snowdrops falling through the night...

Earworms of the Week

“You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon

I see that Carly Simon confirmed this week that this song is – at least partially – about Warren Beatty. To be honest, given that this is what everyone has always just assumed, I’m not sure what the point of the announcement was. Besides, didn’t a guy pay a small fortune to have Carly Simon whisper the answer in his ear a few years back? Yeah. $50,000. What must he be thinking now, eh? (although, perhaps he would have paid that amount of money just to have Carly Simon whisper anything into his ear?)

“Apply Some Pressure” – Maximo Park

The album, “A Certain Trigger” is apparently now ten years old, which just makes me feel a little bit old. The band are, obviously, touring the record. I like them and I think they’ve written some great songs, but I imagine that it must make them feel a tiny bit sad too that their career never really got much bigger than this. Is there good money to be made as a sort-of-successful band like this, do you think? Enough to keep Paul Smith in hats?

“Baby I Love Your Way” – Peter Frampton

Because the guy who sits next to me has been singing this to himself all week. ALL WEEK!

“Kiss From a Rose” – Seal

He’s been singing this one too. To be fair, I’ve had my revenge well up front by constantly singing the most ridiculous stuff like “Last Christmas” by Wham, “Don’t it Make You Feel Good” by Stefan Dennis, and….

“Mistletoe and Wine” – Cliff Richard

Yes. Cliff Richard. He’s probably lucky that it wasn’t “Wired for Sound”, but we are *almost* in December after all. Goodness me, this is an appalling record. Well done the Great British Public on sending this monstrosity all the way to number one. Mind you, “The Millennium Prayer” is even worse. Ugh. Pretty much crimes against music, never mind anything else the man might have done.

“Creeping Death” – Metallica

I think I can categorically say that this is the best thrash metal song ever recorded about the biblical plagues on Egypt. Whilst we’re here, perhaps we should also spare a thought for Philthy Phil Taylor, the Motorhead drummer who died this week and who, on “Overkill”, basically invented thrash metal with the double-kick drum sound. Metallica themselves will tell you.

“Where Do You Go To My Lovely” – Peter Sarstedt

Because sometimes, a song about someone born in Naples, sung in a French accent by someone from Sweden is the only thing that will really scratch that itch. The best bits of this song by far (apart from the accordion solo) is when his Swedish accent kicks in unmistakably. (“on your back and on you legshh”). A-haha-ha!

“Believe” - Cher

Again, accept no substitutes and surrender to the earworm now. It’s only harder if you struggle. When we were visiting Gozo in the summer and were in a medieval fort, I suggested to my wife that she recreate the “Turn Back Time” video for a photo by straddling a cannon. She refused. Spoilsport.

Cantina Band theme – John Williams

It’s now actually reached the point that I’m going to stop reading about the new Star Wars film. I’m not one of those super-excited people who has already booked their seats at the IMAX on opening night, but I would quite like the film to hold some surprises when I sit down to watch it, whenever that is. Hopefully it won’t be shit… but to be brutally honest, it would have to go some way to be anywhere near as shit as the prequels. George Lucas was talking this week about how he hopes JJ Abrams won’t ruin it. Ha! But then, as he also said that his favourite character was Jar-Jar, I’m pretty sure the old bastard was just trolling us all. I like this song, but I feel it would be a mistake as a ringtone; one that seems like a good idea at the time, but causes excruciating embarrassment if your phone ever rings in a public place. My ringtone for my wife has been the Imperial March for about 15 years now. When it rings, people just seem to instinctively understand that it’s my wife. She doesn’t get to hear it very often, obviously, but she sort of loved and hated that scene in Ted all at the same time. Oh, and remember that, in the final analysis, no one really wins a Star Wars quiz. We won, obviously… but there are no real winners in that room.

“Copenhagen” – Scott Walker

One of my colleagues is off to Denmark next week, and I don’t think he quite understands why I burst into this song whenever he mentions it. Well, that’s his loss, right?

Have a good weekend, y’all….