Not sure what Crank That Hit! means? Go here.

Have you ever worked your ass off for something and then finally, finally gotten it?

Maybe it’s that cute s.o. you’ve been looking for, wading through years of bad dates in the process. Maybe it’s that awesome new job, which you landed after two years of sending out resumes. Or hell… maybe it’s that Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle you carried around for eight days, filling up the whole side of the newspaper with ink swirls of impatience, until finally, over late-night grilled cheese, you yelled out, “Yes! 14-down is ‘buttercreme!’”

The point is… some achievements taste especially sweet because they require so much effort. When you need an anthem for your incredible victory, I say, “Crank that hit!”

(three cheers for you… after the jump)

(1) M.I.A, “Paper Planes”

You know what’s awesome? M.I.A.’s music. It’s this fusion of about thirty different influences, from hip-hop to world music to dancehall, and it comes at you in multiple languages. Granted, those cultural collisions can make M.I.A. (real name Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam) kind of disorienting. It takes a few listens to get adjusted to her sound, but when you do… the rewards are serious.

I’ll admit that I didn’t get her until I got to know the playwright Charles L. Mee. While I was interviewing him for a story, he explained why he loved her–basically, because her fusion of cultures is the aural equivalent of his dramaturgy–and he was so convincing that I decided to give her another shot.

Now I’m all invested in her career, because if she gets mainstream acceptance, it’s going to be a hard-earned success. (Ding! Ten points for using the theme!)

Except I don’t have to say “if” she gets mainstream acceptance, because the unexpected has happened. As of this writing, M.I.A.’s song “Paper Planes” is number eighteen on iTunes. Eighteen! I’m not sure why this is happening–was the song on Dancing With the Stars?–but it’s awesome. “Paper Planes” sounds like absolutely nothing else on the radio. I’d say that makes it the perfect soundtrack for our own unlikely successes.

(2) CeCe Peniston, “Finally“

First of all, this song has such a hot beat that it’s going to brighten up any situation, but it’s lyric about finally finding love makes it great for a celebration.

(Also… when my friend Laura and I were in seventh grade, when “Finally” was popular, we were in a record store at the mall when we saw the song’s cassingle. Laura hollered out, “Oh look, it’s that CeCe PENIS-ton song!” Bwahahaha! Penis! Remember that, Laura?)

(3) The Doors, “Break On Through (To The Other Side)“

Okay, so this song may possibly be about drug use, but if you take the title literally, it can pump you up after you get that raise you’ve been gunning for since February.

(4) Sheriff, “When I’m With You“

Pop music history is full of delayed-success stories, and Sheriff’s is one of my favorites. When they released their song “When I’m With You” in 1983, it was a big hit in Canada and a flop in the U.S. Then in 1989, an American D.J. started playing the track, and it caught on. It eventually hit number one.

In The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, Fred Bronson relates that the band had already broken up by the time this song made it big in America… but its success led two of the band members to found Alias, the group that brought us the amazing power ballad “More Than Words Can Say.”

So if you’ve finally scored after years of trying, just think about Sheriff. Maybe your delayed victory is just the sign of things to come. Maybe you’re about to write an amazing power ballad of your own.

(Because I love the song, here’s the video for “More Than Words Can Say.” Get your lighters ready!)

(5) Your turn! What’s a song that makes you want to celebrate a hard-earned success?