Mood Music

In a world where life's pressures often feel too much to bear, and inner peace feels too fleeting to hold onto ... it's hard to choose to be happy. Yes, happiness is a choice - not some tangible person, or event, or goal you chase after. It's a way of living - a way of being open to possibilities of a greater purpose. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that if Holocaust survivors, like Viktor Frankl, were able to find spiritual resistance and resilience in that hell, so can we all.

That being said, sometimes we could use a reboot; like a frozen computer screen, we get stuck and can't seem to process the world around us in a positive way. The power of music over mood and physical well being is scientifically established ... But you don't need medical journals to tell you that; just go into any mall department store and listen. Clothing stores utilize music to increases confidence and sales, just as bars use music to boost booze consumption and endorphins.

Still skeptical? Try this little experiment that I do with my English classes to teach the difference between "mood" and "tone". Listen to Hey Ya by Outkast and then the version of Hey Ya by Obadiah Parker. You will feel an involuntarily shift in emotion.

We subconsciously mimic the mood of the music we listen to - so when you're feeling depressed, resist dwelling in cathartic sad tunes for too long and opt instead for songs that pass the American Band Stand Test: they have a good beat and are easy to dance to. (Ps. I personally am guilty of putting on lonely, crooning songs when down. In fact, my mom knows every Depeche Mode song by heart because as a teen, when I was upset, that was my go to band for my "Depressed Mode" soundtrack.)

Below are my top five music videos that help me shift gears and change direction when I'm going in circles: Ms. Jackson by Outkast, I Like the Remix by New Kids on the Block, Sitya Loss by Eddie Kenzo, Weapon of Choice by Fat Boy Slim, and Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.

'Ms. Jackson': The supporting cast of animals grooving along to this song in the video are as smooth as Outkast's catchy lyrics. My personal favorite extras are the cantankerous kitten and hooting owl. Fun fact: the song features an altered version of "Bridal Chorus" from the opera Lohengrin by German composer Richard Wagner (also known as the "wedding march").

"I Like the Remix" by New Kids on the Block is a blast from my 80s past - just updated.. It features one of the best statements on inner beauty I've ever seen in an overly sexualized industry. This video is sure to boost any girl's confidence thanks to Artemis Pebdani's sassy attitude. * Urban Dictionary definition SASSY = possessing an ungodly amount of cool.

I fell in love with Ugandan children while working with the Invisible Children project 9 years ago. For more than 30 years, Joseph Kony has kidnaped over 30,000 Ugandan children, and through unspeakable acts of machete brutality and psychological torture, forced them to become child soldiers in the LRA. Luckily, grassroots movements seem to finally be effectuating change; just yesterday, CBC reported that Kony's LRA army is on the run. This video shows Ugandan children dancing to an Eddy Kenzo song (Ugandan singer). If these kids can find joy, what's stopping us? PostScript: Kenzo promised not to leave the kids behind, and has kept his promise - finding them a home and taking them along with him for shows. The featured "ghetto kids" no longer wear tattered clothes and are malnourished - a drop of humanity in an ocean of human rights abuses against Ugandan children.

If you've never seen Christopher Walken's dance swagger - you need to see this Spike Jones directed Fatboy Slim video immediately, if not sooner. I dare you not to smile. Fun fact: the line "halfway between the gutter and the stars" refers to a line in Oscar Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan: "We are all of us in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

'Radioactive' by Imagine Dragons has Lou Diamond Phillips, a radioactive pink teddy bear, and an underground puppet fighting ring that harkens back to Jabba the Hut scenes from Star Wars. Need I say more?

Finally, my bonus "feel good" pick has to be Stephen Colbert's 'Get Lucky' Music Video. (It is a Comedy Central clip so you have to chase it a bit on the internet. Totally worth the search.) I'm a huge Colbert Report fan, and was lucky enough to see this air live. What a treat! Colbert and friends try out their best dance moves ... set to Daft Punk’s 2013 summer hit ‘Get Lucky‘ - featuring appearances from Hugh Laurie, Jeff Bridges, Jimmy Fallon, Bryan Cranston, Henry Kissinger, Matt Damon, Jon Stewart, Nick Cannon and the Rockettes. Classic.

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