Released: 2015
“Coffee” by Miguel is a sensually charged exploration of love in its rawest form where each verse culminates into a beautiful morning after love-making. Miguel uses his artful storytelling to detail passionate moments leading up to the morning after, stylishly capturing the essence of an intimate, deeply personal relationship.
Starting with the lines “I wish I could paint our love…”, the song is Miguel’s canvas where he uses his lyrics to ‘paint’ a vivid picture of his love life. The ‘wordplay’ mentioned indicates the flirtation, that heightens the tension between two lovers, turning into ‘gun play’ – a metaphor for heightened passion. This ‘gun play’ winds down to ‘pillow talk’ – intimate late-night conversations, followed by ‘sweet dreams’, only to wake to ‘coffee in the morning’ – signifying the routine of a shared life together.
When Miguel details talking about ‘street art and sarcasm, Crass humor and high fashion’ he paints the image of a deep and multifaceted relationship where elegant romance blends seamlessly with street-smart conversations. ‘Peach color, moon glistens, the plot thickens’ show how their bond deepens as time goes on, further highlighted by ‘we laugh over shotguns and tongue kisses’ – a shared sense of humor and intimacy.
The chorus reflects the continuity of their love, a cycle of passion leading back to a calm morning, again signifying their shared routine together. This gets even more intimate in ‘I don’t wanna wake you, I just wanna watch you sleep.’ Miguel puts his lover on a pedestal, cherishing her in her most vulnerable state, and expressing his comfort in their relationship. All these moments – the passion, the intimacy, the shared experiences culminate in the ‘coffee in the morning’ – the simple moments that string their love story together.
When Miguel introduces the idea of ‘Drugs, sex, and polaroids’, he indicates the reckless abandon, the thrill of their relationship. Picking a star to say goodbye – possibly, a metaphor for pushing all the worldly concerns aside to live in the moment. These references give us a glimpse into the unabashed, raw love he shares with his partner, comparing it to a ‘new religion’ and ‘swimming in sin’ showing it as something profound and, at the same time, delightfully sinful.
By the end, we circle back to ‘coffee in the morning’, grounding the whirlwind of senses and emotions back to the domestic, everyday moment shared between two lovers. This cyclical storytelling underpins the idea, like a day in their life, their love story is also filled with passionate highs and calm lows, painting a down-to-earth yet passionately profound image of a lived-in love.
