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| Ben Schneider. |
"Poetry is verbatim." - Earl Gray
It is the ultimate annoyance: a vaguely romantic snippet from some undetermined source (a television commercial? something with balloons?) that has rattled around in your subconscious for years.
An earworm is to sound what poetry is to words: an instantly recognized combination that resides in--and often triggers--memory. It is the mathematics of melody. It is iconic in both senses: universal acquaintance and an easy button/icon to push. Before 2016, Simon and Garfunkel's "America" was "just another classic". Today, if people want us to think of Universal Public Health Care as a right, of a federally mandated minimum wage, or of free public college tuition, they need only phone up our favorite radio station and request that song.
Without will-i-am's "Yes, We Can", we might never have elected the greatest president of our time. Given the need for familiarity, originality of text is not a prerequisite; it may even be a liability.
The technical term for a candidate without a catchy slogan and/or theme song is "loser". Got a favorite contender in 2020? Why not take a moment to think of a slogan or melody that might help propel him or her into office?
Oh, and that damned jingle you haven't been able to get out of your skull for the last five years? That is, in fact, from a Zales diamond commercial:
The song is called "Ends of the Earth" by Ben Schneider, aka Lord Huron, (from "Lonesome Dreams" in 2012)...
Lyrics:
Oh, there's a river that winds on forever
I'm gonna see where it leads
Oh, there's a mountain that no man has mounted
I'm gonna stand on the peak
Out there's a land that time don't command
Wanna be the first to arrive
No time for ponderin' why I'm-a wanderin'
Not while we're both still alive
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me
If you will have a say my goodbyes to me
Oh, there's an island where all things are silent
I'm gonna whistle a tune
Oh, there's a desert that size can't be measured
I'm gonna count all the dunes
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| Earl Gray's 76th Law. |
Headin' out into the unknown
Well if there are strangers, and all kinds of danger
Please don't say I'm going alone
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me
Well if you want, I will say my goodbyes to me
I was a-ready to die for you, baby
Doesn't mean I'm ready to stay
What good is livin' a life you've been given
If all you do is stand in one place
I'm on a river that winds on forever
Follow 'til I get where I'm goin'
Maybe I'm headin' to die but I'm still gonna try
I guess I'm goin' alone
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