What are your absolute essentials when having a shower in the morning? For me, it’s hot water, awesome body wash, my favorite face wash….and music.
I can’t think back to a time when music wasn’t part of my shower experience. When I was younger, I used to sing. Around high school, I started finding ways to listen to music while in the shower. Whether that meant leaving the door open and my boombox blasting, or bringing a portable cassette player into the shower with me…whatever I had to do to get my tunes. The girls in my college dorm got used to hearing me coming and going every morning. iPods and mp3’s have made getting my morning shower music even easier. I have an iPod docking station in the corner of my bathroom, and every morning I choose a song that helps to set my mood and the eventual course of my day.
What determines my shower soundtrack? I choose songs based on my mood, but the length of shower I can take is an even more important factor. Timing my shower to just the right song makes the world of difference for my morning. What makes a perfect shower song? Depends entirely on your musical taste. I find that I love slow to midtempo soul music best, songs that build to a lush bridge I can sing my lungs out to, and songs that include a shift in tempo to lift my spirits and get me ready to face whatever lies ahead. If the song is too slow, or too monotonous, it doesn’t make it into my regular rotation. Here are some of my current favorite shower songs, to give you an idea of how I start my day!
Ain’t No Stopping Us Now – McFadden and Whitehead.
At 4 minutes long, this could be the perfect length for a shower song. The message makes it so inspiring and ideal for getting ready in the morning. Just be careful with those dance moves in the shower!
Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding
I enjoy the Kanye and Jay-Z version a LOT, but nothing comes close to Otis himself. This man was soul personified. Singing along with this in the shower brings me so much joy.
Sad note — according to the notes on that YouTube clip, this was Otis Redding’s last televised performance. The very next day, Otis along with the members of his band, died in an airplane accident. RIP, Otis. Your music lives on.
Reasons by Earth Wind and Fire
At 4:59, Reasons is a great jam for a good, long morning shower. Gives you time to use your favorite exfoliant, or shave your legs if you’re so inclined. Reasons is on the slower end of my preferred shower song scale, but it sets such a romantic tone to the day, I can’t resist!
As by Stevie Wonder
As might be my #1 favorite Stevie Wonder song, and that’s saying a LOT. At 7:15, As makes for a more decadent shower, perfect for weekends where you want to do a quick co-wash on your hair and don’t have to be somewhere in a hurry.
Purple Rain by Prince
The long version is 8:46. Purple Rain has all the ingredients for a perfect shower song — few things are more awesome than coming home from a long day at work, a hot day outside, or a good workout, and then taking an epic Purple Rain shower before bed. It’s like shower therapy. Trust me. Try it and tell me how you feel.
I’m putting myself out there on this random post…but I’m hoping I’m not alone! Bellas, do you listen to music while you shower? Or is it just me? 🙂
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