"Life in a Northern Town" - The Dream Academy

Sometimes a song will come into my head for no apparent reason and stick.  This was a welcome instance of that.  I love the energetic drums and vocals in the chorus, and how can you go wrong with a pop band that has a cello and an English horn?  Enjoy!

(Admittedly, there are a couple references that may not be "uplifting," but I think the rest of the song compensates.)

"A Thousand Years" - Christina Perri

This is such a sweet song!  I think the chorus is definitely GUM - I don't mind getting it stuck in my head, at least.... Enjoy!

(btw, not sure what the Twilight references are about.)

ThePianoGuys are making it BIG!!

ThePianoGuys were an early addition to this blog, and I am so delighted to see them hitting the big time!  You can (and should ;) pre-order their album here:

Support GUM!!

Also, you can (and should ;) watch them on Leno!
Congrats, Guys!

"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction - ThePianoGuys

Yay for ThePianoGuys!!  This one has over 6 MILLION views!

"Do It for Love" - Hall & Oates

I remember when this song came out, and I remember really liking it : )  I ended up getting the album from my dad for my birthday!  Enjoy!

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" - Boy Meets Girl

This song became the "theme," if you will, for one or two of my early crushes.  It's a classic, 80s one-hit-wonder-type song, complete with saxophone solo and "we-weren't-sure-how-to-end-this" fade out, but I love it nonetheless.  It brings back fun memories :)

If you need even more of an 80s kick, check out the official video!

"Til Kingdom Come" - Coldplay

A nice, mellow love song :)  I like the guitar part during the chorus, especially.  Enjoy!

Recommendations, Week 5: "I Look to You" - Whitney Houston

A very appropriate video recommendation for the blog this week.  A beautiful song and singer, with an uplifting message.

"In the House of Stone and Light" by Martin Page - The Brown Derbies

A college friend introduced me to The Brown Derbies, a male a capella group at Brown University.  I love their arrangement of this song.  (Don't let the thumbnail image deter you....)

(The original is good, too, but I couldn't find a GUM-worthy video for it.)

Week 4 Recommendations: Carly Simon, "Ratatouille," and a Pandora suggestion

This week's recommendations span the genres!  We have sacred, 80s pop, and a French soundtrack song...  Enjoy!

The first recommendation is not so much a song as a suggestion for a good way to get lots of good, uplifting music.  My friend said that if you go to Pandora and type "Mormon Tabernacle Choir" into the "New Station" box, you can get lots of good, uplifting music! My guess is that other names, such as "Choir of King's College" or "John Rutter," you would also bring up lots of "GUM."

The next recommendation is for a song from one of my favorite singers when I was growing up, Carly Simon!

"The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of" - Carly Simon

The next is the last song in the Pixar film, Ratatouille...

"Le Festin" - Camille

ThePianoGuys (esp. Steven Sharp Nelson): "Beethoven's 5 Secrets" and "The Cello Song"

Okay, so I am an unabashed fan of ThePianoGuys, but I think I may have come across them in an unusual way....  I recently started a research study on back pain in cellists.  While I was preparing, I thought, "I should look at some videos to see how different cellists move the bow when they play."  I did a YouTube search for "cello," and the video below came up in the list.  The thumbnail image showed eight cellists, and I thought, "Perfect!  I can watch eight cellists at once."  Of course, it wasn't long before I realized what was happening....

Also when I was preparing for the study, I realized that the song "Secrets" by OneRepublic had a great cello part (I thought I could learn to play it ;), and I hoped that one day ThePianoGuys would do a cover of that song.  Well, today that became reality!

"One Good Woman" - Peter Cetera

I have to admit that Peter Cetera is one of my favorite '80s artists.  Here's a great 'happy-in-love' song from him.

"You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" - Josh Groban

When this song came out, it always made me feel better when times were hard.  I love the inspiring message that you aren't alone, and that everyone has tough times, but you can make it!

(Click here for the official video, which can't be embedded.)

"Just a Kiss" - Lady Antebellum

A sweet pop-country song.  The group Lady Antebellum has such a warm, real sound that gives a feeling of sincerity to their music.

Recommendations: Week 2 ("Song for a Winter's Night" and "Reach")

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone!  (sorry for not posting yesterday!)
This week we have a sweet romantic song and another "I can do it" song.  Enjoy!

"Song for a Winter's Night" - Gordon Lightfoot

"Reach" - Gloria Estefan (from the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games)

"Man Who Can't Be Moved" - The Script

Most of the songs on the GUM blog about relationships will be "happy-in-love" songs, but this is an exception about unrequited love.  The reason I still find it so uplifting is the (admittedly excessive) devotion the singer shows to his lost girl, and the way the music highlights the sincerity of his love.

"Everything" - Michael Buble

Sweet lyrics, with Michael Buble's modern-crooner style :)

"One Step at a Time" - Jordin Sparks

Another "you-can-do-it" song!  I like the high-heel clicks at the beginning, suggesting a busy business woman heading out for the day.

(Official video has too much immodesty for the GUM blog.)

"Hello world" - Lady Antebellum

This beautiful country ballad is about taking a step back and refocusing.

The official video is a tear-jerker, but here it is if you want to watch it!

"Perfect World" - Peter Cetera

Sweet, sincere lyrics with a great message!