Category: pop culture

Thursday’s Theme Music

You know, sometimes, no matter what you do, you end up getting stuck somewhere where you don’t want to be. 

I’m happy to report that there’s a song for that, called, “Stuck in the Middle With You”, Stealers’ Wheel, 1973. I often think of Reservoir Dogs when I recall this song. Its bounciness, with Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) dancing around as he cut off another man’s ear and doused him in gasoline, offered an interesting counter-balance to the scene’s gritty intensity and violence. 

I guess I’m fortunate that when this song comes to mind at social gatherings, parties, or standing in lines at stores and airports, that nobody is cutting anything off of me.

3

Wednesday’s Theme Music

This isn’t and wasn’t my preferred listening music. I blame it on the modern office environment where people listen to their own music. They generally need to keep the volume turned down or wear headphones because they’re working in cubicles. I was fortunate because I had an office, so my music was a bit louder. However, I’d walk out, and here is this song playing. Then, hearing it, I said, “What’s that?”

Responding, the music was turned up, and people began doing the dance. This was 1996 in America, people. The song is a little ditty called “Macarana” (Bayside Boys). The song was sweeping the world, even making it to the Democratic National Convention, where Al Gore joked about it.

These things sometimes happen.  Nothing wrong with the song, but it’s not to my taste. But, it’s in my stream today, and I need to get it out.

Over to you.

 

2

Tuesday’s Theme Music

A news article brought today’s theme music to mind. I was reading about Lucy McBath’s electoral victory in Georgia. Her son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed in 2017 for being in a car where the music was being played too loud for a man with a gun and a grudge, Michael Dunn. Lucy McBath was running on a gun control platform, and the story about her victory included mention of Nena’s “Ninety-nine Red Balloons” (1983) (“99 Luftballoons”).

Naturally, my mind was hooked. Streaming the song immediately commenced. Well, I thought, this is clearly today’s theme music, just so I can push it back out of my head. I like the song, but I had other things going on in my head, and it was distracting.

I got into the car, and guess what was playing? Yarp, “Ninety-nine Red Balloons”. It ended. A Bee Gees song replaced it, so I flipped channels, where “Ninety-nine Red Balloons” was playing. First I thought, I wonder if that song was released on this day or this week, or if those folks read the same article that I read. Then I thought, well, that cements it. That song is destined to be today’s theme music.

Enjoy.

2

Monday’s Theme Music

For no particular reason other than that I like this song, I was just streaming this and singing it aloud while I was doing things in the house the other day, and thought I’d put it up as today’s theme music.

Here’s Chris Rea’s “Road to Hell” (1989).

5

Sunday’s Theme Music

Sly and the Family Stone gave us a lot of awesome music when I was young. Today’s theme song, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) is a favorite. This song’s deliberate mondegreen in its title delighted me. I always knew it as just “Thank You.” When I bought the greatest hits album (actually, on an eight-track tape that the machine ate within a year, but not before torturing the sound into a strange warbling), the full title baffled me. I’d always heard the lyrics correctly, not something that always happened with songs, but did happen at the time. That’s when I was first introduced to mondegreens.

That greatest hits album deserved that title, and that’s why it was worn out. That was common for that time, to wear music out because of its medium, whether it was tape or vinyl. Digital has made a huge difference.

Onward.

2

Saturday’s Theme Music

I was reading about the militias heading south to the border to meet the caravan. Some had already arrived in a few towns, where the people were confused about why the militia were. People interviewed in those towns felt that the caravan issue and illegal immigrant issues were being overblown. Of course that may be a result of what I read, and not the truth.

All of that paramilitary talk reminded me of how volatile the UK was for so long, which triggered memories of an old Sex Pistols’ song, “Anarchy in the U.K.” (1976). The song contains chunks of initials. When I first heard it, the meanings behind the initials were a mystery. The press took it up and gave us explanations that it was about the paramilitary groups, primarily Irish, that were for and against the British.

It all provides some hope that if the UK can survive, maybe America can as well. Well, honestly America will survive. It’s a question of what form it’ll have in the future, whether it’ll be fifty states or several republics, a dictatorship or some other form of government. Inherent in that question are the greater questions of equality, freedom, and the environment.

Let’s rock.

 

0

Friday’s Theme Music

I started this morning by streaming some old ELP, “Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends, we’re so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside.” Any ELP fan recognizes that opening from one of the Brain Salad Surgery “Karn Evil 9 Impressions” (1973).

But the stream drifted, bringing in “Still…You Turn Me On” from the album. I also enjoy thinking about the song’s enigmatic lyrics. It’s like they’re singing about trying to understand someone, and failing while guessing at who they are, and despite that, being attracted to them.

Many of us find ourselves in like situations in life, trying to understand others, and sometimes loving or hating them for reasons that we can’t explain.

0

Thursday’s Theme Music

Thinking of many things today, and from that morass streamed an old Tom Petty song.

Many consider “Breakdown” (1977) to be the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ breakout song. It’s a mellow, reflective sound with some edges, a sweet and weary reflection of love and trying. I prefer the live version included in An American Treasure.

 

 

 

2

Flooftivus

Flooftivus (floofinition) – annual secular holiday that housepets established to celebrate living with people. The holiday, observed over a nine-day period, is structured to include auspicious routines. These include days dedicated to vomiting, washing and grooming, napping, gorging, dashing around the dwelling, shedding hair, hiding, shredding objects, and being needy. The holiday culminates with a visit by Santa Paws, and the giving of gifts.

In use: “Although he loved his pets, he dreaded Floofivus. The Day of Vomiting was not fun, but The Giving of Gifts struck him as worse.”

 

9

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Well, here we go. The mid-term elections are done. Results are mostly in. Almost all issues are decided. A few exceptions are out there. Let’s go to James Brown singing “Living in America” (1985) for some reflection about WTF it all means.

 

6

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑