Monday’s Theme Music

I wonder how many remember this song.

I wonder why my brain is feeding it to me.

I know this song because Mom liked it, played it, and sang it. A country song, its cover by Jeannie C. Riley became a cross-over hit in 1968. The song later became the basis for a movie and a television show.

Why is it in my head today? My best guess is that my brain is playing head games with me. But the song is about the establishment (you know them), change, hypocrisy, rebellion, and judgement, (along with small town life) so that fits the here and now of our times, no? Sure, we can stretch.

Here’s Jeannie C. Riley with “Harper Valley PTA”.

I want to tell you all the story
‘Bout a Harper Valley widowed wife
Who had a teenage daughter
Who attended Harper Valley Junior High

Well, her daughter came home one afternoon
And didn’t even stop to play
And she said, “Mom, I got a note here
From the Harper Valley PTA”

Well, the note says, “Mrs. Johnson
You’re wearing your dresses way too high
It’s reported you’ve been drinkin’
And a runnin’ ’round with men and goin’ wild”

And we don’t believe you ought to be
A bringin’ up your little girl this way”
And it was signed by the secretary
Harper Valley PTA

h/t to SongLyrics.com

Capricious Fates

Yesterday was cooler outside — eight-eight F — a drop of ten degrees from the day before and night from the one before.

Summer had arrived. Temps are night were falling to sixty, fifty-nine, but it was often seventy by ten AM and quickly climbing.

We have a gas fireplace. Standing by it yesterday, I felt the heat from its pilot radiating out and thought, time to turn that puppy off. So I did.

Clearing their throat, Nature declared, “Hold my beer.”

It’s my custom to keep windows open at night. A wind was blowing through the night, bringing what felt like Arctic air. Getting up, I closed all the windows and thought about turning on the fireplace.

Made me smile. The capricious fates had fooled me again. It’s like, if you study something expensive to buy, and finally pull the trigger, it’s bound to be on sale immediately after you take position.

I guess Alanis Morissette expressed it better in “Ironic”.

Sunday’s Theme Music

It’s a classic line: “Why don’t they do what they say, say what they mean?”

First, you have the POTUS backing the CDC, declaring people are supposed to wear masks (and his staff visiting with him are often required to wear masks, and have their temps taken every day), but then declares that he’s not wearing them. Mike Pence, one of the limpest Veeps in history, has been pilloried for not wearing masks when everyone else was wearing one, when told he should be wearing one, etc, while visiting places and making stops.

“Do what they say.”

Video revealings have people saying what they mean, turning on Blacks and other POC, screaming at them, “Go back where you came from, you don’t belong here,” calling them thugs, criminals, monkeys, and generally using the vilest language and deepest levels of hate that they can muster. When their words spread across the net (because we’re in the net age) and they’re ostracized and fired from jobs, they claim that’s not what they meant (they were just angry, afraid, blacked out, etc.). But it’s pretty clear that they mean what they say.

“One thing leads to another.”

And we certainly have seen that in evidence, haven’t we? Folks attend church, sporting events, bars, parties. Social distancing is shunned, masks are mocked, ridiculous claims are made (our air-conditioning filters will save you)…a few days later, people are in isolation, testing rona positive, and heading for hospitals.

Yet, we still have so many claiming that one thing doesn’t lead to another. They’re above the experts. Or, doesn’t matter. Business and the economy — making money — are more important. So the cases keep rising, and the deaths keep rising…

One thing leads to another.

Here’s the song by the Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”, from 1984.

Soft Floof

Soft Floof (floofinition) – Flooflish synth floof pop (floop) duo formed in the late 1970s and achieved significant United Floofdom success in the 1980s.

In use: “Although successful in the UF, Soft Floof had more limited success in the United Floofs of America (UFA), becoming known for “Tainted Fur” as

Saturday’s Theme Music

The civic powers have decided there’s gonna a be a youth baseball tournament in our area this weekend. Thirty-two teams are coming from all over California and Oregon.

Gosh, I think this is a great idea. Snark, in case it’s not recognized.

Yes, social distancing rules will be in play. Only a hunnert people on a field at a time. But let’s see, thirty-two teams, say fifteen people to a team including coaches, support, and chaperones, and suddenly an four to five hundred people are running around town. Going to social distance? Hmmm…

Then there are fans…

Hmmm…

So, we went shopping today. Had to be done, Costco and Trader Joe’s, our go-tos. TJ was a blessed sanctuary. Everyone masked, not many people, all observing the SD guidelines and playing nice.

We zipped out to Costco. It wasn’t opening for thirty more minutes. “Should we get in line?” the spouse asked.

What line? I saw people milling. Half weren’t masked. Three fourths weren’t distancing.

“No. We’re not getting in that congregation. Let’s go to Target and get the pet supplies instead.”

Off we went.

Target…jebbus. Most weren’t masked. Social distancing? I don’t think they’d heard the term. My mind recoiled with bitterness. We’re probably looking at walking headlines, I thought. Oh, they went to a ballgame. WEnt shopping. One had symptoms but (fill it in yourself). Gosh, thirty people then tested pos. Gosh, they’re all in isolation, and gosh, some of them are really sick and in the hospital.

Yeah, gosh.

Into all of this came the 1985 Hooters song, “All You Zombies”. I don’t know if these people are unthinking, uncaring, ignorant zombies, a piece of all that, or just rebelling cause ‘Merica, Trump. Don’t know. But they strike me as zombies.

That makes “All You Zombies” today’s theme choice. Zombies come in all shapes, ya know?

Friday’s Theme Music

A favorite song is stuck in today’s stream, but it’s quite apt for the time. Growing up in the 1960s, Shirley Bassey was a recurring fixture in pop culture. She sang several of the Bond movie theme songs, showed up on television shows, had international hits. Her voice and style were well-known.

So it was something of a delight when the Propellerheads combined with Shirley Bassey in a retro sound, “History Repeating”, in 1997.

[Verse 1]
The word is about, there’s something evolving
Whatever may come, the world keeps revolving
They say the next big thing is here
That the revolution’s near
But to me it seems quite clear
That it’s all just a little bit of history repeating

[Verse 2]
The newspapers shout – a new style is growing
But it don’t know if it’s coming or going
There is fashion – there is fad
Some is good – some is bad
And the joke is rather sad
That it’s all just a little bit of history repeating

h/t to Genius.com

Here we are in 2020, struggling to advance rights for women, people of color, regardless of sexual gender, identity, or orientation, while a segment of society tries to anchor us to a time that’s gone. Against that, we’re fighting a pandemic, kind of like that 1917-1918 flu pandemic, and there’s talks of voting rights and states’ rights vs. Fed. rights vs. individual rights…like the American Civil War and the ongoing civil rights movement.

Also, I chose this as my theme song back in back in 2017, so, yeah, “History Repeating” works for today. And it’s a swinging tune.

The Floofspring

The Floofspring (floofinition) – California floof punk rock (flunck) band formed in 1984 in Garden Grove, California.

In use: “One of The Floofspring’s most well-known songs is “Wake Up and Play”, which was a Floofboard Top 100 hit for the band.”

Thursday’s Theme Music

Yet again, my brain selected a song and has put it on a loop for reasons that I can’t pinpoint.

This one may have to do with the neighbor’s cat passing away. Named Pepper — an independent cat of independent means chasing independent ways and independent dreams — I often called her sugar and sweetness. A tortie, she featured a coal black face with big golden eyes that seemed solemn but optimistic, and a clear, strong voice. So maybe her spirit kicked the song into my head.

Anyway, here is Robin Schulz with “Sugar” from 2015. It uses Baby Bash’s song, “Suga Suga” from 2003 to build upon. Just realized, too, according to my neighbor, Pepper was ‘supposedly’ (they weren’t pos) born in 2003. Admittedly, this song goes against my general principle of referring to women as bitches. Just don’t like it as an expression, attitude, or stereotype.

Question Floof and the Floofsterians

Question Floof and the Floofsterians (floofinition) – American garage floof rock (flock) band originally formed in Floofinaw, Michigan, active in the 1960s.

In use: “Question Floof and the Floofsterians created a hit with “Ninety-six Hairs” but failed to significantly chart again, earning them one-hit wonder status.”

Wednesday’s Theme Music

After waking up and getting up, songs filter in and out of my cogent stream. With a little surprise, I put together their identities:

“One” by U2 and “One” by Three Dog Night, “I’m the Only One” by Melissa Ethridge, “One” by Metallica, “Still the One” by Orleans, “I’m One” by the Who. Another one song, “She’s the One” by Bruce Springsteen finishes the list.

WTH?

It becomes a quietly amusing background thinking game as I do other things, wondering why songs focused on one are in my mental stream. Not necessarily new; my mind has done this to me with other topics. But I can usually pinpoint the root. It’s different today, as I don’t know what’s kicking one into the stream.

I also wonder, why those songs, and not other songs with one in them. Or maybe other songs with one played in my head but I forgot.

Oh, well. After all that, I settled on a Wallflowers favorite from 1997, “One Headlight”. That’s today’s theme music.

So long ago I don’t remember when
that’s when they said I lost my only friend
they said she died easy of a broke heart disease
as I listened through the cemetary trees

I seen the sun comin’ up at the funeral at dawn
with the long broken arm of human law
now it always seemed such a waste
she always had a pretty face
I wondered why she hung around this place

hey-ey-ey
come on try a little
nothing is forever
there’s got to be something better than in the middle
me and cinderella
put it all together
we could drive it home
with one headlight

h/t to Metrolyrics.com

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