Coffee and music make one of life’s great pairings. Whether a song enhances that jolt of caffeine or complements the emotions that prompted you to make a cup in the first place, music adds an extra element to your morning (or afternoon or evening) cups of coffee. If your love of music is just as strong as your caffeine addiction, you are not alone. By finding inspiration amongst their coffee grounds, these artists prove that through good times and bad, coffee will always be there for you. Here are 10 songs to make your coffee go down a little smoother.
1. “Coffee,” Sylvan Esso
Electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso’s “Coffee” is as smooth and energetic as the drink itself. The combination of lead singer Amelia Meath’s effortlessly sweet voice and Nick Sanborn’s gentle electronics is superb in this song about literally dancing out your feelings as much as it is about the complexities of relationships. In a clever lyrical moment, Meath uses the changing seasons, and changing coffee styles, to mark the cycles of unsteady relationships: “Wild winter, warm coffee / Mom’s gone, do you love me? / blazing summer, cold coffee / baby’s gone, do you love me?”
2. “Cigarettes and Coffee,” Otis Redding
For some, cigarettes and coffee is actually one of the greatest pairings in life, which makes this song a trifecta of excellence. Delivered in a way only the legendary performer can, Otis Redding sings of love and sharing life’s simple pleasures. Bringing him “nothing but joy,” Redding spends an early morning with the love of his life, singing, with adoration in his voice, “it seemed so natural, darling / that you and I are here / just talking over cigarettes and drinking coffee.”
3. “Black Coffee,” Sarah Vaughan
Though it has been sung by a variety of artists (including, but not limited to Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, k.d. lang, and Sinéad O’Connor) since it was penned in 1948, the first version of “Black Coffee” from Sarah Vaughan gets the spot on this list. Full of longing, Vaughan cries out to her absent lover and bides her time drinking black coffee in this sultry number.
4. “Coffee Mug,” Descendents
Like a shot of espresso, “Coffee Mug” from California punk heavyweights Descendentsis a small but powerful bolt of energy. Clocking in at only 34 seconds, the band’s blazing-fast ode to coffee captures how serious your love of coffee is. “I don’t need no booze or drugs / I just chug-a-lug-o my coffee mug,” they howl. It’s he perfect get-up-and-go companion to your morning fix.
5. “Coffee,” Miguel
Miguel’s “Coffee” is easily the sexiest song on this list. A cut from his standout 2015 record Wildheart, “Coffee” isn’t really about coffee so much as it is about sex, particularly sex in the morning. Hazy by the light electronic work and dripping with devotion, Miguel’s coffee metaphor is deliciously clever as he croons, “and pillow talk turns into sweet dreams / sweet dreams turns into coffee in the morning.” “Coffee” is a smooth listen whether you’re drinking actual coffee or participating in a different morning activity.