IT'S STUCK IN MY HEAD

It’s stuck in my head

And won’t come out!

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You might be like me. Oh, my! Lord help you!

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head and no matter what you do or how hard you try, you find yourself singing or humming that tune? It doesn’t even matter whether or not you know the words. You’ll hum the darn thing.

I don’t know about you, but it’s enough to drive me batty!!

While it’s true that there are certain songs that I like more than others, once a melody attaches itself to my brain, I’m toast! Well, maybe not toast, but definitely, a G-Clef.

If a song, or I should say melody doesn’t contain lyrics, I’ll hum!

I guess I should mention that singing isn’t my forte.

When I was a kid, my mom often said the only tune I could carry was one if it were placed in a bucket. Thanks, mom! In her defense, I guess, in a way she was right. My problem is that I have rarely found a song on the radio that matches the pitch of my voice. If the singer has a high pitch, I just can’t reach the notes. Same goes for those who sing a very low bass pitch. Then of course, you have the duets. While they sound great, try to imitate both singers at the same time. I end up sounding like a young boy starting puberty!

The odd thing is that I like to sing, so I reserve my eardrum splitting, irritation for when I’m in the car by myself. I can sing as loud as I’d like, but naturally, I don’t roll down the windows. I’m not taking any chances that a passing car might call the police thinking I have an injured animal in the back seat.

Before you ask, I won’t sing in the shower. The water doesn’t make that much noise to drown out my, hmm, I hate to say voice, because that might indicate that I have a “singing voice”, which I do not. Oh, I know. My SOUND! That makes more sense, I guess.

Yes, I did try singing in the shower once, but my husband came rushing in the bathroom, almost hysterical. “Is everything okay? Are you alright?”

“Yeah”, I answered. “Why?”

He shook his head and replied, “I heard you screaming and thought you’d slipped and got hurt. I pictured you on the shower floor, in a puddle of blood. So,” he finished hesitantly, “if you’re not hurt, what was that noise?”

“I was singing,” I answered.

“You were … never mind.” And with that he walked out of the bathroom, still shaking his head. I never finished singing aloud but quietly hummed until I finished my shower.

One thing to know about me is that part of my enjoyment with music is when the opportunity to dance to its beat presents itself. I joined a dance group a number of years ago. It isn’t just a dance group, it’s also an exercise group. Yep, you guessed it; we really burn up a sweat. We meet twice a week to enjoy the camaraderie and music while we dance.

A friend of mine introduced me to Zumba Gold. It’s a Zumba program that is specifically designed for seniors. It’s fun and like my dance group, we sweat and burn off calories. Our Zumba class meets three times a week and by the end of the week, between dancing, Zumba, and housework, I’m ready for a relaxing weekend.

Yet, whether dance or Zumba, I have rarely left the exercise hall without a song buzzing in my head.

For instance, Miley Cyrus has a song out, Flowers, that has quickly become one of my favorites. The song brings back a few amusing memories and our Zumba instructor plays it regularly. I can’t help but sing aloud when he plays it. Those other Zumba enthusiasts who dance near me smile as soon as I start to sing. I’m sure many quietly giggle as my off-key voice yells, “Hey Hey” towards the end of the lyrics. Mr. Robert usually plays this song at the end of each session, and it never fails that I leave the hall singing.

Driving home, I turned on the radio and while Miley wasn’t singing, a group from the 80’s was. Naked Eyes was singing, “Always Something There to Remind Me”. Naturally, I sang it all the way home. Again, memories!

There are so many songs that, for whatever reason, weird or sane pop up in my head at any given time. More often than not, once they make themselves known, they’re like mental poltergeists. They just don’t want to leave.

Now that dance and Zumba are over for a few days, maybe I can put my brain to rest. Speaking of resting, I’ll finish my tea, then go lie on the couch where I’ve placed the heating pad for my back and turn the thing on to ease these old bones.

Hey, that’s a song I heard George Burns sing!

It's time for takin' it easy

It's time for takin' it slow

Old bones don't move so fast

As they did once in the past

Now if I have to run, I simply don't go.

Oh, and yeah, that’s one of the songs we dance to as a cool down opposed to the fast ones during our dance class.

Oh darn! Now, I’ll be resting my old bones, thinking of George Burns when I heard him singing it so many years ago.

Maybe I’m more like Little Anthony and the Imperials when they sang:

Well, I think I'm goin' out of my head

Yes, I think I'm goin' out of my head

Over you, over you

I want you to want me, I need you so badly

I can't think of anything but you.

Either way, there is a song stuck there somewhere. Maybe I need a drink. Hmm. 99 bottles of beer on the wall ….