It Might Surprise You

And now, for a nice long weekend diversion, a selection of songs with a common characteristic: people seem to be surprised that I really like them.

First up we have Dino. This might surprise people who know me a bit, since I’m really not a lounge type of cat. It might surprise people who know me better even more, since he’s probably my Mom’s favourite performer, and we agree on very little in matters of tasteI think we agree on Dean Martin, Jim Croce, and exactly one song each by Neil Diamond and Kenny Rogers.. But hey, I like the guy. I certainly like this tune.

Second up is Mr. Mister with their 80s pop hit Kyrie. This one usually surprises people on several fronts: I’m usually not much for the radio pop, I’m especially not much of a one for anything that could be called an “80s” pop hit, and this is a prima facie religious song as well, which presumably would trigger my atheist warnings. However, it’s partly a nostalgic favourite–this was a radio fixture around the age when I first cared what was popular on the radio. It’s partly because I had an incredible mondegreen experience with this song–my tweenage self interpreting “Kyrie eleison” as “Carry a laser”. Let me tell you, it’s a much more exciting song interpreted as a science fiction road movie!

Third on the list is Dolly Parton. This might surprise a lot of people–those who don’t know I have a place in my heart for some Old Country stuff, and those who haven’t been turned on to the fact that Dolly is a total entertainerThanks Gwenda.. There’s just something to be said for a good “don’t steal my man” song. Also, it reminds me of the woman who was, for all intents and purposes, my second mom. Check it out.

That brings us to Laura Branigan. This is the “pop music” thing again–people always seem shocked that I’m not embarrassed to like her stuffIn addition to this one, I also like Ti Amo and Self Control, as well as her version of Forever Young.. I got a lot of amused commentary when I listed this tune on the Immortal Tunes mix, but I still dig the song. Even with the dance fighting. Also, I think I had a crush on her when I was thirteen.

The next one up might be the one that surprises people the most. The Damn Yankees are kind of the epitome of the thing people mean when they use “American” as a pejorative term, and this song in particular encapsulates many of the things I frequently complain about with respect to the black-and-white issues, manifest destiny, we’re-the-heroes America. Still, I’ve enjoyed the Nuge since I was a kid–there’s something to be said for If You Can’t Lick ‘Em… Lick ‘Em and Cat Scratch Fever after all–and it is a catchy tune if you don’t think too much about the words. Besides, it’s fun to say “Damn Yankees”.

That brings us to Ice T. People always seem to be surprised that I enjoy a little of the O.G. stuff. (I do prefer to think of Ice T as the Syndicate era guy, not the Law and Order guy.) This track also seems to surprise people, since it’s apparently a little more crass than my image. Deal with it–I can’t be an intellectual all the damn time.

And we’ll close up with a little Fountains Of Wayne. This tune actually came up on my iPod at poker last week and it was commented on. Again, it’s the “nice little pop ditty” thing–not in line with my musical image, apparently. I can’t help it though, it’s just such an “up” tune, and it’s almost the definition of “catchy”.

So there you go–that should have utterly destroyed my hipster cred.