I love music. I think that is a medium that so many talented artists have used to carve out thoughts, feelings, and places that invite us to take it all in. It’s beautiful and raw, real and lovely, and when the world is too much and I start to disassociate, it is the place I turn to the most to find my way back into my skin. November is National Adoption Month and all our adoption friends are looking up songs about adoption. I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to include songs that are meaningful for me not just because they relate to adoption, but because, in different parts of our journey, they’ve been the catalyst for joy and celebration in our home.
Sometimes it can feel difficult to see good in the world, and music feels like a surefire way to change that.
Some of these songs are simply celebratory and some are what I use to hype myself up when a day has gone sideways but all of them are great for celebrating.
1. Imagine Dragons “I’m On Top of The World”
This song makes me smile whenever I hear it. It reminds me of the joy I felt on adoption day, the happiness I feel when I celebrate something with my kids, and is generally just a feel-good song around here. The lyrics are clean, the tune is upbeat and all-in-all would make a great addition to an adoption day playlist or a hype song to get people going.
2. Meghan Trainor “I Feel Better When I’m Dancing”
Originally off the Peanuts movie soundtrack, this song found its way into my playlists accidentally, but I’m not mad about it:
Show the world you’ve got that fire
Feel the rhythm getting louder
Show the world you can do
Prove to them you’ve got the moves
I don’t know about you
But I feel better when I’m dancing
I feel better when I’m dancing, too, Meghan. Thanks for this absolute bop.
3. Bruno Mars “Count on Me”
Ya’ll. I know our kids aren’t supposed to be our friends. I know I’m Mom first, friend second. But I adore my people and the idea that someday they will maybe trust that I’m a friend that cares about them because I’m the person that consistently shows up. I love the chorus:
You can count on me
like 1,2,3,
I’ll be there
I wholly endorse adding this one to your playlist.
4. Katy Perry “Firework”
This is, in my opinion, is one of the best hype songs. Yes girl!
Baby you’re a firework,
come on let your colors burst
My kids are easily the most colorful people I know and watching them shine is *chef’s kiss* perfection so I love this one for them.
5. Shakira “Try Everything”
This is a song from the Disney movie Zootopia and it is, in a word: delightful. The money lyric for me though, that makes it feel right to include it in this list is
Look how far you’ve come, you filled your heart with love
Baby, you’ve done enough, take a deep breath
Don’t beat yourself up, no need to run soar fast
Sometimes we come last, but we did our best
6. Stephen Curtis Chapman “ When Love Takes You In”
This one isn’t peppy or boppy. But SCC is a legend in Christian music circles and his and his wife’s organization, Show Hope, is responsible for helping adoptive families around the world; so even if I didn’t like this song (which, I do) it almost feels wrong to not mention this one. The real tear-jerker lyrics for me are
And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be
I can remember waiting for the day my kids would come home and feeling so sad for the kids I didn’t know but wanted to keep safe.
7. Need To Breathe “Hard Love”
This one is dedicated to all the adoptive families walking through a difficult time. I blast this on repeat in the car when I’m deep in my feels about one of the kids.
Hold on tight a little longer
what don’t kill you makes you stronger
Get back up cuz’ it’s a hard love.
You can’t change without a fallout.
It’s gonna work so don’t you slow down.
Get back up cuz it’s a hard love.
I don’t know about you, but I need that reminder when I have a kid deep in their trauma responding to everything and everyone with anger and hurt.
8. American Authors “Best Day of My Life”
Look. Objectively, adoption is problematic at times. And all the anticipation I felt leading up to adoption day ultimately led to me being disappointed when others didn’t live up to my expectations. That said, this is a great, peppy song that is inherently celebratory and it feels right to add this to the list. While it might have been an emotional day, and we all might struggle with our big feelings, becoming a family was one of the best days of my life.
9. Casting Crowns ”So Far to Find you”
This one is kinda on the nose for me. It’s a little much depending on my mood. The lyric that does me in consistently, anticipating it or not:
You were fighting and fearful
You were hiding your heart away
But I was trying so hard to show you
‘Cause there were no words that I could say
If you could see my heart
You would know that all I want to do
Is care for you
Like . . . please, can you not? This is so real. But for sure a celebration of what adoption is despite the pain for all parties at times.
10. Katrina and the Waves “Walking on Sunshine”
It’s an oldie but a goodie. I love this song so much. My kids and I dance to it while we lip sync and it’s hilarious.
I used to think maybe you loved me
now baby I’m sure…
Indeed. It’s a great reminder that sometimes things are happy happy and it’s fun to sing about it.
