Deep in the heart of winter, beset by snowstorms and cold weather fit for arctic nicknames, we asked you to share some music to get us warmed up. We wanted all the songs that help you shake off the cold, the music that gets you moving even on gray days and in toe-numbing weather. And oh my, did you ever deliver.
After weeks of work, promises and more than a few shivers of anticipation, our Cabin Fever Playlist is now officially open and ready for business.
More than 800 of you answered our call. Your suggestions were as effective as they were wide-ranging: Cures for the deep-winter doldrums came from funk (of course) — but also R&B, rock, reggae, jazz and a few classic pop numbers that can't stay forgotten long.
Whittling the playlist down to the best of the bunch took some difficult decisions, but in lots of cases, you made the job easy for us. There were some songs on which many of you agreed.
On one track, your message was unmistakable: Katrina and the Waves made the Cabin Fever song par excellence. The group's irrepressible single, "Walking on Sunshine," garnered more than double (!) the votes of the next song on the list.
Dawn Boone of Riverview, Fla., explains why — even better than we can: "It is pure happiness in a single song."
But that wasn't the only track to get plenty of attention. The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher" and even Benny Goodman, that classic King of Swing, all clocked in with multiple mentions. Roger Reed, who picked Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing," says of the song: "80 years plus and it still makes my grandkids move like it made my grandma move."
The playlist is certainly packed with a hefty share of classics. Before you agree with Susan Johns Smith, though — who lovingly scolds us for seeming "stuck in the 20th century when it comes to music favorites" — rest assured that you and the rest of our listeners brought us up to date. Macklemore, Michael Franti and Avicii occupy featured spots on this list, as well.
But it makes no matter whether it's old or new, swing or funk, rock or reggae — you all picked a mix to make these cold days warm again. Now, enough from us. To borrow from James Brown and Pharrell: Get up offa that thing, get listening and get happy.
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