Day 34. A song that you try to get stuck in your head to replace the one that’s currently stuck there
“Odds Are” – Barenaked Ladies
Earworms. We all get them. Songs that you hear and they get stuck in your head, no matter what you try to do. And more often than not, it’s a song you don’t even like.
Wait a minute… That seems awfully familiar…
Oh yeah, yesterday’s post was a lot like this. So, now that you’ve got a song you hate stuck in your head and need to get it out? As a I mentioned in yesterday’s post you need to pass it on to someone else. But what if no one is around? Then what?
Well, since I feel bad about getting yesterday’s song stuck in your head, I’m going to give you a good song to replace it.
Actually, I still don’t feel bad about yesterday, because I continue to be “Lovin’ You”-free, but I will honor my promise to give you a good song to replace it. Because I’m nice like that. All right, fine, it’s because I have to for today’s post. Be that way.
The easiest choice, of course, is the theme to “I Dream Of Jeannie.” You laugh, but I guarantee it’s already stuck in your head. But you’re really no better off, are you? So the key, then, is to find something catchy but not annoying.
In truth, there are a lot of choices. But one I’ve come across recently is “Odds Are” by Barenaked Ladies.
Some quick answers to your questions about BNL:
- Yes, they’re still around.
- No Stephen Page isn’t with them anymore.
- Yes, they still do the songs that Stephen Page used to sing lead on. Other band members, like keyboardist Kevin Hearn, have taken over vocal duties on those.
- No, Kevin Hearn can’t sing.
And with that, let’s talk about “Odds Are.” (Rest easy, Kevin Hearn does not sing lead.) I was first introduced to it via the video, which is hilarious. BNL’s humor is one of the things that drew me to them in the first place. Songs like “If I had $1,000,000, “Pinch Me,” “Who Needs Sleep?” and “Shopping” always make me chuckle, but their last few albums (after 2003’s Everything for Everyone) were full of bland songs with bad melodies. It was like they were in a bit of a funk. And I suppose if you’re not getting along with one of your band members, your output will suffer. Their previous album (their first post-Stephen Page) was a Wings-esque democratic exercise trying to show they were a band, but it was uneven. But with their most recent effort, Grinning Streak, they seemed to have righted the ship.
“Odds Are” is a catchy tune with lyrics that talk about how terrible certain deadly possibilities (being struck by lightning, plane crashes, etc) are, but the whole point is that odds are in our favor that those things are just never going to happen to the average person. “Sure things go wrong, but I’ll take my chances/Odds are long, so why not play?”
It’s a nice counterpoint to the doom and gloom we hear from the media every day in the name of ratings. (Hmm… seems like I also wrote another post about a song that sends up the media.) And it’s catchy. A good song to replace “The Macarena,” “Lovin’ You” or whatever horrendous song happens to be stuck there.
Buy it (I give you a handy link
Or you can stick with “Lovin’ You” or go with “I Dream of Jeannie.” Your choice.
