January 16, 2009 Earworm

The Facebook application "One Hit Wonders" offers an interesting mix of horrors to share with your friends but, oddly enough, most acts featured are not really one hit wonders. The recently received gift of "How Bizarre" by OMC is one of the few that actually had only one hit in the US. OMC took the one to the max and released their only one album in '96, watched it slowly seep across the globe for two years, and then went on quietly to their future day jobs*.

Since it's currently 23 degrees in Atlanta and "How Bizarre" is a song about nothing more than cruising in the hot hot sun, it's a perfect way to warm our hands for the weekend. If you don't like, well... blame Susan because she started it.

*OMC actually released a new single in New Zealand last year - a duet with Lucy Lawless. hmmmm....

January 15, 2009 Earworm

Pop music history - as well as the earworm - is littered with stacks of "original versions" that undeservedly sank without a trace and left in the shadows of more successful interpretations and Lou Johnson's "(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me" is a fine addition to the pile. Sandie Shaw's version is considered the definitive in the UK while in the US, Dionne's gets the nod. Throw in a fine synthpop version by Naked Eyes nearly twenty years later and it's no surprise that Lou has been left in the dust.

But for me, Lou owns it. There is something in his hesitant delivery of the verses that makes him seem continuously surprised to still be reminded of what he long thought was finished. Add in that twangin' guitar that mirrors the feeling my stomach gets whenever I recognize the definition of "bittersweet" and I forget all others.

January 13, 2009 Earworm

Today's earworm is "So Long" by ABBA. Not because some things are not worth buying; but because some things should never be up for sale.

January 12, 2009 Earworm

Nothing ever ends neatly so the new year dragged in a little of the old on the bottom of its shoe. A little scraping against the curb seems to have resolved that and now we're ready for a fresh start. I returned to the earworm thinking I'd kiss off some of the residue but then I read that David Harman died on Friday. Since Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, and Tich couldn't get arrested in the states while they were logging more weeks than The Beatles on the UK singles chart, it seems only fair that "Hold Tight" get the nod so that those of you who haven't had the pleasure of hearing that guitar may do so.