Monday Mixer

This “Monday Mixer” is more of a “Morning Mixer.”  Daylight Savings is coming up–the bad one.  Here are a few tracks about mornings, sleeping, dreams, insomnia, and everything related.  Side A focuses more on the negatives of mornings, while side B has a much more positive take on the beginning of the day.  Go ahead and pretend like you have to flip the tape over between them.  If you have a favorite morning song, post it!

SIDE A

The Morning” by the Weeknd

This isn’t the cleanest song ever written about the morning, but this rising Canadian rapper presents a side of mornings that is a reality for many people.  If you like his style, you can download his first three albums on his website for free.

I’m So Tired” by the Beatles

John Lennon suffered from insomnia, and this is just one of many songs about this.  Here he relates his inability to sleep to his desire for Yoko.  The chorus of this song is in such stark contrast with the rest of the song and mirrors his emotional instability.

In My Dreams” by Eels

This relatively little known singer/songwriter has consistently released solid albums since the nineties.  Unlike the emotional instability of John Lennon that prevents him from sleep, E–as he calls himself–sleeps peacefully because he has his lover in his dreams.

4:12” by Switchfoot

“You’re having trouble staying asleep/you’ve been waking up at four twelve,” sings Jon Foreman.  One of several tracks on Oh! Gravity to deal with sleeplessness, his insomnia results from spiritual tension and hopelessness unrelated to a lover.

While You Were Sleeping” by Elvis Perkins

Another little known singer/songwriter, Elvis Perkins basically explains that while you were asleep nothing of any importance happened.  Besides the mermaids.  And the ocean singing.  No big deal.

SIDE B

The Birth And Death Of The Day” by Explosions in the Sky

Without any words, this post-rock band give a panorama of the entire day.  The huge crescendos and falls show just how amazing a given day can be.

Campus” by Vampire Weekend

Previously featured on our “Songs to Keep You Warm” mixtape, this track obviously resonates with college students for a variety of reasons.  Even if you never walk past Foellinger in the mornings, this track just presents the morning so joyfully, even though it may be filled with a bit of uncertainty.

Rebellion (Lies)” by Arcade Fire

Perhaps you pulled an all-nighter for some reason, and in that case, this song goes out to you.  Remember that “sleeping is giving in, no matter what the time is,” and sometimes you have to face the morning with strength even if you didn’t get any rest.

 “Faust Arp” by Radiohead

Sometimes the morning is just part of a routine for us, but Radiohead uses it as an opportunity for change.  In a positive relationship with some problems, Thom Yorke breaks out of the routine of the morning to fix problems in a relationship.

The Morning” by Ida

I leave you with this final thought.  This track is so hopeful and pleasant, presenting the morning as a time of hope and reflection.  Let’s hope our mornings are more like this than the Weeknd’s “The Morning.”

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