Morning Mix, Vol. 1

Writing that post about the Curious George soundtrack's miraculous morning powers made me think about what type of song is best for the morning commute. What does the ideal morning song need to do?

1. Not remind me how life sucks.
2. Keep me from dozing off and swerving into oncoming traffic.
3. Put me in a good mood (or at least take the edge off my bad mood).

So I've been scrolling through every song in my arsenal to compile an ideal mix of morning tunes.

Here's Volume 1:

Everyday by Buddy Holly
(because it's so sunshiney)

Get Rhythm by Johnny Cash
(I have the Joaquin Phoenix version from the Walk the Line soundtrack)

All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow
(ok, so it's an obvious one)

Supermodel by Jill Sobule
(this one gets bonus points for making me laugh)

Build Me Up, Buttercup by The Foundations
(it sounds chipper even if it's not)

Change by The Lightning Seeds
(the repeated line "put your foot down and drive" makes this one a shoe in)

Yakety Yak by The Coasters
(I loved this song when I was a kid, and it makes me feel like I'm 7 years old again, dancing around in the basement singing into a hairbrush.)

9 to 5 by the fabulous Dolly Parton
(the perfect morning commute song, peppy and full of work angst)

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon
(from his I'm-super-authentic-because-I-hang-out-with-Africans phase ... it starts out slow, but it picks up after the first verse. The lyrics are so weird that they're delightful to sing along with.)

I've Still Got My Health by Bette Midler
(because it's optimistic ... in a twisted way)

I Feel Lucky by Mary Chapin Carpenter
(fun song and worth it just for the bizarro line "Lyle Lovett's right beside me with his hand upon my thigh")

No Rain by Blind Melon
(remember the bee girl video? I listened to this song over and over and over in my middle school bedroom, singing along until my throat ached. Of course, then I didn't have the depressing knowledge that the lead singer would die of a drug overdose.)

3 x 5 by John Mayer
(a mellow little song)

Fast as You by Dwight Yoakam
(guaranteed to make you tap your fingers on the steering wheel)

Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn
(sentimental but fantastic and raw)

Don't Lie by the Black Eyed Peas
(By all rights, I should hate a band who has a song entitled, "Don't Phunk With my Heart" and whose singer pees on herself onstage. Yet somehow I can't stop myself from liking their music, especially this upbeat confessional song.)

Shoop by Salt n Pepa
(because it's so fun to sing along with ... how can you not smile when you're saying, "wanna thank your mother for a butt like that"?)

Of course, no matter how good the songs are, any CD will get old after a while. Listen to it too many times in a row, and you'll want to fling it Frisbee-style out the window and sever someone's jugular.

Next up: Evening Mix, Vol. 1