PLAYLIST: The quintessential wake-up mix

So I go back to work at the NFL this Thursday. Those of you that know me know that the past few years I’ve worked seven months out of the year for them and then gotten five months off before returning. In the time I had off (which I dubbed the Summer of Mark), I attended about a dozen music festivals all over the country.

But now it’s time to stack some paper again because I’m broke as shit. But to be honest, it’s a gamechanger being broke with a pool versus the many times I was broke without a pool. The good thing is I really enjoy my gig at the NFL — it’s the best job I’ve ever had and has allowed me to do the things i enjoy doing the most, like going to 3-5 concerts a week. I’m pretty hashtag blessed.

Anyways, I’ve got a fool-proof playlist of tunes that’ll wake me up for work that’ll blast directly in my ears via my Sonos Play:1 speaker. It’s a playlist mostly comprised of classics, though I’ve thrown in a few lesser-known tunes here and there.

Yes, there’s Coldplay. And Avicii. And U2. But these are all songs that put me in the right frame of mind and a good mood while I brew the cup of coffee I’m bound to forget about and slam down a bowl of cereal that undoubtedly came from one of those massive bags for two dollars you can get at Ralph’s.

Bill Withers‘ “Lovely Day” and Katrina & the Waves‘ “Walking on Sunshine” should be on all of your wake-up playlists or you’re just doing it wrong.