Top Ten Songs That Rarely Fail to Bring a Smile to My Face (a full one, not a wistful one)

You know, I had kind of had a hard time coming up with this list. As my son once said, "His music is all just so sad." But there are some songs that cheer me, either because they're so clever and just plain funny (there's lots of Tom Waits I could put here), and some that just move me to smile by their ability to communicate gravity lightly (Cockburn and Jones).

10. ABC, Jackson 5 (1970 single): yes, I admit it, I recall fondly some of the early 70s bubblegum.



9. Sugar, Leon Redbone (Sugar): I hear this song and I see him as I did when watching him play on SNL sometime in the 70s.

8. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo, Steely Dan (Pretzel Logic): Usually so cynical, Steely Dan could be playful at times.

7. Open, Bruce Cockburn (You've Never Seen Everything): Not all Cockburn is darkly introspective.

6. Satellites, Rickie Lee Jones (Flying Cowboys): I don't understand the lyrics at all--they just work for me.

5. Twisted, Joni Mitchell (Court and Spark): A spry 2:25 minute joke.

4. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me), Tom Waits (Small Change): Hilarious.

3. Hot Fun in the Summertime, Sly and the Family Stone (1969 single): Too exuberant not to smile.

2. Rocky Raccoon, The Beatles (White Album): The Beatles' take on US culture cracks me up (I would have put "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?" but I'm trying to hold to a self-imposed rule that an artist or band gets only one place in the top ten).

1. 13 Step Boogie, Martin Sexton (Live Wide Open): Sexton's happiness here is infectious, and for some reason, that sniff he does at one point makes me laugh.