My Top 10 Pandora Stations

I love Pandora.  I love being able to create my own radio stations and listen to them commercial free.  This is because I pay the extra fee that allows me to not be interrupted by those pesky ads.  I feel spoiled when I turn the radio on in the car and have to switch the dial every five minutes, when Pandora provides me with hours of musical entertainment.

We listen to Pandora often throughout the day, usually on my phone, but sometimes on my laptop.  What we listen to depends on our moods, and here is a list of my top 10 favorite stations (and the reasons we love them).

In no particular order:

1. Bread

You know that soft 70s band Bread?  No?  Well, for shame!

What's not to love?

Some of their songs just hit the spot--If, Baby I'm-a Want You,  Make it with You.  Bread really melts my butter.  I also love the other bands and songs that get played on the Bread station--Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, America-- it's like taking a stroll down my 70s childhood lane; all great music for a lazy Sunday morning.

2. Duran Duran

Awesome 80s new wave pop, good for house cleaning, projects in the garage, and remodeling your bathroom.

And look at that hair!

3. Gotye

Oooo!  I really love Gotye!  I know, I know it's not really cool anymore.  Whatevs.  Gotye is a cool drink of water alternative band, and the Pandora station plays other fairly mainstream alternative music--the kind that has a good beat and you can dance to.  Megan LOVES Gotye, so therefore I love them (although I love them anyway), and often requests this stations or "dance music" as she calls it.

4.  The Cowsills

This might actually be my number one favorite.  I love this station.  It reminds me of my mom, and of the kind of music we would listen to on the radio when I was a kid.  It's the station I put on when I'm playing with the kids, making crafts, playing with toys, baking.  I would put it on my phone and bring it out to our deck on warm days last summer and let the kids strip down and play with the water toys and mud pies.  We listened to this station and ate peaches and frozen bananas and it was my favorite part of last summer.  Not only does this station focus on the Cowsills, but you get the Beach Boys (Finn's fave), The Association (my fave), The Turtles, The Mamas and The Papas...SO good.

Masterpieces made while listening to the Cowsills

5.  Owen Duggan

This is my favorite kids music station.  Found this one pretty randomly and it quickly turned into our go-to playtime station.  We especially like listening to it during bath time.  It focuses on kid music that isn't annoying.  This is good.  You won't find Barney, or any nails on a chalkboard children singing along.  It's pretty alternative without being too hipster and Megan knows all the songs by heart.

6.  Anugama

I love this one for it's super meditative, calming tunes.  When I have time, (which isn't often), I like to sit quietly and breathe with my eyes closed while listening to this.  Anugama is a new age band which incorporates a lot of nature sounds.  I love that it's a meditation station that isn't Enya-y, (I like Enya, but it seems like that's all you get with new age music), and it has a nice Buddhist flair without being to chanty.

7.  Black Eyed Peas

Haters gonna hate.  That's cool.  I listen to this station when I go running and it is super motivating.  It's all totally upbeat, hip-hoppy, fun music that keeps me in motion.  They play Rhianna, Lady Gaga, Usher, Justin Timberlake, LMFAO, and I unapologetically love this station.

8.  Dave Bruebeck

What's not to like about Dave Bruebeck?  He was so cool.  My favorite jazz song of all time is Take Five.  Listening to this station makes me feel like I've got one of those neat Wurlitzer juke boxes in my living room.  This is a good station for dinner time, especially with a nice glass of wine.

9.  Quaker Meadows

I was just messing around and curious about Quaker music.  I knew it would be calming and quiet, but I wasn't expecting it to be so delightful!  You know, it's a gift to be simple and all that.  I listen to this with the kids on weekend mornings while Brennan is sleeping in and it's like, 6am and we're making pancakes.  It's sort of Celtic and Irish, and I can easily see unicorns prancing in a meadow while we listen to this station.

Quaker unicorn

10.  Don't Worry Be Happy

Yep, my favorite feel good song, now a Pandora station!  It's Bobby McFerrin , but also it's reggae, it's Harry Belafonte, It's Michael Frante, it's Iz.  I love listening to this when I feel blue, because who doesn't smile when listening to someone tell you not to worry?  The message: BE HAPPY!