Oh God the mother of all earworms
July 19, 2007 4:02 AM Subscribe
If it's highly virulent earworms you're looking for, you will probably want to check out "Spanish Flea," an irrepressibly cheerful song written by Julius Wechter and recorded by Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass. This slight, two-minute instrumental from 1965 (originally with lyrics by Cissy Wechter) has become so popular as 'waiting room music' and 'hold music' that it's become a cliche of the genre, and it's quite likely that you've heard at least a snippet of it at some point in your life. (Perhaps repeatedly, late at night, at your local supermarket?) It's been used for several film soundtracks (American Pie 2, Ocean's Eleven, Striptease, etc.) and, perhaps most famously, as one of the theme songs for the show "The Dating Game." Of course, in the most striking gauge of its cultural ubiquity, The Simpsons has referenced it not one but four times (only two are available on youtube). The song's infectious melody has spawned innumerable homages, ranging from interesting to amusing to thought-provoking to imbecilic to bizarre.
I know it's a different song, but for some reason this always reminds me of the Benny Hill music.
posted by conifer at 4:29 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by conifer at 4:29 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
Lyrics were put to it in a car commercial when was a kid. It was for the Mazda GLC.
posted by birdherder at 4:31 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by birdherder at 4:31 AM on July 19, 2007
At last a new tune to replace "Girl from Ipanema" on repeat loop for my penthouse lift.
posted by Glow Bucket at 4:31 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by Glow Bucket at 4:31 AM on July 19, 2007
I know it's a different song, but for some reason this always reminds me of the Benny Hill music.
we are kindred spirits, conifer. in my opinion, this is the only song to rival Yakety Sax (the Benny Hill theme song) for its sheer fucking tenacity when it gets stuck in your head.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 4:34 AM on July 19, 2007
we are kindred spirits, conifer. in my opinion, this is the only song to rival Yakety Sax (the Benny Hill theme song) for its sheer fucking tenacity when it gets stuck in your head.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 4:34 AM on July 19, 2007
It is a proven fact that nobody is capable of retaining dignity while "Spanish Flea" is being played. As soon as the music begins, any person or situation will immediately become ridiculous, and will remain so for the duration of the tune. Other melodies with this same property include Tommy Dorsey's "Tea for Two (Cha-Cha-Cha)" and the first third of Fučík's "Entrance of the Gladiators."
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:35 AM on July 19, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:35 AM on July 19, 2007 [2 favorites]
And "Yakety Sax," of course.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:35 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:35 AM on July 19, 2007
It always surprises me when people make YouTube videos by pointing their camera at a TV (the first Simpsons link). Talk about exploiting the analog hole.
posted by humblepigeon at 4:37 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by humblepigeon at 4:37 AM on July 19, 2007
John Mayer's got nothing on "Spanish Flea"... Elevators everywhere are rejoicing!
posted by NotInTheBox at 4:48 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by NotInTheBox at 4:48 AM on July 19, 2007
My little brother several weeks and several thousand dollars installing a massive stereo system in his super-cool thugged-out car back in the summer of 2001. When it came time to test it out, we burned a CD that consisted of nothing but this song, repeated 22 times, then drove downtown and blasted it at top volume with the windows down for over 2 hours, while trying to look as serious as possible. That was so much fun.
posted by saladin at 4:50 AM on July 19, 2007 [7 favorites]
posted by saladin at 4:50 AM on July 19, 2007 [7 favorites]
Well, I've got a new ringtone (replacing the all-time classic, "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts").
Also, read the first tag to say "herbal pert". Thought it was some new shampoo.
posted by DarkElf109 at 4:58 AM on July 19, 2007
Also, read the first tag to say "herbal pert". Thought it was some new shampoo.
posted by DarkElf109 at 4:58 AM on July 19, 2007
Koyaanisqatsi becomes a sequence on Sesame Street on "How factories work...." Just add Spanish Flea.
I will now annoy my wife all day walking around humming "bababa baa badada daaaa....."
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 5:08 AM on July 19, 2007
I will now annoy my wife all day walking around humming "bababa baa badada daaaa....."
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 5:08 AM on July 19, 2007
Meh.
Spanish Fly is OK for vaginal sex, but if it's aural sex you're looking for, it's hard to beat 'erb Albert and his Marijuana Grass's version of Baby Elephant Walk.
Disclaimer: the link is not 'erb Albert. 'erb's propensity for smoking large quantities of his Marijuana Grass meant that he mostly recorded his tunes from the prone position. Consequently there is very little video footage of the red-eyed master and what does exist would be unsuitable for unrestricted viewing. However, YouTube's loss is Muzak's gain
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:14 AM on July 19, 2007 [2 favorites]
Spanish Fly is OK for vaginal sex, but if it's aural sex you're looking for, it's hard to beat 'erb Albert and his Marijuana Grass's version of Baby Elephant Walk.
Disclaimer: the link is not 'erb Albert. 'erb's propensity for smoking large quantities of his Marijuana Grass meant that he mostly recorded his tunes from the prone position. Consequently there is very little video footage of the red-eyed master and what does exist would be unsuitable for unrestricted viewing. However, YouTube's loss is Muzak's gain
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:14 AM on July 19, 2007 [2 favorites]
Spanish Flea and Yakkety Sax are custom-made for lightening disturbing/violent/tragic scenes. Just slap 'em over the top and the content instantly becomes comedy gold.
posted by RokkitNite at 5:20 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by RokkitNite at 5:20 AM on July 19, 2007
Other melodies with this same property include... the first third of Fučík's "Entrance of the Gladiators."
This should go down well, then.
posted by rkent at 5:41 AM on July 19, 2007
This should go down well, then.
posted by rkent at 5:41 AM on July 19, 2007
I knew the song was called Spanish Flea, and I knew what spanish flea was supposed to accomplish, and I knew that was the song for The Dating Game. I just never put it all together til now.
PM- thanks for getting Spanish Flea out of my head- that was awesome.
posted by MtDewd at 5:51 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
PM- thanks for getting Spanish Flea out of my head- that was awesome.
posted by MtDewd at 5:51 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
This is the melody I use an ear-worm cleanser. Got an execrable pop song stuck in your head? Use Spanish Flea!
posted by lyam at 6:01 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by lyam at 6:01 AM on July 19, 2007
I use the Mexican hat dance
posted by Dub at 6:09 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Dub at 6:09 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
One of the most jarring experiences I ever had was listening to Gorecki's Symphony Number 3 and to have the Mexican Hat Dance come on randomly afterwards.
posted by doozer_ex_machina at 6:15 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by doozer_ex_machina at 6:15 AM on July 19, 2007
OH GOD IT'S IN MY HEAD
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:17 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:17 AM on July 19, 2007
Oh wait, that was the Mexican Hat dance. Much worse.
posted by doozer_ex_machina at 6:18 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by doozer_ex_machina at 6:18 AM on July 19, 2007
"god, so happy in pants right now"
YouTube comment by 2fuckintone
posted by kirkaracha at 6:24 AM on July 19, 2007
YouTube comment by 2fuckintone
posted by kirkaracha at 6:24 AM on July 19, 2007
Have you ever seen a dozen or so fleas converge on white pants? Impressive.
posted by doctorschlock at 6:58 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by doctorschlock at 6:58 AM on July 19, 2007
Spanish flea and spanish fly are NOT the same.
God, wouldn't that be great? An aphrodisiac song THAT WON'T GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD would be hilarious.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:09 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
God, wouldn't that be great? An aphrodisiac song THAT WON'T GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD would be hilarious.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:09 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
Spanish flea and spanish fly are NOT the same.
I guess that's why I never put it all together.
posted by MtDewd at 7:32 AM on July 19, 2007
I guess that's why I never put it all together.
posted by MtDewd at 7:32 AM on July 19, 2007
It's been my experience that catchy songs are like that tape from The Ring -- you can purge them if you successfully pass them on to someone else.
And in an odd coincidence, having "The Spanish Flea" stuck in my head makes me feel like I've got about a week to live.
posted by Robson at 7:37 AM on July 19, 2007
And in an odd coincidence, having "The Spanish Flea" stuck in my head makes me feel like I've got about a week to live.
posted by Robson at 7:37 AM on July 19, 2007
Forgive me father, for I have sinned; I confused Spanish Flea with Tijuana Taxi, and had the wrong Herb Alpert earworm in my head since first reading this without opening any of the links.
Of course, now I have both of them.
posted by yhbc at 7:56 AM on July 19, 2007
Of course, now I have both of them.
posted by yhbc at 7:56 AM on July 19, 2007
On a recent trip to the music store, I picked up a Herb Alpert disc.
And then I put it back down.
posted by Doohickie at 7:59 AM on July 19, 2007 [2 favorites]
And then I put it back down.
posted by Doohickie at 7:59 AM on July 19, 2007 [2 favorites]
And yeah, yhbc, that was the tune that leaped into my head as well.
Tijuana Brass music is so easy to like which is what makes it so despicable. But I like it anyway. In small doses.
posted by Doohickie at 8:05 AM on July 19, 2007
Tijuana Brass music is so easy to like which is what makes it so despicable. But I like it anyway. In small doses.
posted by Doohickie at 8:05 AM on July 19, 2007
yhbc, I was thinking of A Taste of Honey until I clicked the "cheerful song" link (which, btw, is from a directory with the aforementioned "Entrance of the Gladiators" done in a similar, swing-band style (two flavors of cheese in a single package!)).
posted by straight at 8:41 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by straight at 8:41 AM on July 19, 2007
I came back to this thread when I saw activity.... and I have A Taste of Honey playing too. What are the odds? ;-)
posted by Doohickie at 8:57 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by Doohickie at 8:57 AM on July 19, 2007
Based on the amount of Herb Alpert albums at every thrift store in America at every moment, I have come to the conclusion that the Tijuana Brass band sold eleventy billion records.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:01 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:01 AM on July 19, 2007
And so that he could pile money on top of his money, he was also the A in A&M Records (Carpenters, Human League, 10,000 others), as well as the Al in Almo Sounds, (Gillian Welch, Garbage, others).
The man has his whipped cream stained fingers in every corner of the music business.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:30 AM on July 19, 2007
The man has his whipped cream stained fingers in every corner of the music business.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:30 AM on July 19, 2007
Based on the amount of Herb Alpert albums at every thrift store in America at every moment, I have come to the conclusion that the Tijuana Brass band sold eleventy billion records.
I must confess that the first Herb Alpert record I got my hands on I melted down into a candy dish. A nice one, mind. So that's one less on the thrift store shelves.
posted by dreamsign at 9:34 AM on July 19, 2007
I must confess that the first Herb Alpert record I got my hands on I melted down into a candy dish. A nice one, mind. So that's one less on the thrift store shelves.
posted by dreamsign at 9:34 AM on July 19, 2007
The Girl from Ipanema is one of those songs that when your a kid and you hear it, or worse, see your parents Rumba hip-to-hip to it — you run in holy terror.
But then later, when you grow up and discard the fears of childhood, you buy Alpert's version and put that sucker on loud early Sunday mornings and Rumba the stuffing out of your wife. Thus passing on the horror on to your kids. As it should be.
posted by tkchrist at 9:46 AM on July 19, 2007
But then later, when you grow up and discard the fears of childhood, you buy Alpert's version and put that sucker on loud early Sunday mornings and Rumba the stuffing out of your wife. Thus passing on the horror on to your kids. As it should be.
posted by tkchrist at 9:46 AM on July 19, 2007
I still think that this Public Enemy/Herb Albert mashup is one of the mashups made. By the Time I get to Arizona fits so well with Whipped Cream.
posted by fings at 9:51 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by fings at 9:51 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
I'm partial to the "Oliver the Humanzee" version of "Spanish Flea" (Supposed to be a chimpanzee... he looks a lot like you and me...)
posted by candyland at 10:01 AM on July 19, 2007
posted by candyland at 10:01 AM on July 19, 2007
Many less Herb Alpert albums at thrift stores - Whip It! & Other Delights: The Art Car - and billions more to go.
Seriously, I think it's some kind of fundamental cosmological law that requires each and every thrift store in the US to have at least one Herb Alpert album.
I've been to thrift stores out in the middle of nowhere - in a town listed as being less than 300 people - where the entire offerings of the store consisted of the following: 3 hideous bridesmaid dresses in avocado, mustard and jaundiced canary. 1 pair of polyester Sansabelt pants, in what can only be described as the color known as "puke". 1 unidentifiable bent brass thingy that could either be a piece of bathroom hardware. Or a lamp. 1 stained plastic Mr. Coffee, sans carafe. 1 copy of the Atari game "E.T.", still boxed and shrink wrapped. And 15 copies of assorted Herb Alpert albums, all hidden behind the one album that was not Herp Alpert. Which, in this particular instance, was Electric Light Orchestra.
My theory is this:
If you buy the very last copy of any Herb Alpert album at any given thrift store, that thrift store will immediately cease to exist. You'll exit the store with your smarmy, dirty copy of Whipped Cream, and if you bothered to turn around to look at the store, you'll find that it has been mysteriously replaced with a chain store of suitable mundaneness.
If the store didn't vanish upon buying what appeared to be the last or only copy of a Herb Alpert album, you didn't get the last one. They have another copy, probably hidden in the back.
Supporting this theory is the fact that many thrift stores know this to be true, particularly the large national chain stores. The Goodwills, the Salvation Armies, the Savers.
They all know this, and to protect their stores by hiding Herb Alpert albums throughout the store. It's true. In a big thrift store, you can find Herb Alpert albums in nearly every segment of the store. You'll find them in the shoe racks, in the disused toy aisle, in housewares, taped to the bottom of various bric-a-brac shelves- everywhere.
And this is why no thrift store anywhere will ever refuse a donation of any Herb Alpert album, in any quantity. Try it some time. Bring an entire truckload of nothing but hundreds of identical copies of Whipped Cream to any thrift store and just see if they can refuse.
They won't.
posted by loquacious at 10:31 AM on July 19, 2007 [8 favorites]
Seriously, I think it's some kind of fundamental cosmological law that requires each and every thrift store in the US to have at least one Herb Alpert album.
I've been to thrift stores out in the middle of nowhere - in a town listed as being less than 300 people - where the entire offerings of the store consisted of the following: 3 hideous bridesmaid dresses in avocado, mustard and jaundiced canary. 1 pair of polyester Sansabelt pants, in what can only be described as the color known as "puke". 1 unidentifiable bent brass thingy that could either be a piece of bathroom hardware. Or a lamp. 1 stained plastic Mr. Coffee, sans carafe. 1 copy of the Atari game "E.T.", still boxed and shrink wrapped. And 15 copies of assorted Herb Alpert albums, all hidden behind the one album that was not Herp Alpert. Which, in this particular instance, was Electric Light Orchestra.
My theory is this:
If you buy the very last copy of any Herb Alpert album at any given thrift store, that thrift store will immediately cease to exist. You'll exit the store with your smarmy, dirty copy of Whipped Cream, and if you bothered to turn around to look at the store, you'll find that it has been mysteriously replaced with a chain store of suitable mundaneness.
If the store didn't vanish upon buying what appeared to be the last or only copy of a Herb Alpert album, you didn't get the last one. They have another copy, probably hidden in the back.
Supporting this theory is the fact that many thrift stores know this to be true, particularly the large national chain stores. The Goodwills, the Salvation Armies, the Savers.
They all know this, and to protect their stores by hiding Herb Alpert albums throughout the store. It's true. In a big thrift store, you can find Herb Alpert albums in nearly every segment of the store. You'll find them in the shoe racks, in the disused toy aisle, in housewares, taped to the bottom of various bric-a-brac shelves- everywhere.
And this is why no thrift store anywhere will ever refuse a donation of any Herb Alpert album, in any quantity. Try it some time. Bring an entire truckload of nothing but hundreds of identical copies of Whipped Cream to any thrift store and just see if they can refuse.
They won't.
posted by loquacious at 10:31 AM on July 19, 2007 [8 favorites]
doozer_ex_machina: I managed to nearly injure a neighbor in college with a Transition Of Much Horror.
He and his girlfriend considered Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" to be the ONLY music for college-age banging. Needless to say, when the strains of that started up, we on either side of him knew we were in for a long tiring night, for indeed, she was a very vocal young lady.
Therefore, because we were college-aged, single, and transcendently evil, we decided to do something about this. We snagged his tape of 'The Four Seasons', and copied it. One of our number, whose bed was against the wall matching with Romeo's, ended up being able to practically recite the times when things would happen. So we had that to work with.
And right about the time the actual sex started... on the copy, which we slipped into the case... Vivaldi transitioned with no warning at all to The Ramones. And thus blared forth 'Sedated'.
We then went down to the soccer field, because we didn't want to know what happened next.
But there we go: jarring, horrific musical transitions for fun.
(The #2 story I have about that basically goes: 15 seconds of Debbie Gibson's 'Electric Youth', record-needle-screech, Mojo Nixon's "Debbie Gibson is pregnant with my two-headed love child".)
And to keep this being totally utterly offtopic, I am using Electric Light Orchestra's "Do Ya" to get 'Spanish Flea' out of my head, as it leapt in there when I remembered about it being used on the Newlywed Game.
posted by mephron at 11:19 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
He and his girlfriend considered Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" to be the ONLY music for college-age banging. Needless to say, when the strains of that started up, we on either side of him knew we were in for a long tiring night, for indeed, she was a very vocal young lady.
Therefore, because we were college-aged, single, and transcendently evil, we decided to do something about this. We snagged his tape of 'The Four Seasons', and copied it. One of our number, whose bed was against the wall matching with Romeo's, ended up being able to practically recite the times when things would happen. So we had that to work with.
And right about the time the actual sex started... on the copy, which we slipped into the case... Vivaldi transitioned with no warning at all to The Ramones. And thus blared forth 'Sedated'.
We then went down to the soccer field, because we didn't want to know what happened next.
But there we go: jarring, horrific musical transitions for fun.
(The #2 story I have about that basically goes: 15 seconds of Debbie Gibson's 'Electric Youth', record-needle-screech, Mojo Nixon's "Debbie Gibson is pregnant with my two-headed love child".)
And to keep this being totally utterly offtopic, I am using Electric Light Orchestra's "Do Ya" to get 'Spanish Flea' out of my head, as it leapt in there when I remembered about it being used on the Newlywed Game.
posted by mephron at 11:19 AM on July 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
My friend used to have a techno? version of this that was interrupted at key points by someone saying (angrily) "I got bitches wipin their pussies all over me." That is forever in my head and has tainted this entire post for me.
Googling for source didn't help at all and I don't recommend you try it
posted by Brainy at 1:25 PM on July 19, 2007
Googling for source didn't help at all and I don't recommend you try it
posted by Brainy at 1:25 PM on July 19, 2007
My favourite is from The George Garabedian Players and the Awful Trumpet of Harry Arms.
That manualist is so faking it ...
posted by scruss at 3:59 PM on July 19, 2007
That manualist is so faking it ...
posted by scruss at 3:59 PM on July 19, 2007
I had to listen to "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" to get that out of my head.
posted by mike3k at 10:03 PM on July 19, 2007
posted by mike3k at 10:03 PM on July 19, 2007
Forgive me father, for I have sinned; I confused Spanish Flea with Tijuana Taxi, and had the wrong Herb Alpert earworm in my head since first reading this without opening any of the links.
Just listened to iTunes clips of both songs several times and figured out why I'm always confusing the two songs -- they're basically the same melody, just at different tempos with different grooves underneath (Tijuana Taxi is faster and has honking horns...)
posted by Ranucci at 10:15 PM on July 19, 2007
Just listened to iTunes clips of both songs several times and figured out why I'm always confusing the two songs -- they're basically the same melody, just at different tempos with different grooves underneath (Tijuana Taxi is faster and has honking horns...)
posted by Ranucci at 10:15 PM on July 19, 2007
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posted by TedW at 4:21 AM on July 19, 2007