Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Songs in Your Head

Some of us always have a soundtrack playing in our heads. I'm curious what songs are on your soundtrack. I discovered yesterday that "Abigail, Belle of Kilronan" (Magnetic Fields) is one of Megan's default soundtrack-in-her-head songs. "Papa Was a Rodeo" (also MF) is one of mine. My main default music, though--what I call up to to get other songs out of my head--is the medley of songs on the second side of Abbey Road, from "You Never Give Me Your Money" through the end of the record. (It's an album I grew up listening to on vinyl, dancing to in the living room, carefully, so it wouldn't jump--so it doesn't feel wholly pretentious, just feels right to refer to the second side of it.)

Billy Joel's "Allentown" shows up remarkably frequently, unsummoned. I have to think about it some more to identify the other major players.

Please post yours as a comment? Thanks.

3 comments:

Rachel said...

There's a certain marimba melody that's my default whistling tune. Weezer's "Buddy Holly" turns up a lot - and I'm actually not a big Weezer fan, so I'm not sure what that's about. Certain situations bring up certain songs, like waiting for a bus after dark makes me think of that Push Kings song that goes "Will there be no more number ones that young girls sing out in the dark?"

Elissa said...

"Buddy Holly" was in my head for many years, I think. Good call. "Creep" was in my head around the same time, maybe? & yeah, those aren't ones I choose to invoke, but I don't mind when they appear. Thanks lady.

mwk said...

i'm not actually sure what my default soundtrack is, but i know one of the first songs i think of when i want to sing to myself, like if i'm walking alone somewhere or biking. it's "the rich old farmer" (there might be other names for it). it's traditional, but the version i know is by mrs pearl borusky.