Want to start the year on a high note? Take a number from any of these best-loved musicals to usher in a happier 2014. Here are 10 songs to sing through challenges--don't be shy now, go ahead and take centerstage. Sing happy and be happy all throughout the year!

(Screencap from Hairspray courtesy of New Line Cinema)



1. “BYE BYE BIRDIE” (Bye Bye Birdie)

Bye Bye Birdie is a musical take on the Elvis and Beatlemania craze back in the ‘60s, with teen girls fawning over fictional rock star Conrad Birdie. If you follow Mad Men, you would have caught this number as the peg for Patio Diet Cola's TV commercial. Dare to take on the world by channelling those super fangirl energies and sing your heart out.

2. “DEFYING GRAVITY” (Wicked)

“Defying Gravity” closes act one of Wicked, as Elphaba makes a dark discovery about the Wizard and the land of Oz. She makes the decision to do what's right, even when she's branded as the wicked witch. This is a song for those who need the courage to soar, even in the face of difficulties. Sing it out loud and proud, broomstick optional.

3. “DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE” (Funny Girl)

While Funny Girl is one of the movies for the freshly brokenhearted, “Don't Rain On My Parade” is a sure fit for any happy occasion. As the song goes, “life's candy and the sun's a ball of butta [butter].” This is especially recommended for celebrating those YOLO moments.



4. “FOR NOW” (Avenue Q)

If only life were like musicals, where people would break into song to make bad things go away. At least, as the puppets of Avenue Q sing, “everything in life is only for now.” This is for that last shred of sanity before the day ends. Sing this to remind yourself that even bad events pass to make way for better things. At the end of it all, “life may be scary, but it's only temporary.”



5. “GET HAPPY” (Summer Stock)

Add a little two-step to this signature song by Judy Garland. “Get Happy” was first performed in the 1950 musical film Summer Stock with Garland co-starring Gene Kelley. This song's good vibes have been revived throughout the years, especially in a duet version with Barbra Streisand on The Judy Garland Show and its recent cover on Glee by characters Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel.



6. “HAPPINESS” (You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown)

While we're often plagued with what it means to be happy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang had it all figured out at age six. Return to a simpler time on days when you're down and out.



7. “SO MUCH BETTER” (Legally Blonde: The Musical)

You might be feeling blue, but you are almost guaranteed to think pink with this song. Elle Woods finds her name on a list for a firm's prestigious law internship program, and she bursts into song out of joy. Give this a listen for hard-won projects at work or for the silver linings on life's rain clouds. After all, it's the little things that are worth celebrating in this hard-knock life.



8. “WE DANCE” (Once on this Island)

Shimmy with the villagers and gods of the Antilles in this rousing song about dancing. With its island harmonies and flavors, this is almost as good as a beach trip on a hot summer day. “We Dance” goes best with your morning routine, as a pick-me-up with your breakfast and coffee right before you head out and face the world.



9. “WE GO TOGETHER” (Grease)

This is another rock and roll musical that needs no introduction. Bring out the poodle skirts and hair gel and prepare to hand jive! If only high school were this much fun. Get rolling with this song and remember forever with “shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yippity boom de boom.”



10. “YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT” (Hairspray)

It's hard to pick out just one happy song from Hairspray! Tracy Turnblad's energy is infectious, and we could all learn a little something from her sunny point of view that melts social tensions of 1960s Baltimore. This is a song to remind you to never hold back, just shake and shimmy on, because the beat will go on.