I Will Survive... and Other Anthems

by Christine Wells

Music is very important to me in a number of ways. I have a list of songs I play to get me in the mood to write. I love introducing my children to great music and I love to dance. I love cheesey 80s hair band ballads and smoothly witty Cole Porter tunes and head banging hard rock and most things in between.

And then there are the anthems. Those songs you play at certain times in your life when you want to dance with joy or wallow in self-pity. They can express your mood, heighten your emotions or sometimes even change them. Isn't that a powerful thing?

In the late (perhaps unlamented) television show, Ally McBeal, the neurotic Ally's therapist recommended that she get herself a theme song. Something peppy and positive she could play in her head to make her feel better. Music can be wonderful therapy.

So today, I'm going to share a few of my favourite anthems with you.

Songs to Brighten Your Day:

Shiny Happy People (REM)
Love Shack (B52s)
Right by Your Side (Eurythmics)

Songs to Celebrate Being in Love:

It's Only the Beginning (Deborah Conway)
This Kiss (Faith Hill)
Night and Day (Ella Fitzgerald)
Love Story (Taylor Swift)
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)

Songs to Help You Wallow:

Everybody Hurts (REM)
Fire and Rain (James Taylor)
I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Dionne Warwick)

Songs to Get Over Him By:

I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)
You're so Vain (Carly Simon)
These Boots are Made for Walkin' (Nancy Sinatra)
You oughta Know (Alanis Morissette)

Songs to Celebrate You're a Woman by:

Sisters Are Doing it For Themselves (Aretha Franklin & Annie Lennox)
I am Woman (Helen Reddy)
Man, I Feel Like a Woman (Shania Twain)

Songs for Australia Day:

Still call Australia Home (Peter Allen)
Under the Milky Way (The Church)
This is Australia (Gangajang)
Solid Rock (Goanna)
And no, I am *not* going to list Waltzing Matilda. Gah!

Songs to Miss Him By:

I Remember You--Love Letters in the Sand (Skid Row)
Don't You Forget About Me (Simple Minds)

Songs to Party By:

Let's Get this Party Started (Pink)
We Will Rock You (Queen)
Jungle Boogie (Kool & the Gang)
Dancing Queen (ABBA)

So what are some of your favourites? Do you have a theme song? If you had to choose one, what might it be?