I was driving along this morning, listening to Ken Bruce on Radio 2 - as you do, and a particular song came on the radio. I heard the first couple of notes, and I knew immediately what the song was. This is nothing new for me - there are so many songs and pieces of music that I can recognise from a short introduction. I am always amazed by the brain's ability to recognise a piece of music, and remember and reproduce the words to it - so that if it is a favourite song that I have sung time and time again - I can remember all the words. Some may say this is not particularly amazing - but I disagree (and I am digressing from the main point of this piece, but never mind - this is worth saying). Some people may compare this to driving a car - but once you have learned where things are and how to do them, that is it. Remembering the words to songs is incredible - because we are not just talking about one song here - we are talking about hundreds if not thousands of songs. More impressive is when you can remember the words to songs in different languages - I can remember words to songs in English, French and German.
Anyway - the song on Ken Bruce's show; it was 'Crazy for You' by Let Loose. It was in the charts in 1994, and those opening notes took me right back to 1994 - and I felt the sense of dread and foreboding that I felt back in the summer of 1994. Maybe that sounds a little melodramatic, but back in 1994 I started to have something against that song. Perhaps it was because I discovered that complete strangers found me attractive - and this was whilst I was working in the café at Osborne House. I remember one coach driver singing that song to me - and another asking specifically for me to go out and speak to them. Looking back now, it was a little freaky, and it is no wonder that I was somewhat unnerved by it all.
This morning, as soon as I heard those first few opening notes, I felt the tingling sensation, and felt a ringing in my ears, and also I felt a sense of panic, of unease. I was tempted to turn the radio off this morning, but I made a conscious decision to listen to the song all the way through - to not let it get the better of me, and also to get over the uneasy feeling I had. At times I even found myself singing along with it. I was driving to the supermarket, to do the weekly shopping, and as I got to the bread section, I heard a young woman singing that same song. I couldn't help myself - I commented on it - saying "Someone's been listening to Ken Bruce's show" - and we had a little chat about the song - it was one of her favourites, from when she was 7 years old.
Once I had finished the shopping, I drove home, listening to the radio again. It was still Ken Bruce's show - and I heard the tail end of Bat Out Of Hell - and I felt at ease, like a weight had been lifted.
Music is so very powerful - it can aid our learning, making it more enjoyable or easier to learn things. It is also a trigger for memories - both good and bad. I find it very hard to listen to 'Sailing' without welling up with tears, and the same goes for songs from Les Miserables (in fact, much as I love the music and the film and the anniversary concerts, I am a blubbering mess at the end of it). Other songs really 'excite' me - they make me feel so happy and good - songs like 'Downtown', 'A Swinging Safari' and 'Oliver's Army'.
Ending on a silly note - the other thing about songs is how the lyrics can be misheard - and the source of amusement that this provides. Whilst adding labels for this post just now, I suddenly thought of that famous Mariah Carey song - Ken Lee....
Ken Lee
A Little Peace - several languages
Ein bisschen Frieden
Four Chord Song - I've put this in simply for your amusement - although several others may also serve that purpose!
Moi, j'aime skier
Le papa pingouin - Pigloo - and then we have the original - from Eurovision 1980 - Le papa pingouin
And the last music video for now - a great earworm this one: Un monde parfait
Anyway - the song on Ken Bruce's show; it was 'Crazy for You' by Let Loose. It was in the charts in 1994, and those opening notes took me right back to 1994 - and I felt the sense of dread and foreboding that I felt back in the summer of 1994. Maybe that sounds a little melodramatic, but back in 1994 I started to have something against that song. Perhaps it was because I discovered that complete strangers found me attractive - and this was whilst I was working in the café at Osborne House. I remember one coach driver singing that song to me - and another asking specifically for me to go out and speak to them. Looking back now, it was a little freaky, and it is no wonder that I was somewhat unnerved by it all.
This morning, as soon as I heard those first few opening notes, I felt the tingling sensation, and felt a ringing in my ears, and also I felt a sense of panic, of unease. I was tempted to turn the radio off this morning, but I made a conscious decision to listen to the song all the way through - to not let it get the better of me, and also to get over the uneasy feeling I had. At times I even found myself singing along with it. I was driving to the supermarket, to do the weekly shopping, and as I got to the bread section, I heard a young woman singing that same song. I couldn't help myself - I commented on it - saying "Someone's been listening to Ken Bruce's show" - and we had a little chat about the song - it was one of her favourites, from when she was 7 years old.
Once I had finished the shopping, I drove home, listening to the radio again. It was still Ken Bruce's show - and I heard the tail end of Bat Out Of Hell - and I felt at ease, like a weight had been lifted.
Music is so very powerful - it can aid our learning, making it more enjoyable or easier to learn things. It is also a trigger for memories - both good and bad. I find it very hard to listen to 'Sailing' without welling up with tears, and the same goes for songs from Les Miserables (in fact, much as I love the music and the film and the anniversary concerts, I am a blubbering mess at the end of it). Other songs really 'excite' me - they make me feel so happy and good - songs like 'Downtown', 'A Swinging Safari' and 'Oliver's Army'.
Ending on a silly note - the other thing about songs is how the lyrics can be misheard - and the source of amusement that this provides. Whilst adding labels for this post just now, I suddenly thought of that famous Mariah Carey song - Ken Lee....
Ken Lee
A Little Peace - several languages
Ein bisschen Frieden
Four Chord Song - I've put this in simply for your amusement - although several others may also serve that purpose!
Moi, j'aime skier
Le papa pingouin - Pigloo - and then we have the original - from Eurovision 1980 - Le papa pingouin
And the last music video for now - a great earworm this one: Un monde parfait
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