July 16, 2009 Earworm

Back in '76, my next door neighbor went mad for The Rubinoos' cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" but I wasn't impressed. Even then, I found some things to be holy and messing with Tommy James was already an act of treason in my eyes. The picture sleeve showed a photo of teen-age boys that one could mistake for the next pile of Leifs and Seans but without the polish. After driving me crazy with the damn thing for a week or two, an accident led to the wrong side of the record being played and the world got a little more sunny and then blacker as her hand reached for the tone arm, aiming to cut off what I now hear as a lost Beach Boys song with a pinch of The Cowsills sprinkled in the mix. Back then, all I heard was one groovy summer song.

Quite a bit later, the neighbor would take my virginity. I, in turn, took her Rubinoos 45, picture sleeve and all. It's in very fine shape after all these years which is more than can be said for what she got.

June 30, 2008 Earworm

Weezer's "Heart Songs" starts with a shout out to Gordon Lightfoot and finishes with one to Nirvana, capturing the span of top 40 music that provided the soundtrack to Rivers Cuomo's life. I think he just wanted the attention of the earworm.

Like he wouldn't have ended up here eventually...

Hey Rivers, it wasn't Debbie Gibson who revived "I Think We're Alone Now", it was Tiffany. Or was that an ironic observation of the interchangeable personalities of...
Oh, never mind. Besides, Debbie wrote her own songs.

January 30, 2008 Earworm

Since Hump Day is never as exciting as its name suggests, maybe you, too, need a little push at this point. With that in mind, I think we should take a clue to various movies and create a feel good moment with a song. Think "Build Me Up, Buttercup" in "There's Something About Mary" or "I Say A Little Prayer For You" from "My Best Friend's Wedding".

Play your tune at work, or just start humming it. Make sure that it has an upbeat quality and is familiar but stay away from... well, Eminem comes to mind. Lyrics like "I'm a kill you..." will only alarm the co-workers.

My feel good moment song is Tommy James & The Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now". It's familiar to all, beautifully arranged, and has enough of those little hooks to get the crowd clapping or snapping.

Hey, it survived Tiffany...

Good luck with your feel good moment and remember, one feel good moment usually leads to another. We might actually get Hump Day to live up to its name.