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Looking for songs about happiness?
Whether you’re looking for songs to boost your mood or searching for tracks that explore the source of true happiness, today’s article can help.
We’ve got a collection of songs that tap into that emotional state that fills you with contentment, positivity, and joy.
Most of the tracks you’ll find in this compilation are about the happiness that springs from being with loved ones, or from finding one’s passion. Some songs are a reminder that, whatever circumstances you find yourself in, happiness is a choice.
Read on to check out some of the best happiness tracks you can add to your playlist.
1. Walking on Sunshine, Katrina And The Waves
“I'm walking on sunshine, whoa. And don't it feel good?”
This feel-good song is sure to raise your spirits. It’s about facing the day with optimism and finding inspiration in everyday things.
If you need a song to brighten your day or raise your happiness level, this one’s for you.
2. Don't Worry, Be Happy, Bobby McFerrin
“Don't worry. Be happy.”
It’s inevitable that there will be troubles in life. This song reminds listeners to approach life with a positive outlook, despite the challenges that come their way.
However, it doesn’t mean you should ignore the problems you encounter. It’s about focusing on what’s important, and perhaps even finding a solution to the problem. As McFerrin sings, “When you worry, you make it double.”
3. Sunday Best, Surfaces
“Ayy, feeling good like I should. Went and took a wall around the neighborhood. Feeling blessed, never stressed. Got that sunshine on my Sunday best.”
Here’s another song that encourages listeners to focus on the positive when in the midst of life’s challenges. It’s about proactively looking for the good in everything, even when the situation looks grim at first.
After all, problems don’t last forever.
4. Top of the World, Carpenters
“I'm on top of the world looking down on creation and the only explanation I can find is the love that I've found ever since you've been around. Your love's put me at the top of the world.”
This song describes the happy, euphoric feeling of being in love, which makes a person see everything in a positive light.
There is a sense of fulfillment, and the future seems bright for a person who’s found someone to love.
5. Let the Good Times Roll, Louis Jordan
“So let the good times roll. Let the good times roll. Don't care if you're young or old. Get together, let the good times roll.”
The message of this song is as relevant today as it was when first released in 1946. It encourages listeners to live life to the fullest and celebrate the joyous occasion of being alive because, after all, they’ll only live once.
6. Good Time, Niko Moon
“We just tryna catch a good time. Even if it takes all night. Pass that bottle 'round the campfire. Sippin' apple pie moonshine.”
This song is about a group of friends enjoying time together one summer night. They have music and drinks, and are set to have a delightful time.
As time passes, they’ll reminisce about that summer night and count it as one of the best times of their lives.
7. A Beautiful Morning, The Rascals
“It's a beautiful morning. I think I'll go outside for a while and just smile.”
Looking for an uplifting song to start your morning?
This song is about the joy of waking up to a brand-new day. It’s about recognizing that a new day is filled with possibilities. You just have to go outside and experience them for yourself.
8. Two Kinds of Happiness, The Strokes
“Happiness is two different things. What you take and then what you bring. One is pleasure, one's discipline. One's devotion, one's just the ring.”
This song is a philosophical look at happiness.
In it, one type of happiness comes from doing a lot of hard work. Meanwhile, the other type involves instant gratification, but its effects are only fleeting.
9. Walkin' Back to Happiness, Helen Shapiro
“Walking back to happiness. Said goodbye to loneliness. I never knew I'd miss you. Now I know what I must do. Walking back to happiness I shared with you.”
For some people, happiness is defined as being in a relationship with someone who makes them happy. In this song, the narrator realizes too late that someone she broke up with made her feel that way.
She expresses regrets about “going away” and has learned her lesson about loneliness. She’s letting go of her pride and initiating a reconciliation with her ex-partner.
10. Smile, Sidewalk Prophets
“There's always a reason to always choose joy. There's something deeper that the world can't destroy. Smile when you think you can't. Smile, get up and dance. Smile, there's a bigger plan. The storm only lasts for a while. So, smile.”
Difficult times arrive unexpectedly in people’s lives. Sometimes, you get overwhelmed by all the problems piling up when you’re already down.
This song is a reminder that those difficult times aren’t permanent. It encourages listeners to always find a wellspring of joy in the midst of hardships. With these insights, they will always have a reason to smile.
11. My Favorite Things (The Sound of Music OST), Julie Andrews
“When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things. And then I don't feel so bad.”
Perhaps you’ve seen the classic musical The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews as the von Trapp children’s governess, Maria. In the movie, she sings this song as a way to comfort the children, who are afraid of a thunderstorm.
In the song, she enumerates everything that makes her happy, encouraging the children to overcome their fear by remembering the simple joys in life.
12. Happy People, Little Big Town
“If you wanna know the secret. Can't buy it, gotta make it. You ain't never gonna be it by takin' someone else's away. Never take it for granted. You don't have to understand it. Here's to whatever puts a smile on your face. Whatever makes you happy, people.”
Have you ever wondered what makes other people happy?
This song shares clues about what creates happy people. It’s like a scavenger hunt that leads you from one surprising discovery to another.
The song’s main lesson is that you’re not going to be happy if you take someone's else's happiness away.
13. Happy Does, Kenny Chesney
“Happy is as happy does. Grab a six-string, find a rope swing. Hang a palm tree in your truck. Drink a beer just because. Steal a slow dance in a rainstorm and a kiss from who you love. Laugh and live with a half-full cup. Yeah, happy is as happy does.”
In this lighthearted song, Kenny Chesney tells listeners that happiness is found in simple things. For example, a person can be happy just by playing a favorite song on a guitar or dancing in a rainstorm.
This song encourages you to find a source of joy, even in the bleakest moments.
14. Flashdance… What a Feeling, Irene Cara
“What a feelin'. Being's believin'. I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life. Take your passion and make it happen. Pictures come alive. You can dance right through your life.”
Being able to do something that you’re really passionate about is a source of happiness for many of us. This song expresses the exhilaration and joy one feels by being able to dance to their heart’s content.
This song encourages listeners to heed their passion and go after it.
15. Brighter Than the Sun, Colbie Caillat
“Oh, this is how it starts. Lightning strikes the heart. It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun. Oh, we could be the stars falling from the sky. Shining how we want, brighter than the sun.”
Have you ever been in love? Do you remember how happy you were when you discovered that feeling? It’s a powerful emotion, isn’t it?
This song describes the all-consuming elation one feels when they fall in love.
16. Amazing Day, Coldplay
“And time seemed to say, ‘Forget the world and its weight.' And here I just wanna stay. Amazing day. Amazing day.”
This song is a celebration of the beautiful things around you that can be revealed in an ordinary day. It encourages listeners to be present in the moment—to look around them and discover things that spark feelings of awe and amazement.
17. Good Ol' Days, The Script
“Oh, we'll remember this night when we're old and gray. ‘Cause in the future, these'll be the good ol' days.”
It’s nice to recall times in the past that made you really happy. This song is about a group of friends’ night out and how it is an unforgettable experience for all of them.
While on their pub crawl, they play music and jam with the other bar patrons. They also meet other interesting individuals who become their friends.
18. Happy All the Time, Sam Williams ft. Dolly Parton
“And we'd be rich, not like we are. We'd trade the gold for love in our hearts. Appraise the diamonds and go buy peace of mind. If money could buy happiness, you'd be happy all the time.”
It’s been said that money can’t buy happiness. But, what if it could?
This song is a take on that saying. In it, Sam Williams weaves an alternate reality where joy can be ordered from Amazon. Of course, in this alternate reality, everyone is happy.
19. Love, Peace and Happiness, The Chambers Brothers
“I got love, I got peace. I got happiness and you can have it too.”
Here’s a song where the singers want to share happiness, love, and peace with their listeners. It is also an invitation for others to share their joy and positive feelings with the people around them.
The moon landing was a monumental event in 1969, the year this song was released. Neil Armstrong’s remark upon setting foot on the moon’s surface (“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”) was paraphrased and incorporated in the song.
20. Sunshine, The Lightning Seeds
“Sometimes, the sun shines in my heart and every little thing feels fine.”
We’ll always encounter challenges in life, as this song reminds us. However, life doesn’t have to be gloomy or scary. This song encourages us to always find the light during dark moments in our lives, and to never give up hope.
21. Put on a Happy Face, Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh
“Pick out a pleasant outlook, stick out that noble chin. Wipe off that ‘full of doubt' look. Slap on a happy grin and spread sunshine all over the place. Just put on a happy face.”
Some people say that happiness is a choice. From the musical Bye Bye, Birdie, this song is about choosing to see the positive and be optimistic, even when one is faced with difficulties.
It emphasizes the powerful way a smile can change one’s disposition and positively influence those around them.
22. What Happiness Means to Me, Amy Macdonald
“And the moon was in the sky. And the tears did fill my eyes. And the memories they all had passed. But in my head, they'll always last. And in the end before I could, I'd shown the world what it means to me. Believe it or not, I made them see. This is what happiness means to me.”
We’ve included this bittersweet song because it features a very personal definition of happiness. In it, a person wistfully reminisces about when she was together with a person she loved.
Their relationship was all-consuming and the source of her happiness. However, the relationship had to end, and all that’s left are the memories of that time in her life.
23. Happiness, Little Mix
“I was searching for happiness. I was using you to fill up my loneliness. Realized from the moment I set you free, I found the love, I found the love in me.”
This song is about the realization that, sometimes, you’re just in a relationship so that you don’t feel lonely. While being in a relationship is one of the ways people find happiness, you can also be happy while single and alone.
This realization can pave the way toward authenticity and self-love, which can lead you to true and lasting happiness.
24. Good Old Days, Macklemore ft. Kesha
“I wish somebody would have told me, babe, someday these will be the good old days. All the love you won't forget and all these reckless nights you won't forget. Someday soon, your whole life's gonna change. You'll miss the magic of these good old days.”
Happiness often floods us when we reminisce about the good times we’ve had in the past. This song is about realizing that each moment in the present will eventually become part of the past.
Listeners are encouraged to make good memories today and cherish them. They will become the source of their happiness in the future.
25. Pocketful of Sunshine, Natasha Bedingfield
“I got a pocket, a pocketful of sunshine. I got a love and I know that it's all mine, oh. Do what you want but you're never gonna break me. Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me, oh.”
This song is about refusing to succumb to the difficulties you’re facing. The pocketful of sunshine symbolizes your own happiness that you carry around with you.
No one else is responsible for making you happy.
26. Happy, Pharrell Williams
“(Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.”
This upbeat song encourages us to focus on our happiness. It tells us that, at some point, we all receive bad news, but that the way forward is happiness. Clapping and other expressions of happiness are encouraged.
27. Good Times, Chic
“Good times. These are the good times. Leave your cares behind. These are the good times.”
Count yourself lucky if you have friends that you can count on to elevate the fun times you have together. In this song, happiness is all about meeting those friends and having the time of your life, allowing you to momentarily forget about your problems.
28. Shout, The Isley Brothers
“Well, you know you wanna make me (shout). Kick my heels up and (shout). Throw my hands up and (shout). Throw my head back and (shout). Come on now (shout).”
This exuberant song is about happiness experienced by a person to their very core. This happiness allows them to express themselves authentically, without any self-consciousness.
It is a great song for when you’re celebrating something wonderful that happens in your life.
29. Good Time, Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen
“Good morning and good night. I wake up at twilight. It's gonna be alright. We don't even have to try, it's always a good time.”
This song evokes memories of carefree days and simple joys. It is a reminder that, despite its problems, life can be good.
The song tells you that happiness can be found when you embrace spontaneity, and by enjoying every moment of your experience.
30. Summer of '69, Bryan Adams
“Oh, when I look back now, that summer seemed to last forever. And if I had the choice, yeah, I'd always wanna be there. Those were the best days of my life.”
Here’s another song about recalling a happy moment in one’s past. This time, the narrator reminisces about a specific summer in his youth when he explored his musical talents and met someone special.
The song is a tribute to old friends, the carefree days when you’re younger, and the happiness you feel when spending time with people you love.
31. Knee Deep, Zac Brown Band ft. Jimmy Buffett
“Wishing I was in the water somewhere. Got the blue sky, breeze and it don’t seem fair. Only worry in the world is the tide going to reach my chair. Sunrise, there's a fire in the sky. Never been so happy. Never felt so high. And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise.”
This song is about finding a place where you can be yourself and experience happiness. The narrator finds a place where the conditions are perfect, and considers it his own paradise. However, in this song, that place only exists in the narrator’s mind.
32. Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly
“I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain. What a glorious feeling. I'm happy again.”
This iconic song emphasizes the choice to be happy. The uplifting tune encourages listeners to remain cheerful and optimistic, despite the dark clouds that bring rain in one’s life.
33. Surprised by the Joy, Richard Ashcroft
“Surprised by the joy of this. Goodbye to the loneliness. I'm surprised by the joy of this. Surprised by the joy of this. Surprised I'm alive, I guess. It's (uh) one step at a time, my love. I'll say hello to the world again.”
This song describes a person’s journey from darkness and despair to his discovery that there’s still so much to be happy about. It tells us of the exhilarating feeling of finally being free from fearful and anxious thoughts.
34. Celebration, Kool & The Gang
“Let's celebrate and have a good time.”
Did something good happen to you today? What better way to celebrate your joy than having a good time!
35. Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper
“Oh, girls just want to have fun.”
This is a song about finding joy in being able to do what you want, without judgment or repercussions. It is also about the happiness that comes from being with people you share a sense of camaraderie with.
In the 1980s, this song was quite revolutionary. It expressed women’s desire to be given equal rights as men. It was a call for society to let women live their lives and have fun.
36. Can't Stop the Feeling (Trolls OST), Justin Timberlake
“I can't stop the feelin' so just dance, dance, dance.”
According to a report released by The British Academy of Sound Therapy, music can improve listeners’ moods within nine minutes of listening to a happy song.
This upbeat song expresses the happiness we feel when we’re free to express ourselves. It is an invitation to dance and celebrate the happiness you feel within.
37. Good Life, OneRepublic
“When you're happy like a fool, you let it take over you. When everything is out, you gotta take it in. Oh, this gotta be a good life.”
This song is about appreciating where life has taken you and the friends you’ve made along the way. It encourages listeners to fully embrace the moment.
38. Lovely Day, Bill Withers
“Then I took a look at you. And the world's alright with me. Just one look at you and I know it's gonna be a lovely day.”
In this song, we witness how a person wakes up to the possibility of having a dreary day. However, all that changes when they look at the person they love.
Just being with someone they love transforms an otherwise grim experience into a happy one.
39. I Got You (I Feel Good), James Brown
“Wow! I feel good, I knew that I would now.”
This track from James Brown expresses joy at having found somebody to love. It’s only right to celebrate having someone in your life who makes you feel good.
40. Don't Stop Me Now, Queen
“Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time. I feel alive. And the world, I'll turn it inside out. I'm floating around in ecstasy. So (don't stop me now). ‘Cause I'm having a good time. Having a good time.”
This song is about fully embracing what makes you happy. Give in to the moment. Don’t let anyone stop you from enjoying life.
41. Beautiful Day, U2
“It's a beautiful day. Sky fall, you feel like. It's a beautiful day. Don't let it get away.”
There will always be problems in life, but this song tells us that even with the threat of the sky falling, we shouldn’t fail to see the beauty around us. Try your best to find what makes you happy, and embrace it.
42. Living in the Moment, Jason Mraz
“Living in the moment. Living my life. Easy and breezy. With peace in my mind. With peace in my heart. Peace in my soul. Wherever I'm going, I'm already home. I'm living in the moment.”
This song is about living mindfully. It’s about appreciating and noticing what we have in front of us, and not worrying about tomorrow, because this moment is the only time we have.
43. Upside Down, Jack Johnson
“I wanna turn the whole thing upside down. I'll find the things they say just can't be found. I'll share this love I find with everyone. We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs. I don't want this feeling to go away.”
This song is about breaking free from conventions and defying other people’s expectations. It encourages listeners to look within themselves and discover what makes them happy—and then to actually do it!
Final Thoughts on Songs About Happiness
There you have it—a compilation of songs about happiness and its different sources.
We all have our personal definitions of happiness. Hopefully, the songs featured here inspire you to go after what makes you feel satisfied, gives you peace of mind, and sparks joy within you.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also want to check out other posts about happiness and song collections for different topics:
- 31 Best Gratitude & Thank You Songs
- 45 Empowering Songs to Motivate and Uplift You
- 25 Best Songs About Dealing with Strong Emotions
