To Let Music Make You Happy

I'm a huge fan of "feel-good" songs that make my day brighter. I just like being positive in general, so songs that express the desire to pick one's self up and enjoy life really get to me. I've always like "Good Life" by One Republic, however one of my very favorite and less-known songs is "Face Up" by Lights.

Lyrics:

It's late and I am tired, wish I could spark a smile
The place is flying high but right now I want to be low
Don't want to move an inch, let alone a million miles
And I don't want to go but I know I gotta go

[Chorus:]
I just want to feel alive
The times you don't wanna wake up
'Cause in your sleep it's never over when you give up
The sun is always gonna rise up
You need to get up, gotta keep your head up
Look at the people all around you
The way you feel is something everybody goes through
Dark out, but you still gotta light up
You need to wake up, gotta keep your face up

Seems like the more you grow, the more time you spend alone
Before you know it you end up perfectly on your own
The city's shining bright, but you don't see the light
How come you concentrate on things that don't make you feel right

[Chorus]

I'm looking for more than a little bit
I'm gonna have to find my way through it
Gonna leave a mark, I'm gonna set a spark
I'm coming up off the ground
I won't be looking down

[Chorus]

 

       Obviously the first stanza expresses a sadness and loneliness. The singer is disconnected from the world, indicated by how she feels low in comparison to everything else flying high. She's too tired and worn down to even try, nor does she really feel like trying. Everyone can relate to this.

 

The chorus begins with the feeling of wanting things to change. Finally there's a will to get over what's dragging them down. There's that urge, that change.

The next lines address the listener, indicating that the singer wants them to know that they know how they feel. It's not unusual, it's something the singer has known before.

You want to stay asleep, where the world is yours to control and live in, where troubles aren't real. In your sleep, things can keep going without horrible consequences. They are referring to sleep as a restful thing, obviously without nightmares.

 

Yet the singer goes on to say that you don't have to stay asleep for good things to come your way. "The sun is always gonna rise up," lets the listener know that bad times come to pass and light will shine your way once again. It encourages you to keep going, keeping your head up and realizing that not everything around is bad. The people around you feel the same way, you aren't alone in what you feel. It may be dark sometimes, but even you can make yourself feel better by knowing that it will come to pass.

 

The four lines after the chorus are almost like another person arguing with the chorus. As you grow up and leave your parents behind, the adult world grows bigger with more strange people. You will feel a bit more alone. It can be difficult to see the light through all the mess of new experiences. You're scared and you want to hide.

 

After a repeat of the chorus, the stanza shows a change of heart from the previous ones and seems to be encouraged to fight past the unhappiness. They are going to "leave a mark, set a spark" by showing that they do exist, they aren't alone and they don't have to feel that way. Finally the singer wants to leave completely by "coming up off the ground", and they won't be looking back down to the "ground" where their sad feelings are. They leave those behind.

 

The song ends on the happy note of the chorus again, letting listeners know that the bad times won't persist. It picks me up when I feel down and I hope it does so for others.