TOP 10 TUESDAY: Songs to get you pumped up

We are back with another top 10, and to help you shake the January blues, we have a selection of songs from musicals that can help you feel like you can take on the world, so here is my selection of up-beat songs to get you in the right mood for the new year. Oh and there will be major plot points discussed here, so a SPOILER ALERT is in place before we begin...

(Click each photo to be taken to each respective song)

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10. "Put Your Mind To It" - Back To The Future

Hugh Coles and Ollie Dobson

We start with a bit of 1980s to kick things off, and a song about self-belief and confidence. Marty McFly's father is a downtrodden, meek man who has never stood up to anyone in his life. However when he accidentally travels back to the 1950s, he encounters the younger version of his own father, and "Put your mind to it" is the point at which Marty encourages George to have more confidence in himself, an action which would have irreversible consequences for Marty's own time thirty years later. This song is perfect for anyone who may doubt themselves in any way, or who may need a confidence boost, and its high energy pop-rock musical score, complete with horn section, will no doubt have your feet tapping and head banging.

9. "Grease Got a Hold" - The Outsiders

The cast of "The Outsiders"

By far the newest show to feature on this list, the 2024 Tony winning best musical has no shortage of high energy tunes to make you feel up and at 'em. Following our introduction to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1967, and the two feuding teen gangs (the east side "Greasers" and west side "Socs"), we see PonyBoy the youngest of the three Cutis brothers, being prepared to be officially "lubed up", and initiated into the Greasers. The rousing "Grease got a hold" acts as a rallying cry around the young PonyBoy, following a confrontation with the rival Socs, and establishes the intensity and strength of the bond this chosen family share. It will both warm your heart and lift your spirits, and the sense of togetherness is bound to make you feel less of an outsider.

8. "Candy Store" - Heathers

The Heathers in "Heathers"

The formidable, indomitable Heather Chandler is the one to kick off this dynamic teen anthem as, with Veronica Sawyer attempting to dig herself out of the shadow of obscurity and become one of the "cool kids", she attempts to highlight the considerable allure of being one of the "elite" in high school, essentially giving Veronica the ultimatum of choosing between being "nice" and being "powerful". The heavy rock score by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy kicks in immediately with that iconic guitar line, and it never lets up. From the perpetual head banging beat, to Chandler's final chorus high belt, this one won't fail to get the blood flowing.

7. "The World Will Know" - Newsies

The London cast of Disney's "Newsies"

During the news boys strike of 1899, thousands of newspaper selling boys and girls took on the media moguls William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, owners of the New York World and New York Journal papers, after the price of 100 papers is increased from ¢50 to ¢60, putting further financial pressure on those at the bottom. Harvey Fierstein and Alan Menken's musical "Newsies" follows the events of this two week long strike, and follows fictional leader of lower Manhattan newsboys Jack Kelly, as he rallies the other newsies to fight back against Pulitzer and Hearst.

Whilst songs like "Seize the Day" and "Once and for all" are equally as pulsating, "The World Will Know" is the real call to arms moment, a rallying cry for Jack and his fellow newsies, and the raw, untapped anger expressed is riveting, and it makes you feel like you, too, can take on the World...or even the Journal.

6. "Raise You Up" - Kinky Boots

"Kinky Boots" on broadway

In a musical that's all about acceptance, identity and celebration of what makes us unique, there is no shortage of heart pounding, energetic numbers to make you feel like getting up and out of your seat, but Cyndi Lauper certainly saved the best until last, tying this uplifting musical up with a neat red bow. The song is the culmination of everything that came before, as the entire cast emerge wearing their custom made boots, and unashamedly express the overriding message of accepting oneself and others around you in equal measure. If you ever doubt yourself, or whether you matter, then this is undoubtedly the song to raise you up, I mean it's even in the name isn't it...

5. "96,000" - In The Heights

The original broadway cast of "In The Heights"

We all want to win the lotto, right? Well this first act song, the title of whom refers directly to the amount of money won by one lucky lottery winner, will make you believe that it is indeed possible. Principal protagonist Usnavi, along with Benny, Sonny and Grafitti Pete, find out that the bodega he runs has sold a winning ticket worth a cool $96,000, cue a speculative piece about what each and every character would do if they had such a sum appear in their bank account all of a sudden, acting as a collective "I want number" for the entire ensemble, a distinct rarity in musical theatre.

This is a slow build rap number, that grows and ultimately ends with everyone professing their desire to win the money and "get out of the barrio". Everyone believes it, and this number will make you believe you can do anything.

4. "All The Ladies" - Operation Mincemeat

The original cast of "Operation Mincemeat"

A modern feminist anthem from SpitLip next, taken from their Olivier and Tony winning musical "Operation Mincemeat". It goes without saying that the 1940s was a time when women were still struggling to be taken seriously, and in the depths of British intelligence, things are no different. There is hope for female office clerks though, when they realise that a lot of the men out fighting a war will leave plenty of vacancies for them. It's an empowering, defiant musical number that highlights the importance of women's contributions during and after the war, in many ways a turning point in the fight for gender equality that was instigated by the British suffragette movement. "All the ladies" is bound to ignite a fire in the belly, and a drive to be the best you can be, even against the odds.

3. "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)" - Hamilton

The original broadway cast of "Hamilton"

There is plenty of energy and fire in the belly during the first act of Lin-Manuel Miranda's modern musical masterpiece, with numbers like "My Shot", "Guns & Ships" and "Ten Duel Commandments" all presenting their own distinct feeling of vim and vigour. This list, however, focusses on the 1781 Battle of Yorktown, a portrayal of the most crucial conflict of the American wars of independence. With fast paced spoken verse, a hard rocking musical backing, and an explosive entry from Hercules Mulligan, this song will have you ready to take on anything life throws at you, and it certainly can feel like a battleground at times!

2. "Man Up" - The Book of Mormon

Elder Cunningham in "The Book of Mormon"

If you have ever considered yourself playing second fiddle to someone else, a follower not a leader, then let Arnold Cunningham, the secondary protagonist in Robert Lopez, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's comedy "The Book of Mormon", give you the pick-me-up you need, and get that feeling of emerging from someone else's shadow. After the arrogant, self-important Elder Price makes the decision to abandon his post in Uganda, his assigned partner Elder Cunningham has to, for the first time in his life, and with encouragement from Ugandan villager Nabalungi, take charge of proceedings. Bringing the first act to a close, this ode to the underestimated is bound to get you geared up and feeling like less of an underdog.

1. "Totally F***ed" - Spring Awakening

The Almeida Theatre production of "Spring Awakening"

What better way to get yourself pumped up than with anarchy, revolution and teen angst, and with this track from act 2 of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik musical "Spring Awakening" you get exactly that. Troubled, tormented soul Moritz has just committed suicide due to the overwhelming pressure from feeling like a failure in school, and Melchior has been blamed and expelled, by the school due to an essay he wrote for his classmate thought to have "corruptive influence" over him. Cue this high octane, electrifying anthem is the culmination of the teens' collective anguish, anger and rebellion over what has happened.

The song is a major turning point, as it represents a shift from a repressive, adult-controlled world, to one where the kids are reclaiming their own destiny, shifting their shared trauma into a cathartic cry of defiance. It is enough to get anyone off their feet, showing your middle finger to authority, and screaming from the rooftops that you will not be silenced!

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Are there any I missed? Which are your favourite upbeat, forward driving songs that make you feel alive and kicking? Let me know in the comments, or on my Instagram page.