Singin' With A Smile

I’d like to give a great big thanks to Sognatrice for her latest meme of naming songs that make you smile, for while it’s a cute idea and I’ve decided to play along, it has also induced a loathsome side effect and wedged that grating tune, I’m Walking On Sunshine, into my head (sorry Michele!). It’s so perky it’s annoying and I’ll now have to extricate it by calling my sister, for everyone knows that the only way to get rid of a song that has become “stuck” is to pass it on to some other unsuspecting schmuck.

I also saw this meme at the Olive Notes, so I’ll share the credit with Erin. It’s basic…name the song that never fails to make your heart sing (or smile or feel happy). The official rules are posted below if anyone else wants to join in the fun.

The #1 Song That Always Makes Me Smile

*Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Why? Well, there’s a little story behind this one.

Some years back, a good portion of my beloved family traveled to Albuquerque to spend Christmas with us. It was the first time we’d had company for the holidays and we were thrilled. My parents, my sister, my favorite uncle (I have to say that in case he’s reading this), and my grandparents all flew to the Land of Enchantment for a feliz Navidad, New Mexico style. We had a great time laughing, joking, singing off-tune, and making general merriment for days on end.

On Christmas night, for reasons that none of us can fully recall, we started amusing ourselves by calling the local classic rock radio station and requesting songs. The DJ who was stuck working on Christmas was fully entertained by our antics and started announcing the songs, “and here’s another one for the wacky family on the Westside!” We requested Herman’s Hermit’s classic favorite, “I’m Henry the Eighth I’m Am” for my grandpa, whose name was Herman. We pulled out the Beach Boys, La Bamba, Louie Louie, and more, eventually feeling punchy and pushing the furniture to the edges of the living room to make a dance floor. By the time we got around to calling in for Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh’s my grandma was completely enjoying the fun. Wooly Bully was cranked up loud and in the midst of us all, my then-83 year old grandmother got up and danced it down like a teenager. Thankfully (thankfully!!) my step-father video-taped the entire scene. Now every time I hear Wooly Bully I can see my grams shaking her booty and swinging her arms. And who just can’t help but smile at that?

Runners-Up
*Avalon (the entire album) by John Tesh. This instrumental music never fails to lift my spirits when they start to sag.

*Anything, but anything by Harrick Connick, Jr. Gotta love Harry!

*I’ll Be There For You by the Rembrandts, better known as the theme song from Friends

*Bon Jovi’s anthem song, Living On a Prayer.

Now it’s your turn! The rules:
Post about the one song that makes your heart sing, and uplifts your spirit every time you hear it. If you can provide a link to lyrics and/or audio that would be fabulous. But it's not essential, so don't worry about it if you can't.2. Include a trackback to this post.3. Tag three others and ask them to include a trackback to your post and this one when they post.