These are the songs that fulfill the "theme song" definition provided on Ally McBeal: "...something you can play in your head to make you feel better." While there are a lot of other songs that I get excited about, many of them have an impact due to either mere nostalgia or a certain shadowy catharsis that doesn't quite fit the Ally McBeal definition. Also, I decided, rather arbitrarily, to allow only one song from any individual artist--thus, only one song by U2, John Mellencamp, and Simple Minds.
In any event, here's the top twelve, listed alphabetically by artist:
"Soak up the Sun" : Sheryl Crow
"Don’t Bring Me Down" : ELO
"One Thing Leads to Another" : The Fixx
"You Dropped a Bomb on Me" : The Gap Band
"Walkin’ on Sunshine" : Katrina and the Waves
"Small Town" : John Mellencamp
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" : Nirvana
"Alive and Kickin’" : Simple Minds
"Come Sail Away" : Styx
"Mysterious Ways" : U2
"Jump" : Van Halen
"A Country Boy Can Survive" : Hank Williams, Jr.
Because I will find it virtually impossible to narrow this list to a single song, I've set up a poll in the sidebar so that anyone who cares to weigh in can do so. Just know that the final decision--if it ever gets made--will be mine. :)
