My friend and ace financial blogger John
Hempton not only dreams about physics while he sleeps, but he comes up with
world-changing concepts in those dreams, which he writes about when he wakes
up, as you can read here.
Hempton not only dreams about physics while he sleeps, but he comes up with
world-changing concepts in those dreams, which he writes about when he wakes
up, as you can read here.
I wake up with songs stuck in my head.
And not just any songs. Really mediocre
songs. The kind you don’t want stuck in
your head.
songs. The kind you don’t want stuck in
your head.
This morning it was The Doors’ “The End,” a
bunch of musical noodling on top of Jim Morrison’s ersatz poetry (“This is the
end/my only friend/the end”), which at the age of 16 seemed incredibly profound, but these days, having crossed the half-century mark, seems like something that would mainly impress a 16 year old.
bunch of musical noodling on top of Jim Morrison’s ersatz poetry (“This is the
end/my only friend/the end”), which at the age of 16 seemed incredibly profound, but these days, having crossed the half-century mark, seems like something that would mainly impress a 16 year old.
I’d have preferred “Love Me Two Times” (the
lyrics of which Morrison didn’t write—Robby Krieger did), or “Soul Kitchen,” or the unheralded “Texas Radio and the Big
Beat,” one of the best but least enduring of the Doors catalogue (and a Jim
Morrison song if there ever was one), which nevertheless somehow manages to get
played on Sirius XM often enough to make me want to take back everything I said
about that satellite radio monopoly in our last holiday music review, which you can read here.
lyrics of which Morrison didn’t write—Robby Krieger did), or “Soul Kitchen,” or the unheralded “Texas Radio and the Big
Beat,” one of the best but least enduring of the Doors catalogue (and a Jim
Morrison song if there ever was one), which nevertheless somehow manages to get
played on Sirius XM often enough to make me want to take back everything I said
about that satellite radio monopoly in our last holiday music review, which you can read here.
A couple of days ago the song stuck in my head
was also unfortunate: it was Paul McCartney’s (actually Wings, but, same difference) “Jet,”
which is one of those McCartney songs I never enjoyed—even though it sort of
sounded pleasant enough on the radio—because it had what remains one of the
most outstandingly bad lyrics the Beatles’ least-cynical lyricist ever created
(“And Jet/I thought the only lonely place/was on the moon”), which, as you
might have guessed, was the lyric stuck in my head that morning.
was also unfortunate: it was Paul McCartney’s (actually Wings, but, same difference) “Jet,”
which is one of those McCartney songs I never enjoyed—even though it sort of
sounded pleasant enough on the radio—because it had what remains one of the
most outstandingly bad lyrics the Beatles’ least-cynical lyricist ever created
(“And Jet/I thought the only lonely place/was on the moon”), which, as you
might have guessed, was the lyric stuck in my head that morning.
How did the genius who wrote “Golden Slumbers”
and “Her Majesty” ever come up with
that? And if it had to be a song from
the “Wings” era, why couldn’t it have been “Let Me Roll It”? (Of course, at least it wasn’t “Silly Love
Songs.”)
and “Her Majesty” ever come up with
that? And if it had to be a song from
the “Wings” era, why couldn’t it have been “Let Me Roll It”? (Of course, at least it wasn’t “Silly Love
Songs.”)
Now, outside of “Revolution
# 9” you might think there wasn’t a bad enough
John Lennon song to qualify for this stuck-in-my-head-when-I-wake-up thing, and
“I’m Only Sleeping” isn’t exactly bad, but it’s not a song you want stuck in
your head, believe me. It might be more
listenable than “Jet” or “The End,” but it’s not exactly an enduring Lennon number,
like, oh, “Dear Prudence” or “Starting Over.”
# 9” you might think there wasn’t a bad enough
John Lennon song to qualify for this stuck-in-my-head-when-I-wake-up thing, and
“I’m Only Sleeping” isn’t exactly bad, but it’s not a song you want stuck in
your head, believe me. It might be more
listenable than “Jet” or “The End,” but it’s not exactly an enduring Lennon number,
like, oh, “Dear Prudence” or “Starting Over.”
And it’s not a song I’ve ever actually played
on purpose, except when it comes up on “Revolver” after you skip “Eleanor
Rigby,” which is, technically, a great song, but not one you ever want to
listen to all the way through.
on purpose, except when it comes up on “Revolver” after you skip “Eleanor
Rigby,” which is, technically, a great song, but not one you ever want to
listen to all the way through.
So why “I’m Only Sleeping” crops up in this
mediocre-songs-stuck-in-my-head thing is a great mystery: I haven’t heard it any
time recently—and I mean in the last 5 years, that I can remember. But come to think of it I haven’t heard “Jet”
or “The End” lately, for that matter.
mediocre-songs-stuck-in-my-head thing is a great mystery: I haven’t heard it any
time recently—and I mean in the last 5 years, that I can remember. But come to think of it I haven’t heard “Jet”
or “The End” lately, for that matter.
What would be great, of course, is if somehow you could
wake up with exactly the song you wanted to wake up with stuck in your
head.
Longtime readers know that the
house band of this virtual column is the Arctic Monkeys, whose lead singer and
songwriter, Alex Turner, I would put up there with John Lennon on both counts.
wake up with exactly the song you wanted to wake up with stuck in your
head.
Longtime readers know that the
house band of this virtual column is the Arctic Monkeys, whose lead singer and
songwriter, Alex Turner, I would put up there with John Lennon on both counts.
And if there’s any way John Hempton can figure
out how, in his abnormally fecund dreams, to program “Red Light Indicates Doors
Are Secure” into a person’s random-access-memory upon wake-up, I would greatly
appreciate it.
out how, in his abnormally fecund dreams, to program “Red Light Indicates Doors
Are Secure” into a person’s random-access-memory upon wake-up, I would greatly
appreciate it.
Jeff Matthews
Author “Secrets in Plain
Sight: Business and Investing Secrets of Warren Buffett”
Sight: Business and Investing Secrets of Warren Buffett”
(eBooks on Investing,
2012) Available now at Amazon.com
2012) Available now at Amazon.com
© 2012 NotMakingThisUp,
LLC
LLC
The content contained in
this blog represents only the opinions of Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews also acts as an advisor and
clients advised by Mr. Matthews may hold either long or short positions in
securities of various companies discussed in the blog based upon Mr. Matthews’
recommendations. This commentary in no
way constitutes investment advice, and should never be relied on in making an
investment decision, ever. Also, this
blog is not a solicitation of business by Mr. Matthews: all inquiries will be
ignored. And if you think Mr. Matthews
is kidding about that, he is not. The
content herein is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the
author.
this blog represents only the opinions of Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews also acts as an advisor and
clients advised by Mr. Matthews may hold either long or short positions in
securities of various companies discussed in the blog based upon Mr. Matthews’
recommendations. This commentary in no
way constitutes investment advice, and should never be relied on in making an
investment decision, ever. Also, this
blog is not a solicitation of business by Mr. Matthews: all inquiries will be
ignored. And if you think Mr. Matthews
is kidding about that, he is not. The
content herein is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the
author.
7 replies on “Great Mysteries Of The World, Part 1: Songs Stuck In My Head”
The word is "earworm".
Rosanne Cash version of I'm Only Sleeping is worth a listen.
The term "earworm" always grosses me out.
Secondly, I thought Ace of Base was the house band of this blog!
The term "earworm" always grosses me out.
Secondly, I thought Ace of Base was the house band of this blog!
Thank you. I have spent the last 40years trying to convince people that much of Jim Morrison's lyrics were self-indulgent crap.
I miss the old NMTU where an article like this would never pass without comment!
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-30/best-buy-founder-schulze-recruiting-executives-for-buyout.html
one time in thailand i told two young ladies from the UK that it was me who had written so many Arctic Songs because I was Alex Turner's secret go-to writer. Worked like a charm. For one day. Which is all I needed.