Tunnels leading to empty rooms

Morning. After yesterday's non-post, I feel somewhat obliged to get you something decent to read as quickly as I can..... so it's an early posting for this week's Earworms.

The Guest Editor this week used to be a Wombat, you know.... she's also a very talented poet, writer, artist, amateur photographer, statue standee & I suspect a pretty mean model/actress.

ladies & gentlemen...without further ado:

Earworms of the Week - Guest Editor #12 - Bee from Life in the B .

Here they are then, Mr Swiss - the Bee's Earworms of the Week! I have to tell you, I had a difficult job keeping it down to 10, as I seem to have an in-head DJ on full-time duty playing a (to say the least) very eclectic range of tunes, but the following 10 have been the most enduring

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10. Ash - "Envy"

Having reclaimed a lot of CDs from storage in Damo's house at the weekend, this 2002 single was one of the first things I refreshed my ears with as soon as I got home. An absolutely stomping pop tune about wanting to, you know, do it with a lady. And what with the lovely Tim Wheeler's cries of "I am getting trigger-happy but it doesn't help at all" and "Too much, too much!", alternating with the infuriatingly gorgeous Charlotte Hatherley's "Ooooooh-ooooooohs" ... well, let's just say it has a little something for everyone.

9. Luther Vandross - "Never Too Much"

This was played on the radio as I was being given a lift to work the other day, and it has stuck in my head ever since. I've always loved this song - and it was with untold joy that I found myself dancing to it at Num Num's and Icy Chick's wedding a couple of months back. Luther Vandross just had the most beautiful voice. RIP Luther.

8. Clearlake - "Finally Free"

I swear to you this isn't just yet another shameless plug for the excellent official Clearlake site run by Damo. Can I help it if it's a classic earworm of the first order and has hardly left my head since I first heard the demo version? It kind of sounds like the Kinks, too, which is generally a Good Thing.

7. Magic Numbers - "Love Me Like You"

Hammered into my head from being heard a grand total of four times yesterday, since it appears to be playlisted to buggery by Radio 2 (which my work colleague listens to in the office). I like the Magic Numbers. Not only do they make a good sound, they also (apparently) walked out on their debut Top of the Pops appearance because Richard Bacon made "derogatory, unfunny remarks" about their weight. Good for them! Richard Bacon is an idiot.

6. Van Halen - "Why Can't This Be Love?"

Blame VH1 Classic for this one. Actually, no ... "blame" is not quite the right word. "Thank" would be more appropriate, I think. It's a fantastic song. Air guitars out for the lads!

5. XTC - "Mayor of Simpleton"

If I'm ever at a loss as to what to listen to, I find that "Fossil Fuel: XTC Singles 1977-92" usually tends to be a good bet, and on a good day this song, which is one of my favourite songs ever, will follow me around all day like a sweetly-scented cloud of perfume. Andy Partridge is one of the best lyricists I know of. "If depth of feeling is a currency / Then I'm the man who grew the money tree" ... perfect.

4. Joy Zipper - "1"

I haven't heard very many songs by Joy Zipper, but I keep hearing this on 6 Music and it makes me (a) very happy and (b) want to seek out more of their stuff.

3. Kid Carpet - "Nelson Street Space Invaders"

A song about signing on at the Nelson Street job centre in Bristol, which I pass every day on the bus on my way to work, hence the earworm. Kid Carpet is a highly entertaining chap - one of the finer products of Bristol, along with sherry, hot air balloons, Concorde (alas), and the BBC's wide range of splendid natural history programmes - and this particular song rocks like a bastard: "Don't line me up a job with every other joe / 'Cause I just can't say no / Oh please have mercy on my soul" ...

2. Editors - "Bullets"

This infuriated me by being stuck in my head without me knowing what it was. I just had the "you don't need this disease you don't you don't need this disease you don't" bit going round and round in my head for days, and it was only just recently that (with the help of Damo) I discovered what it was. Not that I have anything against the song, mind - it's a good song - it's just that I think it was a bit churlish to barge its way into my head like that without even introducing itself.

1. Brendan Benson - "Life in the D"

OK, so this one's my own fault for paraphrasing a Brendan Benson song when renaming my blog, so that every time I look at my blog title I get the song stuck in my head. Still, I'm not complaining. And it is quite appropriate for a blog really: "My life in the D / Is a tragicomedy / A poetic verse..."

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Oh ... and sorry there is a tiny bit of html in there. It snuck in while I wasn't looking ... :/

Bee

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Thanks Bee!

Our with that, our unbroken run of female Guest Editors comes to an end. I'm hoping that next week's Editor will be Charlie from Late Night Radio... but he hasn't replied yet, so don't be too surprised if it turns out to be someone totally different!

(I'm still tired, mind you)

[previous guest editors: Flash, The Urban Fox, Lord Bargain, Retro-Boy, Statue John, Ben, OLS, Ka, Jenni, Aravis, Yoko, Bee]