Music has played a massive part in my life since I was born. I was raised on Motown (and specifically Diana Ross) by my dad with a splash of opera from my mother.

Having an older sister, I was introduced to Nirvana and can remember her bringing home a tape (yes a motherflipping tape!) of “Black Hole Sun” (TUNE!). My baby brother was obsessed with R.Kelly “I believe I can fly” although he used to have a lisp, so it became “I la lieve I can fly” and we would often find him on his bed, arms spread wide, singing his heart out.

The first album I ever owed was Cliff Richard (brought in Woolworths in Kingston as a 7 year old) and I would spend my days rocking out to “Wired For Sound”, a song that till this day I will defend as a thing of beauty. I remember purchasing “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls on CD on a shopping trip to Woking shopping centre with my best friend at the time Sam. I also remember going to meet Peter Andre with her (she was obsessed, I was scared).

I spent a period of my youth listening to Hole, Human Waste Project and SOAD. There was one particular coach trip that my friend Becky and I spent singing SOAD and specifically enjoying the line “The kombucha mushroom people, Sitting around all day” and when listening to that song as a 30 year old I am transported back to that moment in time.

I was accosted by a lesbian at a Rachel Stamp concert and now can’t listen to them without thinking of her trying to touch me up. The same goes for Rainbow theme tune, which will ever be cemented with dancing in the mud at Glastonbury.

Recently the song “No more I love you’s” reminds me of my lovely Emma after an afternoon spent at work singing it with angel halo’s on our heads. Joanna Newsom comes from Lou who sent it to me on a particularly shit day telling me it would cheer me up (which it did). Lou also sent me Haim and I immediately wanted to be in that group.

Backstreet Boys “I want it that way” will always remind me of the death of a lady whose dog I walked and my aunts death will always come back to me on hearing Johnny Cash “Hurt”. I will cry tears of sadness, which come mingled with memories of her that make me laugh out loud. I also think of the song I would like played at my funeral, and for some reason always come back to “Ain’t no mountain high enough”.

Lately, I’ve been listening to music again to help me cope with the low days. I’ve been rediscovering my love of the weird and wonderful and having people introducing me to artists I wouldn’t have listened to before. Music can remind us of good and bad times, loves lost and gained, challenges won and battles lost. It has the power to transport you back to a teen, eagerly awaiting your exam results to the first kiss with you husband at your wedding, to the birth of your first born or quite simply to that night you got fucking wrecked with friends drinking Baileys and tequila shots (never ever ever again!).

I decided to ask friends in person, on FB and twitter to see what their songs were and why. One friend told me a particular song keeps her going on a bad day, my cousin told me a song that reminds me of her mum and how she used to sing it in the car and my sister said “The whole of Now! That’s What I Call Music 18!”.

I was surprised at how many songs I liked too and how they also reminded me of times in my life but often different scenarios. It was also great to get songs from people I wouldn’t have listened to and finding that I had a new track to download on Itunes.

Whatever the reasons and whatever the song, there will always be music to brighten a bad day and to spark a lifelong connection with a place in time. So like they say, when the time is bad, let’s face the music and dance!

I am still looking for suggestions to add to the “Our Happy Songs” YouTube play list (which I’ve linked to below). Leave a comment, FB me, Tweet me or email me with your suggestions and I’ll add them.