For someone who enjoys music as much as I do, I pay no attention whatsoever to lyrics. People will go on and on about how a the words of a particular song inspired them or moved them to some deep emotional catharsis but I just don’t get it. It’s been this way for as long as I have paid attention to music, with one rare exception. When I was in elementary school, my brother and I used to team up with the kids of friends’ of my parents and put on lip synched stage shows. Performing elaborately staged spectacles the likes of which were never seen in Morris, MN. Apparently, my brother and I started doing these shows by ourselves, but me being the natural leader that I was (read: bossy) lil’ brobear soon grew tired of always doing my bidding and sought a place in the technical crew. This forced me to enlist my dad’s friends’ kids, and we would rehearse all day down in their basement, followed by a single night concert – usually after dinner.
As the leader, I was lead singer (“syncher”?) and played stick horse (which looked like a bass guitar). The older brother friends’ kid Josh played “alto guitar”, the middle friends’ kid aaron played “tenor guitar” (we didn’t really know the difference between lead and rhythm guitar yet, so we based it on the only instrument we knew at the time – saxophone – since Josh played it in band). The youngest brother was typically barred from the group because he was whiny and annoying, but if we needed a drummer for a particular set, he could usually be relied on to not get us into trouble. Lil’ brobear was the lighting and sound guy – working all day to create these tremendously elaborate lighting systems made of flashlights (for spotlights), emergency hazard road lights and xmas lights (for mood and special effects). The setlists varied from show to show, but usually involved the big name hitmakers of the day: Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, and The Chipmunks.
My point in all this is that for some reason all these concerts developed my ability to pick up lyrics completely subconsciously. It’s is both a blessing and a curse, because I have no control over which lyrics flow in one ear and out the other and which ones become lodged in my head for the rest of time. This was no more clearly demonstrated than when driving around with the GF last night; “When I’m with You” by Sheriff came on the radio – and I proceeded to lip synch every single word flawlessly with no conscious thought about it on my part. The GF was deeply disturbed, she tried to hide it but I think she probably knows what she’s gotten herself into by this point. The fact that she didn’t immediately leap from the car and into oncoming traffic bodes well. I just don’t know how I’ll explain it when I completely fail to identify lyric-related trivial pursuit questions in a team game.
As the leader, I was lead singer (“syncher”?) and played stick horse (which looked like a bass guitar). The older brother friends’ kid Josh played “alto guitar”, the middle friends’ kid aaron played “tenor guitar” (we didn’t really know the difference between lead and rhythm guitar yet, so we based it on the only instrument we knew at the time – saxophone – since Josh played it in band). The youngest brother was typically barred from the group because he was whiny and annoying, but if we needed a drummer for a particular set, he could usually be relied on to not get us into trouble. Lil’ brobear was the lighting and sound guy – working all day to create these tremendously elaborate lighting systems made of flashlights (for spotlights), emergency hazard road lights and xmas lights (for mood and special effects). The setlists varied from show to show, but usually involved the big name hitmakers of the day: Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, and The Chipmunks.
My point in all this is that for some reason all these concerts developed my ability to pick up lyrics completely subconsciously. It’s is both a blessing and a curse, because I have no control over which lyrics flow in one ear and out the other and which ones become lodged in my head for the rest of time. This was no more clearly demonstrated than when driving around with the GF last night; “When I’m with You” by Sheriff came on the radio – and I proceeded to lip synch every single word flawlessly with no conscious thought about it on my part. The GF was deeply disturbed, she tried to hide it but I think she probably knows what she’s gotten herself into by this point. The fact that she didn’t immediately leap from the car and into oncoming traffic bodes well. I just don’t know how I’ll explain it when I completely fail to identify lyric-related trivial pursuit questions in a team game.
If this is my superpower I'll never get into the Justice League...GF: “Wait a minute, what do you mean you don’t know the lyrics to ‘Like a Rolling Stone’? You know the words to Sheriff, but not Bob Dylan?"
GB: “But sweetheart, nobody knows the lyrics to Bob Dylan songs – there are no distinguishable words, it’s just a melodic phonics lesson!”
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