30 happy songs for the ultimate feel-good bank holiday playlist
Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, music psychologist Dr Claire Renfrew has crafted a mood-lifting playlist perfect for a road trip. 'Day Tripper' by The Beatles, 'She's Electric' by Oasis, and 'Mamma Mia' by ABBA are among the tracks an expert 'guarantees' will lift your spirits. Other feel-good bangers include Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, Don't Stop Me Now by Queen, and Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys.
The 30-song long playlist, titled 'World's Happiest Car Playlist by FIAT', is available on Spotify and marks 70 years of the legendary 600 - a compact family SUV built for city and countryside driving - and marks the arrival of the new Grande Panda in the UK later this year.
Every tune follows a scientific formula. According to the formula, the key to a dopamine-triggering track is a blend of being in a major key, containing 7th chords, four bars in every beat, and a tempo of 137 BPM.
It must also boast a 'repetitive simple structure' and uplifting lyrics and for the ultimate dopamine hit, Dr Renfrew suggests the songs be "played loud with friends and/or family, while on the road".
Numbers like Happy, by Pharrell Williams and I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me), by Whitney Houston, also stick to these 'rules'.
Dr Renfrew said: "Most happy songs are in a major key, which sounds brighter and is linked to positive emotions. They often have a simple, uplifting, and crucially, familiar chord structure.
"This is pleasing to the ear because our brains find predictability rewarding while fast tempos increase excitement and can increase movement as they reflect an elevated heart rate, mimicking excitement or joy.
"And positive, uplifting themes in the lyrics - such as love, summer, dancing, freedom and friendship - can promote a sense of connection."
Other tunes on the playlist include Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop the Feeling!, Get the Party Started by P!nk, and Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. Dua Lipa's Levitating also made the list, along with One More Time by Daft Punk and Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars.
Dr Renfrew added: "Music is essential to positive mental health and wellbeing and is seen as a fundamental element of being human. It enables us to obtain emotional regulation, a sense of freedom and discovery alongside purpose and fulfilment.
"Listening to our favourite songs also alleviates, manages, and reduces stress and can be an effective tool in relation to mindfulness. It can also trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward."
Giuseppe Cava, UK managing director of the Italian car maker, said: "We have always been about joyful journeys, especially those shared with family.
"And with the bank holiday ahead, the 'World's Happiest Car Playlist by FIAT' is our way of adding even more feel-good energy to the road. It has been designed to keep spirits high on long journeys.
"Road trips are at the heart of many family memories, so we wanted to create a soundtrack that helps make those shared moments even more enjoyable."
SONGS ON THE PLAYLIST:
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
The Beatles – Day Tripper
Oasis – She's Electric
ABBA – Mamma Mia
Thegiornalisti – Riccione
Daft Punk – One More Time
Paramore – Still Into You
Pharrell Williams – Happy
Alessandra Amoroso – Comunque andare
Dua Lipa – Levitating
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream
Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling!
Earth, Wind & Fire – September
Ricchi e Poveri – Sarà perché ti amo
Katy Perry – Firework
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams
BØRNS – Electric Love
P!nk – Get The Party Started
Whitney Houston – Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
Maggie Rogers – Light On
Raffaella Carrà – A far l'amore comincia tu
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
The Cranberries – Dreams
BTS – Dynamite
The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations
Queen – Don't Stop Me Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The dark rise of AI influencers: Why beautiful people who don't exist are invading your social media
'This afternoon is turning into one of those unforgettable ones,' wrote Instagram user Aitana Lopez as she posted pictures of herself at an Oasis gig at Wembley. Aitana, 26 and from Barcelona, could be seen smiling into the camera, her arms outstretched, pink hair draped over her shoulders, the stage behind her, and standing outside Wembley, hands tucked into pockets nonchalantly. Unforgettable? Not quite – Aitana won't remember a thing. In fact, she wasn't even there to begin she doesn't exist. Aitana is among the first AI influencers: a new wave of perfect, potentially problematic content creators invading your social media feeds with flawless skin, washboard abs and unerringly symmetrical faces. Alongside Aitana, a handful have broken through like Mia Zelu, a blonde haired blue–eyed Bible–verse–quoting girl next door who 'turned up' at Wimbledon. These virtual Barbies can wear anything, be anywhere, do anything, no questions asked. Comments are left on their picture–perfect lives by older men who don't seem aware they aren't real, an army of absurdly proportioned copycat virtual models and cynics barely able to comprehend what appears to be the complete collapse of reality online. But their creators, who stand to make money from their use, couldn't be happier, even as psychologists and experts sound the alarm over the effects these flawless sirens stand to have on real people as they are dripped into their feeds via the algorithm. Charlotte Fox Weber, a psychotherapist and author of What We Want, told the Daily Mail: 'AI influencers like Aitana and Mia Zelu aren't just attractive – they're algorithmically perfected. Hyper–symmetry, fantasy proportions, no pores, no limits. 'The danger is that repeated exposure quietly shifts our baseline for "normal" beauty, making our own bodies – and our partners' – feel lacking. The brain doesn't care that it's not real; it just adapts.' Do you manage an AI influencer? Get in touch: 'AI influencers like Aitana Lopez often portray an exaggerated "ideal" – perfect skin, tiny waists, curves in all the "right" places,' adds Hannah O'Donoghue Hobbs, founder of January 92 Socials. 'It's a level of perfection that's literally unattainable because it doesn't exist in reality,.' Aitana, claimed as the 'first AI influencer' by her creators at Spanish agency The Clueless, has left a trail of literally unreal copycats in her wake,: mostly female, often dressed in lingerie and posed suggestively. But her own origins are steeped in arguable cynicism: the Clueless' co–founder, Ruben Cruz, said he created Aitana after growing tired of the 'egos' and 'manias' of the real human beings he used to work with who 'want to make money by posing'. To get around the sheer inconvenience of other human beings, he and fellow founder Diana Nunez created a woman to pose however they like with none of the fuss, none of the real people and, conveniently, none of the pay. Need a fitness model? No problem. Aitana's body requires no hard work to maintain: only a well–sculpted prompt. Dr Carolina Are, social media researcher at Northumbria University's Centre for Digital Citizens, branded the agency's philosophy 'appalling', adding that there is more to being an influencer than 'taking selfies'. 'In a working environment that is already incredibly precarious, especially for marginalised creators, AI influencers can pose yet another risk, creating a palatable aesthetic for brands without the creativity or risks posed by humans,' she said. The Clueless – which defended the comments in a statement to the Mail – boasts it can help advertisers save cash by cutting out real people while, jarringly, striving for 'authenticity and real connections'. Its clients include Audi, for whom it created a virtual mascot, – though her performance in a TV advert had to be performed by a real model before she could be overlaid on the footage. Money is, naturally, at the heart of what these agencies do. Aitana is said to earn her creators £8,000 a month between advertising deals and subscriptions on Fanvue, an OnlyFans competitor that permits AI–generated adult content. Fans can pay £11 a month to message 'her' and receive videos of her 'playing' computer games – in which she stares into the middle distance in what looks like a bedroom, as footage of Mario Kart plays underneath. Some of the Instagram comments left on Mia Zelu's profile by male Instagram users who do not seem to realise she isn't real Off the back of Aitana's success they launched three other 'influencers': Sinead O'Connor–alike Lia Byte, 19–year–old Kai Toledo, and 23–year–old Olivia Roa: all equally plump–lipped, doe–eyed and high–cheeked. Their likenesses appear to be superimposed on top of real photographs – suggesting that at least someone is enjoying a real holiday on their behalf, off–camera. But psychotherapist Fox Weber says the unattainable perfection these influencers pretend to offer risks warping our sense of reality. 'AI influencers like Aitana and Mia Zelu aren't just attractive – they're algorithmically perfected. Hyper–symmetry, fantasy proportions, no pores, no limits,' she warns. 'The danger is that repeated exposure quietly shifts our baseline for "normal" beauty, making our own bodies – and our partners' – feel lacking. The brain doesn't care that it's not real; it just adapts.' Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone who spends most of her time in swimwear, 95 per cent of Aitana's fans are male, according to data from Modash. Her most–liked post, with 37,000 likes, shows her posing in tiny lingerie to celebrate Valentine's Day. But she has inspired a cohort of other AI influencers who all boast glistening skin, exaggerated buttocks and breasts, tiny waists and unrealistically sparkling eyes – all seemingly trying to earn some quick cash from the internet's lonely men. Some of the AI model accounts the Mail found on Instagram linked to adult content on Fanvue. One, charging £7.41 a month for fake nude pictures, had the bio: 'Come burn in my fire. Special place for the boys.' Repeated exposure to these flawless women risks destroying the self–image of women and the expectations of partners, Fox Weber adds. 'These avatars invite parasocial attachment,' she says, referring to the term for the one–way connection people feel with celebrities and influencers. 'Unlike a human partner, they never have bad moods, boundaries, or needs – which can make messy, unpredictable human intimacy feel less appealing. 'If your partner starts to seem more complicated than the flawless AI fantasy, resentment can creep in.' Its other influencers Kai Toledo (left) and Lia Byte (right) live aspirational lifestyles – leading to fears that people viewing them could suffer long–term psychological harm (both images AI–generated) Aitana's creators appear to superimpose her photographs over real places – suggesting that somebody, at least, is enjoying her trips abroad 'This is where I think the harm could be most profound,' adds O'Donoghue Hobbs. 'Combined with the fact that many of these AI profiles are being monetised on adult content platforms like Fanvue, we're pushing audiences – particularly young women – toward comparing themselves to something entirely fabricated. 'It blurs the line between aspiration and fantasy, which can fuel unrealistic expectations and negative self–image in a really insidious way for young men too.' In a statement to the Mail, The Clueless said it had created dozens of AI 'models' with different body types who can be used by fashion firms to show off their clothes and that it created other influencers with 'normal' bodies. It also tried to create influencers with 'normal' bodies, it says – but Aitana proved most popular. In other words, don't look at them: it's society's fault they promoted the virtual model with a six–pack. 'What we do is simple: we observe public behavior, analyze what brands want, and deliver accordingly,' it said. Beyond the profound effects on body image, experts are also concerned about the impact AI content creators will have on the wider creative industry and those who make the magic happen: photographers, make–up artists and stylists. In July, Seraphinne Vallora – an agency founded by Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu – hit the headlines after it created two AI–generated women for fashion brand Guess to use in adverts placed in Vogue magazine. Like The Clueless, the agency says it offers AI models because it 'eliminates the need for expensive set–ups, MUA artists, venue rentals, stage setting, photographers, travel expenses (and) hiring models'. A quick glance at its Instagram gives the same story: flawless skin, precisely set hair, idealised proportions – and near–universal disgust at what some saw as an attempt to drain the fashion industry dry. 'How does it justify you stealing dozens of jobs that are behind real life pictures? Makeup artists, dressers, photographers, assistants, models,' wrote one user. 'These are so bad, freakishly idealised standards that real women will never be able to achieve, it's so damaging,' said another. The Mail contacted Seraphinne Vallora for comment. Psychotherapist Fox Weber added that the fact many AI influencers and models are women is not a coincidence – with their roles reduced to 'tradable' commodities and real–life women cut out of the picture. Branding it 'full industrialised objectification', she added: 'It matters that many of these "women" are designed and owned by men, even when there's a female co–founder involved. 'The claim that they avoid "egos" or "manias" is code for sidestepping female autonomy. 'The tech could be used to broaden representation or push creative boundaries. But right now, it's reinforcing the same narrow ideals, just with better rendering. 'The risk isn't only more fake women – it's that the fantasy becomes the standard, and we start blaming reality for not measuring up.' The Clueless has denied taking away jobs from women, noting that 10 of its 15 staff are female. 'We firmly believe that artificial intelligence is not here to replace anyone. It's here to transform and create new opportunities,' the agency said. But Aitana, and her creators, might not be living in the real world in other ways. Her Oasis post – the one showing her at the gig, and standing outside Wembley – was littered with positive comments from other AI influencers. Negative comments were hard to come by days after it was shared in July. The reception was less charitable when the images were shared on two Oasis fan accounts, where one Oasis fan said: 'What the f*** is an AI influencer? Couldn't give a s***.' The Daily Mail understands the posts were made on two Oasis fan accounts in exchange for payment from a PR firm, but were not declared as paid partnerships – a potential breach of UK advertising guidelines. The Mail asked The Clueless if it moderated Aitana's comments, and whether it had engaged in paid partnerships to promote Aitana. It did not respond to those questions. One of the Oasis fan accounts did respond to the Mail's questions, before deleting its responses hours later. If those behind AI influencers aren't disclosing who they are, or what they are doing behind the scenes, users are at real risk of being misled or exposed to harm, Hannah O'Donoghue Hobbs added. How can virtual influencers confidently promote cafes, salons and skincare clinics, as The Clueless' models have, when they can't eat, get haircuts or have facials? 'There's a huge ethical issue here. Many AI influencers don't disclose who's behind the account or how the content is being generated,' she said. 'Audiences deserve to know whether they're interacting with a human or a digital creation, particularly when it comes to commercial partnerships. 'The content may look real, but there's no lived experience behind it. Over time, that erodes trust not just in the AI influencer, but in the brands who choose to work with them.' Mia Zelu's Wimbledon post was liked over 60,000 times and was reported on across the globe – including on the Daily Mail. It was even listed on the OECD's AI Incidents and Hazards Monitor because it 'constitutes harm'. But nobody knows who is behind the posts – with only RAHFT, a German marketing agency, stepping forward to take credit for at least some of the work. Mark Dollar, CEO of RAHFT – standing for 'Reliable, Authentic, Honest, Fair, Transparent' – insisted to the Mail he was not trying to 'hide who is behind' the accounts. He did not, however, disclose the identity of Mia's creator when asked. Instead, he revealed another plan: to enable celebrities to be in two places at once by posting their AI selves on social media. 'At RAHFT, our priority is clear: AI is never meant to replace people, but to support them,' he said. The Clueless told the Mail that it offered a 'different kind of authenticity and interaction' – suggesting comparing Aitana to a real influencer was akin to comparing a Pixar film to a documentary. But Dr Carolina Are, the social media researcher, believes AI influencers will contribute to the ongoing decline of the internet – a phenomenon known as 'ensh****ification' – as social media becomes overstuffed with beautiful, fake women. And with research suggesting AI–created posts is less likely to be moderated than human content, there may come a time where all that is left online is AI slop. The Clueless doesn't see it that way. It, and other agencies like it, believe AI influencers are only going to make the internet a better place – while admitting that they're drawing nothing but illusions. 'We believe in honesty – and in some ways, it's more ethical to show a perfect body and say "this isn't real," than to show a real body and pretend it's effortless,' The Clueless told the Daily Mail.
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
The Beatles landmark TV series restored for Disney+ with new episode and unseen footage
The Beatles' Anthology TV series is set to his our screens in a nine part series with previously unseen footage – 30 years after originally aired on ITV The Beatles' landmark 'Anthology' TV series and albums from 30 years ago have been restored and remastered and will be available for fans around the world in November - with extra unseen footage. Disney+ announced The Anthology, originally shown on ITV in 1995 and also released as a three part music collection, will now return in its 'ultimate form'. On screen it will become a nine part series, as well as a four volume music collection, and in print there will be a new book. The Anthology featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr candidly telling their own story, with all its complexities and contradictions with new interviews from three of the fab four, with Lennon having died in 1980. It traces the legendary journey that began in Liverpool and Hamburg and soon captivated the world. Rare archival footage of their live performances and rehearsals also featured in the series. And it introduced The Beatles to new generations of viewers and listeners and marked the start of a creative and commercial afterlife that continues to this day. There is now a completely new Episode Nine, including unseen behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George and Ringo coming together between 1994 and 1995 to work on 'The Anthology' and reflecting on their shared life as The Beatles. The series is also credited with reinventing the music documentary. Instead of a standard treatment, it centred on an outside narrator and talking heads. The restoration of the doc has been overseen by Apple Corps' production team, working with a filmmaker Peter Jackson production team along with Giles Martin, who has created new audio mixes for the majority of the featured music. The musical side of The Anthology Collection, originally curated by George Martin, has now been remastered by his son Giles, in the form of three double albums of rare material, a shadow story to the one told in the documentaries. They are an insight into the early development of songs that became the recorded masterpieces. It also has an important new element. Anthology 4, newly curated by Giles, includes 13 previously unreleased demos and session recordings and other rare recordings. It also includes new mixes of The Beatles' Anthology-associated hit singles: 'Free As A Bird' and 'Real Love,' given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals. It will be available to buy as 12 LP Vinyl, 8CD and of course available to listen to digitally. ITV originally screened the Anthology as a six part series before it was released in eight parts on VHS video and later on DVD. In the US it was released in three feature length parts on ABC. * The Beatles Anthology will be streaming exclusively on Disney+ Beginning November 26. The Beatles Anthology Music Collection will be out November 21 and a book on October 14.
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
Peter Jackson to create new episode of Beatles Anthology TV series
The classic music documentary series, The Beatles Anthology, is being remastered by Peter Jackson's production companies and will stream on Disney+ later this year. As well as digitally enhanced versions of the original eight episodes, there will also be a brand new ninth episode, created from previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage of Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr coming together around the release of the original series. The series, which was first broadcast by ITV in 1995, was hailed as the definitive documentary on the Beatles thanks to the way it reunited the surviving three Beatles with their producer George Martin, former press officer Derek Taylor and one-time road manager Neil Aspinall to tell the tale of their career in their own words. Its release was accompanied by the single, Free As a Bird, the first new piece of music put out by the scouse quartet since their disbanding. It was so shrouded in secrecy that record label EMI used armed guards to protect it ahead of its release. The remastered series, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the original, is the latest Beatles project from Jackson's Wingnut Films and Park Road Post teams. They previously worked on the eight-hour Disney+ docuseries The Beatles: Get Back – which used remastered footage originally filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg for his 1970 film Get Back – and the accompanying concert movie, which Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw called 'unmissable.' It will be accompanied by an album featuring session outtakes, previously unreleased demos and other rare recordings, curated by Martin's son Giles. Anthology 4 includes new mixes of the singles originally released to accompany the Anthology TV series, Free As A Bird and Real Love, featuring de-mixed John Lennon vocals used by the songs' original producer, Jeff Lynne. Giles Martin has also remastered the three original Anthology albums, released in 1995 and 1996. The project will be released in November, alongside an updated version of the Anthology book. It is the latest high-profile Beatles project alongside a quartet of movies from Sam Mendes, with each movie focusing on a different member of the band. Given that the Anthology project involves documentary footage rather than dramatisation, the signoff process should presumably be a lot easier than for the movie. Starr has previously said of the movies that getting the scripts right took some work on his part. According to him, they 'had a writer [involved] – very good writer, great reputation, and he wrote it great, but it had nothing to do with [wife] Maureen and I. That's not how we were. I'd say, 'We would never do that.''
