My work commuter buddy Hollaback is off in Boston for a few days and I found myself driving northbound in my sturdy Angus alone for the first time in awhile. When I commute with Hollaback, we fill the silence with talk about food, people, work, reality television, social lives (hers much more full than mine because well, she has one), flirtations and once in awhile, sex. With Hollaback MIA in the Chowder State for the next few days, I reacquainted myself with my solo commute routine; this involved the radio played at recklessly loud volume, tuned to a hip hop station and me singing along with it. Badly. It's pleasurable. There's something about singing along with Flo Rida's "Low" while weaving between cars and trucks on I-95. It's probably as close to being a badass as I will ever get.Today as I drove along to Connecticut, I flipped around on the radio to find a sing-along worthy song. Suddenly, I caught the opening strains of Don McLean's opus, "American Pie." This song was as huge as a song can be when it first aired in the early 70s. Scholars dissected the metaphorical references. I suspect more than a few enterprising college students wrote a thesis on it. It's full and lush and three course meal satisfying. There are few songs that can compete: Derek and the Dominoes "Layla" comes to mind. What I do remember about "American Pie" was that at one time in the late 1970s, I knew all the words to it.
It had been years since I heard this song. I had to take the challenge, especially as I was backed up by copious traffic merging in Byram, CT. I wasn't sure I could do it, but select memory is a beautiful thing so I went for it. By my estimation, I had 83% of the lyrics down. That whole Jack Flash/Satan's Only Friend stanza always fucks me up.
It's funny that we'll hear songs that we haven't heard for years and yet we'll know all the words (and note to Julia--The Raspberries? 97% success rate).I may not remember exactly what I ate for breakfast or what my profit margin is on my strongest profit center but I can remember every single word of "Bohemian Rhapsody." What is up with that?
So while solo commuting can be lonely, it might be useful in improving my memory.
What songs are you proud to remember the words to?
2 comments:
Well, what does it mean if you can remember all of the words, but you can't remember the NAME of the damned song?
They need to put mathematical formulas and historic names & dates to music. Money in the bank!
I can remember words of songs and song titles...I can't ever remember who sang it. I HATE forgetting important things. I love 'AP'. My English class analyzed it to death. It was great.
Post a Comment