With both sun and daffodils emerging from hibernation and the vernal equinox now past, spring, once again, is blooming. That means it’s time to cast off the heavy coats and songs of winter, and treat ourselves to some music to go with the most uplifting of all the seasons. Here are 5 tracks that never fail to put a smile on my face. 
 
‘Yes’ – McAlmont & Butler 

There’s a scene in the 2017 Manic Street Preachers documentary Escape From History where, shattered by the disappearance of guitarist Richey Edwards, remaining members James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, and Sean Moore isolate from one another, unsure if they want to continue making music. After a few months, Sean Moore ‘chanced upon’ the recently released ‘Yes’ by McAlmont and Butler, and it reignited their enthusiasm in music. To say the song inspired the band’s later album Everything Must Go is a stretch, but it clearly played a big part in breaking them out of their collective malaise. Written by Bernard Butler after his split from former band Suede, ‘Yes’ is ‘regularly hailed as one of the most uplifting pieces of music ever recorded’. A tonic in musical form, it’s certainly a track which never fails to lift my mood when I put it on, however low I’m feeling. Reaching number 8 in the UK singles charts and landing them a Silver Disc along the way, ‘Yes’ stood for a high point that McAlmont and Butler would never reach again. Then again, so good is it that few have even climbed so high in the first place. 

 ‘The Garden of Eden’ – Weezer  

 Already well-established as musical chameleons, it wasn’t an enormous shock when Weezer announced in early 2022 that their next project would involve ‘4 EPs inspired by magic, Pagan myths, religious rituals, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Shakespeare & more’.  What might have delighted fans, however, was the news that all four EPs would come that same year, released on the first day of each season. The project may have been a little patchy overall (hardly surprising, given the range of influences lead songwriter Rivers Cuomo was trying to cover), but there were some real highs along the way, including ‘The Garden of Eden’. Taken from the ‘Spring’ instalment of SZNS, this song was literally (used correctly, for once) made for the season, and sees Weezer dipping their toes in Doo-Wop, complete with I-vi-IV-V chord progression, and sunny backing vocals. ‘I haven’t felt this good since Velcro sneakers came along’ Cuomo sings, and we believe him.  Reality hitting like a shot in the arm on a cold March morning. 

‘Learning to Breathe’ – Nerina Pallot  

The story leading up to the release of Pallot’s sophomore album Fires in 2006 is one of triumph over adversity. Dumped by Polydor after the disappointing commercial showing of debut album Dear Frustrated Superstar, the classically trained Pallot (pronounced “Pallow”) ended up remortgaging her house and maxing out her credit cards paying for the recording of Fires. One Gold Disc later, and a new deal with Warner subsidiary 14^th Floor Records, and the risk was vindicated several times over. ‘Learning to Breathe’, the album’s fifth song, may only have enjoyed modest chart success, but it embodies the self-belief, positive thinking, and self-empowerment that allowed Fires to exist in the first place. ‘Like sailors look to stars to find their way home/ I’m learning to breathe on my own’, Pallot tells us. And a fine job she did of it. 

‘Things the Grandchildren Should Know’ – Eels 
 
The final track from Eels’ 2005 double album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, ‘Things the Grandchildren Should Know’ presents an extraordinary moment when ‘bloodshot and world-weary’ singer/ songwriter/ producer Mark ‘E’ Everett ‘clears his eyes and finds that life is still sweet enough to live all over again’. It’s a song that makes us look outward and appreciate the one life we lead whilst we still have it, a genuinely beautiful and life-affirming track which makes us believe, as E says, in ‘the blue sky that comes the day after a terrible storm’. For maximum emotional impact (and pleasure), listen to the whole album, but if you don’t have a spare 90 minutes, this track does a great job of summarising it.  
 
 ‘Always Come Back To Your Love’ – Samantha Mumba 

Admittedly, with its ‘aural portfolio of every ‘00s production gimmick available’,there’s more than just a sliver of early-2000s cheese to be found on this track. But so what? This is three and a half minutes of pop perfection, with a final chorus key-change, cringey ‘rap’ section, and Britney-imitation vocal notwithstanding. The third single from Mumba’s (one and only) album Gotta Tell You, ‘Always Come Back to Your Love’ was released as 2000’s winter moved into spring; the perfect time of year for a super-catchy and ‘brilliantly upbeat’ song like this to work its magic. Always a sucker for melody, I remain unashamed that this was one of few CD singles I bought in 2001, and am equally unashamed to say that I watched the music video on CD-ROM.