Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library Associate Melanie and features some songs that make her feel hopeful. 

Hope is the thing with feathers  … 

Things can feel pretty overwhelming (especially lately) so we have to find things that can help us get through.  Music is often good for that, so here’s a playlist of some songs that make me feel hopeful on bad days. (The title of this playlist was taken from an excellent Emily Dickinson poem that’s worth a read, btw.)  What would YOU add to this playlist?

Paul McCartney – “Hope of Deliverance”

Moon Taxi – “Say”

Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now”

Bill Withers – “Lovely Day”

New Radicals – “You Get What You Give”

The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

The Impressions – “Keep On Pushing”

The Stone Roses – “Waterfall”

Des’ree – “You Gotta Be”

Jackie Wilson – “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher”

Billy Joel – “The River of Dreams”

Sting – “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”

Labi Siffre – “My Song”

Bruce Springsteen – “Hungry Heart”

Ella Fitzgerald – “Blue Skies”

Ben Folds – “Still Fighting It”

Nat King Cole – “Let’s Face the Music and Dance”

Stevie Wonder – “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”

The Traveling Wilburys – “End of the Line”

Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky”

Sly & the Family Stone – “Stand!”

The Beatles – “Dear Prudence”

Fred Astaire – “Pick Yourself Up”

Simon & Garfunkel – “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”

Tears for Fears – “Sowing the Seeds of Love”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zex3pi–z07ZHsysqvGRHKpE&si=H6l2GX5-sUsVraBm

And here it is on Spotify: