Nevermind The Posers

TNT’s Top 5
5. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham! – Oh yeah, I went there.
4. “Colors” by April Smith and the Great Picture Show – This song has a beat that makes me want to wake up and sing while I strut my way to the shower.  It makes me feel full of love, which is a great way to start the day.
3. “Wake Up” by The Living End – The context of the words ‘wake up’  in this song makes me want to fight the system.  “Suicidal education / it got sold to our generation. / Wake up to the manipulation. / Wake up to the situation, suicidal education.”  At the end, voices of children join in with the chorus, my favorite part.
2. “She’s A Rainbow” by The Rolling Stones – When I hear this song, as soon as the tambourine joins in, I know it’s only a matter of seconds until the covers fly off and I’m dancing my way to the coffee machine.  “Ruby Tuesday” could be tied for #2.
1. “Don’t Shake My Tree” by The Hard Lessons – I love how the song progresses with volume and power, it’s the perfect snooze button.  The line ‘don’t shake my tree’ should get the point across that I don’t like to be messed with in the morning.  I will wake up on my own when I need to.

Hoverbee’s Top 5
5. “Hold On I’m Comin’ “ by Sam & Dave – This songs helps me to get on my way.  It keeps you moving like a locomotive.  It has awesome horns and a whole lot of soul.
4. “Green Onions” by Booker T. & The MGs – This song has no lyrics or vocals, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling the reeling.  It moves me and shakes me into a new day.
3. “Get Up Offa That Thing” by James Brown – As this song begins Mr. Brown squeals and then shouts “I’m back” several times.  This is how I feel returning to the waking world.  I got up offa the bed and returned from dreamland.
2. “Shotgun” by Jr. Walker & The All Stars – Waking up to this song in the morning pushes me out of bed and gets me ready to go.  The song starts with a gun firing.  It signals the start of the race so I’m off and running.
1. “Got To Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye – This song starts off with the sounds of a party.  It has an excellent energy.  Magically, I’m transported to a lovely shindig where there is much fun to be had.  Not a bad way to start the day.

Angela’s Top 5
The top five songs that wake me up…now, this doesn’t particularly mean the first thing in the morning in every case, just songs powerful enough to surge life through my body and bring me back to life.
5. “Love Addict” by Family Force 5
4. “Oh Yeah” by The Cliks
3. “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race” by Fall Out Boy
2. “What I Got” by Sublime – I can’t come across this song and not instantly be in a good mood, ready to face the day.
1. “Straight Lines” by Silverchair – I can not even begin to explain how amazing this song is.  It runs through me and brings me so high…love it.

Daniel Edward’s Top 5
5. Family Guy Theme Song – Family Guy is my daily breakfast programing.
4. “1901” by Phoenix
3. “Bitch” by Rinocerose
2. “Gay Bar” by Electric Six
1. “The Church of Hot Addiction” by Cobra Starship – This is my wake-up alarm tone, so it literally gets me out of bed in the morning.

Klone’s Top 5
I always tend to think about the start of my day like the opening sequence of a movie, so when thinking about the Top 5 Songs to Wake-Up To, I tend to imagine songs that not only help me start my day, but would also be great soundtrack-to-the-movie-of-my-life songs.
5. “Sober” by Tool – Why can I not be sober?  Why can’t this Monday be over?  Why can’t we sleep forever?  I know my hangover would feel much better now…
4. “Symphonies” by Dan Black (featuring Kid Cudi) – I know this was in one of my recent Top 5s, so it’s not like this song has had much time to make my mornings, but I gotta say, when waiting for my commuter train over the last few weeks where we’ve realized that summer is pretty much officially over, this song has perfectly captured my emotional state and helped me step up and get onto the train instead of calling out and avoiding responsibility and adulthood.  Wow…that might be the saddest endorsement of a song I’ve ever heard…
3. “Wild Side” by Mötley Crüe – Just the way this song kicks in, like a motorcycle being kick-started (metaphorically, not literally like in “Kick-Start My Heart” or “Girls, Girls, Girls”…before anyone starts ranting about Klone not knowing his stuff), I can’t help but get moving in the morning, even if my eyes aren’t completely opened.
2. “Umbrella” by Rhianna (featuring Jay-Z) – The beat, the tone, the uplifting progression…it’s a great song when you’re trying to half-wake-up and half-catch-a-nap on the train to work in the morning.
1. “Wake-Up” by Rage Against The Machine – WAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUP!!!  WAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!

Honorable Mentions: “Man In The Box” by Alice In Chains, “Bug Eyes” by Dredge, and “I Got You, Babe” by Sonny and Cher – It’s GROUNDHOG DAY!

Mark’s Top 5
5. “Dream On” by Depeche Mode – The breathy vocals and down tempo electronics beat wakes you up, while Martin Gore’s acoustic guitar picking gets you moving with a subtle urgency.
4. “Dog Eat Dog” by Adam and the Ants – If you need a song to utterly startle and annoy you out of a peaceful slumber, than this irritating morning tune is what you need.  It’s great any other time of the day, though.
3. “Spirits in the Material World” by the Police – The opening drum roll is more than enough to yank your eyelids open immediately.  Nothing like synths and political lyrics to help start your day.  Thanks Sting.
2. “Dawn Chorus” by Boards of Canada – The title isn’t just accurate, it’s an indicator of the perfect time to listen to it.  It’s the type of song that you could imagine listening to as you and friends or a loved one are sitting on a hill, watching the world wake up as the sun rises after a great night, deciding to take in the beauty of it before drifting into slumber.
1. “Roygbiv” by Boards of Canada – For some reason unbeknownst to me, this is perfect and low-key, but strangely moving tune to awaken to; one of the few songs that doesn’t enrage me out of a sound sleep.  Swirling blips and simple synth lines on top of a slightly sleepy and clumsy beat helps to make the first few minutes of being awake that much less aggravating.  It’s basically the soundtrack to the morning mental fog.

Stigz’s Top 5
5. “Caffeine” by Psychostick – So, umm, yea.  A heavy song about caffeine.  Need I say more?
4. “Sanctified” by Nine Inch Nails – A serious house-influenced beat with industrial elements and explicit lyrics, this track always gets my blood pumping.
3. “Armageddon” by Alkaline Trio – From the initial grinding of the intro, to the bite of the vocals, verse by verse, this song makes me edgy and on my feet.  Heir go, just the fuel I need to shuffle out of bed.
2. “Wake Up” by Rage Against The Machine – Do I really need to explain this?
1. “My Own Summer” by Deftones – Just a driving and angry song to get your blood pumping.

Honerable Mention – “The Razor” by Head Automatica – I don’t know why, but I find this jam to be super funky.  Maybe I just have a weak spot for Glassjaw, and that’s transferred into Daryl’s other side projects.