Skip to main content

It’s Good to be Alive: Tunes to Get You Pumped About Life

Kondo Photography/Getty Images

There are myriad inspirational playlists about cherishing life that hit the nail right on the head with songs like “What A Wonderful World,” “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” etc. In pondering the potentially overwhelming theme of celebrating mortality, I continually gravitated back to songs that get my mojo going every time. Music that inspires and gets one fired up is, as always, subjective. However, the hope is that the following stream of songs strikes a life-affirming chord within you (while giving you a little extra zip in your step). From stone-cold classics to more obscure modern tracks, this Spotify playlist has been hand-washed and tailored to help you high-five the cosmos for all the many wondrous gifts that life has to offer. And though it’s impossible to play favorites with this greatest hits list, you’ll find a smattering of highlights after the playlist jump. We’ll assume you’re already well-acquainted with the classics, so we’re going to tell you a little more about our new faves.

“Stereo” by BoomBox

Like a mysterious swamp creature crawling out of the murky deep, “Stereo” emerges quietly and strangely as a young girl welcomes you to what turns out to be one of the greatest opening tracks on a debut album. As soon as the beat properly kicks in, you and the swamp creature are gently rocking out to the comforting groove, fully feeling the head-to-toe rapture of the peanut butter and jelly-esque symbiosis of rock and electronic music that is BoomBox. This tune (and the majority of its Visions of Backbeat album) makes for just the right kind of kick-off to gratitude for one’s existence.

Recommended Videos

“Gold Soundz” by Pavement

Much like Stephen Malkmus encourages the listener to “go back to the gold soundz” in the opening line of this sunshine-drenched song, I return to this tune over and over again to reignite the unbridled joy and love of life that I’ve experienced in hydroplaning atop this indie/alt/college rock revelation over these many years. From the opening build to the various feel good passages and all throughout the enchanted vibe forest of “Gold Soundz”, Pavement lets us climb aboard one of their more uplifting tunes and feel super cool as Malkmus lets us know that we’re “coming to the chorus now” and “you can never quarantine the past”.

Pavement - Gold Soundz (Official Video)

“Soft Serve” by Soul Coughing

One of the few downtempo moments in the mix, “Soft Serve” has a sweet, easy-going hip-hop/jazz swagger which Mike (formerly M.) Doughty floats upon as he drops his stream of conscious science developed during his time as a doorman at the Knitting Factory music venue in New York City. This tune is one of those that truly inspires a feel-good moment as you “watch the water roll down” (be it literally or metaphorically). Though Doughty’s overall lyrical voyage raises more questions than answers, “Soft Serve” drips and melts in the sun and becomes a near perfect laid-back summertime roundelay.

“Burning” by The Whitest Boy Alive

Norway brings us yet another killer opening track off a debut LP in the form of “Burning” by The Whitest Boy Alive. Fronted by the co-founder of Kings of Convenience, Erlend Øye, The Whitest Boy Alive is a significantly more rocking affair and the song, “Burning,” is indeed en fuego. Tight, power-packed, and unabashedly poppy, “Burning” is both soothing and invigorating, finding Øye awash in advice and angst over not being able to make up his mind (yet also wishing it all not to stop). This song is the musical equivalent of a Scandinavian Red Bull: slightly restrained yet bursting with kinetic energy.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning live

“My Spy” by Imperial Teen

Imperial Teen deserved/deserves some love. I’m biased living in San Francisco, as I’ve seem them blast out their infectious, high-octane power pop countless times (particularly when they were playing on the regular while making a subtle dent in the complicated rock ‘n roll landscape of the mid/late 90s). If only the 1996 album Seasick or 1998’s What Is Not To Love? were on Spotify, I might have gone with “You’re One” or “Lipstick” respectively (as those were a couple of the songs that first got me fired up about the band). However, “My Spy,” though not quite as raucous as those tunes, has the band’s trademark catchiness along with a slightly more seasoned sound, compliments of Moog-ian keyboard tones and atmospherics.

May this mix assist in you drinking deeply from the chalice of this one life that we have to live. Music might not be listed in the American Medical Journal as a remedy for what ails you, but it freaking should be! Cheers!

Riddles
Riddles is the Music Curator for The Manual. He believes that every activity we do in life could use a good soundtrack. From…
Every new Game of Thrones spinoff explained
George R.R. Martin's television world continues to grow
Matt Smith starring in House of the Dragon

When it first aired on HBO in the early 2010s, Game of Thrones dazzled audiences with revolutionary special effects and terrific acting in a unique fantasy world. Based on author George R.R. Martin's series of novels, the universe depicts the battles between several different noble families as they try to climb to the top of the continent of Westeros, both politically and figuratively. The war scenes, family drama, and massive number of characters helped make the story feel fresh and new every time a new episode aired.

As Martin's attention shifted to television and away from his books, fans have looked to the TV series to finish some of the stories he couldn't finish on the page. Game of Thrones left fans wanting more, despite its poorly received finale, and a plethora of spinoffs are on the way. House of the Dragon already has two seasons completed, and there are several others in the coming years to look forward to.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon finished its second season in 2024. The show chronicles the heated family dynamics of the Targaryen empire almost two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. The third season should pick up the civil war between Queen Rhaenyra's forces and King Aegon's after a slow-building conflict throughout the second act.

Read more
The ultimate guide to cigar terminology: Speak like a true aficionado
The ‘I definitely know my cigars’ cheat sheet. You're welcome.
Man wearing top hat lighting a cigar in a bar

You're not the only one who has felt out of your league talking cigars with someone who obviously knows his stuff, trust me. To everyone else, the cigar world is a secret society with its own language—a mix of tradition, craftsmanship, and ritual that may as well be code to the onlooker. But here’s the secret–you don’t need years of puffing to sound like an aficionado.

This guide explains cigar jargon in the most approachable way possible. No BS, no elitism, no jargon— just straight talk in plain, everyday words. You’ll learn the basic structure of cigars, how to describe what you’re tasting, and how to talk shop without sounding like a rookie. Whether you’re sparking up at a lounge, perusing a humidor, or just kicking back, having the lingo effortlessly rolling off your tongue will elevate your cigar game instantly.

Read more
No more pay-per-view? UFC signs exclusive streaming deal with Paramount
The deal will start in 2026 and run through 2032.
The UFC Championship belt.

Under a new deal announced on Monday, Paramount will become the exclusive streaming home for UFC events for the next seven years in the US. The deal, which Paramount reached with TKO Group, has an average annual value of $1.1 billion, according to the companies.

Under the terms of the deal, Paramount will stream UFC's full slate of its 13 marquee numbered events and 30 "Fight Nights" on its streaming platform, Paramount+, with some events also being simulcast on CBS, starting in 2026.

Read more