there must be about a million ways.....

Earworms of the Week

I've got a new tagline for this regular feature.  "Earworms of the Week: the bit my wife reads even less than the other bits".  What do you think?

"Wired for Sound" - Cliff Richard

This is toxic.  As soon as a lyric from this song popped into my head the other day, I knew I was doomed.  To be honest, the idea of a 'guilty pleasure' is a bit ridiculous as you either like something or you don't.... but I find this record strangely irresistible.  It's simple really: it's a great pop song.  Add in a video of Cliff Richard on roller skates outside the John Lewis in Milton Keynes shopping centre, and it's just about perfect, isn't it?

"Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues feat. Kirsty Maccoll

I work for a retailer and, like every other retailer, they try and convince their customers that Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year.  Our Christmas gift is now out in the stores, and we had some big briefing today about what we need to do to support our stores and our customers.  The people doing the briefing were dressed in Santa or Elf outfits, everyone was encouraged to wear a Christmas jumper, and there was tree decorating and mince pies all round.  It was quite good, as these things go, but I could really do without having to listen to the same old bloody Christmas songs when we're still in October.  I think this one might be worst of all, precisely because it is a good record, but now that it has been officially adopted as THE BEST Christmas song, it's been played to death and effectively ruined for me.  I actually really like Christmas music, but there's far too much good stuff around to waste your time listening to the same 15 songs over and over again, year after year.  Life's too short.  And Christmas is too long.

"Madness" - Muse

This is a great song.  The more I listen to it, the more I like it.  Good album too.  And I don't even really like Queen.

"I Was Made For Lovin' You" - Kiss

Yeah, so it's being used in an advert for Costa coffee or something at the moment, but to be honest that only really goes to show what a brilliant, big, dumb rock record this is.  I'm not sure what image it's supposed to be conjuring up of baristas and coffee beans though.  Not the one they're hoping for, I think.  The lyrics are pretty clear, aren't they?

"Money" - Pink Floyd

Not the song, especially, but the looping bass riff and the cash registers at the beginning.  I haven't listened to the Floyd in ages, to be honest, and when I do, I tend to reach for "Wish You Were Here".  I do have fond memories of a cover of this song by the Dan Reed Network though.  You with me there, Des?

"Chasing the Sun" - The Wanted

This featured in my earworms list the other week, and I had no idea why it was in my head and actually had to look it up on google to have any idea who performed it.  I had to google the band again this evening, but at least I now know where I must have heard it: they were playing it in the gym whilst I was swimming, and it sort of floated into my sub-conscious as I was half-submerged.  This time around, I realised what was happening and paused at one end to confirm it was, in fact, this song.  It was.  Mystery solved.  Please never bother me again.

"No More Heroes" - The Stranglers

The riff was memorably stolen by Elastica, of course... but you can't beat the original.  I particularly enjoy the description of the ice pick making Trotsky's ears "burn".  Well, mmmm.  Yes?

"Calm Like a Bomb" - Rage Against the Machine

Some days no other band will do.  There was a day earlier this week where I had such a shit day that it simply had to be Rage.   It's 20 years since their magnificent debut album came out, would you believe?  Amazing.

Main Theme from Skyrim

Let's be honest: this is probably the single piece of music that I have heard the most often over the last six months.  It's really good!

"Add Some Music To Your Day" - The Beach Boys

I've just moved desk, and my new desk is right next to a south-facing window, and for most of the day, it is bathed in the most glorious sunshine.  It's lovely, slightly off the beaten track - which discourages drive-bys - and actually quite a nice spot for a desk.  The job's shit, obviously... but you can't have everything.  As I was sat at my desk working one morning this week, with the sun shining through the blinds and bathing my keyboard in slats of sunshine, the only possible choice of band on the iPod was the Beach Boys.  For about half an hour, until I was interrupted, for once work seemed like a reasonable place to be.  It doesn't happen very often, so forgive me if I bask in the memory for a moment at the end of what has otherwise been a pretty miserable working week.  Ah well, it's the weekend now, eh?  Hic.  This reminds me of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" by Mama Cass, and looking at the lyrics, it's pretty much the national anthem of the earworm, isn't it?

You'll hear it while you're walkin' by a neighbor's home
You'll hear it faintly in the distance when you're on the phone
You're sittin' in a dentist's chair
And they've got music for you there
To add some music
(Add some music add some add some music to your)
To your day
(A bob didit a bop didit)

After all, the must be about a million ways to add some music to your day, right?  At least a million, I'd say.  Not all of them welcome....

That's it.  Have a good weekend, y'all and see you on the other side.

A bop didit a bob didit.