Q: What’s making you happy today? A: Women pop singers with giant, real voices

The title for this post, which I hope will become something of a series, is lovingly ripped off from NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. PCHH, which is beyond-fantastic listening – intelligent, funny, informed pop culture commentary done by a group of people who clearly enjoy each other’s company – runs a segment on every show called “What’s Making You Happy This Week?”

This is the new track from Florence + the Machine. Florence Welch, who fronts the band, was discovered singing to herself one night in the bathroom of a club. Now she’s an international pop star, and you know why? Because she has a giant fucking voice that needs almost no digital assistance to sound this good.

http://youtu.be/wSLdptE5aFw

And then there’s Adele. It’s hard to heap enough praise on this woman. She writes lyrics that’ll rip your heart out. She sings them with a conviction that will bring tears to your eyes. She’s a big, fat, gorgeous woman with a giant and genuine voice, and she rocks that up-do and those big false eyelashes. She owns the charts right now. She is phenomenal live.

These women’s voices are raw and real and they sound amazing. They are making me happy today.

WARNING: This particular song probably won’t make you happy. It’ll probably make you cry. Because Adele is really good at what she does.

Finally, congratulations to Melissa Etheridge, a woman pop singer with a giant, real voice, and a breast cancer survivor, who was just given a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Now, turn up your speakers and dance at your desks, kids!