Dolly Parton, Prince & Two Hot Water Bottles: My Morning Playlist

Is there a song that gives your morning its glow?

Here in the Netherlands, the days are getting noticeably shorter, darker, and colder. For a number of reasons, I don’t have heating in my house. Right now that’s still bearable, but I’ve recently started taking a hot water bottle to bed again. I always do that in winter anyway, and often I’ll even take two under the covers.

And once it gets a bit colder, I find it harder to get out of bed in the morning. Because that means leaving that cozy warm little cocoon under the covers and stepping out into the cold.

I usually wake up very early. But now I stay in bed a little longer, and I love to listen to music on my iPhone. My taste in music keeps changing depending on what’s going on in my head and heart at the moment.

Right now, I notice I’m drawn strongly to pop rock: slow, somewhat theatrical, dark, dreamy songs about longing, pain, and lost love. With one exception that’s downright euphoric.

“

These songs give my morning a magical glow. It’s as if the cold, dark, flat morning gets an extra dimension: a kind of depth, a light. Not overwhelming, but a glow.

Purple Rain

In that vein, my favorite is Dolly Parton’s version of “Purple Rain.” Not for the lyrics, but for the drama of the music and the way it merges with her voice. In terms of drama, I’d even dare to compare it to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, but in a guise that’s easier on my ears and more relatable.

Woman

My second favorite is “Woman” by Anouk. It opens with a timpani hit, like the sudden jolt of your heart when you spot the person you secretly have a crush on. Soon after, it builds to euphoria, alternating with a story full of imagination.

Wicked Game

“Wicked Game” is fantastic on a cold fall or winter morning, for those deep, sensual, sweeping guitar sounds, but mostly because I love contrasts. Because of the video, I associate the song with summer. Just as I love wearing heavy, sultry winter fragrances in the summer, I love listening to this summery song in the winter.

Creep

Last but not least: Prince’s version of “Creep.” Next to it, the original by Radiohead feels, to me, like a two-dimensional cartoon. There’s so much more soul, fire, and passion in it, especially in the screaming guitar solo Prince ends with.

You may be wondering whether I couldn’t have picked something calmer to start my morning with.

Nope! 😝 Not now.

Then I get out of bed and have my hot milk with a spoonful of instant coffee and a spoonful of sugar.

Which song gives your morning its glow?

Photo: Sydney Moore