Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
Goo Goo Floofs (floofinition) – American floof rock (flock) band formed in Floofalo, New York, in 1986. The band have achieved considerable success, selling over fifteen million albums.
In use: “One of Goo Goo Floofs’ many pop floof songs includes “Floof Balloon”. Released in 1999, the song reached number sixteen on the floofstream charts.”
War.
Climate change. Natural disasters.
COVID-19 pandemic. Rising deaths.
Black lives matter. Police brutality. Corruption. Protests. Riots. Looting. Tear gas.
Murder hornets. Asteroid heading for Earth. Forty thousand year old worms dug up, thawed out, and living again.
2020 is seen by many to be a year of worsening situations. Many read something new happening, fill with dread and ask, “Oh, no, is another disaster about to strike the planet?”
Chuckling to myself over this today, Europe’s song, “The Final Countdown” (1986) entered my musical memory stream.
The song is about leaving Earth, but you know, just pause a mo’ and shift words around, and it’ll work for this year.
If we need a theme song for this year, maybe this is it. Maybe it is the final countdown, not to leaving, but to another crisis.
A quiet day for me, providing an interlude for reflection. After watching the news, contemplating history and contrasting them with current events, Neil Young’s song, “Old Man” (1972).
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
Twenty four
and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two.
Love lost, such a cost,
Give me things
that don’t get lost.
Like a coin that won’t get tossed
Rolling home to you.
Old man take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
and you can tell that’s true.
Lullabies, look in your eyes,
Run around the same old town.
Doesn’t mean that much to me
To mean that much to you.
I’ve been first and last
Look at how the time goes past.
But I’m all alone at last.
Rolling home to you.
h/t to AZLyrics.com
I picked this acoustic version for its simplicity, and because Young is young in it, and alone, unvarnished, on the stage with his guitar.
Green Floof (floofinition) – American punk floof (poof) rock band from East Floof, California, winner of multiple Floofies, including Best Poof Album.
In use: “Green Floof won Record of the Year for “Boulevard of Floofen Dreams” in 2004.”
Fed the cats, used the restroom, woke up (yeah, that was the order, to the best of my recollection, your honor), and realized I was humming “My Hero” by the Foo Fighters (1998). Thought it a good song for these times, when people need everyday heroes to manage commonplace matters.
[Chorus]
There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary
[Bridge]
Kudos, my hero
Leaving all the mess
You know my hero
The one that’s on
h/t to Genius.com
Find a hero. Find yourself a hero. You don’t need to worship them; just support them.
Emerson, Floof & Palmer (EF&P) (floofinition) – A progressive floof rock (flock) group from Floofland. Formed in 1970, EF&P are known for adapting classical arrangements and were early adopters of using synthesizers.
In use: “One of Emerson, Floof & Palmer’s early mainstream hits was “Lucky Floof”, written by Greg Floof when he was twelve years old.”
Many songs that I remember have specific moments attached. They follow traditional, predictable patterns of love, success, pain, and failure.
Today’s song is hotly linked to success. It was 1999. Retired from the military, I was working in a medical device startup company. I began as the customer service manager. Then the company was bought out. And on this day, the new VP of marketing from the company who bought us had offered me a big promotion, to become a product manager, and I’d accepted.
The world looked great. This was in the summer in the Peninsula portion of the SF Bay Area known as Silicon Valley. I was in my car, a vehicle I enjoyed The sky was blue, the sun was bright and warm, and the future seemed amazing.
Traffic wasn’t bad either, as I left Highway 101 and I-280 behind me and headed west toward home on highway 92. For that day, I put in Bush, Sixteen Stone, and selected “Comedown” (1995).
Here are the lyrics that drew me that day:
‘Cause I don’t wanna come back down from this cloud
It’s taken me all this time to find out what I need
I don’t wanna come back down from this cloud
It’s taken me all this all this time
h/t AZlyrics.com
(BTW, I wanted to indent the lyrics to call them out, but can’t find the indent on this new, cumbersome, tedious, loaded WP editor. This is supposed to be a quick post; I don’t want to spend a lot of time searching through blocks and patterns, widgets and menus to find what used to be a simple matter. And where is the help? Oh, let me look for that.)
Don’t have a specific reason for this song in my head today. Just awoke to that beginning from the song. Maybe it was a dream thing, or a writing thing, or my generally foolish, optimistic nature.
But that’s today’s music.
Electric Floof Orchestra (EFO) (floofinition) – Floof rock (flock) band from Floofingham who fused a floof pop (flop) with orchestral arrangements and flock overtones. Formed in 1970, they achieved global floofstream popularity by the mid 1970s.
In use: “Electric Floof Orchestra, often called EFO, or El Floofo, recorded multiple albums, having hits such as “Can’t Get it Out of My Fur”, “Floof Magic”, “Floof A Little Love”, and “Don’t Floof Me Down”, in the seventies.”
I’m in the midst of a rebellion this morning. It began when my mind shouted, “No more news! Just back away for a little bit. Please do it. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Carefully, I backed away from my mind, eyeing it as I did, trying to gauge its temperament. “Is everything okay?” An innocuous question, I thought.
Too innocuous. “Is everything okay?” My mind launched into a rant that went in every direction at once. I let it rant, biding my time, until the rant petered out for lack of oxygen.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay. No Facebook for a bit.”
“For the day!”
“Fine, fine, and no news? Really? You want to — “
“Stop.” My mind’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to guilt me, dude. I won’t have it.”
“I’m not trying to guilt you.”
My mind scoffed. “Sure. Who do you think you’re talking to? Your asshole? I’m your mind, baby. I know you better than you know me.”
I’ve been in these situations before. Time and space were demanded, needed. I would accommodate my mind. “Okay, then. What sort of theme song should I use today?”
My mind glowered for moments. Dark emotions flit over its face. Suddenly, like sunshine had burst through, he brightened. “Spin Doctors. “Little Miss Miss”, 1992.”
“Really?” I remembered when it came out. I was stationed at Onizuka AFB, then called an Air Station, in Sunnyv —
“Stop.”
“What?”
“No trips down memory lane. I don’t want to do any of that bullshit today. Just play the song and write the post.”
I nodded. “Okay, chum, you got it.”
My mind faked a gag. “Don’t call me chum.”
And that’s how today’s theme music selection was made.
Today’s theme music has nuttin’ to do with politics, dreams, cats, or memories. It’s not prompted by introspection and self-questioning. It’s not in memory of a friend that passed away, and it’s not related to the news. It’s just a song by The Weeknd that I enjoy. “Blinding Lights” (2020) just keeps running in my mental stream. I suppose, if I think about the words — about being touched and empty cities — I can establish some rational reason why it’s jumped up out of slumbering brain masses, but it’s a good song, and I’m just going to enjoy it for a few minutes as just a good song.
Never saw the video before this. Takes half a minute to get into the song.
Michael Seidel, writer 