We All Have One
You’re in the middle of a hard day, and you can feel it. Maybe it’s an exam, an interview, a conversation you’ve been dreading. You pull out your phone and open Spotify, and without even thinking, you already know exactly what you’re about to play. But does everyone have that song? And if they do, is it anything like yours?
So I did what any curious person would do: I asked. Fifty people, one (harder than you’d think) question: what’s the song you put on when you need a boost? The answers were all over the place, from Beethoven to Chappell Roan to Macklemore to Elvis. Some were sad, some were upbeat, and some weren’t even in English. No two answers were the same, and that turned out to be the most interesting part.
Fifty Different Answers
If I’m honest, I was taken aback. I don’t know exactly what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t what I got. A range of people, all different ages and identities, all reaching for music in the same vulnerable headspace, and not one of them reached for the same thing. I admit, there’s something wonderful about that.
Here’s a small sample of what a few said, just to give you a sense of how different “a boost” can actually look:
“Mona Lisa”, Lil Wayne ft. Kendrick Lamar: “I really like that style of song where it’s kinda long and tells a story and one that I can recite every word and get hype to. At one point, I listened to it at least 4 times a day.” A song she was introduced to in high school and never left.
“Pushing It Down and Praying”, Lizzy McAlpine: “This song is super sad but it just makes me feel every single emotion. It grounds me and brings me back to reality when I’m anxious or having a rough start.” Not every boost song is supposed to make you happy. Songs that meet you right where you are were a popular pick.
“Bless the Telephone”, Labi Siffre: “It reminds me of having such love for one person, and having a story that relates to the lyrics makes me emotional because of the happiness it reminds me of.” 1971 soul track chosen by a 20-year-old in 2026. One trend that stood out in my responses was how often people picked songs older than they are—most of those answers tied back to nostalgia or a meaningful connection with someone they love.
“Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”, Cage the Elephant: “Whenever I have a hard day and feel overworked, this song grounds me and reminds me of being a kid and thinking of my parents and how hard they worked to get my siblings and I to adulthood. It gets me in the mindset of being better and not having pity for myself.” A song about resilience that hits differently when you think about who taught you what resilience looks like.
“My Shot”, Hamilton: “Before any big event that I’m scared about, I play this song. It makes me feel motivated and empowered.” A musical anthem became a personal ritual every time she felt the stakes were high.
“Disturbia”, Rihanna: “Nothing but good vibes and a super fun song. Makes you want to get up and start dancing.” Sometimes the reason isn’t even complicated.
Six songs with six completely different reasons. Six completely different relationships with music. And that was just a handful of the fifty answers I got back.
What stood out to me most wasn’t the range of songs or artists, but how similar the reasons were. Some people needed a power anthem. Some needed a good cry. Others reached for songs tied to a specific memory or person. Strip away the genre, the era, even the language, and it’s really just fifty people trying to find their way back to themselves. The song is just the way they get there.
Not Always a Happy Song
When I asked people to describe a pick-me-up song, I expected they would probably say something upbeat. Something with a driving beat and lyrics about rising up and pushing through. And sure, plenty of the responses I got were exactly that. But a surprising number of them couldn’t be more opposite.
Take the person who chose “Pushing It Down and Praying” by Lizzy McAlpine, a song that by any conventional measure should make a bad day worse. “This song is super sad, but it just makes me feel every single emotion. It grounds me and brings me back to reality when I’m anxious or having a rough start.” It isn’t about trying to feel better exactly. It’s the search to feel heard and validated.
Then there’s the person who chose “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna. “This song has helped me through my breakups and the intensiveness that comes with relationships.” Not a happy song, not an easy one, but it holds exactly what she’s carrying without asking her to fake a smile.
And then there’s “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift. You know the one. “It brings me this sense of peace while also letting me feel something deeper and more emotional in a really beautiful way.” For her, the boost isn’t about drowning out the hard feelings at all. It’s about moving through them in order to pass them.
What these songs have in common isn’t genre or mood or even energy. It’s that they don’t ask anything of the person listening. They don’t force you to cheer up or push through or look on the bright side. They just show up, exactly as heavy as you need them to be, and that’s the whole point. A pick-me-up song, it turns out, doesn’t always need to pick you up. Sometimes it just sits with you until you’re ready to get up by yourself.
It’s Not Really About the Song
The most interesting responses I got had nothing to do with the song at all. Rather, what the person did with it.
One respondent plays “One Step at a Time” by Jordin Sparks before every job interview, no exception. “The one time I didn’t hear this song I didn’t get the job,” she wrote. It started as a coincidence and morphed into a lucky charm.
Another described a ritual she shares with her sister. Every time they drive home together, and the speed limit goes up, the windows roll down, and on goes “The River” by Daisy Jones and the Six. Here’s an example of what music does better than almost anything else. It takes a moment and preserves it, so every time you press play, you’re not just hearing a song. You’re back in that memory with that person.
And then there’s the person who put on “Superbloom” by MisterWives the day she gained the confidence to quit her toxic job. “It’s about giving yourself a pat on the back for doing hard things and making it through in one piece,” she said. She didn’t go out looking for her song that day. She found one anyway, and now it carries that memory of strength and bravery with it.
A wide variety of songs with a mix of reasons. The thread running through all of them is the same. It’s not really about the song. It’s about what the song has been through with you. Every time you click play, you’re not just listening, you’re returning to a feeling, a person, a version of yourself that got you through it.
Mine
Before I give you my answer, I have to give a special shoutout to the three youngest contributors to this survey, my baby cousins, ages seven, four, and (almost!) two. Their picks were “Your Way’s Better” by Forest Frank, a “Hey Mickey” cover by Minnie Mouse, and Peanut Butter Jelly Time. I truly could not have picked better myself.
So what’s mine? After all of that, it feels only fair to answer my own question.
Mine is “Julianna Calm Down” by The Chicks. It’s not a pump-up song, and it’s not particularly upbeat. I put it on when I can’t see a way out, when I need someone to just tell me it’s going to be okay. My mom showed it to me, and there’s a line that goes “Katie calm down, you know there’ll come a time you think you can’t handle it, but dig deep and know you can handle it. Breathe, it’ll be okay.” Every time I hear it, I remember that I have people in my corner. And somehow, every time, that’s enough to keep going.
Fifty different people with fifty-ish different songs (some submitted more than one), accompanied by fifty different reasons. But at the end of the day, we’re all just looking for the same thing. Something that reminds us we can handle it. So whatever your song is, embrace it. Think about the why behind it, the who that brought it to you, and what it does for you when nothing else can. And if you’re still looking for yours, I’ve got you. I put together a Spotify playlist of every single song from this survey, because maybe your pick-me-up is sitting in someone else’s answer, just waiting to find you.