Eternal Sunshine
A few weeks ago, I was riding back from the airport with a smiley happy cab driver who had a Phil Collins CD on repeat throughout the drive. He was singing along the entire time and seemed pretty blissful about it. I, on the other hand, was experiencing an extreme case of self-dislike as I sung along in my head to every single line of “Groovy Kind of Love.” I couldn’t help it, the words popped into my head as Phil (and my driver) crooned them from the front seat. Why, why, WHY must I know every word to this song, even though I haven’t heard it in years?
Why is my brain wasting all of this precious memory on these cheesy lyrics that I have zero desire to remember? What else am I missing out on? For every “Ice, Ice Baby” there’s bound to be a current event I could be more knowledgeable about. For every “How Can I Live Without You?” there’s an important birthday that I’m just never going to remember.
And what’s going to happen as I grow older, and continue to pack my memory with more and more music that I don’t want to remember? (But just can’t seem to forget…)
I played pop favorites of the 1930's and 1940's to the aging dance hall / supper club crowd when I was a teenager. A wise fan in his 70's knew all the words to the songs, and warned me to choose my music preferences carefully, as I would forever remember the lyrics of what I listened to as a teenager. I thought he was a bit kooky at the time, but rarely a day passes without my brain reviewing the lyrics to "Little Red Corvette." CURSES!
i, too, would like to reclaim some mental capacity lost to useless musical knowledge. i should NOT be able to easily recognize swing out sister, level 42, right said fred, soft cell, simple minds, et. al.
if you discover a reclaimation process, let me know. in the meantime, i rule at trivial pursuit and name that tune.
remembering worthless things doesn't mean there's less room in your head for the important things. but take a lesson from phil-co and understand that a damn catchy melody does wonders for remembering stuff. why not write your own pop song set to the lyrics of the evening news? or re-craft tommy tutone's "jenny" to help remember your PIN number...
sadly i suffer from the same condition. i know almost every top 20 song from the 80's even though i didn't like the song. my sister and my mom dominated the radion stations when i was a kid, so i didn't have a choice.
thats my story and i'm sticking to it.
I'm not sure what you are all complaining about. I have received hours of satisfaction from my ability to remember the lyrics to "The Humpty Dance". I often "limp to the side like my leg is broken." And hey, "it's big like a pickle but I'm still getting paid."
I probably wouldn't use the space for anything any more important anyway...
i heard the only way to get rid of that type of useless information is to strategically stick a q-tip in your ear 4.125 inches in your ear and twist to your left.
Do you really know all the words? Or just the refrain. I find I hum or mumble through large portions of popular songs that I was certain I knew the lyrics to. Or I sing a half beat behind, prompted by each syllable. I'm not sure what is occupying my brain matter.