nothing to do, nothing to say....

Earworms of the Week

Let's do it.

“Barbra Streisand” – Duck Sauce

I can't actually account either for why this song is in my head this week, or even why I actually like it.  I actually had to look up the artist too, because I can never remember who recorded this.  When I started singing it at work the other day, the guy who sits next to me just looked at me and started to shake his head sadly.  Well, there it is.  I like it.  I also quite like Barbra Streisand, but let's keep that one to ourselves, eh?

The James Bond Theme – Monty Norman

In a break from the sort of stuff we normally do, this season at choir we are doing a medley of James Bond songs, starting with Monty Norman's immortal opening theme.  Sounds pretty straightforward until you actually start to think about it.  It's obviously normally played on the guitar, but we're doing it with our voices.  Think about that:

"Dn dn dn dn dn. Dn dn dn dn dn dn dn dn dn dn dn dn. 
Ba-dap ba-daa- dum. Baa- dap, ba-daa ba- dam. Baa- dap, ba-daa ba- dam. Baa- dap, ba-daa ba- dam. Baa- dap, ba-daa ba- dam. Daa dap Daa-dap Da-dap b-daa- dap."

It's like scat jazz and it's hilarious. The bass-part, obviously, is mostly Dm Dm Dm Dm Dm Dm.....

“Overkill” – Motorhead

I was reviewing a metalcore band for Leftlion magazine the other night, and listening to the drumming inevitably made me think of this little classic.  Lemmy obviously got most of the headlines when he died at the end of December, but it's Phil Taylor (who died earlier in the year) who perhaps left the greater legacy to rock music.

“Comme D’Habitude” – Claude Francois

On Monday morning, after news of his death broke, amidst their other tributes, 6Music played a clip of Bowie discussing how he started songwriting.  Apparently, in the early 70s, Bowie thought his future lay in writing musicals.  He had a publisher and everything. One day, the publisher came to him with a French song and asked him if he fancied having a go at a translation.  Seeing the chance to make a few bob, Bowie agreed.  By his own admission, what he came up with was terrible and was rejected.  The song was subsequently given to Paul Anka, who turned it into "My Way".  Stung by this, Bowie thought he'd better start taking songwriting seriously, and turned the bones of his attempt into "Life on Mars".

“No Surprises” – Radiohead

I was reading an article about "Kid A" the other day and how it was a classic album *because* of the flaws.  Hmm.  Well, I think it's got some brilliant songs on it, but it's a pretty long way from being my favourite Radiohead album, nevermind an all-time classic.  You can't go wrong with this.  This actually popped into my head earlier in the week, but can I be the only person who saw the news about the astronaut on the spacewalk with his helmet filling with water who thought of the video to this song?

“More Than a Woman” – The Bee Gees
“Islands in the Stream” – The Bee Gees

It's been a Bee Gees kind of a week.  There's an event at work at the moment which is apparently going to be called "Mum as a Woman".  Dubious, overly gender-specific title aside, every time someone mentions it, my brain starts to sing it to the tune of "More Than a Woman".  It's funny for a bit, but then it's just insanely annoying.  As for "Islands in the Stream" - and it's very specifically the Bee Gees version and not the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers version.... well, no idea.  Someone new move into the desk opposite me this week, and she was astonished to hear me singing this under my breath, and called me out on it.  All I had to do to welcome her to her new desk and to show her what she had to look forward to, was to hold up the copy of the framed 7" single of "Don't It Make You Feel Good" by Stefan Dennis  that my team gave me for Christmas, and to tell her that it gets a whole lot more random than the Bee Gees....

"Go" - The Chemical Brothers

Yeah, so it's used on every advert and every link on the telly... but it's a banger, isn't it?

“Sound &Vision” – David Bowie

I saw an article - amongst the many articles written this week on the subject - that had a number of musicians picking out their favourite Bowie song.  The article was alright, but to be honest it just made me realise what a futile task that is.  Where do you even start from a back catalogue like that?  Take "Sound & Vision": it's not amongst the most well-known of Bowie's songs (well, that's a relative term: it was a UK number 3), but it's a gem.  It's interesting and unconventional: three minutes long, with the vocal not even starting until halfway through the song.  I think "Hunky Dory" is my favourite of Bowie's albums, but this is the song that's been in my head for most of the week.  He was a giant and will be sorely missed.... but what a legacy.

With Hans Gruber falling off Nakotomi Plaza for the last time, it's been another sad week.