The song "Walking on Sunshine" is probably one of the cheeriest, bubbliest songs to ever grace anyone's ears.
Lullabies are this by design.
Sigur Rós to the fullest extent, especially "Svefn-g-englar" and "Olsen Olsen" from Ágætis byrjun. Even their scary songs are still undeniably beautiful and dreamlike, even the cover of "The Rains of Castamere".
Pretty much all of Enya's songs qualify as this, as do those of her siblings in CLANNAD.
Inverted by "Echoes in Rain". Not Nightmare Fuel by any means, but its energetic-but-not-jarring melody makes it a good song to wake up to.
A song often misattributed to Enya, but no less soothing, is Adiemus by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins and performed by Miriam Stockley with Mary Carewe. This song was used in a Delta Airlines commercial, and as the opening theme for Testament: The Bible in Animation.
Bowling for Soup. Especially Shut Up and Smile and I'm Gay. Just something about songs like these makes it impossible not to smile. And, of course, the theme song for Phineas and Ferb. A song all about two boys who just want to have the best day ever.
Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac is a catchy, delightfully eighties soft rock song about the singer's desire to be with their love everywhere (duh).
“Seven Wonders” from the same album as “Everywhere” is a beautiful song. It has such a mysterious, otherworldly feel to it and one of the prettiest instrumentals ever to be composed.
While certainly not always the case, Devo definately has a few songs that can count as this, particularly Come Back Jonee, The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize, Whip It, That's Pep, Gates of Steel, Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA, Time Out For Fun, That's Good, Through Being Cool, Worried Man, and the Theme from Dr. Detroit.
The accompanying videos for the latter two also qualify, the one for Worried Man being a fun romp featuring Booji Boy, and the Theme from Dr. Detroit being a montage of random slapstick and tricks with a bluescreen.
Pretty much anything by Mariya Takeuchi counts for this. We all know "Plastic Love", but how about "September"? Or "Dream of You"? All of these are nice, upbeat and generally happy.
It is impossible to listen to "Pilots" by Goldfrapp without feeling chilled out afterwards.
Iron and Wine's "The Sea and the Rhythm", "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" and "Fever Dream" can never fail to soothe you into sleep.
The Vocaloid song Last Night, Good Night (written by "kz") is this trope in spades. Depending on how the audience takes the meaning of the lyrics.
"Maguro Tabetai" ("I Want to Eat Tuna") is about Luka wanting to eattuna and going on about different kinds of Japanese tuna. With Takoluka thrown in for good measure.
In the Dreamy Theater PV for "Double Lariat", Takoluka makes an appearance and just happily flies around the stage. The end has her peeking out from behind the stage scenery to take one last wave at the viewer, as if to say "Hiiiiii!"
So much of The Beatles music can't help but make you smile, but Hello Goodbye is quintessential Beatles happy-time music of awesome. Especially their goofing around in the video during the coda.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da is one of the most cheerful songs ever written, telling a nice small-town love story with a lovely happy ending. It even ends with the lines, "And if you want some fun / sing OB-LA-DI-LA-DA!", before one of the Beatles puts on a silly high-pitched voice and squeaks, "Thank you!" while one of his bandmates laughs.
George Harrison, who was a tank of sweet dreams fuel in his own right. Just listen to "All Things Must Pass." You could practically drift away on it. There's a reason George has been called "the soul of the Beatles."
The Beach Boys practically run on this trope, at least most of the time.
From All Summer Long, there's "I Get Around", which is about just being young and having fun, and what could be better than that?
Taken up to eleven with The BBC's music video of this song (see below).
From The Smile Sessions there's "Good Vibrations", a feel good song about a girl so beautiful that the singer can feel her beauty in his soul.
Also worth listening to is the Good Vibrations session highlights which show the various experimentation that went into completing the final song. Full of What Could Have Been - about five minutes in, it sounds like there's an oboe singing to you, and it is beautiful.
The opening (and title) track on Wild Honey is the Beach Boys' attempt at R&B, and boy do they knock it out of the park.
There are too many examples of this to fit in one place, but if you ever want to get a good night's sleep, you can count on The Beach Boys. (Just avoid Mrs. O'Leary's Cow...)
"Evening Song" is a Russian lullaby that will leave you dreaming of the romantic city of Saint Petersburg standing serenely and triumphantly on the blue waves of the Neva River.
"Lullaby to Tim" by The Hollies. Despite the criticisms, I get all warm and fuzzy listening to this, right down to the WALL•E-styled vocals.
Owl City + Carly Rae Jepsen = Good Time. Carly may be famous for "Call Me Maybe", but she also did well in this nice, uplifting song with Owl City.
"To the Sky". It's simply impossible to hear that song without ending up in at least a slightly better mood than beforehand.
"Angels" and "Honey And The Bee" deserve mentioning, the former being a happy, peppy song that can easily make even the most paranoid feel safe, and the latter being an adorable love song told from the perspective of a cute little bug.
Carly Rae Jepsen on her own as well. "This Kiss" is one of those songs that's just so upbeat and infectious it's almost criminal. In the video she wears many beautiful costumes, and it ends with her kissing a guy underwater.
As the 2013 Candies Girl, Jepsen posed for some very beautiful pics.
And to top it all off, Jepsen herself is incredibly attractive.
Demi Lovato's video for the song "Gift of a Friend" is so beautiful. They even wear white in the video, which doubles as a Sweet Dream.
Bridgit Mendler's music can have this effect on viewers, specifically her "How To Believe". Which, like "Gift of a Friend" above, was written for a Tinker Bell movie.
The also wrote Summertime as the theme song for the North American dub of Arrietty, which is another sweet dreams song.
Just anything by Brooke Fraser, like Shadowfeet or Flags. It can heal you from any bad day.
As it is apparently Radiohead's goal to branch out into as many genres as they possibly can, it was only a matter of time before they created "Worrywort," possibly the world's most uplifting 8-bit alternative ambient post-punk post-rock dance-rock.
Almost anything by Donna Summer qualifies. Her music seems to emanate from a world of brightly colored lights and nonstop dancing and love. How can you NOT want to dance to Donna?
The instrumental Robinsonse Pitter Patter Goes My Heart by Broken Social Scene. The top comment put it best, saying it is the "sound of falling in love."
Julie London had a voice as delicate as a cloud. When I Fall In Love proves it.
Girls' Generation's Gee and Kissing You are my happy place songs. Dear Mom is a good one, too, since it was made specifically to be a love letter to the members' mothers.
Connor Kirby-Long (aka Grandma, Khonnor, I, Cactus, and others) has a discography that's outright rife with this. Even at its darkest, Long's work (most of it, anyway) radiates a light, warm, atmosphere that's strong enough to make you feel as though everything will turn out alright.
The Sanity Song. "We hear every damn day about our fragile country. We hear every damn day about the brink of catastrophe, and that it's a shame that we can't work together. But the truth is, we do. We work together to get things done every damn day."
The Crystalline Effect's song "Right". It's slow, beautiful, faintly nostalgic and just so damn perfect.
Also, "Three Little Birds" from Exodus The simplest, sweetest Hope Spot you could ask for, perfect for listening to in rough times.
The entirety of Kaya is a lot of laidback, gentle reggae songs, fit for "easy skankin'".
Megurine Luka's Toeto. Just hearing that song automatically makes you feel so peaceful. Even moreso with the Nico Nico Chorus version, where it, literally, sounds like a chorus of angels.
Also by Luka, No Logic Not only does it have a catchy beat and some great chorus versions, it is downright inspirational.
Every second of the Sailor Moon Orgel Fantasia CD. Princess Moon and Tuxedo Mirage sound like two of the worlds greatest lullabyes.
All opinions you may have about Bill Plympton's 1987 classic Your Face aside, Maureen McElheron's score is one of the most heartwarming love songs out there.
Anything that The Sherman Brothers have written, whether it was for Disney or not. Listen to even one of their songs and you'll be wearing a smile you won't be able to wipe away for a good number of hours. Examples: "Winnie the Pooh", "Chin Up," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and of course, "Feed The Birds," Walt Disney's ABSOLUTE favorite song ever.
Cymbaline from More. Calming instrumentals, soft vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, and even a scat solo. Perfect to fall asleep to
"Outside The Wall" is a gentle reminder that as long as there are people left on the planet, somebody cares about you. The version heard in the album's film adaptation sounds like a gentle lullaby.
Actually debatable as to whether or not "Outside the Wall" can be counted or not, and it's pretty much based on context. By itself, it is absolutely sweet dreams fuel. But for everyone who has listened to the album and given its link to the beginning some thought, it very quickly takes a nosedive into fridge horror territory.
The 2005 reunion. Everything about it is heartwarming. Their live shows in general are usually something to behold.
"Year of the Rat" by Badly Drawn Boy. The power of hugs conquers all!
Their song "All Alone" has a beautiful bridge section where Martina Topley takes over with her ethereal vocal display. It's incredible.
"Empire Ants" is just nonstop concentrated SDF. The gentle and mellow intro alone is enough to fit on this page, but it even qualifies when the song starts picking up and the synths and beats are introduced.
A good chunk of their 2018 album The Now Now is this.
The Kuricorder Quartet. Anything they've ever done, ever. Yes, even the Imperial March. (Tuba, ukulele, bongos and melodica.)
Snow Patrol, especially Chasing Cars, Shut Your Eyes, Crack The Shutters and finally The Lightening Strike.
"Sylvia" by Focus contains what may be the sweetest, most uplifting melodies ever.
Emilie Autumn, has some sweet dream making songs such as Across The Sky, and Remember.
And her covers of such songs as Leclair-Tabourin, Vitali-Chaconne and Crazy He Calls Me.
Really, the whole Dream Pop genre comes under this.
Britney Spears has some sweet dream giving songs such as Strangest Love, Trip To Your Heart, Heaven On Earth, When I Found You, Everyday and State Of Grace
The Veronicas have "I Could Get Used To This", a song basically describing the(ir) ultimate boyfriend.
Also putting Colbie Caillat here. Particularly "Magic" and "Oxygen", but most of her music would fit here, either uplifting or loving or telling you it's okay to be afraid sometimes of little things like commitment (Tied Down) or of failure (It Stops Today)
Quite a few LM.C songs. Some of the best examples are "Punky Heart" ("You're crying all alone but if you can just smile then it doesn't matter if the whole world's your enemy"), "Optimisland" ("The blue color of the sky that we always see as the color of tears just does not look that bad if I am with you, right?"), and "Ah Hah!" ("Every day, even if you're meeting the worst moment in your history, say 'I just wanna be the happiest' - laugh it off; it's OK")
Daft Punk's "Something About Us", "Digital Love", "Voyager", "Veridis Quo", and "Contact" (at least until the end) are the epitome of this. In fact Daft Punk in general work on fun and good vibes to make their music.
Even Nox Arcana scores a few points here. For the most part, Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski wouldn't seem to know a happy tune if it jumped on them and licked their faces, and neither man seems to have ever heard of this thing called a happy ending. The exception is any album with the word "Winter's" or "Ebonshire" in the title, all of which contain nothing but soft, beautiful tracks that can be played at any holiday party and wouldn't even scare an infant.
Just about all of Eric Whitacre's choral peices are Awesome Music, but the most uplifting are surely Sleep, the hauntingly beautiful Seal Lullabye (Dreamworks picked Kung Fu Panda over this?!), and especially the upcoming various solo, orchestral, and choral settings of the beloved children's classic, Goodnight Moon.
A lot of the music for the The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast is created by one of the co-hosts, Chad Fifer, and his track for the story Celephais is a wonderful soundscape of bell-like melodies, soft synths and calm, lapping ocean waves.
When your jimmies are more rustled than a forest after a hurricane, sometimes you just gotta settle down and listen to some Lakmé Act 1. Click, and let the blessings of the Unrustled Triumvirate wash over you like clean, sparkling bathwater.
Normally, Silent Hill isn't a source of heartwarming, but as evidenced by the case of Letter From The Lost Days from Silent Hill 3, there is the occasional tidbit. Especially in this song about love, keeping up hope, and wanting someone else to find happiness. "Oh, what a pair, me and you, put here to feel joy, not feel blue. Sad times and bad times, see them through—soon we will know if it's for real, what we... both feel..."
Shako-Pani makes drum-n'bass inspired tunes to briefly put your troubles aside by, with sweet melodies and a light atmosphere prevalent even in his most chaotic works.
Suzuka. Her works always seem to have an air of overwhelming beauty and pure, unadulterated soul, with melodies seemingly designed to remind you that better days exist, or at least help you take your mind off the worse ones.
Suntra's "Other Victories" album. Cheesy, video-game melodies made with old equipment, bring to mind an old RPG or a sidescroller set in a cartoony, surrealist world of the sort the cover only hints at, with a warm and cheery atmosphere building throughout.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, especially pieces like the Piano Concerto in G (#17), several of the piano pieces, a lot of his chamber music... The man was capable of amazing depths of happiness which cheer the very soul just by being so very happy to exist. Beethoven needed struggle against adversity, Bach was raptured in religious reassurance, but Mozart's music is just plain excited.
Mozart's SDF elements may have come from Pachelbel's works. Pachelbel sounds like an early version of modern alt music that uses SDF.
Ludo has a number of genuinely sweet, wonderful songs. I dare you to listen to Anything for You or Manta Rays without getting the warm fuzzies. There's also something delightful about the ending background lyrics of "Scream, Scream, Scream"—"All your wiser moments/All your words and closeness/Keep you here and human..."
Windham Hill's first five "A Winter's Solstice" Christmas albums are filled with sweet dreams fuel. Get a copy of "Winter's Solstice III" (you can find them on eBay for a couple of bucks). Listen to the last track, "Earth Abides" by Philip Aaberg. The simple, quiet melody can move you to tears... and sing you to sleep. Seriously.
The Staunton Lick, by Lemon Jelly. An incredibly relaxing chilled out groove with a catchy acoustic riff, sounds like the soundtrack to a nice flying dream.
In fact, almost everything by Lemon Jelly fits this. To the point of having lots of children among their fanbase.
Actually, most things Lemon Jelly have ever composed fall under this trope, with a handful ofexceptions.
What, nothing from The Aquabats!? Their album "Charge!" Is chock full of songs letting you know it's okay to be nerdy and silly, because you're awesome no matter what!
"HappyMaterial". I don't think I have ever heard another song that sounds so, well, happy. Just try listening to it without ending up with a smile on your face. I dare you.
Aphex Twin may strike you as the type that would be this trope's polar opposite, right? Not so fast: in his early career, he put out one album of ambient techno (Selected Ambient Works 85-92) and one album of purely ambient music (Selected Ambient Works Volume II). Turns out the guy behind "Come to Daddy" is also capable of stuff like "Xtal" and "Lichen."
This character song from Code Geass. It sounds adorable and it's about wanting the world to be at peace and everyone to love each other. Sweet dreams fuel indeed!
The music of fun. is really good, but if you're feeling down or depressed, give Some Nights and Carry On a listen.
All Saints's "Pure Shores" - a song that captures the word 'paradise' completely.
Atomic Kitten, especially "It's OK" which talks about a relationship that ended badly but they have both moved on and can still enjoy the good memories. "Whole Again", "Love Doesn't Have To Hurt" and their cover of "Eternal Flame" are nice and relaxing. And it's impossible to not want to dance along to "Be With You" and "The Tide Is High (Get The Feeling)".
Ralph Vaughan Williams was good at writing this type of music.
"The Lark Ascending". It's gently uplifting, not to mention incredibly evocative of the English countryside. Seriously, go listen to it and tell me it doesn't make you picture rolling green hills and leafy woods.
"Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus" evokes the same images and emotions.
"Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" is a gorgeous piece of music, full of spiritual ecstasy and serene radiance.
Florence + the Machine has given the world the truly astounding All This and Heaven Too, a song that seems to sum up the ecstatic feeling of loving something for the first time. Also, there's Strangeness and Charm, which seems to emanate the basic emotion of wonder in five grand, sweeping minutes.
"Shake It Out" has the message that your bad times don't own you; shake them out and start again.
Lisa Loeb has the infectiously sweet hit Stay (I Missed You.) While played to the point of Glurge in 1994, it has a unique cuteness that proves a potent anti-depressant in small doses... kind of like an opiate.
Lisa Loeb's music is this, in general. Her entire discography is so cute and heartwarming (even her songs about heartbreak manage to be uplifting).
Listening to "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story is an easy way to get the warm fuzzies, especially if a specific loved one comes to mind. It's just so endearing and optimistic!
Every song by Lullatone classes here. Their music is just so gentle and sweet!
Anything by Eric Calderone.
Anything and everything by Endless Melancholy, despite what the title of the band may make you think.
Damn-near everything by Teenage Fanclub qualifies. Their straight-up love songs are so stupidly charming as to put a smile on your face.
For Christians, "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe gives believers the hope that they will someday meet Jesus face to face when He says to them, "Well done, good and faithful servant".
For the best effect, combine this song with the part where Rayford Steele meets Jesus in the Dramatic Audio version of the Left Behind book Glorious Appearing.
An awful lot of Queen's discography qualifies, really.
"Don't Stop Me Now" is quite possibly the best pick-me-up song (and, according to Top Gear, best driving song) of all time. The energy is infectious, Freddie sells the crap out of every note, and the metaphors for the protagonist's ecstasy are over-the-top and memorable.
'The Whole Picture' by Finnish funk-rock band Funk in Funk Stairs, which encourages people to stop worrying and just enjoy their lives. Hell, the video itself could qualify: five minutes of four guys messing around in a recording studio and quite clearly having the time of their lives.
Studio Ghibli soundtracks are these if not Awesome Music, especially the theme songs of their films except for Grave of the Fireflies, which has no theme song. Turned up to eleven if you actually understand the usually Japanese lyrics.
While we're on the subject of Coldplay, there's the ever-inspiring "Speed Of Sound."
"Midnight" is the musical epitome of SDF, and it's easily the closest the band's ever gotten to making a full-on ambient track.
The intro to "Death and All His Friends", the concluding track on Viva la Vida. Chris Martin's vocals are just all kinds of gentle and gorgeous.
"Clocks". A beautiful piano riff coupled with amazing warbling ambience in the background as well as Martin's excellently complementing vocals.
"Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall". Though not as well known as their other big singles, this song is very upbeat, and has beautiful vocals and instrumentals. It never fails to make you feel good.
"Now the sky could be blue, I don't mind, without you it's a waste of time."
“Paradise” is a wonderful song with a gorgeous instrumental and a wonderful story to the lyrics about accepting the difficulties in life. Hearing it will make you feel hopeful.
Twenty One Pilots has "Hometown", a song with choir vocals as a hook. It's very dreamy sounding, and very beautiful. Another example is "Truce", which is a slow piano song, with inspirational lyrics to tell you to keep living.
When a band's motto is "Stay alive", chances are at least some of their songs are going to be this trope.
Hilarious as it is, Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up, aka the Rickroll song, is actually very fun to listen to, and has excellent lyrics and a lovely beat. Plus, if you fall in love with the song, good news for you - you're now immune to Rickrolling!
Anything involving Lindsey Stirling. She dances while playing beautiful, relaxing music on a violin, often in costume, and always with a big smile on her face. Even in her behind the scenes videos, her silly antics, humility, and optimism never fail to put a smile on your face.
A Vaporwavetrack by 情報デスクVIRTUAL. Vaporwave can often sound very relaxing and pleasant. Especially when combined with nostalgic images that will make more than one viewer pine for one of the last great decades.
Related, Vektroid's tracks Skate Club I and II are slow but really pleasant to sleep to.
Jerry Nelson, one of the original Muppeteers, wrote a song called "Tides", and it's gorgeous.
Much of Alcest's music can be considered this, often veering into straight-up Dream Pop territory. "Délivrance", the final song from their latest album Shelter, may be the best and most beautiful example.
I Am Robot And Proud. Never before has an act's name so succinctly described its content—in this case, mechanical precision matched with a sincerity that could only be the product of humankind.
Another song of theirs, "Illumination Theory", while not sweet dreams fuel on its own, ends with an instrumental Hidden Track consisting of piano and guitar that certainly is.
If I Had Words, a.k.a. that song from the film Babe. Whatever version you're listening to, the melody's warming and the simple, single-verse lyrics are potently adorable.
Nujabes is also popular on Youtube since people have taken some of his most soothing beats and looped them, making "homework edits". Herearejustafewofthesehomework
It's also worth noting that all of these songs are even more powerful when one takes Nujabes' death into mind.
Sophisti-Pop all around. Sade, Simply Red, Level 42, Caron Wheeler, Alison Moyet and Atzec Camera among others embody this trope with their feel-good 80's/90's sound.
"Tender Love" by Force MD's is incredibly heartwarming.
Their song "Cat Bossa" takes the harmonic roots of "Novabossa", changes all the lyrics with "la", and makes the whole shebang much more upbeat than the mellow, downlow original.
Childish Gambino's aptly-titled "Kids", which is easily his gentlest song, even with the rapping. He's even accompanied by a xylophone riff and some transcendent violins that come in.
"Pink Toes" as well. Heck, the chorus is nothing but Gambino repeatedly singing "rainbows, sunshine". And just when you think it can't get any better, Jhené Aikocomes in.
"Pop Thieves", which has to be one of the most sensual and down-to-earth R&B songs of the 2010s. The song even has a coda where Jaden Smith recites a poem against beach ambience and tribal sounds.
Tennyson is a Canadian brother-sister teenage duo that specializes in making electronica/chillwave music that is aesthetically and atmospherically entrancing, with extra heaps of nostalgic undertones. (With You,Blamer,Violet Alturas,Aphasia Rewinding.)
While they're no strangers to making nightmarish and/or morose material, the members of Genesis have proven several times that they can also make songs that radiate happiness.
An early example comes in the ending section of "Supper's Ready"; while the previous section was ominous, the ending sounds so victorious that it's more than enough to neutralize the previous section's Nightmare Fuel.
Later, when the band became a trio, they released "Follow You, Follow Me", an absolutely beautiful love song that can be summarized as "You make me feel safe and comfortable, and I hope you'll always be there for me".
The band members' solo careers have their fair share of this as well. Peter Gabriel, for instance, has "In Your Eyes", which is about how even though the narrator feels insecure sometimes, he still feels complete in his loved one's eyes. And meanwhile, it'd be easier to name the Phil Collins songs which aren't this to some degree - in fact, his song "Come With Me" from his album Testify originated as this, being a lullaby he would sing to his children.
Drake's song "Wednesday Night Interlude" is a few heavenly arpeggios away from being a straight Tear Jerker, it's such a beautiful track. Not only is PARTYNEXTDOOR's singing stellar (if not a bit unintelligible), but the choral harmonies in the background escalate the song from "calm" to "lush".
Christian Singer/group Plumb's album Blink will make some people feel this way.
Most of Madness' discography counts, but particular mention goes to "The Sun and the Rain" and "Simple Equation", both about the joy that can be found in unfortunate situations, and the latter having a heartwarming "good night" at the very end from Suggs sure to make you sleep comfortably.
Rush has "The Sphere: A Kind Of Dream", the final part of the Hemispheres suite. It's a very soft, gentle piece with an inspiring message about how we can live in peace.
Also of note are "Different Strings" and the live, acoustic version of "Resist", which turns a beautiful but still distinctly heavy song into a soft acoustic ballad with just Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee playing guitars and Lee turning in some of the most soulful and genuine vocals of his career.
Robert Rich invokes this trope with his sleep concerts, where the theory is that audience's sleep experience is affected by his music. He has even released two albums, lasting 7 and 8 hours respectively, for people to recreate the effect at home.
"Better When I'm Dancing" by Meghan Trainor from The Peanuts Movie. It's one of those songs that can make anyone feel very optimistic and be given a good feeling. Especially when you watch the music video which features the Peanuts characters.
The translation of Pop Drop Candy by Juby Phonic and Kuraiinu. It's just so happy!
Vienna Teng's "Lullabye for a Stormy Night" is all about a child being sung to a peaceful sleep and not worrying about the storm outside because their parent is there. It is a perfect song to fall asleep to to ensure some peaceful and pleasant dreams.
OMFG's music. If you've heard of him, you most likely know him for Hello. With that in mind, if you're into that kind of music, he'll be a great artist for you.
A lot of Jethro Tull's output. Hell, The Jethro Tull Christmas Album is a whole album of Sweet Dreams Fuel. But if it's individual songs you want, you could start with the three and a half minutes of loveliness that is "One Brown Mouse".
Though they arenot a band that does this normally, Sunn O))) have "Alice", an elegy to jazz legend Alice Coltrane, which starts off somewhat ominously but slowly grows brighter in tone, with the introduction of a brass section, trombones, and even harps, until it sounds completely serene and heavenly at the end. Coming at the end of the incredibly dark and heavy album Monoliths and Dimensions, it really is the musical equivalent of Earn Your Happy Ending.
This remix of Candyman that was made to celebrate the 75th anniversary of M&M's. It's just so upbeat and cheerful that it's near impossible to not smile while listening.
EXO member, Chen, is no stranger to calm, soothing ballads."Flower","Amaranth" and "Hold You Tight", in particular, are full of soft instrumentals and comforting lyrics.
"Takeoff" and "Endless" by cediv. A fair amount of House Music actually.
You may know Flying Lotus for his laidback hip hop, but it turns out he's also capable of making beautiful ambient songs like "Endless White".
"Beautiful Day" by U2. It's filled with such an endless sense of optimism, pure happiness and a love of life, that you'll probably be left appreciating life for a good while and just feeling good overall.
Don Williams is known as "The Gentle Giant" for a reason. His smooth, calm, and friendly voice can ease even the most unsettled of nerves.
Tom Smith's "A Boy And His Frog" will bring you to tears, but it will also lift your heart and spirit as few songs can. Especially uplifting is a live performance, because it's almost always followed by "Rainbow Connection", and that never fails to end with the whole audience singing along, defiantly optimistic and singing out hope and love.
"In Motion". Go on, try not smile when listening to it.
"Junk Story" may very well be the happiest song he ever wrote. You can tell it was written by a man that just loved life and wanted to share it with his fans.
X Japan's other guitarist, Pata, also had a very nice track called "Road of Love".
Devin Townsend may have got popular as the frontman of the thrash band Strapping Young Lad, but he's crafted some truly beautiful pieces in his solo material:
"Ih-Ah". A beautiful duet between Devin and Anneke Van Giersbergen.
While only a demo that was released as an itunes bonus track for Epicloud, "Take My Ego" is such a peaceful and heartfelt song that you could rock your baby to sleep while singing it.
Basically everything Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (aka "Bruddah IZ" or just "IZ") ever recorded could be considered this. His deep yet soothing voice combined with his soulful ukulele playing allowed him to create some of the most heartwarming songs ever performed. These include:
How is it that Yes isn't up here yet? A large part of their collection of work is pure magic, combining lovely harmonies with very gentle, loving lyrics (see: Time and A Word, And You and I, Endless Dream...) Even ones with slightly darker themes (see: Survival) can end up being this.
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, a band started by (at the time) former Yes members released only one album, but it is full of sweet dreams fuel. "The Meeting", however, is quite simply one of the most heavenly, beautiful and just downright pleasant songs ever written.
Most of the work by doujin circle ShibayanRecords is this, specially the Toho Bossa Nova soundtrack arrangement albums, that manage to capture a heartwarmingly melancholic atmosphere that characterizes the genre. These include:
Synthpop artist Mr. Kitty has a really soothing voice, and makes even the songs that deal with darker subject matter sound oddly pleasant. However, the SDF will really come into full effect through songs that are lighthearted in both sound and lyrics, such as "Everything Will Be Alright" and "Greater Than Us".
The Go! Team. Their music is so full of playful, positive energy it'll be sure to cheer up anybody no matter how down they're feeling.
This Will Destroy You are masters of atmospheric post-rock, such as with their hit song "The Mighty Rio Grande".
Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a movie about Canadian heavy metal band Anvil. You wouldn't expect this movie to have any music that falls under this group would you? Wrong! Towards the end of the movie the band heads to Japan after finally landing a high profile gig. Before the concert, we see a scene of the band's frontmen Lipps and Robb walking through a beautiful Japanese garden with this truly wonderful track playing over it. The fact that this scene contains no dialogue and shows Lipps and Robb just enjoying the fact that they're finally on the road to making a comeback makes it that much more powerful. The track also plays over the end credits, giving it a happy and hopeful ending. And considering how much Anvil's fortunes improved after this movie came out, the hope worked.
Tears for Fears have songs like "Head Over Heels", "Sowing the Seeds of Love", "Advice For the Young At Heart", and "Elemental", which are all rather mellow and happy-sounding, especially the former.
During one of their shows in Las Vegas, The Backstreet Boys brought audience member Lance Bass of N'sync to the stage during "Shape of my Heart". The Clip in question.
While it's not actually from the game but the anime, "We Are One and All" is a truly grand and beautiful song about friendship, hope and determination. The moment where the gospel choir joins in makes it that much more powerful.
Simon & Garfunkel may be best remembered for their song "The Sound of Silence", a song which is most certainly notSweet Dreams Fuel, but were certainly able to produce some pretty sweet melodies when they wanted to:
The standout example would have to be "Bridge Over Troubled Water", a powerful and truly epic power ballad with a simple meaning: being there to lend a friend a hand.
From the same album, we have "The Only Living Boy in New York", which was written by Paul Simon as a message to Art Garfunkel, telling Art, who was filming a movie in Mexico at the time, that he missed him, but knew that he'd do well. Art Garfunkel's backing vocals, particularly when he says "Here I am" sound almost like an angelic choir. This song could be seen as Harsher in Hindsight now since the two of them now share a mutual dislike of one another, but it's still a powerful track nonetheless.
Almost all of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme counts as they seemed to have this trope in mind right from the start, but if any track stands out, it would have to be "Cloudy" since it actually *does* sound like a lullaby.
"Kathy's Song", which Paul wrote about missing his then girlfriend Kathleen Chitty while he was in New York and she was back home in England.
Paul Simon also has many examples in his solo material, but the absolute stand out has to be his 2003 song "Father and Daughter", a song he wrote for his daughter Lulu. Just as the title says, it's about the endless love a father has for his daughter.
A lot of Steve Reich's music is this.
1978's Music for 18 Musicians is beautiful and dreamy. You get the sense, listening to it, of looking at something very intricate and crystalline.
1987's Electric Counterpoint is also really wonderful. It sounds like you're flying through clouds. It's also, appropriately enough, a good counterpoint to Different Trains.note A recording of Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint appeared for the first time on the same record in 1989. See the "Classical" section of the Music Nightmare Fuel page for more on that, however.
Most of Joji's music is this, but "medicine" is probably the most famous example. Even better with this fan video which uses parts of an animation called 袋町 | Fukuromachi by Eri Yoshikawa, and it's gorgeous!
"you suck charlie" also qualifies. With a very dreamy piano sound as the instrumental track.
Profesional wrestler Bo Dallas' third entrance theme "Shoot For the Stars" is a peaceful yet epic track that really will make you "Bolieve".
Jeremy Soule's "Fear Not This Night" not only qualifies on music alone, but also features lyrics that take this trope literally.
Dexys Midnight Runners may have only had a short time in the spotlight, but Kevin Rowland and company left their mark with music that'll fill you with joy.
"Come On Eileen", the band's huge, smash hit single, is a happy, hopeful and generally pleasant song that has had people dancing and singing along to it for over thirty years.
"Let's Make This Precious" is a song about perseverance that, with its fantastic brass and strings section, will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
The band's cover of "The Sound of Philadelphia" is just absolutely wonderful. Turn it on when you're driving in a convertable by the sea on a nice sunny day and just sit back and enjoy.
"This Is What She's Like" is a twelve minute epic that features what is easily one of Kevin Rowland's best vocal performances (showing that he was a very underrated vocalist) and is once again a happy song about Kevin talking about his girlfriend. The second half in particular is a treat to listen to.
Songs by Snail's House certainly qualify, especially his "kawaii future bass" tracks such as ra-mu-ne with a calm chiptune rhythm, Pixel Dream with a high-powered sugary melody, and Sparkle, a tune that twinkles like aural confetti.
This trope applies to the majority of the "kawaii future bass" subgenre.
Just about 95% of Kero Kero Bonito's discography qualifies. The trio makes such unequivocally sincere pop music that seems perfectly calibrated to make you smile with their quirky, video game-inspired beats, cute bilingual singing/rapping, and Mundane Made Awesome subject matters. Whether they're about bouncing on a trampoline with friends ("Trampoline"), relaxing and taking a break ("Break"), and thanking mom and dad ("Hey Parents"), their songs are delivered with such positive sincerity/without cynicism that you can't help but feel better by the end.
In 2013, Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd released his solo album, In Deep Owl. Most of the tracks on it are, while excellent, also quite dark and dreary and sound like a Western anti-hero plotting some sort of revenge...and then you reach The Great Syrup Accident. While it is named after a man-made disaster, the tone of the song is utterly different to anything else on the album; the acoustic guitar and the drums are upbeat, the lyrics are more positive (even the fact they're nonsensical adds to the sweet dreams fuel in a way), and even Shepherd's deep baritone growl is more of a gentle, drawling rumble.
The Moody Blues' 1967 album Days of Future Passed is considered to be a crowning achievement in popular music even fifty years after its release. Basically all of it falls under this trope. The band's music goes perfectly with that of the London Festival Orchestra. The opening track "The Day Begins" will make you feel like you're about to go on a journey into a wonderful fantasy world, "The Morning" is a fun, playful track about the joys of being a child and Ray Thomas' flute playing really makes it that much more of a joy to listen to, and "Lunch Break" is a fast but again very playful track that gives off a "walking through a bustling city" vibe. Basically, if you want to have an album that you can just sit back and relax to while letting your imagination wander, this is it.
Everything by Scatman John. His music was not just joyful and heartwarming, it was inspirational. The amount of talent the man displayed by taking his stutter and turning it into his most iconic singing technique is nothing short of awe inspiring. Not only that, but just look at him in his music videos. He's putting his heart and soul into his performance every single time he's on camera.
Even though BTS are more known for loud songs with strong choreography and social messages, they have a lot of songs like this, with the members having expressed on several occasions that they make music to give people hope or comfort.
LOVE YOURSELF: Her has "Intro: Serendipity", a sweet song about finding love, featuring soft instrumentals and Jimin's voice. The video linked above also has beautiful visuals reminiscent of The Little Prince.
There's also "Dimple", featuring the vocal line in some of their best work, about loving someone's... dimples. The production is playful and dreamlike.
LOVE YOURSELF: Tear has "Magic Shop" (referencing the book Into the Magic Shop), a song mostly dedicated to fans, but that applies to anyone. It's about a relationship where both parties help, encourage and find a place of comfort in each other, encouraging listeners to become the best versions of themselves.
It also has "Paradise", about how it's okay to not have a dream, how life isn't a race despite what society tells us, and how it's okay to not rush into things. The song (both in lyrics and production) is meant to be a place where listeners can take a break.
From WINGS, there's "Lost" (about how losing your way can be another means to find your true path), "2!3!" (about forgetting the bad times and smiling together, as well as the need to always hope for good days despite everything), and, from the repackage, "A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone", which is a sweet song about, well, how You Are Not Alone.
Several of their songs in their official Soundcloud are slow and comforting, with instrumentation being minimal or subdued. There's "4 o' Clock" by V and RM (about waiting for a friend at dawn), "Promise" by Jimin (about admitting you're not okay and promising to learn to be happy), V's "Scenery" (about trying to capture memories with another person, using the metaphor of photography in the snow) and "Winter Bear" (also following the imagery of winter, with an equally soothing self-made music video), Jin's "Tonight" (a melancholy song about loss) and his cover of "In Front of the Post Office in Fall", or any of Jungkook's covers.
The Brit Rock Remix version of "Spring Day", for Festa 2018. Percussion (now actual drums) and other instruments now give more space to echoing vocals and an organ, reinforcing the wintery, wistful-yet-ultimately-hopeful feeling of the original (which was already one of the most emotional songs by BTS).
From J-Hope's Hope World, there's "Blue Side (Outro)", a song about dreaming. It's much slower than the rest of the mixtape, with a bass playing while far away vocals sing "Blue side..."
RM's mono. in its entirety is a rather introspective yet comforting album, with reflections on loneliness. In particular, there's "moonchild", "uhgood", "everythingoes" and "forever rain".
From their latest album, Map of the Soul: 7, we have "Friends", a sweet Friendship Song performed by vocalists Jimin and V, who share a close bond with each other. The song describes their experiences together, from the day they first met up to the present day. The final chorus even has the line "You are my soulmate."
So many examples from Tenchi Muyo! spring to mind, but the 1994 concert with vocals performed by the Japanese voice actors really is wonderful to watch. Chisa Yokoyama and Etsuko Kozakura (Sasami and Ryo Ohki's voice actresses respectively) in particular are positively adorable when they sing. You can find the playlist for the concert here.
Marconi Union's Weightless (Ambient Transmissions Vol 2) album. It's a series of six tracks that are specifically designed to promote a calm state of mind. Relaxing enough that many report peacefully falling asleep listening to this, making it a literal example of this trope.
S Club 7 can teeter on the edge of being too bubblegum and cheesy, but they have plenty of songs that are good for cheering one up after a bad day. Especially any songs where Rachel takes lead vocals ("I Really Miss You", "Do It Til We Drop" and her version of "Alive").
Ariana Grande "Thank U, Next" - a genuinely positive Break Up Song where she sincerely thanks her exes for the lessons they taught her. It also contains a tribute to Mac Miller - who died from an accidental overdose - "Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm, cause he was an angel."
Power Metal itself is well known for being an exception amongst metal genres, being uplifting, anthem-like, and triumphant-sounding rather than dissonant, nightmare inducing, or, well, heavy:
Freedom Call describe their genre as "happy metal" and it shows through several of their cute, cheery songs such as 'Follow Your Heart' and 'Power and Glory'. Their vocalist, Chris Bay, has recently brought out a solo album with a more pop-rock sound, which is equally uplifting; opening track 'Flying Hearts' even has a video made up of Chris's holiday footage, and you can tell he had fun making it.
Twilight Force and particularly their song Flight of the Sapphire Dragon. With their twinkly orchestration and high-fantasy lyrics it all creates a very uplifting sound that just helps the listener to find themselves in a good mood and smiling with joyful glee as their songs awaken memories of classical High Fantasy. There's a reason their fans often refer to them as "Disney metal".
Galderia especially emphasizes a powerful, even ethereal sound, the best example beingShining Unity.
Many songs by Rhapsody of Fire qualify. One notable example is March Against the Tyrant, a gorgeous High Fantasyepic about fighting evil and oppression.
A lot of Jack Johnson's acoustic pop rock music is very mellow and pleasant to listen to, like "Upside Down" and "Better Together".
"Ampersand" is a sweet punctuation-themed song about running in the fields with your friends/lovers.
Their entire 2015 children's album Why?, which, given that it was sourced from their Dial-a-Songs at the time and the band reportedly had trouble figuring out which songs went here and which went on the "adult" album Glean, reads as a much Lighter and Softer version of their adult albums, which the same catchy tunes and clever wordplay without any of the usual darker lyrics that hide within. Many of the songs have their SDF factor improved by the music videos, such as "Moles, Hounds, Bears, Bees, and Hares", which has an extremely charming artstyle to its animations of the titular animals (with the trumpet provided by an equally adorable squirrel) and "Walking My Cat Named Dog", which has similarly adorable animations of a world where cats act like dogs and dogs act like cats. And then, for the album closer, "Then The Kids Took Over" plays, which is maybe one of the most powerfully inspirational examples of a Green Aesop ever given.
"We Close Our Eyes" and "Try To Believe" by Oingo Boingo are both very catchy and upbeat songs that sound like they were designed to be sung by groups of people all holding hands. Definitely a good example of how diverse Danny Elfman is with his musical style since he's normally the guy who does all the music for Tim Burton's movies.
Thematically, the album Sleepless in __________ by Epik High is as a whole a variation, dealing with different angles of insomnia and loneliness, but in sound it's definitely this. Lyrically a Tear Jerker with Heartwarming Moments in between, it has mostly subdued (but occasionally upbeat) instrumentation, with an effect that is overall soothing. This is especially true of the two final tracks, "Rain Again Tomorrow" and "Lullaby for a Cat", with the former being a relatively upbeat dance track that seamlessly transitions by Fading into the Next Song into the latter, a slow beat with beautiful strings and piano.
"Finish Line" by Chance the Rapper, a lovely and hopeful song about moving up in the world and finding happiness and success. Including a verse about Chance seeing his dog in Heaven.
"Learn to Meow" by Xiao Fengfeng has to be one of the happiest and cutest songs on Earth. All we can say is... just listen to it. It is the definition of 'diabetes inducing', and it'll cheer you up due to how joyful and unbelievably cute it is.
Bob Mould's 2019 album Sunshine Rock was written with this trope in mind. Just about every song on the album is happy and upbeat. Another example from Bob is "If I Can't Change Your Mind" by his former band Sugar, a lighthearted 90's alt rock song with a cheery melody.
The Soul Series always has one track for the Art Gallery section of the game that stands out among the rest of the game's soundtrack just for how beautiful it is. Soulcalibur has "Feather In The Wind", a sweet, lighthearted track that will probably fill the listener with happiness the moment they hear it. "Healing Winds" was originally used in Soul Calibur II, but it's the version heard in Soul Calibur III that truly set the standards for orchestral music in video games as this is an absolutely gorgeous piece, so much so that it was reworked and included in Soul Calibur VI years later. Not to be outdone, Soul Calibur IV had "Winds and Memories" which is every bit as beautiful, if not more so.
Infesstissumam by Ghost is one of the most beautiful sounding songs ever made. Vocals from a latin choir combined with more Rock and Roll inspired guitar makes Infesstissumam sound absolutely gorgeous... to people who don't speak Latin.
"Ken Allen" by David Gersten. A song about a male Orang-utan named, as the title suggests, Ken Allen who became legendary among visitors to the San Diego zoo for his many escapes from his enclosure. The song is very upbeat and has a very wholesome feel throughout. Justified as, by all accounts, Ken Allen was a Gentle Giant who never once showed any aggression to anyone whenever he wandered around the zoo after escaping.
While most of their music is generally this, "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees gets a special mention.
Six words. When The Day Met The Night. Say it with me now. "ALL WAS GOLDEN WHEN THE DAAAAAAY MET THE NIIIIIGHT!!!"
Muse has the song "Unintended", a gentle, pleasant, and sentimental love ballad filled with enough pure sweetness to cause one to cry Tears of Joy.
While much of their music can be considered Nightmare Fuel, the legendary proto-punk duo Suicide has a few songs that are pure Sweet Dreams Fuel. “Surrender” and “Dream Baby Dream” are perfect examples of this.
The late Bob Welch, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, epitomizes this trope with his dreamy classic “Sentimental Lady”.
Much of Scott Walker’s later output consisted of Nightmare Fuel avant-garde experimentations. His earliersoloworks, however...
You wouldn't expect a song called Destroyer of the Universe by the Death Metal band Amon Amarth to be this, and the first half of the song is exactly what one might expect. Then comes the second half.
Gregory and the Hawk. Meredith Godreau has possibly one of the sweetest voices ever put to record, and she uses it to great effect. Examples include "Boats and Birds" and "Whisper the Answer".
"Feels So Good" by Chuck Mangione is one of the happiest instrumental tracks in history. It's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
OK Go has I Won't You Let You Down- a song nearly impossible to not groove to. The music video only amplifies this, being an incredibly elaborate dance video shot on a cheerful, sunny day.
See also White Knuckles, an ode to forgiving your mistakes and letting go of your worries about the future. The music video even has them playing with dogs!
“Dear Jessie” by Madonna. It’s an adorable lullaby with vivid lyrics and a dreamlike feel that will bring out your inner child.
Happy by Pharrell Williams is pretty much guaranteed to do what the title says - make you happy with its upbeat tune and cheerful lyrics.
Jim Croce's 1973 song "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" is a relaxing and heartfelt song about expressing love to somebody. The song is short, but sweet and is entirely upbeat and slow-paced.
A russian example, the song "Город золотой" ("City of Gold") by rock band Akvarium is a beautiful anthem to love in all of its kinds. The singer even professes love to someone in the second verse!
А в небе голубом горит одна звезда (There's a lone star shining above in the blue skies)
Она твоя, о ангел мой, она твоя всегда (It's yours, oh angel mine, it's always yours)
"Weird Al" Yankovic may live up to the first part of his stage name with his parodies, but his dedication to giving the artists he parodies their proper dues, making sure his songs can be enjoyed by anyone, and the amount of wit that goes into them will make you smile whenever you listen to his work.
"Goodnight My Love" by Jesse Belvin. A soft, simple song between one lover and another. Many disc jockeys, Alan Freed among them, used it to close their radio shows.
The music of Jonny Jakobsen (a.k.a Dr. Bombay, Dr. Macdoo, Carlito) is a weird form of Bubblegum Eurodance and is such a silly and upbeat sound that it is difficult not to smile to. In fact, Jonny's main goal with his music is just to make people happy and to have fun, a goal he most certainly succeeds in.
A lot of Award-Bait Songs can qualify, especially for nostalgic kids of the '80s and '90s that grew up with some of the movies they were featured in. Many of these songs are beautiful and uplifting, and often serve as the theme to the movie, like "If We Hold On Together" from The Land Before Time, as performed by Diana Ross.
"Blue Days",(warning: slightly NSFW cover art) the only single released by British actress Toni Barry, is a joyous and heartwarming love song about Barry finding happiness with the man who helped her "chase away the blue days" and being not just her lover, but also her best friend.
"Waiting For a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl, as well as "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (the last two of which Boy Meets Girl wrote for Whitney Houston). All three songs share a relentless, upbeat sweetness, as well as being optimistic about finding love. note It also helps that "Waiting For a Star to Fall" resembles "Pollyanna (I Believe in You)" in a few places, especially the intro.
"I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis. Aside from being incredibly catchy, it's a calm, sweet song about falling in love and meaning it.
Smashing Pumpkins likes to close out their albums with one or two of these, although they'll throw some elsewhere. "Rhinocerous" and "Daydream" (from Gish), "Spaceboy", "Sweet Sweet" and "Luna" (from Siamese Dream), and "Farewell and Goodnight" (from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness).
Norwegian singer-songwriter Odd Nordstoga's Svingensongen ("The Swing Song"), from the children's show Linus i Svingen and Jul i Svingen ("Christmas at the Swing") from the sequel series of the same name. Kick-ass, powerful, cheerful sweet dreams fuel.
The cover art to Himiko Kikuchi's album Flying Beagle shows a beagle with a happy-looking expression. Even with the fairly dark environment, it's still an adorable visual. Some songs on the album also count, such as the relaxing "Fluffy."
All three songs by Japanese band Grizzly for the Go! Go! Hypergrind soundtrack are about as happy and cheerful as pop punk can be. The use of the track "Jam Jam Hype" by RebelTaxi basically gave an entire generation happy nostalgia from a game that never played as a child.
" is probably one of the cheeriest, bubbliest songs to ever grace anyone's ears.
