ritzsung by Fred Astaire
17. Let Yourself Go from Follow the Fleet sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers
18. Getting to Know You from The King and I sung by Marni Nixon
19. I could have danced all night from My Fair Lady sung by Julie Andrews
20. Get Me to the Church on Time from My Fair Lady sung by Stanley Holloway
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There are so many of these joyful, exuberant songs!
Find your favourites, purchase them off I-tunes or whatever, load them up on your Ipod and infect yourself with their exuberance every day.
Ideally, over time, build up your exuberant song bank to at least 100 so you don’t get tired of them.
About Anne Austin
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