It’s rare that I’ll go more than a few hours without listening to music. Whether I’m driving, studying, or walking to classes, Spotify is constantly playing in the background. That being said, music will often play over many significant moments in my life and throughout the many moods I’ll have in a day.
While I have dozens of playlists, I often find myself coming back to a few songs and listening to them on repeat (yes, just that singular song). This has created a bank of favorite songs for each mood I’m feeling, which isn’t the normal “happy,” “sad,” or “mad.” My most common moods are often more specific, which I’ll describe briefly before diving into the songs.
The Normal Life Mood
This is default-Anna: having a good time and going through the motions of life. I would describe this mood closest to the montages you see of a main character in a romance movie before they get wrapped around another character. Simply content, in every way.
“The Adults Are Talking” by the Strokes
“Bad Texter” by Ryan Woods
“1950” by King Princess
“Satellite” by Harry Styles
“Pink + White” by Frank Ocean
Feel-Good
This is just one dial above the Normal Life Mood. This is best described by imagining a teenage girl leaning out of a moving car, her hair blowing in the wind and thinking that everything is just… awesome.
“Canary Islands” by Goth Babe
“Wait a Minute!” by WILLOW
“Cooks” by Still Woozy
“Henny in the Hamptons” by Bren Joy
“Imagination” by Foster the People
Hype/Party
Very self-explanatory.
“HUMBLE” by Kendrick Lamar
“edamame (feat. Rich Brian)” by bbno$ and Rich Brian
“Niagara Falls (Foot or 2)” by Metro Boomin, Travis Scott, 21 Savage
“Pure Water (With Migos)” by Mustard and Migos
“Often” by The Weeknd
Bad Bi*ch Mood
This mood is the montage of the main character AFTER they’ve gotten their heart broken or broken up with someone and are living their own, independent life. They care about no one but themselves, they think they’re the coolest people of all time. They could rob a bank if they listen to this music for too long.
“break up with you girlfriend, i’m bored” by Ariana Grande
“No Love (with SZA)” by Summer Walker and SZA
“Need to Know” by Doja Cat
“I Did Something Bad” by Taylor Swift
“Shirt” by SZA
“Chill”
This is probably the most vague mood, I’m not even sure how to describe it (hence the parenthesis in the name). It’s probably half a dial down from the Normal Life Mood, where you start to sink a little more deeply into the chair you’re sitting in or notice a few cracks in the walls.
“Girlfriends” by The Academic
“August (Acoustic)” by Flipturn
“Blue” by Far Caspian
“Float” by HARBOUR
“Jet Fuel” by Mac Miller
Instrumental Mood (yes, this is mood)
Hey, can’t blame a girl for wanting an instrumental song every once in a while. No words, no thoughts.
“I Wanted to Leave” by SYML
“The Promise” by Austin Farwell
“Hearing” by Sleeping at Last
“Narcissus” by Luca Longobardi
“Lanterns” by Hushed
Gloomy/Under the Weather
This is when the weather is bad or you’re just a little naturally down. Listening to this music doesn’t make you more sad, but more solidifies those emotions.
“Cardigan” by Taylor Swift
“Afterthought” by Joji and BENEE
“Honeylight” by Amber Run
“Feel Your Pain” by SYML
“Bathroom Light” by Mt. Joy
Straight Up Sad (about boys)
Yeah… you’re going through it.
“I Know It Won’t Work” by Gracie Abrams
“Fault Line” by Gracie Abrams
“Talk 2 Me” by Montell Fish
“The Night We Met” by Lord Huron
“drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo
Straight Up Sad (about other things in life that aren’t boys)
You’re going through it, but in a different way.
“Portland Nights” by Genevieve Stokes
“ROLLERCOASTER” by The Lumineers
“Fickle Game” by Amber Run
“Fear of the Water” by SYML
“White Ferrari” by Frank Ocean
Existential/There is More to Life/I Am Life Itself
This is one of my favorite moods and isn’t appreciated enough. This is the music you listen to that takes you out of your own body; everything is good and bad and beautiful and ugly at the same time.
“Lews Lullaby” by Ritt Momney
“Au Revoir” by One Republic
“To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra and Patrick Watson
“Dreamland” by Glass Animals
“Better” by SYML
Interested in listening to these songs?
Check out the playlist I made here.