Lately, I’ve found myself listening to/disappearing into my Spotify playlist “Feel Good/Car Concert”. It’s hard to get into why I’ve been feeling like this other than watch or read the news lately. The world is almost always a scary place at times, but this feels different in a not so nice way.

Back to my playlist. I built in about 5 minutes, especially after realising that I need something different to get me out of this funk I’ve been in (news stories aside), and I wanted to see if music really could help if I didn’t worry about if it had a fun beat or a generally happy message. If it spoke to me on some level or had me belting it out in the car, it went in.

Why am I sharing this with strangers on the internet? First off, it’s my blog and I want to sit and think of why each track identifies with me, 2nd off, it’s my obscure blog where I talk about everything I want to (check the website description), and 3rd off, maybe you’ll see something on this track list and think “yup, that’s on my feel good playlist too” or it will make you go “hmmmm…”.

I had completely planned on sharing all 70 songs and why I love them, but I’ll just highlight some of my favourites here.

Beautiful Life – Doc Walker.

  • Honestly, just a super uplifting song about the simple things in life being what make it incredible. It’s a very visual song that most anyone can relate to.

Born Again in Dixie Land – Jason McCoy.

  • The drum solos at the beginning turn everyone into a tabletop or dashboard drummer. Every time. One of the best & most iconic intros in country music.

Drunk Me – Mitchell Tenpenny.

  • The first song I remember wanting to belt it out to on one of those drives you take just take a drive and listen to music.

Fight Like a Girl – Bomshell.

  • Every time I hear this, I picture my youngest niece, then myself and then the woman I want to be.

Fighting – Tyler Joe Miller.

  • Gosh, I resonate with this song so much, and I have sobbed like a toddler to this song in my car before pulling it together and carrying on. For those those that know me in real life, you should know that this is one of my mantras. My favourite lines from any song I’ve ever listened to:
  • Afraid but I don’t care; Can’t be brave if you ain’t scared.
    I’m still fightin’, fightin’ with everything I am.
    Won’t stop fightin’, fightin’ down to my last breath.
    There’s a long road in front of me, there’s a lot I finally see. I’m done hidin’    . Still ain’t the man I want to be, but I’m still fighting.

Follow Your Arrow – Kacey Musgraves.

  • The entire song is all about living your life in a way that makes you happy and screw anyone who thinks that they are entitled to tell you what’s best for you.

Get Up – Doc Walker.

  • Honestly just a fun as-heck song that makes an incredible earworm. You’re welcome ;).

Heads Carolina, Tails California – Jo Dee Messina.

  • Recently being played more thanks to Cole Swindell, but nothing beats the original. What a range and vocalist.

I Should Be Sleeping – Emerson Drive.

  • My one true celebrity crush was Brad Mates of Emerson Drive. Distinct voice, my favourite band of all time, my first album, and this song was one of my first favourites back when I was a kid.

I’m Alright – Jo Dee Messina.

  • Whenever I think about this song, I picture a thunderstorm. I don’t know why, but I do even though the song describes the weather as being a beautiful day. It’s probably because I am petrified of thunderstorms and listening to this song during storms helps calm me down.

It’s My Life – Bon Jovi.

  • The first Bon Jovi song that I remember listening to and falling in love with. It’s more pop than their usual stuff, but it still gets my spirits up.

Never Gonna Not Dance Again – P!nk.

  • It’s P!nk and she’s badass. Her 2017 VMA acceptance speech is legendary. Watch it. Seriously.

New Old Trucks – James Barker Band feat. Dierks Bentley.

  • It makes me think of my old cars and my current car as she rolls higher and higher KMs as I roll down the highway for work or a day out. Plus JBB is from Lindsay, ON which isn’t far from where I grew up, so they were considered one of the local bands making it big.

No Fear – Terri Clark.

  • One to just sit, listen to, absorb what she’s saying and then go live it. Terri at her best and I love every line.

Nothin’ I Don’t Love About You – Jess Moskaluke.

  • Jess has one of the best voices in the business, from a slow song to a complete rocker. I’m not in a relationship, but it speaks to me with the line “I love how you still listen to burned CDs from 2003 weekends“, as a lot of my playlist is from the early 00s/2010s.

Risk – Paul Brandt.

  • Magnificence in a song. Every line is my favourite, especially “I’d rather burn with desire deep in my soul than love like a fire that’s out of control…”

The Road – Emerson Drive.

  • Reminds me of growing up on a back country road just off a main drag in the middle of nowhere. No streetlights, no sidewalks, and the only traffic was people who lived on the road and visitors. The epitome of my childhood.

This Ain’t No Truck Song – Tim Hicks.

  • Tim just as a way of connecting with you, no matter the song. He can make you weep with songs like “Whiskey Does” or make you bop a long (yes, yes, I’m showing my age, deal with it) with tunes like this. This is a crank it up and open the windows no matter the weather or the looks from other drivers.

This is Me (feat. Chris Judge and the Soul Nation Choir) – Red Hot Chili Pipers.

  • I know this is a cover, but it’s incredibly arranged. The perfect blend of all that I love in music. When the bagpipes kick in and the vocals combine with them, shivers, and joy.

War Paint – Madeline Merlo.

  • I can’t listen to this song and not think of my Mum. Growing up, she always said she was putting on her war paint whenever she was putting on her makeup in the bathroom. I remember standing in the doorway watching her put it on, sometimes talking to her, being scolded, or just wondering where she was. I still call it putting on my war paint every time I (rarely) put on makeup. It doesn’t hurt that Madeline also has one of the best voices in the business.

Listen for yourself here: https://spotify.link/7sCMXFA56xb

Now if you’ll excuse me, this calls for a drive. See you on the road! I’ll be the one belting it out off key.

Who’s on your feel good/car concert playlist?