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.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam
on Jul 19, 2007 -
49 comments
Sometimes,
the very worst songs get stuck in one's head. I am ashamed to admit that right now it's a bit of europuff from the comely Kylie Minogue,
Your Disco Needs You. But that isn't nearly as bad as an unfortunate friend of mine who couldn't stop whistling the
Horst Wessel Lied after seeing a documentary about Nazi Germany. When does a guilty pleasure become, well,
too guilty?
posted by tranquileye
on May 10, 2001 -
22 comments
