It Grows On You. Like a Pleasant Fungus

All day long, I have been humming the theme from Peter and the Wolf. And I have no idea why. At every single moment of my life, there is a song playing in my head. Sometimes it’s the focus of my thoughts, other times it’s way in the background. But at all times, my life has some kind theme music that only I hear.

When I was a freshman in high school, my friends confronted me regarding an annoying habit of mine. It was an intervention. Apparently, I was vocally recreating Led Zeppelin solos all day long and it needed to stop. "bow wow now wa na now, na na na now wow ba na now." That was Heartbreaker. If you hate Led Zeppelin, that would be irritating. If you love Led Zeppelin, that would be infuriating. So I tried my best to cut it out.

This all could be ADD. It could be evidence that I will soon snap into a drooling, babbling, pants crapping insanity. I like to think it’s because my creative genius is unfulfilled. But gun to my head, I would probably go with the pants crapping explanation.

There is usually a good reason for which song I happen to be singing. The last song I heard in the car on the way to work. Some annoying radio jingle. But this morning, I ran into a conundrum. For no reason that I can imagine, I found myself humming the theme to Peter and the Wolf. I haven’t heard that tune in years. In fact I’m pretty sure that I have never actually seen the Disney Film. But apparently there is an archive in my brain whose soul purpose is to remember and randomly play that pleasant little ditty. I’m not complaining. Like I said, the tune is pleasant. I’m just confused.

When there is a moment when I don’t have a specific song stuck in my head, than I usually fall back on the same two standards. I never once summon them. They just start playing. These songs are the hold music of my life.

The first is the bass line to Radioheads “National Anthem”. I make no apologies for this. It’s a badass hook. Good for walking around in a crowd in slow motion like a badass.

The second is the theme to Sanford and Son “Bom Bom Wha Num”. Again. No apologies. Quincy Jones knows how to compose.

Somehow when you have a song stuck in your head, it helps to pass it along to someone else. So with any luck you will now be humming Peter and the Wolf all day. If you’re like me, you will have a skip in your step and may find yourself prancing. Just a little bit.

And now, a clip of a mustached, beatboxing flutist playing Peter and the Wolf. Jethro Tull was a pussy.

And here is Turk and JD singing the Sandford and Son theme song.