right? yeah.

Earworms of the Week

"Unchained Melody" - The Righteous Brothers
"I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" - Elvis Presley

Probably amongst the most famous songs ever recorded, right?  Well, in my head, they have become fused into one glorious mash-up.  It's got to the point where I'm starting to forget which song is which; I'll start singing one and it will become the other halfway through and without me even realising until I hit a chorus and realise that I'm not where I started.  It's not unsettling, exactly - goodness knows there are worse songs than these to have stuck in your head - it's just a bit odd.  Oh well.  What can you do?  Try not to think of Robson and Jerome, for one thing.

"Ebeneezer Goode" - The Shamen

Anyone got any salmon?  Sorted.  You can't go wrong with a bit of early 90s rave electronica, eh?

"21 Seconds" - So Solid Crew

As far as I'm aware, I've never heard this record all the way through. So quite how it ends up playing in my head as I'm sitting at my desk at work minding my own business is anyone's guess.  The So Solid Crew were apparently Megaman, Asher D, Mac, Kaish, G-Man, Harvey, Romeo, Lisa Maffia, Face & Skatt D. Who could forget Skatt D?  In the pantheon of UK Garage hits, it's not quite Re-Wind by the Artful Dodger featuring Craig David, but frankly what is?

"Tears of a Clown" - Smokey Robinson

Just the intro.... but isn't that enough?  Sublime.  It's a right mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous this week, innit?

Coronation Street theme

I last watched this in about 1994 when I was a second year student and sharing a house in Leamington with a film studies student who adored it.  It was about the time that Tanya the barmaid was luring Des Barnes away from poor Raquel.  Is it even still on?

"Don't Worry, Be Happy" - Bobby McFerrin

Not only one of the greatest one-hit wonders ever, but one of the best songs featuring whistling.  Yes, it is.  Believe.

"Breaking the Law" - Judas Priest

Rob Halford is clearly a bit of a prat - he seemed to think that Judas Priest were more deserving than Metallica of headlining Glastonbury a couple of years back - but this is an absolute cast-iron classic. I first heard it on the first disc of the first CD I ever bought.... "Protect the Innocent", an album notable for the opening punch of "Born to be Wild", "Paranoid", "Fireball" and then "Ace of Spades", with "Breaking the Law" coming up next.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've bought a CD since that has a better start than that.  Dur dur dur de dur dur de dur dur, dur dur dur de dur dur de dur dur. Breaking the law! Breaking the law!

"La Bamba" - Ritchie Valens

Not the Los Lobos version.  Just to be clear.  Not that there's anything particularly wrong with it... it's just not the version that's stuck in my head.  I seem to have had a bit of a retro vibe this week, eh?  I'm a little surprised that there isn't anything by the Big Dipper on the list, to be honest.  Have I ever mentioned my wife's passion for late 1950s / early 1960s rock and roll?  She doesn't seem to listen to a lot of popular music, but sometimes she really surprises you.  She loves this sort of stuff, but she also likes surprisingly spiky things by people like the White Stripes or Arctic Monkeys (she loves "Do You Wanna Know" in particular).

"Self Esteem" - The Offspring

I actually originally got this song caught in my head before I actually knew what it was.  This was years ago, although some time after the song's release in 1994.  1999, maybe?  The band were pretty well known around that time for "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", but I had no idea that they'd done this one too.  It's less cartoony and a lot more edgy and angsty.  I liked it.  Still do.  Haven't listened to it in an age, but it was pretty welcome when I caught myself singing it to myself the other day and realised what it was.

Well, a pretty varied week on the old internal jukebox, eh?  I've spent my long bank holiday weekend so far by going for a 20 mile run.  Yay me!  Well, I'm off next week too... building up to my 22 mile run.  WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS END? I NEED SOMETHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT!

Enjoy your weekends, y'all.  It's what Jesus would have wanted.