Wake Up Songs

My alarm clock uses my iPod to wake me up. Because I tend to keep my iPod on shuffle, and my music selection is eclectic (fancy word for strange), my days start off with a wide range of inspirations.

This morning, I woke up to Muddy Waters' "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man", but the snooze button proved too tempting. Next up was the Talking Heads' perky "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", which got me bouncing into my day.

I've discovered a few principles for morning music. Jazz can set the mood for a great day - give me Brubeck's "Take Five" in the morning, and I'll greet the day with a smile. Alt.Country, like Ryan Adams or Slaid Cleaves, can keep me in s pensive state for the whole morning. Classical music is beautiful, but makes me late to work. A dose of the Clash makes me invincible.

One morning I woke up to the BoDeans shouting "Sylvia" at the top of their lungs, and it almost gave both of us a heart attack.

Of course, I could carefully select what music I want to have wake me in the morning, but where's the fun in that?