These are HANDS DOWN, BAR NONE, the INDISPUTABLE best songs to do your makeup to. Yes! Each and every one gives you the confidence to go A LITTLE HIGHER with the eyeliner, A LITTLE DARKER with blush, and LITTLE BIGGER with the lip liner. When I’m exhausted and cranky and couldn’t care less about the evening ahead, I put these songs on and am INSTANTLY transformed. Listen to them below. They are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a bounce to your step.
#5. Saint Motel “My Type” – You probably remember this song as a snippet from an Express commercial this summer, but, oh, it’s so much more. Just listen: The beat is kicky, the horns are a delight, and the cow bells, well, don’t start me on the cow bells. Also: I live for the line “I’m a man who got veeeeeeeery specific tastes…” THAT’S ME! I’M a man who has very specific tastes! I get it! Anyway, you need to check out the video, which you’ve probably never seen before. It’s VERY Palm Springs, very retro-60s, with big haired women wearing Pucci-esque caftans – TO. DIE. FOR. Much to inspire you.
#4. Every time you start to forget about Adam Lambert, he roars back into your life to remind you why he’s just the best gay icon-in-the-making that we’ve got. Both “Ghost Town” – and his latest “Another Lonely Night” – are effortless throwback to those throbbing gay dance anthems of yore. “Ghost Town” especially gets my juices flowing.
#3. Cold War Kids “First” – this doubles as my favorite driving song of the year. It’s very…. kinetic. Very…. explosive. And for some reason the lyrics kind of hurt my heart.
“Flying like a cannonball
Falling to the earth
Heavy as feather when you hit the dirt
How am i the lucky one?
I did not deserve, to wait around forever
when you were there first.”
Not sure what it means, but damn if it doesn’t get me every time.
#2. DNCE “Cake by the Ocean” – Who knew Joe Jonas would have a comeback this year, as well as his brother? His dance band DNCE really came out of left field with this song. I just love it. It feels fresh, doesn’t it? Too bad they gave it to Sprint for their commercials before it had the chance to blow up. I guess hedging your bet and getting that commercial money is wise, but it kills the momentum of the song, doesn’t it? Now it’s “that Sprint song.” Still good. Still gets me going, but I feel it was a wasted opportunity for them to really get some dance floor cred.
and my #1 getting-ready song of 2015 is Nick Jonas “Levels” – Huh? you are saying to yourself. You might not even remember it. It came and went rather quickly and frankly never got the air play it deserved. But it’s good. Reeeeal good. I’m just going to say it: Better than “Jealous.” And DEFINITELY better than “Chains” (which is only good because of his muscles in the video, let’s be real). I’m going to take it a step farther: “Levels,” I dare say, is THE BEST SONG OF THE YEAR. KaPOW. Take that “Hello”!
