Tuesday, February 26, 2013

I Hope It Don't Kill You

OK, so really this was yesterday's earworm and would have been much more appropriate for a Monday, but I hate Mondays and couldn't get motivated and so I'm late. But I'm always late, so really everything is normal. And besides, none of you care anyway.

So, thanks to Hubby the earworm of the day is Welcome to the Working Week by the ever brilliant Elvis Costello. Elvis. Where to even start? The list of amazing songs by this "pop encyclopedia" is just too long to delve into in this itty bitty bloggy. At one point in time, This Years Model was a constant in my CD player. My first year of college I forced all of my new Phish-loving-wanna-be-hippy friends to listen to it in the vain hope of saving their musical taste. I think I got through to a few of them, but let's face it, if you have to be forced to see the genius that is Elvis Costello, well, you're probably too far gone to be saved. So in an effort to be brief, here's my list of:
Top 5 Reasons To Love Elvis (Costello, not the other one, although he's good too.)
  1. All of his music (OK, that one's a bit of a cheat.)
  2. His glasses.
  3. He's married to Diana Krall (and she rules.)
  4. He wrote a bunch of songs with Sir Paul.
  5. His work with the Jazz Foundation of America to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians, including musicians who survived Hurricane Katrina         (Ctrl C + Ctrl V = thanks Wikipedia.)
As for the song, it's catchy, poppy, upbeat and yet the lyrics are about something real (unlike so much pop fluff today, she says rolling her eyes with her nose in the air.) But, there's also this (and I know not everyone clicks on these links, but please, just do it.) Now, I'm not sure what's happening here, or what this is supposed to represent, or what on earth it has to do with the song, but I think I like it. I think. I'm not sure why these kids chose this song, but hey man, they're making art, so it's cool. NOT!!! What the f**k is happening here??? They look like a bunch of Teletubbies in an orgy gone wrong! Oy! So if you can figure that one out, you're a wiser man than I. Also, I'm not a man.


So this video gives you more than just the one tune (you're welcome) and I thought it was a better representation of his character than a video of him hocking a new album on Letterman. Dig?

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

What I Know, I Can't Do

So, last night Hubby and I finished up part two of the Martin Scorsese documentary about George Harrison, Living in the Material World. (I can't help it, that title just instantly conjures the Madonna song for me.) But this is not a post about Madonna, because there are just too many awesome George Harrison songs on All Things Must Pass (a major focus of the film) to have stuck in my ear right now. But before I get to the earworm du jour I have to say that I am astonished at how little I actually knew about "the quiet Beatle," considering my obsession with these guys for so long. I mean, I know the major solo hits, and The Traveling Wilburys were the jam, and I definitely think it's time to read Pattie Boyd's autobiography, but his midnight gardening tendencies, his random hoarding of ukuleles, the film company he started for Monty Python just because he wanted to see The Life of Brian and no major studio would produce such blasphemous material (stupid EMI.) These tidbits are all new to me. I mean, I must have watched that movie 800 plus times and never made the connection. And he's even IN the damn movie! How did I miss this?! And here's a fun trivia fact: HandMade Films is still making movies today. Yep.

Anyway, What is Life is the pick of the day, a great song, and sooooo catchy. And here's another fun factoid (I know, two in one post, so exciting!) Olivia Newton John had a UK hit with her version in 1972. Sans leotards and leg warmers. Also, this "pop-anthem" has made it to a lot of movie soundtracks (I'm pretty sure you could play the Kevin Bacon game with it, see previous post) and has been much debated in its meaning. Love for a woman or love for God? Well, either way, it's just a damn good track and there's no point in saying anything more than that. Just listen. Repeatedly.

And if you watch the film, be on the lookout for an intensely odd looking Phil Spector (and his Wall of Sound...and his toupee.) It's one of the highlights, for sure.

Friday, February 1, 2013

I'll Try To Use My Words

If I'm being totally honest here, the real earworm of the past couple of months is the theme song from Go Diego Go! Bug is a toddler obsessed. And Hubby and I are going insane. I am so sick of Diego's high-pitched excitement over rescuing baby animals (one day that jaguar is gonna grow up and eat you, Diego) from ridiculous situations that they shouldn't have gotten themselves into in the first place that I refuse to let him have an entire post to himself. Take that, Diego! I do however enjoy the "rescue pack mambo," and have been known to force Bug to shake his tail feathers with me whenever it comes on. Which is OFTEN. Bug usually just yells "MOVE!" so he can see the TV. Ah, quality family time...

Fun Friday factoid: Rosie Perez is the voice of la camara in Go Diego Go! She sings the same song every episode. It makes me want to shoot things. With a gun. Not with a camera.

Moving on. What's really important today is that the Super Bowl is coming up, which means the Super Bowl halftime show is coming up, which means Beyonce. Will she be singing live or won't she?!? She says yes, definitely. Just talked to her. But in the meantime, there is this. And I am so, so, SO thankful for this. So, yeah, go team (watch out for that tight end penetration, y'all) and pass me the nachos. I think Beyonce's gonna win it this year.