WFH is the ideal time for you to connect with your love of music – you’re away from the office and can turn your tunes right up to 11, safe in the knowledge that your boss won’t ask you to turn down the volume.
I’ve picked out ten great tracks that will guide you through your working day, from a chilled start to a bombastic finish – and each song comes with a recommendation for another you’ll like, so you get two for the price of one.
Stick them on and enjoy your day!
‘The Force’ by Aim
The Force is one of the most criminally underrated hip hop tracks – it’s slick, effortless, and achingly chill, making it precisely the song you need to ease your way into the working day.
Aim is the project of UK trip-hop producer Andy Turner and is known to fans of the iconic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater – Ain’t Got Time To Waste features on the game’s soundtrack.
If you like this track then I recommend you try Blood In Blood Out by Jedi Mind Tricks – it’s an excellent, underground hip hop track by one of the genre’s most consistent groups.
‘If We Ever’ by High Contrast
Instantly recognisable to any follower of UK drum and bass, If We Ever has enough backbone to brush away the cobwebs but keeps its punch sedate enough not to be overpowering – it’s the aural equivalent of that last sip of morning coffee.
High Contrast’s Lincoln Barrett has been DJing since his late teens. He’s now one of the most renowned producers, regularly headline some of the world’s biggest dance festivals.
Enjoyed If We Ever? Then give Friction’s Dare (Hold It Down) a whirl – it’s a throbbing drum and bass number that features an excellent sample of Gorillaz’s Dare.
‘Open Your Heart’ by Madonna
With its gorgeous synth-line and twinkling overlay, Open Your Heart is the pop embodiment of the moment when your work’s starting to flow – you’re attacking your tasks with venom and ticking them off one after the other.
Few musicians have enjoyed the success of the “Queen of Pop” – Madonna is the best-selling female artist of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide.
If Open Your Heart got you tapping your toe, I suggest you stick on Summer Lights by WOLFCLUB – it’s a saucy track with a melody that’ll grab you from the get-go.
‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift
Now we’re talking. Shake It Off is you at optimum WFH productivity, where it seems like there’s two of you working the same job and doing so at a frightening pace.
If Madonna is the queen of pop then Taylor is her heiress – she’s the highest-earning female artist of the 2010s and the first artist in the US music history to have six albums sell over 500,000 copies in their first week of release.
Feel like hitting repeat on Shake It Off? Push pause on that idea and stick on Lizzo’s Good As Hell.
‘Talk Show Host’ by Radiohead
Unfortunately, even the best of us will hit a wall when we’re working from our own desks. When that happens to you, take a moment to contemplate and do so with Radiohead’s Talk Show Host playing over the speakers.
Movie fans of a certain persuasion will recognise Talk Show Host from Romeo & Juliet, one of the finest Shakespeare-to-film adaptations ever made.
Overcome with love for Talk Show Host? Then you’ll also adore Placebo’s Every Me And Every You, which features on the soundtrack to the excellent Cruel Intentions.
‘You Belong To Me’ by Patsy Cline
After pausing for a while to get your mojo back, you need something gentle to cleanse yourself and ease your way back into focus – Patsy Cline’s gorgeous voice provides this, making You Belong To Me the ideal track for this time of the day.
Patsy Cline was one of the first country artists to make an impact on the pop charts, with her songs gaining huge attention in the 1950s and 60s. Cline died tragically in a plane crash in 1963, aged just 30. She left behind a legacy that makes her one of the most highly regarded vocalists in history.
Taken by You Belong To Me? Then give Jessica Lea Mayfield’s Our Hearts Are Wrong a whirl – it’s a sublime song by one of the best modern country stars.
‘Hey Mercy’ by Gouge Away
A short, sharp jolt is what you need once you’ve regained your focus and that’s precisely what you get from Gouge Away’s Hey Mercy – a blistering hardcore number.
Gouge Away formed in Florida in 2012. Featuring Christina Michelle, Mick Ford, Thomas, Cantwell, Tyler Forsythe, and Dylan Downey, the group are known for their aggressive riffs and forceful, socially conscious lyrics.
Can’t get enough of Hey Mercy? Give Some Girls’ All My Friends Are Going Death a go – it’s absolutely vicious.
‘In Bloom’ by Nirvana
Now you’re back! You’ve got a renewed appetite for your work and you’re on song again – that’s what In Bloom by grunge icons Nirvana represents.
Leaders of the early 90s explosion of alt-rock, there’s little that’s revelatory about Nirvana’s sound now, and that’s sort of the point – the trio so successfully broke down the barriers in pop that alt-rock is now pretty darn normal.
Enjoyed listening to In Bloom? Stick On Sunny Day Real Estate’s Red Elephant – it’s one of the top emo tracks of the early 90s, making it a cousin to Nirvana’s grunge classic.
‘Wind It Up’ by The Prodigy
Wind It Up is good-tempered, energetic, and full of hope – it’s the ideal musical backdrop for the time of the day when you start to smell the home straight, giving you the motivation to give yourself one last push.
The Prodigy are one of the pioneers of the early 90s UK rave scene. The group went on to achieve global fame and are now one the biggest dance acts of all time.
Did Wind It Up get you going? Then you’ll adore Robot’s Dream by Noisecontrollers – it’s a thumbing, hardstyle track with a euphoric chorus.
‘Single Ladies’ by Beyoncé
You’re done for the day and that means one thing – it’s time to treat your ears to some Queen Bey.
Single Ladies is when it’s time to close your laptop, grab a glass of something stiff and fruity, and dance like your home office is Fabric.
Beyoncé is one of the most recognisable pop stars on the planet – she’s the only solo artist to see every one of their albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Did Single Ladies get you on your dancing feet? Keep them going with Wham!’s Freedom.
These ten diverse songs are the perfect WFH playlist – they represent the peaks and troughs of your day, beginning by easing your way into the day and ending on a high note.
So, stick them on and have a great time working from home!
