Activities: Post-lunch Pick-me-up

In the early 2010s, we've seen a new emergence of fun, upbeat pop music created by alternative-leaning artists. Enjoy some new songs about celebrating, dancing, and (often) being in love.

Nothing but today's upbeat and rockin' country songs. No ballads or soft stuff.

Some songs just have a certain je ne sais quoi; when you hear them you start skipping down a crowded public street. Embarrassing? Absolutely. Will you care? Not likely.

Feelin' down? These fun, upbeat and affirmative songs will get you back up on your feet and ready to get back out there.

Some days it feels like you should have stayed in bed. So enjoy a sweet respite from the grind of modern life with the eternal sunshine of these classic upbeat '80s hits.

Bouncy, upbeat songs from classic soul to '80s alternative and today's indie rock. Let this eclectic mix help you get through the mid-afternoon lul.

Explore the world of newly-minted pop superstar Bruno Mars with this sparkling set of tracks featuring his influences, contemporaries and collaborators.

From Sabbath to Isis, a mix of heavy bands with influences and appreciation beyond the insular metal scene.

Perhaps the most important record label in history, Motown gave us a wealth of smooth and funky soul hits. From The Temptations to The Supremes to Marvin Gaye and beyond, these are the classic songs from Hitsville, U.S.A.

Northern Soul is the British label given to a specific sound: the heavy-hitting backbeat and lush production epitomized by Motown's glorious mid '60s heyday. These are the songs energized Northerners would dance to all night long.

In the early 1960s, young fashionable Londoners, or "mods," danced all night to the uptempo sounds of African-American soul, Jamaican ska, and British rock & roll. Put on your sharpest suit and celebrate the original mod scene's best songs.

Listen to the most popular dance hits in America as determined by Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Enjoy the brash irreverence of these pop-punk bands from the early 2000s. Though the bandmembers may have been well into their 20s or even (gasp!) 30s, they understood the appeal of arrested adolescence.

From the late '70s to the early '80s, rock music evolved to incorporate a softer, more sophisticated studio-produced sound. These are the best songs from the last era of rock before video killed the radio star.

Up-tempo funk grooves, danceable R&B, soulful divas, and deep DJ cuts of the ‘70s and early-'80s.

Some songs just sound like summertime. Hold up your lighter and groove to these essential warm-weather classic rock jams.

As the '90s became the '00s, indie artists began doing the unthinkable: embracing and creating dance music. Here's some of the best indie dance from the past decade.

Teen longing, sweet harmonies and walls of sound, from the songwriters at the Brill Building to Motown's hit factory.

Bollywood, India's Hindi film industry, is known for its colorful song and dance numbers. Here is a collection of hit songs from Bollywood films from the past decade.

It's mambo time with the best of the Cuban big band era. Explore the music that inspired dancemania in Havana and around the world.

From BBQs and honky-tonks to rodeos and hoedowns, this playlist of country songs is sure to bring out the "yee haw" in you.

Happy, energetic, and fun, this eclectic mix will pull you out of your winter hibernation and put a spring in your step.

A sunny, nostalgia-drenched playlist packed with memorable hits from the ska-punk of Sublime and Reel Big Fish to the pop-rock of No Doubt and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Despite what the Baby Boomers would have you believe, the '90s was the greatest decade for popular music. Why? So many crowd-pleasing hits.

Dance your '80s-loving ass off!

This playlist encapsulates the entire career of "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," from his earliest influences to the artists that have followed in his funky, funky footsteps.

When he's not wearing a robot suit and making a spectacle with The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am is producing hits for artists ranging from Michael Jackson to U2. Listen to a playlist of the biggest hits he's produced.

They don't make rock songs like they used to! These songs feature the best axe-men of all-time playing their best riffs, licks, and solos.

From the end of the '50s to the start of the '60s, the kids kicked off their shoes and started shaking all over the place. These were the sounds they moved to, back in the days when doo wop and R&B were just another way of saying "rock & roll."

Meet the '50s rockers who combined hillbilly music and rock & roll, and see how their music has influenced subsequent generations of rockers. And not just the ones who put pomade in their hair, either.

New Jack Swing defined the urban music scene as the '80s became the '90s and R&B met hip-hop. Rediscover this era of sweet harmonies with a hint of swagger and unlimited style.

Of course, only Freddie Mercury and the lads truly sounded like Queen, but these artists invoke the spirit of Queen by being as bombastic, exciting and over-the-top as possible.

This playlist tells the story of the King of Pop as it plays out on the dancefloor -- from his closest contemporaries in the late '70s disco scene to those who follow, bravely, in his mesmerizing footsteps.

Classical music isn't all adagios and waltzes; often classical pieces have arrestingly fast movements. Quicken your heart rate with these brisk and energetic operas, symphonies, ballets and overtures.

From the stylish East Coast multi-piece bands to the more playful, slacker-style SoCal scene, here are all your third-wave ska favorites that made the '90s so much fun.

Hendrix may have said "You'll never hear surf music again," but he was wrong. Surf's reverb and twang has been an essential influence on the punk, new wave and indie eras, not to mention those acts that took surf itself into modern times.

'80-'87 Prince, Prince's side projects and protégés, and Prince's influences and like-minded contemporaries at their most Prince-esque, all swirled in a dirty electro-funky grind and insert double entendre here. Purple.