thanksgiving

The Best Playlist for Your Post-Thanksgiving Cleanup

published Nov 24, 2016
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(Image credit: Alexis Buryk)

Your last guest has departed. Dirty plates are piled in the sink, leftover food sits on every surface, and your tablecloth is stained with red wine splatters and gravy drips. It’s time to clean up, which, for some, is the worst part of hosting the Thanksgiving meal.

Fear not! We put together an upbeat, Motown-inspired playlist to liven the mood and make this dreaded chore fly by.

Our ideal playlist starts with Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” Swing your hips as you clear the dishes and soak the pots. Then, sing along with Gloria Jones as she belts out “Tainted Love.”

Keep the energy up with Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music” and The Twilights’ cover of “Needle in a Haystack,” and groove through your scrubbing with classic soul songs from Wilson Pickett, Joseph Henry, Cliff Nobles, and the Chi-Lites.

Tina and Ike Turner take you higher while you power through your cleaning odyssey. By the time you get to James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing” and Merry Clayton’s “Gimme Shelter,” you’ll finally see some sparkle on your countertops.

Give your kitchen its last lap with Dusty Springfield, then wind the night down with the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, and her cover of The Band’s “The Weight.”

Congrats! Your house is finally clean again.

Listen on YouTube: Tunes for Washing Up

What do you like to listen to while you clean up? Tell us in the comments!