Almost every morning I wake up with a song in my head. Not every morning—but most. And I have absolutely no clue where they come from. My dreams? My subconscious? The ghost of Dick Clark? No idea. I do go to sleep listening to either rain noise, music by Sade or Teddy Afro (an Ethiopian singer – I can’t understand the words so it’s easy to fall asleep to). Waking up with songs in my head happens enough that I finally decided to keep track.
So, for the last week (give or take a couple days when I forgot because mornings are chaos), I kept a notepad next to the bed to jot down the song playing in my head first thing in the morning. I wanted to see if there was a pattern – some subconscious playlist my brain was shuffling through overnight. Here’s what I got:
“Only the Lonely” – The Motels – This one was easy. A few nights before, the family had voted for “80s Music Video Night” in the living room. We sang, we danced, and my 16-year-old absolutely crushed the lyrics to songs I thought she didn’t even know existed. I was beaming. Also, super impressed. So that one checks out.
“Right Here (Human Nature Remix)” – SWV – I have no earthly idea. My wife loves ‘90s R&B so maybe her influence has been creeping in? I was never really a fan back in the day but suddenly I’m wandering around saying, “S double u vee, S double u vee…” Great, now it’s in your head too.
“This Is Halloween” – Danny Elfman – Pretty on-brand considering it was almost October 31. Seasonal subconscious? Makes sense. Also, is it weird that this song kind of pumps me up?
“Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd – Hello, random. I haven’t heard this song in forever. My kids and I did a TikTok dance to it about 5 years ago, but that’s ancient history in TikTok years. But here it was again, right at 6:02am. Thanks, brain.
“Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)” – Soul II Soul – No idea. None. Hadn’t thought about this jam in years. But there it was, tapping me awake like some retro alarm clock from 1989.
“Maria” – Carlos Santana – Again, out of nowhere. But as I sat down to type this, I realized I’ve been listening to my Herb Alpert Pandora station at work a lot. It’s basically a conspiracy of trumpet solos and chill vibes. And a Santana song did sneak into the mix the other day—not “Maria,” but still Santana. So I guess some part of my brain went, “Oh hey, remember that other one?”
So that’s the playlist so far. And honestly? I kind of love it. It’s like waking up to a mixtape curated by a very confused but enthusiastic DJ version of me.
If I ever write an autobiography, I’m calling it “Back to Life, Back to Reality.” Or maybe “Wake Up Songs and Bad Coffee.” Depends how deep I get.
Anyway, I’m going to keep writing them down. Because it’s fun. And it reminds me that our brains aren’t just stress factories – they’re jukeboxes, too. Maybe there’s something to that idea of surrounding yourself with uplifting sounds and people and moments. You never know what might pop up in your head later and make you smile.
That’s what we’re doing here, right? Creating an environment that allows success (and random earworms) to happen. My 16 year old is, right now, upstairs singing and stomping (dancing) as she FaceTimes a friend from her old school…creating an environment that allows smiles and memories. (And creaky floors)
So…what’s your wake-up song? Send me a message with the next one that pops up in your mind. We’ll make the weirdest playlist of all time. Until tomorrow – may your dreams be quiet and your inner DJ be kind.
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MattMunnell.com 