Far Out 40: The happiest folk songs of all time
Folk music doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being the happiest of the genres. With many popular folk songs telling tales of grief, heartbreak and destitution, it’s far more commonly associated with misery and depression than it is with buoyant scenes of jubilation. That being said, there are still the odd few folk songs that have an air of cheeriness about them, and some even go as far as being celebratory, if you can believe it.
However, the methods of communicating happiness through songs can be deceiving, as a vibrant melody can sometimes be backed by the most morose lyrics ever, and when flipping the positions, hopeful words can often be pitted against bleak instrumentation. Folk music is one of the greatest genres for juxtaposing these two contrasting emotions, and just when you think you’ve been lured into a world of sunshine and flowers by gently plucked guitars, someone’s threatening to drink themselves to death.
It might seem like finding 40 of the happiest folk songs ever is an impossible task given that there’s always some sort of despair lurking around the corner, but if you acknowledge that there are some aspects of the genre that zoom in on the beautiful parts of life, then there are plenty of folk songs that can shake off the blues and give you a wonderful feeling inside.
Folk music is one of the oldest forms of telling stories through sound, and performers across the globe have been expressing themselves through this tradition for centuries. Some of the oldest known recordings of music can be attributed to folk artists, and while modern influences have crept in and reshaped what is considered folk music these days, the traditions are unlikely to ever be completely erased.
As much as a sense of sorrow might have plagued the works of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, there are a few songs that lighten the mood in their discographies. Certain strands of folk music are almost always upbeat and merry, and if you travel to certain corners of the world, you’ll be treated to joyous voices in different languages that are sure to heal any sorrows.
So, if you’re feeling at all down in the dumps and want something gentle and soothing to restore the glee in your life, here are the 40 happiest folk songs of all time.
Far Out Magazine’s full list of the happiest folk songs:
- Steeleye Span – ‘A Calling-On Song’
- Tim Buckley – ‘Happy Time’
- The Pogues – ‘Fiesta’
- Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger – ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’
- Mary O’Hara – ‘Carraig Donn’
- The Seekers – ‘Morningtown Ride’
- The Springfields – ‘Island of Dreams’
- Pete Seeger – ‘Little Boxes’
- Andrew Bird – ‘Pulaski at Night’
- Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – ‘Patio Song’
- Nick Drake – ‘Bryter Later’
- Elizabeth Cotten – ‘Wilson Rag’
- Fleet Foxes – ‘White Winter Hymnal’
- Vashti Bunyan – ‘Diamond Day’
- Shirley Collins – ‘Sweet England’
- Bedouine – ‘Echo Park’
- Judee Sill – ‘Crayon Angels’
- Richard Dawson – ‘Polytunnel’
- The Byrds – ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’
- Gordon Lightfoot – ‘Beautiful’
- Mimi & Richard Fariña – ‘Pack Up Your Sorrows’
- Nass El Ghiwane – ‘L’hmami’
- Donovan – ‘Colours’
- Bruce Cockburn – ‘Happy Good Morning Blues’
- Peter, Paul & Mary – ‘If I Had a Hammer’
- Sufjan Stevens – ‘Chicago’
- Adrianne Lenker – ‘Free Treasure’
- The Roches – ‘Pretty and High’
- Bob Dylan – ‘When the Ship Comes In’
- Joni Mitchell – ‘Chelsea Morning’
- Ian & Sylvia – ‘Some Day Soon
- Simon & Garfunkel – ‘At the Zoo’
- Laura Marling – ‘For You’
- Miriam Makeba & Harry Belafonte – ‘Nongqongqo (To Those We Love)’
- John Myrtle – ‘Spider on the Wall’
- Lal & Mike Waterson – ‘Bright Phoebus’
- Karen Dalton – ‘Reason to Believe’
- Bridget St John – ‘The Pebble and the Man’
- Zé Ramalho – ‘A Peleja do Diabo Com o Dono do Céu’
- Jake Thackray – ‘Brother Gorilla’
