I hate it when I am in a bad mood. The state of my mind being sad or crabby at the world makes me feel icky, and I do everything in my power to stop it. My methods for bringing up my spirits include finding reasons to smile, doing nice things for others, and of course listening to Broadway show tunes. Broadway songs have the power to instantly make someone feel good and happy with a single note and song lyric. Some of these songs can make you feel powerful and give you the ability to conquer the world even on your worse days. Here are six of my personal favorite songs that I listen to when I need inspirational people to bring up my sour mood.

1. "Seize The Day" from Newsies-

What a perfect place to start with my favorite group of singing and dancing, ragged newsboys from 1899. While all the songs from Newsies are uplifting in their own ways, this one stands out in particular and holds a special place in my heart. This song is all about overcoming adversity and not letting the larger power win. The lowly Newsies are fighting for their rights against the evil Joseph Pulitzer, and they are singing about how they need to seize every opportunity to achieve this goal. This song is definitely a must-hear during those times when you are feeling crushed by the supposed “higher” powers around you, and you want to take a stand.

2. "I'm Here" from The Color Purple-

This showstopper teaches audiences everywhere to love yourself and who you are; you don’t need outside people to make you happy. Celie doesn’t need the love of a man to realize her self-worth, but she finds happiness in her sister, children, and the other great things in life that make her stand tall and proud. I find this song to be especially uplifting for those in times where they are upset by one occurrence in life and need to stop for a moment and find all of the great things that they have. This powerful ballad teaches those to always look towards the bright side of life and bask in the parts of life that make you happy.

3. "Defying Gravity" from Wicked-

This powerful number is about going against the norms of society for what you believe in. Elphaba knows what she believes in and isn’t afraid to go against the other citizens of Oz in order to follow her beliefs. She is not going to play by the rules of someone else’s game anymore; she is going to take her chances and defy “gravity,” or the normal state of living in Oz. It doesn’t matter that she is fighting this fight alone because she is freeing herself from society’s scrutiny. This song is extremely uplifting to listen to in general (especially if you listen to versions sung by Idina Menzel and Jessica Vosk), but it is especially moving for those who really need to against the norms of society and fight for your beliefs.

4. "Don't Rain On My Parade" from Funny Girl-

Sometimes people are rotten, and they like to rain on all of the good things that are going on in your life because they are jealous. Other people even try to tell you how to live your life. This is not right. In this song, Fanny Brice is being told by Eddie not to follow Nick around New York. Fanny replies by saying not to tell her how to live her life. She is going to live her life how she wants to, and no one is going to stop her. This song goes out to all of the people out there who always feel like people are telling them how to live their life. You need to live your life how you want to live it, and nobody should stop you. Just go for your dreams no matter what the cost is and enjoy your life.

5. "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" from Spamalot-

This song has a pretty simple meaning that everyone should live by every day. King Arthur sings to Patsy that even though they are going through a rough time trying to find a shrubbery for the Knights Who Say Ni, they need to take the moment to find the happy things in life to help them keep going. When both King Arthur and Patsy do this in their song, they finally find the shrubbery that they are looking for. This song is great for those who are feeling down because one thing in their life is getting in the way. This could be finals, a stressful job, or other personal issues. Sometimes, you just need to look at the positives in the situation and make the most of it.

6. "Naughty" from Matilda-

Matilda is not only the epitome of rebellious children, but she has a lot of wisdom for a five-year-old little girl. In this particular song, she sings to the audience how even though she is little and people think that she can’t do much to get out of the horrible situation she is in, she can’t just sit back and let things happen to her. Sometimes she does have to be a little bit “naughty” and take a stand against her abusive parents to show that she is not going to let these people win. This song is perfect for those who believe that they are “nobodies” that are unable to make a change to the situation that they are in. As Matilda says, even if you are little you can still do a lot.