You know how you sometimes get a song stuck in your head (“earworm”) for a day or so? Eventually they go away or get replaced by another.
Except…
For the last couple of months I’ve had three songs on shuffle in my head. That in itself is not out of the ordinary, but these particular songs seem to be odd choices of my unconscious mind.
First, there’s Ray Steven’s’ “Everything is Beautiful.” I was a big fan of him as a kid; I loved his novelty songs such as “Gitarzan,” “The Streak,” and “Ahab the Arab.” (The latter might today be considered racist and should likely be avoided.) To complete his albums there were other, less satirical songs, one of which was “Everything is Beautiful,” with its kids chorus joining in.
I mean, it’s a nice song, with a sentiment the cynical 21st century has left behind (though perhaps referenced by anyone wanting to be an Instagram or Snapchat model). Why my mind would bring that song back to me, I have no idea, unless my brain is retracing old pathways in my run-up to senility.
Another frequently-played song on my mental jukebox comes from the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar: “Could We Start Again Please?” Of all the songs in the musical and film, why that? Unless my mind is somehow searching for a do-over on some level.
Finally, one that I’d really like to exorcise (pun intended): “Casper the Friendly Ghost.” Sure, I watched the cartoon as a kid, though it wasn’t among my favorites—I was more of a Warner Brothers fan. But why this one still echoes decades later, I may never know.
Various songs do chase these away briefly. I was walking back from the post office when “Disco Inferno” slipped into my consciousness. I took a few steps like Travolta in a parking lot. But I’m constantly on guard against the others.
MUSOFYR 