Moondancing to Reduce Stress

My Anti-Stress Song Mix

Better Than Drugs! (No Side Effects!)

1. Moondance by Van Morrison -- There is something about this song that always calms me down. I could be in the worst mood and hearing this song puts a smile on my face. It also helps me when I'm feeling overwhelmed or freaked out.
2. Venus by Shocking Blue -- This song pumps up my self-esteem because it's about a strong woman. There is also a version of this song by Bananarama, but I prefer the Shocking Blue version (even though, I have to say, Bananarama did a pretty good version also).
3. Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles -- Whenever I hear this song, it reminds of the video (and that it was the first video shown on MTV). The video was quite strange, but entertaining.
4. Steppin' Out by Joe Jackson -- This song reminds me of an ex-boyfriend who I used to dance with -- this is one of the songs that we danced to often and we made a great team when dancing.
5. Theme From "Greatest American Hero" (Believe It Or Not) by Joey Scarbury -- This song, which was the theme song to a TV show about an unexpected super hero, makes me think that anything is possible if only I put my mind to it. When I'm upset, I need to hear something this positive.
6. Baby Grand by Billy Joel (With Ray Charles) -- A classic blues song, it reminds me that even when you can't depend on people, you can depend on your music.
7. Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin -- This was the late Bobby Darin's biggest hit. A jaunty song about a petty criminal, the tune belies the dark subject matter of the lyrics and just makes you feel like singing along.
8. The Lady in Red by Chris DeBurgh -- This song is on my list because the singer is a man singing about how much he loves his "woman". This is as it should be and it is so rare to find that I treasure it when it's there. The "slow dance" melody doesn't hurt either.
9. Lightnin' Strikes by Lou Christie -- This song was popular when I first got "into" rock and roll/pop music. It has a pleasant melody and just makes me feel good. (I did listen to the lyrics better recently and wrote a blog entry about it)
10. Sunny by Bobby Hebb -- Another song about a man who tells why he loves his "woman".
11. 98.6 Degrees by Keith -- This "one-hit-wonder" is easy on the ears and fun to listen to.
12. Goin' Down by The Monkees -- My favorite Monkee, Micky Dolenz, sings lead on this song and sings the words so fast that when my brother and I were kids, we played the 45 at 33 1/3 (revolutions per minute) to slow it down enough that we could hear the words. It's a very funny song, about drinking too much and the consequences thereof.
13. Rebel Yell by Billy Idol -- To me, this song is an anthem for optimism, despite its sexual theme. This is actually my favorite Billy Idol song and Billy Idol is one of my favorite acts (not necessarily so with other songs on this list).
14. Everybody Wants You by Billy Squire -- This song, on the other hand, is not my favorite Billy Squire song because, while I love Billy Squire (he IS one of my favorites) I love all his stuff pretty much equally, This I chose simply because I wanted at least one Billy Squire song on my list.
15. Abracadabra by The Steve Miller Band -- This was another dancing with my ex song. There was something about dancing to this song that made me feel beautiful.
16. Volare by Dean Martin -- Yeah, yeah, I know, liking a song by Dean Martin would probably have been really square in my youth, but I love Italian (or French or Spanish) love songs and I chose Dean Martin's version as a representative of the many version of the song.
17. The Logical Song by Supertramp -- Even if I didn't like the tune and instrumentation of this song, it contains one of my favorite song lyrics of all time. "Watch what you say," the lyrics go "they'll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh, a fanatical criminal."
18. Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple -- Guitar riff -- nuff said!
19. White Room by Cream -- I'm really not sure what I like about this song. Perhaps it's an almost "Alice in Wonderland" feel????
20. Don't Pay the Ferryman by Chris De Burgh -- My favorite Chris De Burgh song. It reminds me of Greek Mythology and Charon the Ferryman who ferries dead souls to Hades. The tune and instrumentation has a strong dose of eerie, but that adds to the song's mystique. (It also had a great video, in my opinion)