Thursday 9 March 2006

A life in lyrics

I guess we're all familiar with the last song we hear in the morning sticking in our heads all day. Sometimes that can be quite annoying, depending on the song. But what's less obvious, I think, but equally true is how easily lyrics pervade our consciousness... is it just me or do we find ourselves unintentionally dropping lyrics into every day conversation? Well I certainly do, and all the sodding time too. This can be a good thing, or equally can make you look like a complete loon, depending on the quality of the lyrics in question. The other potential problem with this is the risk that someone might spot your lyrical name-dropping, in which case you inadvertantly run the risk of looking like a pretentious fool. And I say inadvertantly because the whole "life through lyrics" thing is unintentional - the words have just worked their cunning way into my subconscious and come out whenever they feel like it, with no conscious effort on my part. To make matters worse, I find the songs I learnt in my youth are those that stick with me the best, and consequently are those that spring, unbidden, into my daily conversation. I've found myself "quoting" XTC, The Jam and The Smiths this week, which tells you all you need to know about how old I am.

It'll also tell you all you need to know about my state of mind at the moment to learn that lately I've been mulling over the lyrics to "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want This Time" by The Smiths and "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice... happy, uplifting stuff then...