up tiddley up-up...

Earworms of the Week

“Cruel to be Kind” – Nick Lowe

Well, it's a right old mixed bag this week... but it was one of those weeks where I actually kept a little list going, writing down what I caught myself singing as it happened.  So, you know, for better or for worse, this actually represents the music inside my head this week.  Yeah, scary thought.  I actually had to look up who this song was by, and have no recollection of hearing it at any point in the last decade, never mind the last week.  It is one of those songs that has sunk into popular consciousness though, and it's entirely possible that someone was using it on a trailer for something on the telly and it just got stuck.  Like songs like this do.  Good record though, eh? 1979, apparently.

“Chanson d'Amour” – Manhattan Transfer

I know exactly where this one comes from: the seed was planted last weekend when I caught an episode of Top of the Pops from 1977.  It was painfully pre-punk and featured the likes of Showaddywaddy as well as an hideously cheese-tastic Tony Blackburn.  I wouldn't say that this song stood out, particularly, it's just that C. has an ear for a song in French, as you would expect, and the "ra-da-da-da-da" bit is quite hard to shift once it gets into your head.  Seriously though, punk could not come fast enough.

“Space Oddity” – David Bowie

Ah, a bit of classic Bowie.  The night sky has been on my mind a bit over the last few weeks, what with Saturn and Venus being unusually close together in the eastern sky and Mars clearly visible in the west.  Maybe that's where it came from?  That and the fact I used a lyric from this earlier in the week.  Who knows which came first and frankly, who cares?  It's a great record, and that's the most important thing.

“Many of Horror (when we collide)” – Biffy Clyro

Biffy have been my revelation of the last few months.  It started with "Mountains", but has gone onto a healthy appreciation of the album "Only Revolutions".  I haven't ventured into their back catalogue yet, but I'm absolutely loving this record in particular.  It's a beautiful record with some nicely enigmatic lyrics, which I love.   I know that for some it's been tainted by Matt Cardle's X-Factor version, but you can choose the one you want to listen to, right?  Cardle's version isn't shocking, by any stretch of the imagination, it's just not as good - not nearly - as the original, IMO.

“Whiskey in the Jar” – Thin Lizzy

Goodness, it's been too long since I last listened to a bit of Lizzy.  This isn't my favourite of theirs, by any means, but it's a great song nonetheless.  It's a much covered standard, obviously, but I like their version the best.  Better than Metallica, anyhow.

“I Write Sins Not Tragedies” – Panic! At The Disco

I put my iPhone onto shuffle the other day, and was immediately rewarded by this little belter.  Love, love, love this song.

“The Everlasting” – Manic Street Preachers

Another gift from shuffle.  I've got pretty much everything the Manics have done, but when I pick an album out for a listen, it will most likely be "The Holy Bible" and perhaps "Journal for Plague Lovers".  I think I've got a playlist put together too.  This is a song from what Smash Hits would probably call their "Imperial Period", when they were building on the success of "Everything Must Go" and their number one single "If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next" (don't you just love how wordy a band they are?  Who else would have a song title like that?).  It's a lovely, slow builder and is stadium rock every inch of the way.  I like their rawer stuff, but it was a real pleasure to hear this one too.  I'd dig the album out, but I risk hearing "SYMM".  Awful. 

“I Like to Move It” – Reel 2 Real

Not a song that I own a copy of, but this is like earworm crack: once it got in, there was simply no shifting it, often rather unfortunately accompanied by me singing it out loud, accent and everything.  In the office.  As you do. In it's own way, a brilliant record.

“Golden Brown” – The Stranglers

Lovely song.  No idea why it was in my head, but most welcome anytime.  I was also humming "Peaches" when I was out running the other day.  It wasn't even what was playing on my iPod, but for some reason I was thinking about the word "charabanc".  As you do.

“Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines”

Was this song written for the film of the same name, or does it pre-date it?  No matter.  It's not really the most important issue when you can't shift the damn tune from your head (although, it was written for the film, apparently).  I haven't even seen the film.  It's just one of those songs, isn't it? 

They Go Up, Tiddly, Up, Up.
They Go Down, Tiddly, Down, Down.
They Enchant All The Ladies And Steal All The Scenes
With their Up, Tiddly, Up, Up
And Their Down, Tiddly, Down, Down.

Fact: Terry Thomas and Eric Sykes, the stars of the film, were the inspirations for Dastardly and Muttley.  Worth it just for that, eh?

Right, well... that's your lot.  Have a good weekend, y'all.