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If You're Happy And You Know It ...

Posted at 8:23 AM on August 26, 2009 by Steve Seel (26 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break

(updated below with your requests)

Today's 9:30 Coffee Break is very simple. Hand claps. That's it. Happy, bouncy hand claps that make a song even happier. It's certainly the cheapest production technique to fill out your pop song with just the right sound; even cheaper than a tamborine or a pair of maraccas, and often even more effective. Jill and I were amazed that we've apparently never done this as a topic.

Get your hand claps on today!

Update: Wow, a happy deluge of requests this morning. Tons of great suggestions. We played:

1) The Cars, "My Best Friend's Girl"
2) The Hopefuls, "Virgin Wood"
3) Beck, "Where It's At"
4) The Cure, "Close To Me"
5) The Bird and the Bee, "My Love"

Thanks everyone!

Comments (26)

Hey Ya — Outcast. Random hand claps throughout and song that makes me want to get up and dance every time it's played.

Posted by kit casey | August 26, 2009 8:46 AM

The 757's - Narcissism. Handclaps come in on the 2nd verse and are all sorts of awesome. Hooray for the local boys!

Posted by Joe | August 26, 2009 8:49 AM

Hall & Oats — Private Eyes
The Darkness — I Believe In A Thing Called Love
DJ Casper — Cha Cha Slide

Posted by Jared | August 26, 2009 8:51 AM

Freeze Frame. J Geils Band. Boom.

Posted by Jessi | August 26, 2009 8:51 AM

Phoenix - Run Run Run (live)

Gotta have a slow clap, right?

Posted by Mk | August 26, 2009 8:53 AM

Iron & Wine ~ Boy With a Coin. Rhythmic clapping is throughout the song, changing and getting faster and more complex with each verse or chorus.

Posted by Michael | August 26, 2009 8:53 AM

so many i can't even think.. i will go with "Need Your Needs" by Georgie James

Posted by wellst | August 26, 2009 8:56 AM

Clap your hands by they might be giants probably has the most clapping and foot stomping than any other song! :)

Posted by Michael Scribner-O'pray | August 26, 2009 8:57 AM

Mickey by Toni Basil!

Posted by Katie | August 26, 2009 9:08 AM

Yes! I love claps in songs! How about Eagles of Death Metal, "Speaking in Tongues"!

Posted by Tara McDaniel | August 26, 2009 9:09 AM

Not a huge hand clap song- but I love the timing of the 2 hand claps in TV on the Radio "Dancing Choose". Pretty dorky, I know, but I felt pretty cool clapping along when I saw them live!

Posted by Laura | August 26, 2009 9:12 AM

I second private eyes. Or:

Le tigre - deceptacon
George michael - faith
Radiohead - we suck young blood
Michael jackson - rock with you
Safety dance is way down there on the list, but acceptable.

Posted by Twoslot | August 26, 2009 9:18 AM

Clap your Hands by Clap your Hands Say Yeah!
California Soul (Diplo/Mad Decent Remix) Marlena Shaw
and/or
When you Touch me, Freemasons

Posted by Tara McDaniel | August 26, 2009 9:18 AM

It's 5! by Architecture in Helsinki
It will start everyone's day off right, always makes me super duper happy. =)

Posted by Kit | August 26, 2009 9:19 AM

Nina Simone- Sinner Man

Posted by Nate Olson | August 26, 2009 9:21 AM

Ol Dirty Bastard - Got your money

Posted by Kyle | August 26, 2009 9:23 AM

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
Ben Lee - Catch My Disease

Posted by bwshuez | August 26, 2009 9:24 AM

Haight Street by Anberlin
I love this band!

Posted by Rachel | August 26, 2009 9:25 AM

Smoosh - Clap On

Posted by Zackzilla | August 26, 2009 9:27 AM

I forgot on my e-mail request. Centerfield by John Fogerty. Totally an old school 80's song - but there is nothing better than clapping out that rhythm at a baseball game or to that song!!

Posted by Rachel Funk_Johnson | August 26, 2009 9:31 AM

My 15 year old reminded me that The New Standards slip a little hand clapping into the end of "Watching the Detectives."

Posted by Mary | August 26, 2009 9:31 AM

...Love Boston!!!

Posted by Zackzilla | August 26, 2009 9:32 AM

"Nichts Nein Frankenstein" - Das Furlines

Posted by IndyR | August 26, 2009 9:35 AM

That Thing You Do - The Wonders (they even show Liv Tyler adding the claps in the movie, you know)

Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows (happy? check. bouncy? double check.)

Annie Waits - Ben Folds (more a punctuation clap)

Punk - Gorillaz (from their first album)


Thanks!

Posted by Brenna | August 26, 2009 9:45 AM

Styx- Too Much Time on My Hands

Posted by kristen | August 26, 2009 5:25 PM

"Girls & Boys In Love" - The Rumble Strips

it's a good clap-above-the-head clap song.

Posted by Johanna | August 28, 2009 11:03 AM

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