Lucas Brigham 3/15/25 Lucas Brigham 3/15/25

My Favorite Songs: “Do What Feels Good” by NIIC the Singing Dog

*Cover art for “Unleashed”, the album “Do What Feels Good” comes from. Image taken from Genius.com.*

Let’s do something fun for a change.

If you know anything at all about my taste in music, you’ll know that I tend not to listen to artists. Instead, I listen to songs, regardless of who sings them.

One artist whose music I’ve listened to lately is NIIC the Singing Dog. He’s a furry musician, a green akita husky who often performs at furry conventions or on VRChat. I’ll admit that I’ve never been to either location. (Are they even locations?)

In any case, one of my favorite songs by NIIC is “Do What Feels Good”. It’s a feel-good party anthem; those words are in the title, after all. So let’s break down the lyrics, shall we?

You hear my voice, do you copy?

Tune into my signal, I’ll patch you in.

I hacked this station on the radio.

Fly words of love like jet planes.

In this verse, NIIC claims that he hacked a radio station in order to play a more exciting song. It seems that he’s tired of music as we know it, and that’s understandable. After all, according to the great Bob Dylan, music in general is getting worse and more homogeneous. Dylan argues that when the barrier to entry for being a musician got lower, so did the average quality of what artists put out.

As for words of love flying like “jet planes”, I think that demonstrates NIIC’s desire to stand out. After all, not every musician wears a green singing dog costume. He is going to buck the trend, and he tells you that in the very first verse.

‘Cause I know they leave you doubting but the truth of it is:

Love’s what you make it.

They’ll try and keep you down, but this is your life, not theirs.

Don’t complicate it. Hear what I’m saying: C’mon and

I interpret this line as criticizing homophobic attitudes that are all too common among older generations. That seems like the most literal way to view it. And NIIC is correct - love’s what you make of it. I still remember the 2015 United States Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, and how many supporters of that decision held signs proclaiming that “LOVE WINS”.

In the second half of this verse, NIIC argues that even if your doubters (be they homophobic parents, people who tell you that you can’t do anything you set your mind to, or hateful politicians) try to depress you, you shouldn’t let them. Honestly, that’s advice I wish I would take to heart more frequently when looking at the news. It’s not that complicated; maybe we should listen to the green singing dog.

Hey oh

Put your hands in the air like a rainbow.

Jump off the walls like a disco.

We’ll shine like a light show.

Hey! We’re taking over.

Drop your moves and show ‘em!

This segment is pretty self-explanatory, is it not? The “wave” is a common gesture at sporting events, as well as dances like NIIC would probably perform at. As for “shining like a light show”, I believe based on later context that it refers to showcasing your individuality; could this be embracing neurodiversity? (Considering the demographics of the furry fandom, most likely yes). And given that many furries also have ADHD, they will tend to jump off the walls like it is a disco. Man, I miss the ‘70s.

Hey oh

This night’s not getting any longer

And we’re not getting any younger

C’mon let’s live it up now

Live life the way we should

Do what feels good

He’s right, you know. There’s one thing we cannot change as citizens of Earth, and that’s the passage of time. As far as we know, we only have a limited amount of time here, so why not make the most of it?

I wouldn’t consider myself a religious man, but we humans were not meant to sit in front of our phones doomscrolling all damn day. We were meant to interact, weren’t we? And if that interaction means partying, then let’s do it. That is the way we should live!

You hear that static on the airwaves?

They’re trying to break the sound we’re making.

But they’re gonna have to try a little harder

To keep us from shaking all their rooftops

The reactionary forces are pushing back. However, they aren’t as effective as they might like to be. I see NIIC’s lyrics here as being applicable to political movements as well, particularly those taking the form of protests. In the words of the great Katy Perry, “they held me down, but I got up.” And unlike Katy Perry, NIIC the Singing Dog has not sold out to the forces of Sameness. The reactionaries aren’t going to achieve more than static.

The chorus repeats here, and it still means the same thing as it did before. So let’s move on to the next proper verse

‘Cause it don’t matter what you are, what I am, or what anyone is

We all lead different lives, and that should be the way it is

Though it doesn’t make sense, the census says we should put our two cents

In on someone else’s business.

This part is sung very quickly, like it’s rap music rather than pop or whatever NIIC’s genre is. This could be seen as attacking heteronormativity, or (again) embracing neurodiversity - “we all lead different lives”, after all. And that should be the way it is. I like feeling special, partly because I am autistic myself. This is a very affirming song indeed. And if someone else wants to live differently, and that doesn’t violate anyone else’s rights, that’s none of our business.

Princess, we all moved ‘way from the monarchs,

‘Cause hearts, all of ours, beat at different rhythms,

Schisms that you try to make between love, religion, lifestyle? Go wild!

There’s too many million, billion people in this world

For you to try and box up, it ain’t gonna work

Technically, this segment is factually inaccurate. Countries like Canada and Australia are generally more progressive than my home country of the United States. Several countries in Europe, like Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, etc. are more progressive still. What else does every country I just named have in common? Believe it or not, they’re all monarchies! And yes, I know the monarchs in these countries generally have only ceremonial power, but my point still stands.

Additionally, a “million billion” is a quadrillion. There are not a quadrillion people in this world. According to this fluctuating population clock, there “only” 8.2 billion people globally, a far cry from a million billion. It’s also estimated that fully 7 percent of humans who have ever lived are currently alive, so there haven’t been a quadrillion people, period.

Okay, for all the playful nitpicks, I love this portion’s message. Diversity is humanity’s greatest asset. My brain works differently from most peoples’, and that’s okay. Wonderful, even. The reactionary forces can’t suppress us all. And that gets to probably my favorite part of the song.

You’re gonna fall from your horse without a parachute

Best contribute to the future ‘cause it’s coming for you.

But what do I care? Stay in place and stare.

My life is my life. Same with you. No one dare.

Flick the switch on this table playing tracks that are able

Keeping beats of love alive. C’mon let me see you try!

From here on out, that’s the euphemism I’ll use for dying. “Falling from your horse without a parachute” is pretty badass. Almost as much so as skiing off a mountain with one.

In all seriousness, he’s got a point. One day in the future, you won’t be able to make your mark on Earth anymore, so you’d better leave your legacy while you can. But if you want to “stay in place and stare” as NIIC puts it, then be his guest. You can live your life how you want to, and so will the singing dog. Let’s keep the beats of love alive!

Some problems in life have complicated solutions. I don’t mean to minimize the pain many people are going through as a result of current events.

But sometimes, you just need to take a singing dog’s advice. Do what feels good!

Lucas Brigham 5/28/19 Lucas Brigham 5/28/19

Blog Post Title One

It all begins with an idea.

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Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.