Lyrics for Reference: https://genius.com/Lana-del-rey-doin-time-lyrics | https://genius.com/Lana-del-rey-lolita-lyrics | https://genius.com/Melanie-martinez-the-bakery-lyrics | https://genius.com/Charli-xcx-hot-girl-bodies-bodies-bodies-lyrics

When I’m not on emotional lockdown like a penetentiary, I like to listen to happy, brighter songs that you can skip rope to. These songs come from a variety of the artists I listen to (with many of them also making the more “down” feeling songs I enjoy), such as Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez, and Charli XCX. I don’t have TikTok, however, the virality of Lana Del Rey’s “Doin’ Time” cover, specifically the bridge, came to my attention on Instagram reels, making me proud to be a Lana fan. Not only does this song discuss summer—feel good vibes already—but it also has a summer-like instrumental that just feels physically warm.

Despite it being regarded as one of Lana’s worst songs by her fanbase, Lolita is a song that I shamelessly listen to—not caring about what they say about me—and have a music video in my head for. It includes Lana with heart-shaped sunglasses and her “Lolita” look driving in a James Bond-esque car with a sniper-shot sort of zoom-in on her face that shakes a little bit as it keeps track of the car, with that camera-shot representing the borderline humor of the song’s instrumental.

The music video for The Bakery by Melanie Martinez is a song that I was present for the YouTube premiere of, where I even used the little baking ingredients I had left to try and make some cake for myself to eat while watching the video. The video is definitely not mainstream—I’ll say that—but it perfectly matches the fun and bright energy I referenced earlier that knocks me down like a dodgeball. The meaning of the song is also quite fitting, with it being about her getting fired from her bakery job that she hated (light-hearted jab).

Charli XCX’s song for the Bodies Bodies Bodies movie titled Hot Girl is just a bop in its purest form. The obnoxious bass and weird background vocals that spawn randomly during the chorus on top of lyrics that don’t take themselves too seriously combine to create a masterpiece that never fails to put or keep me in a good mood (and I’d assume the same for others). I guess you could say this song dances in stillettos on the tabletop. Other songs wanna be Hot Girl, but Charli’s not joking when she says she’ll race them there in her Bentley truck.

To put it short, these songs can make the living easy.