Call it a Cup of Joe, java, or plain ol’ coffee there are many ways to ask for a cuppa caffeinated bliss. I fell in love with the taste of coffee when I was just a kid. I believe it started at the Thrifty ice cream counter. My favorite flavor was Java and I’d always get a scoop of Bubble Gum with it. The saying, you are what you eat, is true. Bubble gum and coffee is a combo that describes my personality deliciously.

When other kids wanted hot cocoa after dinner I wanted coffee with milk and sugar. I’ve tried many substitutes from chicory root to Soyfee but they never quite measure up.

So I did some research about coffee in pop culture. Two things I just can’t get enough of.

1. Coffee in Commercials

Just this morning I made the coffee a bit too strong again. Strong is great when you have a primo brand of coffee to start with but if you try to make diner style coffee strong you get “bad taste”. Here’s a retro commercial of a housewife dealing with this very same scenario. Let’s see how she solved her morning coffee catastrophe.

2. Coffee in Music

Emmett Miller’s “You’re the Cream in My Coffee”, The Ink Spots “Java Jive”, Bob Dylan’s “One More Cup of Coffee”, Wendy & Lisa’s  ”Waiting for Coffee”, and The Squeeze’s “Black Coffee in Bed”. We’d need a few pots of coffee to keep us going with the long list of java in music. Let’s take a coffee break. Click here and have a listen to Frank Sinatra sing The Coffee Song.

3. Coffee in Television

Friends gathered at the Central Perk. Alice filled coffee cups at Mel’s Diner. Dr. Frasier Crane met with Daphne and Niles for a caffeinated beverage at Café Nervosa. Even soap operas like the Young & the Restless used a coffee shop to set the scene.

Caffeine in excess is proven to increase irritability. Watch what happens after these guys had too many mochas at the Y&R coffee shop.

4. Coffee in Film

Just like television, movies have used coffee shops as backdrops, coffee cups as props, and even coffee as a central theme. Have you seen Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch? This film is a series of vignettes starring Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, and Bill Murray just to name a few. You can see a few clips in this creative Cinema & Coffee videoart on YouTube:

In 1961 a short film called This is Coffee was made. It’s full to the brim with coffee information.

5. Coffee Table Books

This housewife isn’t fond of dusting her coffee table but she sure loves coffee table books. I have two favorites on display. One is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the other is Studio 54. A little Depp and a little disco is all I need to make dusting more fun.

On my quest to quench my coffee thirst, I found this great site devoted to coffee table books. Click here to do some book browsing. I think I need a few more coffee tables.

Any other pop culture Cups of Joe out there you’d like to share?

I ran an errand tonight and decided to treat myself to a tall two pump decaf mocha on my way home. While I was waiting in line I heard the familiar voice of Frank Sinatra crooning in the background. Sitting on the counter was the CD entitled Nothing But the Best, containing 21 performances, including the previously unreleased version of “Body & Soul.” This compilation commemorates the 10th anniversary of his death. Turns out he died two days before my birthday in 1998.

I know a little about Sinatra’s personal life. I know he was called Ol’ Blue Eyes and he was part of the Rat Pack. He captivated the hearts of bobby soxers, and he was married to the beautiful and talented Ava Gardner. He was married more than once, including his marriage to a much younger Mia Farrow. I think the whole world was aware of his surveillance by the FBI because of alleged mafia ties, and friendship with John F. Kennedy. What I didn’t know was that he won 11 Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film, From Here to Eternity. I was clueless about the Empire State Building glowing blue to honor his 80th birthday, or that the US Postal Service issued the Frank Sinatra postage stamp.

I dig this duet with Frank and his daughter Nancy doing her hit Downtown. She’s even wearing pink boots made for walkin in this clip. Only the truly hepcats know what I’m referring to here.

What is your favorite Sinatra classic? Good thing I got a decaf mocha or I’d be up all night learning more about Ol’ Blue Eyes.

Check out the great gallery pics on the official Sinatra website:

www.sinatra.com