These 3 Hopeful Songs From the 90s Remind Us That Life Is Worth Living

They say that what you listen to and watch can influence your daily life subconsciously. If you’re looking for some good energy, take a beat and listen to these 90s songs. You’ll be feeling eternally optimistic in no time.

“You Get What You Give” by New Radicals

If you’re ever in a bad mood, this song will get you out of it almost instantaneously.

Gregg Alexander, the lead vocalist for New Radicals, explained that this pop-rock jam was actually inspired by a dream in which he had an encounter with singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Apparently, in the dream, he walked into his house, found Mitchell there, and the two of them started talking about music.

This is a fascinating story, especially when you find out that Mitchell herself ended up being a fan of “You Get What You Give”, not knowing she partially inspired it.

 “After that, I met her,” Alexander told The Guardian. “I told her about the dream and she said, ‘Oh wonderful’, like she has coincidences like that every day. She must be some kind of lightning rod for all these magical things.”

“I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly

“I Believe I Can Fly” is one of those songs we all laugh at a little when we’re young but find ourselves needing desperately as we age. This song tells us that we can achieve anything we set our minds to.

At Michael Jordan’s request, R. Kelly wrote “I Believe I Can Fly” for the movie Space Jam, which came out in 1996.

“You Gotta Be” by Des’ree

Considering that this song was literally inspired by a book that literally talks about affirmations, “You Gotta Be” is pretty much an essential hit for this list. R&B singer Des’ree was inspired by the book Creative Visualization when she penned this one with Ashley Ingram. If you listen to the lyrics, they actually sound like some sort of mantra you would tell yourself in a time of need.

You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know
Love will save the day.

 Photo by: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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