Cereal Killers: Songs About Breakfast
All else being equal, breakfast and music rank top 5 in the reasons to live category. As a result, pretty much everyone has a song about or related to the first meal of the day. Because those first sobering moments of the day are followed with the pressing reality of one’s life, breakfast jams perfectly represent a state of mind. While Of Montreal can’t eat pancakes after break ups, a peaceful A Tribe Called Quest prefers to eat grub made by Q-Tip’s grandma.
Check out our favorite breakfast songs below, as well as a full playlist presented by Mind Equals Blown.
1. The Streets – “Don’t Mug Yourself”
A classic tale of boy gets drunk, boy meets girl, boy is unsure of drunken social cues, boy overthinks the situation while hungover. Plus it’s a really great early Streets jam and one of the best early 2000’s music videos.
A new day another morning after, leaning back on my chair in a greasy spoon cafeteria
Last night was some beer laryness done our way but again we’re back in the light of day
Chatting shit, sitting at the wall table telling jokes playing with the salt, lookin’ out the window
Girl brings 2 plates of full English over with plenty of scrambled eggs and plenty of fried tomato
2. The Descendents – “Coffee Mug”
The Descendents are famous for their obsession with the elixir of life that is coffee. This lightning 30 second song has become solidified in the punk lexicon since its 1996 release on “Everything Sucks.”
I don’t need no booze or drugs
I just chug-a-lug-o my coffee mug
And I don’t need no kiss and hug
I just chug-a-lug-o my coffee mug
3. Z-Trip – “Breakfast Club” (Feat. Murs and Supernatural)
Hands down the best hip hop jam about breakfast. As a comic book fan, I may also be biased because the album art is by the incredible Jim Mahfood who has also worked on Tank Girl. This song gets bonus points for outlining all of the best Saturday morning cartoons and cereals.
Pour the milk in the bowl, make sure it’s ice cold
Put my hand on the top so it won’t overflow
Forget playing outside with my friends from school
It’s Saturday morning, fool!
But you know what ain’t cool (what?)
Wakin’ up first cause all that be on the tube
Is the Snorks and Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake was the worst
But comin’ up next was my boy, Johnny Quest
Sim Sim Salabim but Fat Albert was the best
4. The Beastie Boys – “Egg Man”
While this song may not be completly about breakfast, it’s hard to not associate a song about a fictionalized Egg Man with breakfast. This funky jam was on the influential “Paul’s Boutique” and involved a story about a badass Egg Man, whatever that means.
Once upon a time
Humpty Dumpty was a big fat egg
He was playing the wall and then he broke his leg
Tossed it out the window three minutes hot
Hit the Rastaman he said bloodclot
Which came first the chicken or the egg
I egged the chicken then I ate his leg
Riding the trains in between cars
When I pull out the station you’re gonna get yours
5. Tom Waits – “The Ghosts of Saturday Night”
A song for a night enjoyed or worked so long that the evening bends into the early morning. Leave it to Tom Waits to best describe the sobering morning hours, including noticing graveyard shirt workers going home and folks craving greasy breakfast food.
The early mornin’ final edition’s on the stands,
And that town cryer’s cryin’ there with nickels in his hands.
Pigs in a blanket sixty-nine cents,
Eggs – roll ’em over and a package of Kents,
Adam and Eve on a log, you can sink ’em damn straight,
Hash browns, hash browns, you know I can’t be late.
6. The Clash – “Rudie Can’t Fail”
A breakfast song about when you’re at the stage in your life when you DGAF and enjoy an early morning brew. This song is off of the famous “London Calling” album and symbolized a perfectly cool morning vibe.
Now we get a rude and a reckless
We been seen lookin’ cool an’ speckless
We been drinking brew for breakfast
Rudie can’t fail
7. David Bowie – “Oh You Pretty Things”
This song is a sweet memory of David Bowie’s legacy. Could you even imagine David Bowie making you breakfast and coffee? JK already have in the dreams of my formidable years.
Wake up you sleepy head
Put on some clothes,
shake up your bed
Put another log on the fire for me
I’ve made some breakfast and coffee
8. Of Montreal – “Pancakes for One”
The morning can be a sobering time when we’ve hit rough patches in our lives. This Of Montreal song perfectly summarizes that frigid morning feeling when you’ve emerged from a dream state and are back to your sad reality. I personally can’t eat when I am stressed or sad, so I have definitely turned down some delicious breakfast like this after my heart’s been hurt.
Pancakes for one are always depressing
because having breakfast with you was such fun
Pancakes for one are no fun
9. SBTRKT – “Good Morning” (feat. The-Dream)
Break up songs aside, the morning can be a glorious time when you wake up next to the best person you know. This SBTRKT song shows the simple fun of just kicking it with your partner in crime with some Saturday morning cartoons.
You’re the girl that I’m gon marry
Sitting back watching Boomerang Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry, Tom and Jerry
I’m always roll with you, I ain’t scared, I ain’t scared, I ain’t scared
Tell your momma that we’re getting married
Getting married, getting married, getting married
10. A Tribe Called Quest – “Ham & Eggs”
A Tribe Called Quest classic about grubbing with your buds in the morning with grandma behind the griddle. Of all the food-related songs I can think of, this track always makes makes me the most hungry.
I don’t eat no ham n’ eggs, cuz they’re high in cholesterol
A yo, Phife do you eat em? (Nah, Tip do you eat em?)
Uh uh, not at all (Come again, y’all)
I don’t eat no ham n’ eggs, cuz they’re high in cholesterol
Jarobi, do you eat em? (Nope, Shah, do you eat em?)
Nope, not at all
BONUS: Riff Raff – “Versace French Toast”
This song seriously does not have to exist but I am so happy it does. Happy morning y’all!
Check out the full playlist on Mind Equals Blown‘s Spotify
