Songs For Your Day

My good friend Benji and I used to have this game where, at any given moment, the one of us would turn to the other and simply ask, “What song?” It was our shorthand for, “What song do you have stuck in your head?” It wasn’t because we were mouthing words or humming or anything; it was because we always had a song in our head.

It’s a strange feeling to not really have that anymore. Entire moments of my life pass without a song playing itself on repeat, echoing off synapses, right lobe, left lobe, etc. etc. And I wonder, should I be writing for a music blog if that isn’t the case anymore? I question myself. Because, that’s what I do, and what I want to believe everyone does, so if you don’t happen to be one of those individuals who lives their life wondering about perfect comma placement, please, don’t tell me. I won’t tell you that I think you’re leading an unfulfilling life. Unexamined life, unfulfilling life, etc. etc. I think that was Plato or Thoreau or Garfield. Just trust me on this one.

But, I’ve come to the other side of my self-doubt. You are going to listen to me, dammit. You are going to read what I say and maybe laugh or nod or say, “Yes! That song rules. I listened to that driving through Kansas once and realized how meaningless corn is, too!”

This is why. I was driving the other day with Brittany (my fiance’), and we were dancing (as much as one can dance while strapped into a 1-ton bullet of speeding metal) to “No Cars Go” by Arcade Fire (ironic, I know, listening to this song, you know, in a car). Brittany turns to me and laughs and says, “Are you cold?” She’s pointing at my arms, where hundreds of goose bumps (Benji’s wife hates when you call them “goose pimples”) were creating a hairy forest.

“No!” I exclaimed (and, I hate exclamation marks). “This song just fucking rules!”

So, that’s why I am comfortable writing here, even though I no longer turn tunes over and over in my head, nor do I really feel impelled to label myself a musician, but gosh darn it, I still listen to songs I’ve heard hundreds of times before and think, “This song just fucking rules!”

-christopher earl.

When I was driving back from Indiana the other day, and Michael was sleeping in the passenger seat…I played no cars go, and danced a little bit.

but yes this song totally kicks ass. Especially the EP version.
Yeah I said it.

Comment by lcrelyea May 15, 2009 @ 9:22 am

Reply

socrates, yo.
actually i used this today and at first i said aristotle
but
that song fucking rules
(arcade fire ep or neon bible?)

Comment by rima May 18, 2009 @ 3:58 am

Reply

ah, yeah. Socrates. at least it makes sense why i thought it was Plato. ha.

Comment by christopher earl. May 18, 2009 @ 9:25 am

Reply