AUDIO: "Call Me Maybe," life theme songs & plight of frogs

So I went and did it. I downloaded “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jespen.

Sure, I’m late to the party. The song peaked in popularity months ago with the downright literary refrain:

“Hey, I just met you
and this is crazy,
but here’s my number,
so call me maybe.” 

I actually listened to the Cookie Monster parody before I ever listened to the original all the way through. Both are equally good. I don’t know what that means!

This song is a ear worm, an enduring tune that fixes to our brain’s desire for order and rhythm. It’s not the lyrics that make it appealing, it’s the package. Such is the nature of pop songs, the art of which are often overlooked because of how mind-numbingly stupid the lyrics usually are. And I have to give Jespen a lot of credit: her lyrics are tolerable. Those are the best pop songs, as Michael Jackson’s catalog would attest.

Anyway, I’m on with a contribution to “Between You and Me” this Saturday morning talking about how songs get in our head, motivate us and help mark moments in our life. My piece is about theme songs … for life.

The show airs 10 a.m. to noon on 91.7 KAXE (89.9 Brainerd) and 90.5 KBXE Bemidji in northern Minnesota and streaming worldwide at www.kaxe.org. My commentary is often in the first half hour.

And in keeping with my new occasional audio feature, you might enjoy this recent piece which I wrote for the show about “rescue stories.” I’ve often told the story of the frogs that lived near the family-owned Iron Range junkyard where I grew up, in presentations and in my book, but now I’ve been experimenting with some new editing software and “This American Life”-style pacing.

If the player doesn’t work for you, download the file directly here.

(Image: “Frog Went A Courtin,” Feodor Rojankovsky)

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