When Earworms Attack!

Earworm: My Way

2011-05-19T20:18:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been fun. One year ago today I started this earworm thing, and I think it's run its course for the time being. I thought long and hard about what song with which to wrap this up. For a long time, it looked like it was going to be "Mad About You" by Belinda Carlisle, but there isn't really any impact to that. Somebody at work suggested some Sinatra, but while I appreciate the music, I have never really identified with the man. Still, there's something comforting about going out with "My Way." I'll choose the Sid Vicious version, however, which I first became aware of while watching Sid and Nancy on VHS in the early 1990s. That was really my first taste of punk rock, and I have never really strayed too far from that constant. No matter what I'm listening to, I can always go back home again. So I throw my fist in the air one last time.

Oh, and to my follower, this isn't actually the end. It is for the daily stuff, but I'm sure that some new songs and stories will pop into my head. Keep an eye out too, because the next stage of my blog should debut soon.

Earworm: Blue Christmas

2011-05-18T20:12:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm pretty sure things are winding down here. The only thing running through my head right now? "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley. I've written about Elvis several times before, I think. Oh well.

Earworm: Hurdy Gurdy Man

2011-05-17T20:26:00.000-04:00

I remember a time when the Butthole Surfers seemed like the greatest band in the world. I had never heard the original version of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan before their cover was released. Hell, I was in the eighth grade when it came out. Leave me alone. It made its way onto many a mix tape.

I stopped caring about the Butthole Surfers when "Pepper" came out. It was just a Jim Carroll rehash, and seemed awfully boring once it started playing radio play.

Earworm: Jar of Hearts

2011-05-16T14:04:00.000-04:00

Ugh. I really, really don't like "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. I have managed to largely ignore it until last week's prom episode of Glee. The music is fine, but it's another case of juvenile lyrics creeping under my skin. I'm assuming that the same people who loved Evanescence at the beginning of the century like this now. It's just not for me.

Earworm: Let the Drummer Kick

2011-05-15T10:42:00.000-04:00

I love, love, love the instrumental version of "Let the Drummer Kick" by Citizen Cope. The full version has some of the shittiest lyrics ever written, however. Blech.

Earworm: I-76

2011-05-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

I used to love G. Love and Special Sauce. In the 1990s, they were a force to be reckoned with, always being played on my favorite radio stations. Now he appeals to the Jack Johnson crowd, but back then the music was fresh. I remember seeing them live at Cedarfest in Minneapolis with Spearhead and Soul Coughing. I'm not particularly into any of those bands (or their offshoots) now, but back then it made up a pretty big chunk of my music collection.

While the first G. Love album is still a classic, I can really only think of one song that came later. That's "I-76." I may not like his stuff any more, but this one still holds up as a welcome reminder of the music of my past.

Earworm: Tubular Bells

2011-05-13T20:12:00.000-04:00

It's Friday the 13th, and that means that I'm going to try to trick my wife into watching Freddy vs. Jason or something. Given that it's the only one in the series that I own for some reason, it just might work. I don't think she minds Robert Englund very much.

Huh. Thinking of watching Jason Voorhees tear through some good, old-fashioned murder of teenagers got "Tubular Bells" running through my head. I know it's the theme from The Exorcist, but that doesn't stop it from currently living inside of my brain. I'm talking about the remixed version by Book of Love too, specifically the one that is mashed up with "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls." I think I had that one on one of those old Just Say Yes compilations. I remember it had Morrissey and James on it too. Good stuff.

Earworm: Bamboo Bones, part 2

2011-05-13T20:09:00.000-04:00

Damn. The site was down yesterday and I couldn't see that I had already written about "Bamboo Bones" last year. I would change today's to another Against Me! song, but that would betray the something something something. Here's what should have posted yesterday.

I'm getting older, and will be hitting 35 this year. That's a little to long in the tooth for the middle of the mosh pit unless I want to be unable to move the morning after a concert. I may break a hip, for God's sake.

Last year the Mrs. and I got to see Against Me! in Knoxville. Good concerts are few and far between here, which is a big reason why I miss Minneapolis. Against Me! was definitely one of the best ones that I have seen in my ten years in this city. They played a small place called the Cider House, which is the only time that I have been there. That's because no one else of note has come to town at all. If they do, they play the Valarium, which is next door. Lately it's been nothing but the typical cover bands and cock-rock explosions, and I don't have any desire to see any of those at all.

Against Me! had a dedicated following in the pit, but 20 feet back was wide open. The Mrs. and I appreciated that. They were trying out new material from White Crosses before the album was realeased, and it was a great time. I don't recall if they played "Bamboo Bones" or not, but it's one of my favorite songs on the album. I'm assuming that they'll never come back to Knoxville, so I'll hold onto that memory as long as I can.

Earworm: Unwritten

2011-05-11T09:58:00.000-04:00

Building...building...building...building...Dammit! Now I'm in a shampoo commercial. I don't think I will ever hear "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield any other way.

Earworm: I Believe I Can Fly

2011-05-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

What was R Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" from? Space Jam? Batman Forever? Some inspirational-sports movie? I don't remember, and it's more entertaining if I don't actually look it up. All I know is that someone said the title and it immediately bored its way into my skull. The Me First and the Gimme Gimmes version is pretty rad, but blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Earworm: Download This Song

2011-05-09T11:18:00.000-04:00

I keep wanting to write about one song in particular, but can't find a video link at all. The album is out of print, so there isn't anything to which I can link. I'll keep searching, but in the mean time, I think I'll pick..."Download This Song" by MC Lars. I don't know much of the nerdcore scene, and can handle a little bit in small amounts, but this kid seems to be somewhat decent. Surprisingly, I'm actually okay with the Iggy Pop sample too.

Earworm: Anniversary

2011-05-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

Somehow I tricked my wife into marrying me two years ago today. Here's to...another two years?

There's too much to do today. Aww yeah, girl. Enjoy some Tony! Toni! Toné!

Earworm: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

2011-05-07T21:21:00.000-04:00

I'm a total nerd for the 1980s, having absorbed everything throughout that formative decade. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a huge part of my childhood, to the point that I still actively collect the toys now, well into adulthood. There are modern updates to the original figures issued each month on MattyCollector, and I buy every single one. Sometimes multiples if they have alternate heads or weapons. It drives my wife nuts, but I have given up most of my other childhood obsessions, so she lets the collection continue to grow.

The He-Man theme song was something that I sang a lot of in elementary school. It was simple yet epic, and the other kids at school and I made up our own lyrics. From what I remember, they involved He-Man watching She-Ra in the shower. We didn't think anything of it, since none of the boys actually watched She-Ra at all, but for the love of God, she was his sister. Childhood innocence. Gotta love it.

Earworm: Five Years

2011-05-06T22:27:00.000-04:00

Okay, so something possessed me to move from AFT to a My Chemical Romance kick. I loaded up my iPod with their second, third and fourth albums and threw it all on shuffle. As I was getting ready for work this morning, "The End" from The Black Parade came on. It's pretty much "Five Years" by David Bowie with different lyrics and immediately got Bowie stuck in my head. That's fine, since MCR wouldn't exist without David Bowie's theatricality and showmanship.

"Five Years" is the opening track to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It is the perfect introduction to an absolutely-perfect album, one from which I knew certain songs but did not know as a cohesive whole until my mid-twenties. I consider that time wasted. Ziggy Stardust is a desert-island album, one that I'm pretty sure I could listen to forever until I died and still be happy with it.

Earworm: In the Air Tonight

2011-05-05T21:11:00.000-04:00

Someone at work today suggested that I write about "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins for today's earworm. I swore up and down that I had written about it before. I mean, it's a slow burner that reaches its peak with the greatest use of drums that I have ever heard. Surely in the past year I had to have mentioned it at least once.

Nope.

There isn't much to say outside of that first paragraph. It's one of my favorite songs ever, and has a great urban legend surrounding the subject matter. From what I remember, Phil Collins supposedly wrote it after watching a childhood friend let another friend drown when his life could have been easily saved. Rumor has it that Collins invited his former friend to a concert and shone a spotlight on him while performing the song, singling him out for his tainted past. Apparently the story has no basis in fact at all, but it only escalates the power of the song.

I can normally take or leave both solo Phil Collins and his work with the post-Peter-Gabriel Genesis, but "In the Air Tonight" will get me every time.

Earworm: Loser

2011-05-04T21:10:00.000-04:00

"Things are gonna change, I can feel it!"

That's the line that I'm focusing on from Beck's "Loser" tonight. I'm strangely optimistic, which doesn't happen often. I have no idea where the sample comes from though.

I just looked it up. It comes from a movie that I have never heard of. I'm fine with ending that sentence with a preposition tonight.

Oh, I watched Repo Man last night. Emilio Estevez's crowning achievement has somehow held up incredibly well. I love that movie.

Earworm: End Transmission

2011-05-03T20:08:00.001-04:00

I know, I know. I wrote about AFI for about a week straight last summer, but I'm back on a Crash Love kick. I really didn't like the album when it first came out in September of 2009. It had no redeeming qualities for me whatsoever. Misplacing my iPod for six months and then not removing anything off of it allowed me to unintentionally give it another shot on shuffle, and I absolutely loved it the second time around. Seeing them live made the songs even better as well. It's now close to a year later, and the impact on me hasn't been diminished at all.

Today's earworm is "End Transmission," one of the strongest songs on the album. It somehow sounds like a cohesive mix of everything I love and would make a perfect theme song to a Repo Man remake.

Wow, I really, really want to make a triple feature tonight of Repo Man, Return of the Living Dead and Night of the Comet. It's a summertime 1980s explosion. I can't think of a better way to spend my time.

Earworm: I Found Away

2011-05-02T10:34:00.001-04:00

I'm taking time off from yardwork to charge the electric lawnmower and write today's earworm. That sounds like a good use of time.

I was a late bloomer when it came to Alkaline Trio, not discovering them until 2003's Good Mourning. It was a case of love at first listen, however, and I quickly dove into their back catalog. The earlier stuff is great, and the diehard fans seem to hate the more recent stuff, but I think they keep getting better with each release.

"I Found Away" from the 2008 album Agony and Irony was immediately one of my favorite songs off of that album. Apparently it was supposed to be released as a single, with a remix contest to accompany it, but that never happened. The winner did the unthinkable, somehow successfully turning the song into reggae. I love it.

Earworm: Billionaire

2011-05-01T10:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, so this Travie McCoy kid? I was cool with him in Gym Class Heroes. They were fun. Bruno Mars kicks all kinds of ass as a new pop-music maestro, so I can tolerate "Billionaire." I don't understand why he needs to call himself "Travie" now anyway. It's a terrible choice and is not endearing in any way, shape or form. Also, the rest of what I have heard off McCoy's solo album makes me wish want to pour venomous snakes into my ears and make them listen to his emo-rapping until they bite through my eardrums. That makes no sense, much like why this guy has a career anymore. "Billionaire" isn't so bad though.

Earworm: Sing Your Life

2011-04-30T13:19:00.002-04:00

Wow, I can't believe that "Sing Your Life" is 20 years old. Kill Uncle may not be the most popular of Morrissey's albums, but I love it. It was the first one that was brand new for me. I dragged my dad to the record store and plunked down my hard-earned allowance for the cassette. I know that it made up the soundtrack to my chicken-pox misery, relying on Mozz to distract me from the itchiness that was ravaging my pubescent body. I never thought that I would write a sentence like that. It'll work though.

The end of that year was when I got that first CD player, and Kill Uncle was soon forgotten until I got a disc copy years later. I now agree that it's one of Morrissey's weakest albums, but I will always carry songs like "Sing Your Life" with me, just like I carried my copy of the cassette to Great Clips in hopes that my hair could replicate his.

Dammit, the song plays automatically every time my blog opens if I embed the video. Here's a link instead.

Earworm: Time After Time

2011-04-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

I'm not a fan of American Idol or its imitators or contemporaries. I watched one season. It was the one that David Cook won. It's not that I don't like the people's voices, but normally I hate the music that they perform.

The other day I got sucked into watching The Voice, the latest in a long line of talent-show competitions. Normally I would have turned it off immediately, but Cee-Lo Green was a judge/coach, so I watched the whole thing. It's just like Idol without the trainwreck auditions, and definitely suffers because of it. Based on that first episode, I don't want to watch any more, but I'm really intrigued by Javier Colon. His performance of "Time After Time" made the stubble on top of my head stand up in goosebumps. I hate to admit that, since he sounds like a cross between Brian McKnight and Richard Marx, but somehow it works. I may live to eat those words, but for now, I may have to stick with the show.

Earworm: Let's Get It Started

2011-04-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

There was a story to go with today's earworm of "Let's Get It Started" by the Black-Eyed Peas. I just can't remember what it is now. Oh well.

Yes, I'm choosing the censored version. "Let's Get Retarded" didn't work for me, and for once I prefer mild censorship. The opening verse about context makes no sense in the radio-friendly, um, context, however.

Earworm: Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)

2011-04-27T22:45:00.001-04:00

Well, it's day two of not being able to think of a single song. I just returned from my last break at work and "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" by the Backstreet Boys was playing on the Muzak in the rest room. I have never really understood the use of parentheses in song titles. At some point I'm just going to have to use a mnemonic device to remember the name anyway, and that's just too much work.

Phew, for a second I thought that there actually weren't any parentheses in the title after all and that I would have to slave over writing the previous paragraph all over again. I may have won the battle, but the earworm war rages on.

Backstreet Boys - Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Backstreet Boys

Earworm: Unskinny Bop

2011-04-26T20:33:00.000-04:00

My mind is blank. Today was my first day back to work after vacation and I can't think of a single song. Anything I hear is back out of my head immediately. Let's see. I'm looking at a rack of video games next to my computer. There's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I haven't finished that game yet, but, um, un...un..."Unskinny Bop" by Poison. I don't really feel like writing anything about that song. It's not very good. Great, now it's actually stuck in my head.

I want a grilled-cheese sandwich.

Earworm: Freaks and Geeks

2011-04-25T09:19:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big rap guy, but once in a while something latches onto my brain and won't give up. Usually it's due to a sample, but occasionally it's a lyric that draws me into the music. That's what happened with "Freaks and Geeks" by Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover of Derrick Comedy and Community fame.

The lyric in question?

"I am running this bitch; you are just a dog walker."

The song is full of gems like that.

Earworm: I'm Yours

2011-04-24T18:08:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back from Puerto Rico, slightly sunned and surprisingly not burned. The sun is normally not my friend. I have avoided beaches in the past, but the ocean called to me this time. It's power was undeniable, and I bobbed in and out of the surf for hours on end. Alas, the real world calls. I have one more day tomorrow before my work week begins, and I'm just not ready to go back. Summer music it is.

Today's earworm is "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. I normally hate this guy, and should despise the song with every fiber of my being for several reasons. Mainly the fact that it's by Jason Mraz, a guy who is so integrated in the type of college scene that bugs me the most that I normally won't even give anything that sounds like him a chance. It uses the same chord progression as Pachelbel's Canon, which is currently a guaranteed deal-breaker for me, no matter who the musician is. The use of the word "chill" to describe a current state of being. Somehow "I'm Yours" combines these three inexcusable atrocities and I still like the song. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'll totally float around a pool while it plays in the background. I'll be sure to counterbalance it with something like the soundtrack to The Crow though.

Earworm: Little Wonder

2011-04-23T10:30:00.001-04:00

Sophomore year of college ended with me writing a whole lot of record reviews for the campus paper. One of my favorite albums that I got to write about was Earthling by David Bowie. I think it was my second album of his that was actually new at the time that I got it, and it provided a perfect soundtrack to everything that I was listening to at the time. "Little Wonder" got a lot of spins in my dorm-room CD player.

Wow, it's been over 14 years since Earthling was released, and David Bowie hasn't put out an album since 2003's Reality. That's far too long. Someone get on him to put out some new music. I don't have the connections, otherwise I would do it myself.

Earworm: The Thong Song

2011-04-22T15:09:00.000-04:00

There is something incredibly simple about Sisqo's "Thong Song," to the point where it seems ridiculously innocent. The song harks back from a time when the finer things in life were defined by a tiny piece of cloth women wore at the beach.

I didn't see a single thong while I was on vacation. There are still a few more hours to correct that, but it's raining right now and everyone is busy packing up. No more trips to the beach for me this week.

Earworm: Non-Stop Violence

2011-04-21T21:31:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here, watching some really, really bad Spanish music videos. Every one seems to be about a soldier, girlfriend and/or wife dying. There's lots of crying en Español. That doesn't have much to do with today's earworm, which is "Non-Stop Violence" by Apoptygma Berzerk. Apparently Spanish sob-stories turn into angry EBM.

Earworm: Mr. Moran

2011-04-20T10:44:00.001-04:00

I think that I have written about the Mighty Mighty Bosstones before, but they'll end up getting several spots on this list if I make it past my one-year mark.

I saw a promo for the new Mafia Wives show that I will never, ever watch. One of the castmembers is the daughter or wife of Salvatore Gravano, and that got his theme song, which is one of the best Bosstones songs ever recorded stuck in my head. I can't complain about that at all.

Several years ago I spent a couple of Christmases on Marco Island, Florida. Christmas-eve-church service was something straight out of Goodfellas. It must be a hotspot for the witness-protection program. I now expect to wake up with a horse head in my bed for revealing that.

Earworm: With Arms Wide Open

2011-04-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

Dammit, Creed. They're second only to Nickelback in my hatred of chest-puffing cock-rock. "With Arms Wide Open" was one that I inexplicably got requests for in my DJ days. There was no remix that I could find, thank goodness, and my sanity was briefly saved.

Guestworm: Many of Horror

2011-04-18T19:06:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in a villa in Puerto Rico trying to find a song to write about for my buddy G. The one that immediately popped into my head is "Many of Horror" by Biffy Clyro. I just heard it for the first and only time last week and said to myself...who are these guys? I love this song! It's one of those songs with super easy lyrics to remember and by the end of the song you are singing along.... Those songs are great for me, because I usually totally screw up lyrics completely. Even songs I've known all my life I am finding out in this technological age, I have been signing incorrect lyrics all the while. So, I will have to investigate this band further and hope there are many other tunes I can sing along to..... When we collide, we come together, If we don't we'll always be apart.......

Earworm: Deep in the Heart of Texas

2011-04-17T13:04:00.000-04:00

The stars at night are big and bright (clapclapclapclap)...

Earworm: The Cup of Life

2011-04-16T15:55:00.000-04:00

I'm on vacation this week, checking in live from San Juan, Puerto Rico. I don't know a thing about the local music, so I'll jump right in with "The Cup of Life" by Ricky Martin. Now I'm going to look at some scenery instead of my phone.

Earworm: All I Want

2011-04-15T14:57:00.000-04:00

Last night was supposed to be a Toad the Wet Sprocket concert, but the Mrs. had to work instead. The tickets were totally wasted. Oh well. "All I Want" will work for an earworm. Bitterness prevails.

Earworm: Like a Friend

2011-04-14T17:21:00.000-04:00

I love, love, love Jarvis Cocker. While many modern vocalists have to rely on production to differentiate themselves from other singers, some are instantly recognizable. Jarvis Cocker is one of those for me. Anything he touches is soulful but simple. If I had to pick one of his songs as my favorite, I'm pretty sure that I would choose "Like a Friend" from This is Hardcore. I used to have a preference between the album version and the mix that was on the Great Expectations soundtrack, but honestly I can't remember which one that is. It's a fantastic song either way.

Earworm: The Facts of Life

2011-04-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

I sure have fond memories of The Facts of Life for not remembering anything about a single episode. That theme song sticks with you though.

Earworm: Learn to Fly

2011-04-12T18:43:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big Foo Fighters fan, but I respect them to no end. They have to be one of the hardest-working bands in the business, and Dave Grohl comes across as being a genuinely good guy. I'm just not a big fan of straightforward rock, but if I had to listen to one band in the genre forever, I couldn't get much better than them.

My main thing is that I'm never particularly impressed with their albums as cohesive works, but individual songs are absolute classics. I don't get sick of the singles either (except "Everlong," but that may be my own damn fault), so a greatest-hits album is the perfect choice for me there.

"Learning to Fly" is one of their strongest offerings to date. It still had the excitement that was found on their first three albums, and cemented their legacy in rock-and-roll history. Oh, and Tenacious D is in the video too, back before Jack Black started representing everything that I hated about the school of ADHD acting.

Earworm: Man on a Mission

2011-04-11T10:33:00.002-04:00

I love Hall & Oates. The blue-eyed soul is timeless. What once started as a guilty pleasure blossomed into full-fledged adoration.

Of their many classics, I think I'll pick 2003's "Man on a Mission" as an unheard gem. It played on the Musak when I waited tables at a popular Chinese-American restaurant, not long after I moved to Tennessee. It was always played back-to-back with Morrissey. That was strangely satisfying, much like the the salt-and-pepper prawns which smelled like wet dog but tasted amazing.

Earworm: Mambo No. 5

2011-04-10T21:00:00.000-04:00

I think "Mambo No. 5" was one of the last songs of my douchey-DJ days. These were the times that I actually remember, instead of being tipped in greyhounds. Those were some dark times, and I don't need Lou Bega to remind me of that. Splitting my time between poppy-dance music and gothy, gothy nights created some internal storms that I'm not quite sure how I survived. That was an awkward sentence. I don't care. Earworm: Done.

Earworm: Enjoy the Silence

2011-04-09T15:47:00.000-04:00

I love Depeche Mode. There is no hiding that fact. The majority of the stuff released in the 1980s and 1990s is classic. I remember picking up a copy of Violator on cassette while visiting my grandmother in New Mexico. It was that or the DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince album that had "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" on it. My dad would only let me pick one. I think that I made the right choice.

Throughout their multi-decade life as a band, there hasn't been a song that has spoken to me quite like "Enjoy the Silence." It was from the first one of their albums that was new to me when I bought it, which was right around the time that I was really discovering music. I think it came out roughly around the same time that Ghostbusters II disappointed me to no end. Those two things have nothing to do with one another, but my mind snapped to the association anyway. I don't care. Suck it.

Yesterday morning Nada Surf's cover of "Enjoy the Silence" came on. It's not often that I'm happy with cover versions of my favorite songs, but theirs is different enough to make it their own. That works for me.

Dammit, Warner Bros. has disabled embedding for the original video. Here's a link.

Earworm: Friday

2011-04-08T12:47:00.000-04:00

Dammit.

Well, today is Friday. I posted Rebecca Black's version with the "Gang Fight" video last week, but it took Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon to get the source material embedded in my brain forever. The accompanying video is my new favorite thing ever.

Earworm: All the Right Moves

2011-04-07T15:09:00.001-04:00

I know today's earworm when I hear it, but had to go search for the name. It's "All the Right Moves." I did know that it was by OneRepublic, a band that I don't really care for. The singer is a pretty decent songwriter, but I always feel like his songs are meant to be sung for someone else. That makes sense, since he's quite prolific in the pop-music world, having written songs for Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna and countless others. Normally I respect a musician more if they write their own stuff, but in this case, it just feels wrong. He just needs a muse.

Earworm: A Little Respect

2011-04-06T14:21:00.000-04:00

Wheatus has led to good things. Apparently they covered "A Little Respect" by Erasure. It was pretty awful, but the original version has been stuck in my head for the past two days. I can't complain about that at all. It's one of my favorite songs, and Andy Bell has one of the best voices in pop-music history.

The cow jeans he wears in the On the Road to Nashville DVD? I may not have much fashion sense, but even I know where to draw the line.

Earworm: Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble

2011-04-05T14:24:00.000-04:00

I used to think that DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were the greatest. The music is still a lot of fun, but he hasn't made music in ages. The days when he seemed to be contractually obligated to record a theme song to every one of his movies are long gone, and I kind of miss that. It was a simpler time. Maybe the beats will come out of retirement with Men in Black III.

I heard the I Dream of Jeannie theme song recently and it immediately got "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" stuck in my head. It's a tale of love, misfortune and loss, much like the best of the duo's songs.

Earworm: Teenage Dirtbag

2011-04-04T12:07:00.000-04:00

The year 2000 was a weird time. A lot of music and movies that were released then seem incredibly dated now, but I guess that's what you get when everything starts changing really quickly.

"Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus is a prime example of time-capsule music from the turn of the century. I loved it in 2000 and still have fond memories, but the Weezer-light schtick wore thin quickly. It's really not a very good song, and the singer's voice makes me want to fill my ears with piping-hot wax now. I still find myself singing along whenever I hear it though. The love-hate relationship will never really die, I suppose.

Earworm: Bring It

2011-04-03T16:53:00.000-04:00

Okay, so Sunday is my day to check out the latest albums while I'm doing yard work.

Now, I like the Sounds. They're fun, and the comparisons to Blondie are unavoidable. That's fine. Unfortunately, the new album is pure crap. Imagine the worst of Debbie Harry's solo career and turn up the suck to 11. That's the new Sounds album in a nutshell. halfway through and I already felt like I had been listening to it for two hours. I finally made it through the whole thing, but will probably never press play on it again. I just want that thing off of my iPod.

Oh, today's earworm. Maja Ivarsson, the lead singer of the Sounds had a supporting role in "Bring It", the lead single from Cobra Starship. I figured that they were a one-time thing, and I loved the song when it was released in conjunction with Snakes on a Plane. They have released three full-length albums and have since become one of my favorite guilty-pleasure bands. It's not often that I actually enjoy party music, but I'll make an exception for Cobra Starship every time.

Earworm: Lovesong

2011-04-02T22:47:00.001-04:00

Okay, so Adele. I love her voice, but I'm really torn when it comes to her cover of "Lovesong" by the Cure. I think I like it, and may even grow to love it, but the Cure is my favorite band of all time. 311 nearly destroyed it a few years ago, so I'm very hesitant to put my trust in anyone else covering their stuff.

I'm pretty sure it's a winner though.

Earworm: Saturday Night

2011-04-01T23:42:00.000-04:00

Crap, I have 21 minutes to post this. Um..."Saturday Night." The Ned's Atomic Dustbin cover of the Bay City Rollers' original. It was on the So I Married an Axe Murderer soundtrack. I remember nothing of that movie. The cover isn't as good as I remember either.

Earworm: Gang Fight!

2011-03-31T20:40:00.000-04:00

Everybody has heard that embarrassingly-bad Rebecca Black "Friday" song by now, right? I finally made it through the whole thing, after avoiding the internet-based hilarity for about a week. What got me to watch the original video? "Gang Fight!" by Bad Lip Reading. The new version is nothing short of incredible. I can't wait to see more from these guys.

Chicken for us to no eat, yeah.

Oh, what the hell. I'll post "Friday" too.

Earworm: When I Come Around

2011-03-30T20:43:00.000-04:00

I make no secret of my current hatred of Green Day. What they're doing now? Bad Religion and countless other bands have been doing it for years.

That's all well and good though, as I stopped caring about Green Day right around 1995. Before then? I was a big fan. The peak of their greatness came in 1994, when they played Woodstock. I didn't get to go, although I was in New York at the time. I remember the time well. There was a baseball strike and I was missing a concert full of bands that I absolutely loved at the time. My dad took me to see the Who's Tommy on Broadway. I watched The Crow on pay-per-view in the hotel room.

It wasn't long after that that I started hating mainstream-alternative music, and Green Day was one of the first to go. No big loss. I really can't stand them now.

Earworm: Without You

2011-03-29T21:46:00.000-04:00

I was checking out the new releases at an electronics store today and stumbled upon the Blu-ray edition of The Rules of Attraction. God, how I love that movie. Even though it is being marketed as an uncut version, I held off on picking it up due to already having the US-theatrical DVD, and I can't find many details explaining what the uncut edition amounts to. If it's just the bathtub scene restored, I can hold off for a while. If it's Roger Avery's original Director's cut, then I'm all over it.

That one scene is the inspiration for today's earworm. Upon seeing the film on the shelf, all I could think of was "Without You" by Harry Nilsson. It is by far one of the most powerful songs ever recorded.

Wow, I had no clue "Without You" was originally by Badfinger. I don't like their version at all.

Earworm: Some Guys Have All the Luck

2011-03-28T17:19:00.000-04:00

I can take or leave Rod Stewart in a love/hate capacity. I love a lot of his stuff, but quite a bit of it is just adult-contemporary drivel. That's not the case with "Some Guys Have All the Luck" though. I absolutely love that one.

Years ago I was obsessed with finding a cover version of the song that was used in a Pepsi ad. In this day and age of lightning-fast internet searches, most signs point to it not actually existing outside of the commercial. That's fine. I'm not into that kind of music much anymore.

Earworm: The Other Side

2011-03-27T09:36:00.000-04:00

It's time to go for something a little more modern today. Paul and the Patients are best known for "Blogspot," which was used in a Target ad and is one of my favorite songs of 2010. The rest of their debut EP is a little lacking in comparison, but "The Other Side" has grown on me quite a bit. It sounds like a healthy mash-up of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Blondie and the Ramones. I like it a lot.

Earworm: Thunder

2011-03-26T21:17:00.000-04:00

Ah, a cold, rainy, spring evening. The dogs were just scared senseless by a loud crack of thunder, so what better soundtrack than "Thunder" by Prince?

Ooh, "Thunder" was on Diamonds and Pearls? That was one of the first three CDs that I ever got for Christmas along with my very first CD player. I may need to dust that album off tonight.

Earworm: I Love Trash

2011-03-25T20:58:00.000-04:00

Yep. Oscar.

Earworm: Pee-Pee

2011-03-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

Dammit viral video, I try to avoid you often and with a passion. Sometimes I just can't win though. I follow Ben Folds on Twitter, and he posted a link to this gem of a video last night. It's something called "Pee-Pee" by the Kelly Family. I am now choosing to not search out any information about them, as I am afraid that I will find a new, terrible obsession. Instead, I will stay intentionally speechless.

Earworm: Princes of the Universe

2011-03-23T20:17:00.000-04:00

Aside from the first movie, I'm not much of a Highlander fan. The concept is decent enough, but the whole swords/sci-fi thing doesn't really do it for me. I love Queen's "Princes of the Universe" though, which was used as the theme song for the television show.

Rumor has it that there is a Highlander reboot in the works. Apparently it is being written by the Twilight screenwriter. That makes sense, and I probably won't see it at all. Ever.

Earworm: How Many Licks

2011-03-22T16:15:00.000-04:00

I haven't heard "How Many Licks" by Lil' Kim and Sisqo in ages. It's one of the most hilariously-censored songs ever released. The second verse is filthy.

Damn, Atlantic. You'll never allow embedding of your own videos, will you. Oh well, here's a link.

Earworm: Rhythm Section Want Ad

2011-03-21T16:06:00.000-04:00

I have written about They Might Be Giants before, but they will have many a place in the earworm universe. My musical upbringing can be pretty much split evenly between They Might Be Giants and the Cure. Wait, I haven't written about the Cure yet? Yikes.

I first got into TMBG after their first two albums had already been released, and found myself listening to nothing but the first two albums and the b-sides compilation, Miscellaneous T. I still know They Might Be Giants and Lincoln like the back of my hand.

I would be hard pressed to pick one song off of the first album as my favorite, but I think "Rhythm Section Want Ad" is definitely one of the best songs on the album, and is also one of my favorite songs ever recorded.

There is no video, unfortunately, so here's a clip of some puppet dancing around while "Rhythm Section Want Ad" plays in the background.

Earworm: Going Bananas

2011-03-20T16:27:00.000-04:00

If anyone can find me a clip of today's earworm, I would greatly appreciate it.

Back in the early 1980s, there was a short-lived show called Going Bananas. It starred a orangutan and was the single-greatest thing that I had ever seen up to that point. I remember nothing about it, aside from a snippet of the theme song, or at least what I think is the theme song. Posting a clip right now would involve me finding a microphone and singing into the computer, and I really don't feel like doing that, so if anyone can find me a video of the song, I would greatly appreciate it.

Oh, what I do remember is my parents dragging me to a store to purchase our family's very first microwave, which made me miss the show. I was pissed, and I'm pretty sure that I never saw it again after that.

A quick Amazon search has me finding a bunch of kids shows, a Dom Deluise movie and what I'm assuming is a series of Latin-American porn in the style of Girls Gone Wild. No, no and no, thank you.

Earworm: Bullets

2011-03-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

I've been on a kick of bands that sound like other bands lately, since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Today's example is "Bullets" by Tunng, which is the best fake-Peter-Gabriel-song ever. I have a couple of their albums, but nothing has topped this song yet, which I discovered through the ending credits of an episode of Weeds. Actually, I discovered a lot of bands from that show. Now I can't wait for the seventh season.

Earworm: In the Shadows

2011-03-18T21:47:00.000-04:00

Ever wondered what it might look like if Björk and the dude from Cutting Crew got together and had a baby while mixing their DNA with a bird and a troll doll? I'm pretty sure the lead singer of the Rasmus is the product of that equation. "In the Shadows" is the only song that I like by them, and if I remember correctly they didn't speak English at all when it was released. Interviews on FUSE were awkward at best, and were strangely endearing. They will never replicate the sheer awesomeness of that one single, at least to my ears. That's okay by me.

Earworm: Dunkie Butt

2011-03-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure which one she hates more, but I'm pretty sure that my wife's two least-favorite songs in the universe are "Freaxxx" by Brokencyde and "Dunkie Butt" by 12 Gauge. I can't blame her. It's a terrile, terrible song, and one that I had to play on a very regular basis in my DJ days.

Wow, 12 Gauge released three albums on two record labels. I don't know any other of his songs, and am pretty sure that 99% of the general public doesn't either. I'm pretty sure no one is shedding a tear over that one. Well, maybe 12 Gauge himself, but no one else.

Hmm. I wonder if Lil Jon was affiliated with "Dunkie Butt" at all. It was originally released in 1993, which fits in with the time when he was with So So Def records, and there's a little sample that sounds an awful lot like his trademark "Yeeaaah!" The Atlanta connection may be too close to ignore.

Hmm. Apparently two videos were made, but only one of them can be embedded. Oh well.

Earworm: Do You Like Waffles?

2011-03-16T14:36:00.001-04:00

Parry Gripp! I do love me some Nerf Herder, and my two nieces absolutely love this song, or at least they did about three years ago. I'm not sure about their musical sensibilities these days, what with the onslaught of...um...I can't think of a single thing that plays on the radio right now. Kid Rock? Do the kids listen to Kid Rock? I'm losing my touch.

Earworm: Sweet Caroline

2011-03-15T20:35:00.000-04:00

I found someone today who didn't know "Sweet Caroline." The music may live forever, but these kids have some pretty fucked-up priorities if they don't know who Neil Diamond is. This doesn't make me feel old, just sad.

I totally feel like watching The Jazz Singer.

Earworm: Freaxxx

2011-03-14T18:04:00.000-04:00

I was going to hold onto this for a special occasion, but there's no fighting it anymore. Have you heard "Freaxxx" by Brokencyde? It's the worst song ever recorded, and I absolutely love it. A rerecorded version was included on the I'm Not a Fan, but the Kids Like It! album, but it's the original that is notable for one reason.

"They pulled their panties down, they took their pants off."

Not only is it the most romantic piece of poetry ever committed to music, but they actually switched the lyrics around on the rerecorded version to a much more logical progression of pants first, then panties off.

The kid singing with through autotune looks an awful lot like Atreyu from The NeverEnding Story. As amazing as it would be if they were one and the same, they aren't. Oh well. A boy can dream.

Earworm: Afternoon Delight

2011-03-13T14:09:00.001-04:00

Damn, two songs from Glee make it on here? I was watching this week's episode when suddenly they started performing "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band. I couldn't stop laughing. It's put to even better use on Arrested Development, the single-greatest show ever.

YouTube isn't helping with my search for an Arrested Development clip, so a weird reverse-video version from Glee will have to do.

Earworm: What's My Age Again

2011-03-12T22:06:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who got a puppy recently. Unfortunately, she's very sick. I went through that with my own dog and know that it's hard to wrap your head around anything else.

The puppy is named after a blink-182 song, so today's earworm goes out to her. It's not the one she's named after, but "What's My Age Again" will totally work. It's catchy, it's well-made and it's totally fun. That meets all the criteria for a good earworm, so there we go. Get well soon, puppy.

Earworm: Guns and the Young

2011-03-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, my eyes hurt. I have had a headache for days. I know, let's enhance the experience with a really loud Bosstones song. I had no idea that the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' "Guns and the Young" had a music video. Now I know. I love this song, but my head is hating me right now. I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Earworm: On Broadway

2011-03-10T16:07:00.001-05:00

In a further effort to have something besides Bayside sticking in my head, I'm grasping for straws here. Today's earworm is "On Broadway" by George Benson. I'm not sure when the last time I heard it was, but it has apparently stuck with me over the years. That's cool.

I used to want to be a Broadway sensation once upon a time, but got tired on being on stage during my senior year of high school. I decided that working backstage would be more rewarding, but haven't done a single thing with that since. Hmm.

Earworm: What the Hell

2011-03-09T13:33:00.002-05:00

Avril Lavigne's new single "What the Hell" has done its best to drill its way into my head. That's fine, as I can almost handle her in small doses, but the video make me want to punch myself in the eye. Seriously. The last time I saw this much awkward mugging and purposeful posing was, well, I guess it was the last time I saw an Avril Lavigne video.

I'm a sucker for pipe organs in songs though, but for some reason I can't think of a single other song that features one right now. Did you know that the phrase "pulling out the stops" refers to a pipe organ? Yeah. I thought it had to do with removing blocks of wood from behind a vehicle's wheels while on a hill. I can admit when I'm wrong. What can you do?

Earworm: I Still Believe

2011-03-08T14:38:00.000-05:00

There's some great music coming out this year, with one that I'm particularly excited about. Frank Turner used to head up a punk band called Million Dead that I didn't like at all, but his solo stuff is absolutely amazing. I saw him open for Social Distortion in November, and had never heard him before. It's rare that I'm that impressed with a band after seeing them live once and having nothing else on which to base my opinion, but I'm pretty sure that the rest of the crowd was as into it as I was by the end of his set. He's a showman, and definitely knows how to work a room.

"I Still Believe" is as good a place to start as any, as it's the opening track from Frank Turner's latest EP, and it is one of the many that made me sit up and take notice.

Earworm: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding

2011-03-07T08:57:00.000-05:00

Breaking through the Bayside wall. That's all I'm going for today. Don't get me wrong, it's my favorite album of the year so far, but I've listened to it so much that I'm on the verge of getting sick of it. That can't happen, so let's open up some web radio.

I'm sitting here, listening to the Gaslight Anthem channel on last.fm while a repair man is working on our HVAC unit. Nothing major, just some routine maintenance. Why I chose to have the appointment at 8:00 on a Monday morning is beyond me, but hey, I used to get by on four hours of sleep on a regular basis. Of course, these days I'm working with my liver, and I can no longer use hazy memories of ages 21-25 as an excuse for not acting like an adult.

Ooh, the HVAC is purring like a kitten. Nice.

Anyway, I'm listening to the Gaslight station, and a Tim Barry song comes on. Good stuff. For some reason, it reminds me of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" by Elvis Costello. I mean Nick Lowe. I mean, well yeah. I'm pretty sure that Elvis Costello's version trumps 99% of any song ever recorded.

A few years back the Mrs. and I saw Elvis Costello in concert at the Tennessee Theatre. That was one of the loudest concerts that I had ever attended. I never used to wear earplugs at concerts. Now it's a necessity, but my ears still rang for days.

Earworm: Mona Lisa

2011-03-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

Well, that didn't take long. Bayside is back. It's a different song this time though, so that's good, right?

It's "Mona Lisa" this time. I don't see this trend ending any time soon.

Damn, I love this new album.

Earworm: Crazy Train

2011-03-05T16:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I was walking around the strip last night, which is the University of Tennessee's destination for drunken debauchery. I'm far too old to be there now, as I have at least ten years on most of the kids that are running around and yelling. A friend dragged me into an absolutely packed, popular establishment in hopes that he would be able to grab a quick drink. That didn't happen, as the fake IDs were flying just as fast as the beer was flowing.

We gave up and headed to a little hole in the wall filled with classic-arcade games called the Fort Sanders Yacht Club. That's my kind of place it's quiet and isn't overrun by grog-swilling frat boys. I played a metric shit-ton of the original Super Mario Bros. Good times were had by all.

Upon leaving the bar, a douchetastic cover band was playing Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" on a neighboring patio. It drove Bayside right out of my head, although they're fighting to reclaim the top spot.

Earworm: Sick, Sick, Sick part two

2011-03-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm at a loss. I still can't get Bayside's "Sick, Sick, Sick" out of my head, and I'm listening to other music right now.

So yeah, there's that then.

Earworm: The Kids Aren't Alright/Gone Away/Buffy the Vampire Slayer

2011-03-03T16:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's Bayside post got me thinking. There are a whole lot of songs with similar chord structures that I absolutely love. The first band that popped into my head was the Offspring. I'm not a big fan, but there are a few singles that I have to blast every time my iPod comes across them. Usually my time is split between "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "Gone Away." They both sound a whole lot like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme song by Nerf Herder, and I'll take Nerf Herder any way that I can.

Earworm: Sick, Sick, Sick

2011-03-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

It's not often that the earworm is actually something current these days, but here's some brand new music for your ears.

I haven't really been impressed with Bayside since Sirens and Condolences. Anthony Raneri's vocals are strong on each album, but the music just wasn't interesting to me. That changed today when I picked up Killing Time today. The first track was a lot of fun, but the second one, "Sick, Sick, Sick," is what got me. I want Alkaline Trio to cover it so bad that my teeth hurt.

Okay, that's a bad analogy, but the comparison between the two bands has never been stronger. The two bands really do need to put out a split EP though.

Earworm: Peaches and Cream

2011-03-01T14:34:00.001-05:00

The Mrs. is currently researching the whole Charlie Sheen debacle of which I don't care about at all. Since the laptop is in use, I'm sitting here on my phone, trying to will the tiny keyboard to cooperate with my gigantic fingers. That's not working.

So, who remembers "Peaches and Cream" by Beck? That was the best fake-Prince song ever recorded. I love it.

Earworm: I Miss You

2011-02-28T20:25:00.000-05:00

The power went out today. I couldn't make coffee or anything. It sucked. The entire time I was wishing that I could play video games and bake a pizza. I got to do that after an hour or so, but once my belly was full, all I wanted to do was read a book.

So that happened, and today's earworm is "I Miss You" by Klymaxx. Aww yeah, that's my power-outage jam.

Earworm: Never Gonna Give You Up

2011-02-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

The other day at work, someone was singing the line "I just want to tell you how I'm feeling" and I actually couldn't place it. Google came to the rescue as I promptly Rickrolled myself.

Once upon a time, I did have hair, I swear. I took great pride in my pompadour, which looked like a cross between Rick Astley in the "Never Gonna Give You Up" video and Zac Morris from Saved by the Bell. Someday I'll be able to afford some again, but until then, the chrome dome will do. Stupid male-pattern baldness.

Earworm: Transatlanticism

2011-02-26T10:42:00.000-05:00

My melancholy continues today. That's cool, since at least it gives me something to write about.

I'm not one to usually laugh at others' misfortune, but...oh, screw it. I enjoy seeing someone getting hit in the nuts by a little kid with a baseball bat as much as the next guy. It's just the American way. That's why I found myself mildly amused when I saw Death Cab for Cutie in Asheville when they were touring in support of the Transatlanticism album. I can mostly take or leave them., but that title track is one for the ages.

I digress though. I'm pretty sure the Orange Peel was still a relatively new venue at the time, and for some reason the band took to the stage while wearing nothing but socks. Ben Gibbard kept yelling about how it was incredibly unprofessional for the club to have waxed the floor prior to the show. He then progressed to slipping and sliding all over the stage, constantly losing his balance. Then somebody got shocked by what they said was an ungrounded microphone, but I'm pretty sure it was just static electricity from not wearing a good set of shoes while playing. Lame.

Earworm: Your Legs Grow

2011-02-25T20:37:00.000-05:00

I'm in a funk. No clue why, but I am. At least I actually have music running through my head today, and it's a doozy. God, how I love Nada Surf. How they went from being an eMpTyV buzz-bin band to one of my favorite indie groups is beyond me. Where "Popular" was, at one time, the only song by them I liked, it has become my least favorite of their wonderful back catalog.

Oh, today's earworm is "Your Legs Grow" from Nada Surf's The Weight is a Gift. Another song from that album will definitely be an earworm in the future, but I'm either going to have to be really happy or really pissed off to write about it. Until then, enjoy one of my favorite songs.

Earworm: The Song That Never Ends

2011-02-24T20:41:00.000-05:00

I can't think of a single song today. There is too much going on, so it's all in one ear and out the other. I try to focus on music and all I can think of is "The Song That Never Ends." I remember it from the closing credits of Lambchop's Playalong, which was the only thing on television when I was occasionally home sick from school.

My wife thinks its weird that I don't know many summer-camp songs. That's because I didn't go to summer camp very often, I tell her. She tells me that I missed out. I think I'm a little too old for it now.

Earworm: Sesame's Treet

2011-02-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

When I was 15 it was a very good year. I started high school and went to my very first (and only) bonfire. I'm not sure why that has stuck with me over all these years, but I vividly remember being obsessed with "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's after hearing it on the radio that night.

High school was a miserable time though. I have never been less happy. Will someone tell me why I tune into Glee every week then?

Earworm: The Scientist

2011-02-22T21:31:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I really don't understand popular music. I don't see anything wrong with Coldplay really, it's just that they got big too quickly. I remember when they first came out and were described as a poor-man's Radiohead. I loved that album, and its followup, A Rush of Blood to the Head. I wore "The Scientist" out to the point where I'm pretty good if I never hear it again. I find it kind of sad when I am responsible for ruining one of my own favorite songs.

Scratch that. I have now listened to the song for the first time in at least five years. It gave me chills.

The next two albums didn't do it for me. They went from a poor-man's Radiohead to a college student's U2. Suddenly I couldn't escape, and everything sounded like whining, poppy explosions.

I don't know where this is going, but suddenly I feel like listening to Tears for Fears. That's the end of my story.

Earworm: Heartbeats

2011-02-21T10:39:00.001-05:00

Today shall be a study in how my train of thought works. Yesterday the Mrs. and I were driving around, listening to "Punching in a Dream" by the Naked and Famous. They make great driving music, if you haven't heard them. We both agree that it's what we had hoped MGMT's second album had sounded like.

Continuing on, I suddenly got it in my head that the vocals sound an awful lot like another band that I love, but I couldn't put my finger on who it was. It's times like this that drive my wife nuts, since I will then take the opportunity to play a song over and over on repeat until I can figure it out. This usually only takes one or two repetitions, but sometimes can last for days. Luckily, this one fell somewhere in the middle.

So we started with "Punching in a Dream."

That went on for several more play throughs, until suddenly I shouted out, "You know, the lady in the black bird mask!" while making a beak-like gesture with my hand. My wife had no idea what I was talking about, but then proceeded to post what I had said as her Facebook status.

After several more minutes of not being able to place it, I remembered that it was a cover of a song that was originally by a singer with a Spanish name. My mind kept making me shout out "Alejandro! Alejandro! Alejandro Escovedo!" like some sort of bizarre, musically-inclined form of tourette's syndrome. I don't think that one warranted a Facebook post though.

Finally, after forcing my mind to start its association game, it clicked. Superballs! The original version was used in that Sony Bravia Superball commercial!

My brain was partially right. The name was Spanish, but I remembered that it was by Jorge Garcia. Then my brain proceeded to punch itself, since Jorge Garcia played Hurley on Lost. José González. That's the name.

One quick iTunes search later (I had moved onto playing other songs by this point) and I was reminded that the song is called "Heartbeats," and the version that I love is by the Knife, a Swedish band that sounds like they're straight out of my gothy-club days.

Oh, and to tie everything together, ladies and gentlemen, bird masks:

Earworm: Being with You

2011-02-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

The Mrs. was working her ass off, trying to influence today's earworm by singing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It didn't work. Every time the melody would start in my head, it would change to "Being with You" by Smokey Robinson. That's cool though, as it gives me more than a few sentences to write today, and the earworm gods must be appeased.

Sometimes the comments under YouTube videos are worth the price of admission alone. The top-rated comment under the "Being with You" video? "When Smokey sings the woman drop there panties, Smokey just keep singin and singin." That's poetry, right there.

Earworm: I Don't Want to Wait

2011-02-19T10:39:00.000-05:00

Dammit, so apparently Fringe's numbers on Friday nights suck, and that sucks for fans of good science fiction. While I like feeling like I'm in on a secret that few others share, it's not the same with television as it is with a band or album. An album always exists, but a television show has a limited lifespan as it is.

That brings me to today's earworm. Apparently Joshua Jackson hung out across the street from last year's Comic Con, playing "I Don't Want to Wait" by Paula Cole on a boom box and handing out Dawson's Creek fan-fiction that he had written. That just screams awesome. Joshua Jackson quickly became my new hero when I first heard about Pacey Con. Somebody save Fringe, please.

Earworm: Hot in Herre

2011-02-18T22:28:00.001-05:00

Is there any call-and-response song that is quite as awkward as Nelly's "Hot in Herre?" I can't think of one.

Call: "It's getting hot in here so take off all your clothes."

Response: "I am getting so hot, I'm going to take my clothes off."

It's like a robot's idea of sexiness. Cold, metallic sexiness. Or an attempt at a poorly-translated exchange in Spanish 101.

Earworm: Bring the Noise

2011-02-17T14:24:00.001-05:00

Public Enemy! Anthrax! I'm really not sure which version of "Bring the Noise" I prefer, since they're both so different from one another. Normally I don't care for rap-rock, but it really doesn't get better than this.

Wow, everyone looks so young in the video, yet somehow look exactly the same aside from Scott Ian's beard. Gotta love it.

Earworm: Wiggle It

2011-02-16T12:51:00.000-05:00

I haven't heard "Wiggle It" by 2 in a Room in a very, very long time. In fact, I don't think that I have ever heard the entire song start to finish. That's okay. My incomplete knowledge of the song mirrors the partial discography listed on their Wikipedia entry. Research trolls don't seem to have much to say about 2 in a Room, and neither do I. I wasn't even sure if it was a real song or something with which my imagination decided to assault my aural recesses. What I am pretty sure of is that no one has ever written the preceding sentence prior to this blog entry.

Earworm: Popples

2011-02-15T21:57:00.000-05:00

What the what? A few odd theme songs have been floating around my head today, alternating between Gumby and My Little Pony. Oddly, the one that seems to be settling into place is from Popples. I don't get it

I had the little green one for a little bit, but it quickly became a dog toy after watching a few episodes of the cartoon on Sunday mornings. That is some valuable-childhood time that I will never get back.

Earworm: Pony

2011-02-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's one of the absolutely most romantic songs ever recorded. It also happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time. There is no subtlety to Ginuwine's "Pony." After all, he's just a bachelor looking for a partner. Why would he need to put on kid gloves at all?

Wow, this is the first time that I have ever seen the video for "Pony," and Ginuwine is certainly great at bringing two opposing sides together. Nelly and Tim McGraw must have watched this video dozens of times before coming up with "Over and Over."

The video does answer one question that has always weighed heavy on my mind. I could never quite figure out what the metaphorical pony was supposed to be in the song. Was he using the word to describe his partner? As in "Ride it, my pony?" That didn't sit quite right. The video puts all theories to rest, however when Ginuwine points directly to his crotch during the first chorus. It's actually "Ride it; my pony." That answers it. He calls his penis a pony, and I suppose that's a perfectly acceptable nickname for a gentleman's trouser trout.

Oh, and is that Cee-Lo Green at 00:11? I think it just might be.

Earworm: No Diggity

2011-02-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

Do I like the way Blackstreet works it? No diggity, no doubt.

Is the "diggity" synonymous for "doubt" though? I'm not sure, but there isn't really anything that I can go to for comparison.

Did the album mix have the Dr. Dre rap at the beginning? I seem to remember the masses bitching and moaning that the version that I had was different from the one that they wanted to hear.

Earworm: A Hard Day's Night

2011-02-12T08:24:00.000-05:00

Not really a fan of the Beatles, but I'm hard pressed to pick out an earworm for today. I'm looking at the vinyl hanging on my wall, and the soundtrack for A Hard Day's Night is in the upper-left corner. The title track'll do.

I hate having to force myself to write these things day in and day out, even if it is only a sentence or two. I need a muse.

Earworm: Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

2011-02-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

Today isn't a guestworm, no matter how much my head is hurting. I must push on.

Okay, so right around the new year the Mrs. surprised me with a shiny new Xbox. I'm thrilled. Jumping up and down in lieu of a controller is tons of fun, and will hopefully help me shed the pounds to get back to my fighting weight. In addition to the Kinect games, however, I decided to give a game called Borderlands a shot. Normally I don't do well with first-person shooters. I get really dizzy and can't aim for shit. There is something different about this one though, and I'm actually enjoying the genre for once.

This is where today's earworm, "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant comes into play. I wasn't impressed with the song when it came out last year, and even less with the album, but loading up Borderlands when I'm not quite ready to play forces me to listen to the song several times to the point where my defenses have been worn down. I actually like it now. It perfectly suits the post-apocalyptic gameplay, even if it doesn't appear to play in the context of the game at all outside of the opening sequence.

Earworm: Sky's the Limit

2011-02-10T09:13:00.001-05:00

Every now and again I get on a hip-hop kick. I'm not really on one right now, but I was watching an episode of Castle last night that had a scene set in a recording studio, and that reminded me of the single-greatest lyric ever set to word. It's from "Sky's the Limit," a freestyle in which Lil Wayne rapped over a Mike Jones beat.

Don't believe me? Check out the Gremlins reference at 1:03. Your life will never be the same.

Earworm: Drops of Jupiter

2011-02-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

I don't understand the appeal of Train. They're pleasant enough, but there are plenty of bands out there that sound exactly the same without inane lyrics. Take "Hey Soul Sister," their big hit from last year. The reference to the lead singer's untrimmed chest is enough to make me want to burn my memory recepticles away forever.

That's nothing compared to what in my mind is their most inexcusable affront on songwriting. What is with line about a shooting star without a permanent scar in "Drops of Jupiter?" The mysteries of the universe will never unfold for me.