OboeCrazy wrote:

The hard part wasn't picking the music. It was whittling it down to just five songs.

Fanfare Ciocarlia - Asfalt Tango
http://youtu.be/KodqWmiwxF4

I was introduced to Fanfare Ciocarlia on my drive across the country as I moved to Seattle. Someone (and I still don't know who) put what must have been 2-3 CDs worth of their music into my playlist. My absolute favorite song I couldn't find on YouTube. It's called Moldavian Mood and it makes me grin and giggle EVERY TIME I HEAR IT. Those five days of driving introduced me to half the bands output and I loved every minute of it.

Roisin Murphy - Ruby Blue
http://youtu.be/ZwzTDTpU5kQ

This song makes me wish I could sing. It's got guts, soul, sex, and a killer guitar part full of weight and chunk. On mornings where I need to get my butt going I put this on. Roisin's voice is fantastic, and I could play this song a dozen times in a row and not get tired of it.

Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein
http://youtu.be/6ZPF5mPIpXU

Part of me wanted to fill this list with classical music. I could easily find 5 things that would make me happy. But in truth I don't listen to a lot of classical music. I PLAY IT. So if the intent of this list are the pieces I would turn on to listen to...classical music doesn't actually come up very often for me. I am immersed in orchestral music for most of my day, I look for other forms of music most of the rest of the time.

And yes, this is actually an overture to a musical. Written by one of the greatest composer conductors of this era, and filled with snippets of the music to come in the show. But divorced from the actual musical it's still sublime...soaring and funny and fast and lyrical and how can you not just start grinning when Bernstein starts cranking up the speed? Maybe I should have picked a symphony or concert or other fantastic work...but I turn to Bernstein and this overture when I want to be happy, and so here it is.

Budapest Klezmer Band - Clarinet Interlude
http://youtu.be/ZpqVYvPIv1s

Often my favorite pieces of music are ones I love so much they make me wish I didn't play oboe but whatever instrument is being played. This makes me wish I was a clarinet player. It's a 2 minute intro to 50 seconds of awesome breakneck Kelzmer, and I dare you to listen to the whole thing and not want to jump up and dance by the end!

Barenaked Ladies - Everything Had Changed
http://youtu.be/cGNFfkv0b6s

Barenaked Ladies is one of my favorite bands of all time, and I do think "Barenaked Ladies are Me" is their best album. While Bank Job ties as my most loved piece on the album, Everything Had Changed has more of the folk quirk that the album and the band are known for. I had the chance to see them perform live in Toronto on thier last tour with all the members, and their accoustic set included a beautiful rendition of this song that remains one of my favorite concert moments ever.