Aretha Franklin - particularly the false ending when it kicks in again.

Mayor of Simpleton by XTC. It just does.

Except it was San Diego and the track was the B52's Roam.

I can help but have a big dumb grin on my face whenever I hear Oasis' All Around The World. But that's just me I think.

His Celestial Purpleness

Tell me who in the house know 'bout the quake?
We do - I mean rillay!

I know at one level it's pure pop pap, but it never fails to put me in a good mood.

by The Stiffs. A local Blackburn band who were praised by the late John Peel. It does have to played at top volume though. Great ending BRRWAUGHHHH!!!!

by The Wedding Present. Played loud makes me smile from ear to ear.

great jangly riff, then the drums kick in, then the falsetto singing, never fails, never sounds dull or dated!

by the Emerson, Lake & Palmers

sorry

"Heavenly Pop Hit" by The Chills never fails.

is a wonderful record that does what it says on the tin.

I could pick anything off "Rocket To Russia" but right this second, this is my guarantee of smiles.

Like the Ramones (could've named several more of theirs) - simple, dumb, fun.

by The Cure.

by Jackie Wilson.
Though young Gauntlet's choice of Groove Is In The Heart reminded me how I always end up smiling when that comes on, too.

Sorry I know it's only one - and I know I've already had a go but T.Rex - properly Pop

Meaningless brilliance. Instant sunshine

by SAHB - instant joy!

Hard to say why....

(I get a similar effect from The Salmon Song by Steve Hillage).

I'll never forget the first time I heard Move On Up when I was a wee fella of seven nearly 30 years ago, it hit me like a brilliant brick and has followed me around ever since. To this day and after (literally) thousands of listens it still makes me feel like a king who can dance and sing falsetto. Of course, I can do neither, but that's the enduring power of this song. Shite live version though, but it still doesn't demean it to any great extent - not even Paul Weller could do that.

by Todd Rundgren.

Magic!

by Barenaked Ladies. Can't find a good quality version on youtube, so this'll have to do. Not sure why it rings my bell. Perhaps it's the silly whoo-hoo's in it. Actually, 'perhaps' my ass; it's precisely those. And the other backing harmonies and the fact you know the band are having such fun doing it, that you almost feel that it's rude not to get caught up in the fun.

it's just amazing. 9 songs of sunny pop magic. short too, the whole thing is over and done in 37 minutes. hard to pick just one track but 'so near' if pushed.

Just one of those that reminds me of past times

The Source featuring Candi Staton.

God knows why...but it appeared on a compilation recently and it really connected with me emotionally - in a good, smiley way.

My first exposure to the band I was interested in from a teenage distance for very much longer, this wonderful song was first brought to my ears courtesy Heppo and Elly, via the Whistle Test we call old and grey. It never fails to cheer me up, even today which is crap already.....
(Sadly the old skeletons video is no longer available on you tube......or, at least, I can't find it)

by the Goons. Not anywhere near a pop song, but a simple burst of insanity bordering on genius. I want this played at my funeral, with the coffin being carried out when the raspberries kick in.

I'm at work so I can't provide a youtube (or any decent) link, but please check it out. Go with me on this one.

by Ben Folds

always makes me sing along (and strain on high harmonies).

Booker T and the MGs " Green Onions "

'High Fashion Queen' - Chris Hillman and Steve Earle of Emmylou's Return of the Grievous Angel Gram tribute.

'You Really Got a Hold on Me' - Either Smokey, The Beatles or Mr Costello's in concert version.

Every single track on Frank's 'Songs for Swinging Lovers'

Moloko's version of 'In the Midnight Hour'complete with Soukous style guitars.

Dwight Yoakam's 'Oh Baby Why Not' from his 'Gone' album.

or It Makes No Difference by The Band

"Bring your loving over"

The soundtrack to the "Dancing Priest" in Father Ted.

Ensures Cheshire Cat grin whenever I hear it.

Magic!

makes me ultra-happy!Can't find the full scene from the movie though!

and the greatest HORA too: the one about tricking Nixon into carrying his stash through customs. No idea if it’s true.

Live at Budokan with a lively swirling beat and flute solos all over it. :)

Funny & touching lyrics, good tune

Good clip , but beware of rambling intro.....

Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun

In the Winter

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Skating

The New Radicals - You Get What You Give

I love More Than A Feeling too; it's the only reason to own Guitar Hero 1 on the PS2.

Try just sitting still to this...

by The Lovin Spoonful

I've always been impressed that a song which talks about 'a smile you can't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try' actually makes me do exactly that.

Star of the County Down by Van Morrison and the Chieftains - if I recall correctly, it even bought a smile to The Man's face when he played it live with Georgie Fame.

I tell you what always fails to make me happy is the forced "hey- everybody-look-at-what-a-great-time-we're-all-having-join-in-or- die" jollity of Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves and Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader. My heart sinks everytime.

From the moment I hear the intro.

By the shamefully underrated Bluebells. Just about avoids the Katrina/Toploader syndrome referred to above. See also Perfect - Fairground Attraction.

...by Lord Rockingham's XI. One of those tunes that I self-consciously avoid playing so that I can enjoy it all the more when it erupts spontaneously into my life.

Whaur's yur Corries noo?

Never fails.

By The Propellerheads.

James Bond fantasies all round.

...by King Sunny Ade and his African Beats is my current happy favourite ... also...
I.G.Y. - Donald Fagen
Thirteen - Big Star
Winter in the Hamptons - Josh Rouse
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend
Computer Love - Kraftwerk
Mighty Fine Blues - Eels
Nice Weather for Ducks - Lemon Jelly

Has to be The Modern Lover's "Roadrunner".

Brings back happy memories of driving punters at my local pub to distraction by playing the 'A' side (Once) in strict rotation with the 'B' side (Twice).

Oh man, just thinking about this tune makes me grin - gotta play it NOW!!

Bounced the hell out of our sofa back in the 70s to this.

Deeelite.

"Bring Me Sunshine" by Morecambe & Wise.

Sadly cannot be embedded. You will just have to go to Youtube yourselves for that dose of sunny happiness.

or Hello Sunshine by Super Furry Animals

or even Paintball's Coming Home by Half Man Half Biscuit:
"If I were a linesman
I would execute defenders who applauded my offsides"

Particularly In spite of ourselves which I have played to death over the years and Touch of grey which I heard for first time whilst living in Florida and which induces wavews of nostalgia every time I hear it.
In recent times the one song that I play regularly and cannot stop dancing like an idiot to is the Roisin Murphy song Ramalama (bang bang). Pure brilliance.

bob marley and the wailers

Who'd have thought that such a cynical old weasel could produce a thing of such innocence and fun?

Do I have to spell it out?

No 1 Song in Heaven. Never fails to make me want to get up and dance even though I don't really do that sort of thing.

If I really want unbridled silliness its the Randells Martian Hop

Sense :)

Great stuff people, so many good memories and new discoveries. Music truly is the balm of the soul. Everyone should be made to listen to all the songs in this thread and the world would be a better place etc

I am Francisco Vasquez Garcia/ I am welcome to Almeria
We have sin gas and con leche/ We have fiesta and feria
We have the song of the cochona/ We have brandy and half corona
And leonardo and his accordione/ And kalamari and macaroni

Never has nonsense made anyone happier

Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer by Nat King Cole

Soda, pretzels, beer, weenies, sandwiches, summertime, sunshine, bikinis, drive-ins, laziness, craziness; it has it all.

The sheer exuberance that oozes out of this song is superb. A mood he manages to create live by looking like he's enjoying himself and appearing to be a genuinely nice chap. Always has a look on his face that suggests he knows just how lucky he is to be doing what he's doing and that he's going to relish every second.

Hey Ya!

Impossible for me to hear this and not smile.

The lyrics may be social protest but the rhythm (riddim?) and vocal exude pure joy. Check the clip of Jacob singing this from the Rockers movie.

........Stay With Me. Just the best. Love it.

The 2 songs that do it for me are John Martyn's `May You Never` and Van Morrison's `Brown Eyed Girl`

"Mr E's Beautiful Blues"

God damn right, it's a wonderful song.

By Mr Lionel Richie. Quite the most perfect pop record ever. The bit in the middle where he sings 'Once you get started you can't sit down...' and there's this desecending arpeggio of synths and strings - well, I'm in bits just thinking about it. A record which has, thus far, never failed to lift any party at which it's been played, usually to the immense surprise of those assembled.

Pure joy in a tune. It stops me in my tracks and forces me to jig about a bit (no matter where I am) whilst wearing a jaw breaking grin.

A group I found on the late and lamented Audiogalaxy. This, my friends, is music as it should be. All who love power pop, bow down and worship.

And it has to be this version, which I had on a BBC Transcription disc, and didn't see the video until years later. Prog-goosebump-mungous...

Here we go, someone had to do it and it might as well have been me on a dull Friday afternoon - as many of the above songs as I could find on one playlist, 5 & a half hours of joy in The Word Massive Shiny Happy Mix - enjoy the weekend folks!

http://open.spotify.com/user/adie0000/playlist/7jozNRG1ssjGQQcOEccTIK

Thanks for the Spotify playlist Metal Mickey

...will always mean Thursday evenings in the Oddfellows Arms, Chelmsford in 1991 to me.

Capt Beefheart's Big Eyed Beans From Venus.
There are reasons.

'Afternoon Delight'

having a bash at West Coast summer harmony pop. It’s got a charmingly quaint line about “swimming suits”. And fuzz bass. Yum!

People on the tube this morning may have been wondering why I was grinning so inanely as Billy Bragg and Wilco's song Walt Whitman's Niece filled my head,

from 'The Tumbler' album does it for me. John at his whimsical best. Or 'sing a song of summer', 'fishin blues', 'the river', from the same album.

The Beach Boys.

Love it how the backing vocals fade out just before they get to '30' (you'll know what I mean if you know the song).