Wednesday 16 July 2014

Rattle and Hum

Something triggers the human mind and almost without thinking a subconcious memory of a tune, rhythm or lyric emerges. 

That is the story, and I am sticking to it, behind my longstanding habit of humming or singing for just about all of my waking hours. 

To my closest family it is an annoyance. 

To first time acquaintances it leads to the remark, just about every time, that "someone sounds like he's having a good day". 

My Mother in Law, whose opinions and judgement I value highly asked my wife if it was an indication of a stress problem. 

I am now at a stage of just doing it without realising until it is drawn to my attention by others along the lines I have just mentioned. 

I cannot really say what prompts me to hum or sing.

Most of the time I am just happy which I call a blessing in what is otherwise reported as being a pretty dour and tragic world that we live in. 

My repertoire is extremely varied from hymns to classics, rock anthems to chart toppers, film scores to TV programme theme tunes. 

I am as far as I am aware pitch perfect and tuneful based on the fact that I have not had any complaints of that nature. It seems that it is more the monotonous and repetitive delivery that causes offence and aggravation to those in earshot.
 I do have a musical background in that my Mother is an excellent pianist and in my formative years I studied the descant recorder (as did most of my generation) before progressing to a longstanding position as third cornet in the town brass band. That rank marked the pinnacle of a short career and I progressed no farther. 

I like to think that my talent was stifled and suppressed by ambitious younger musicians with pushy parents but it was more to the point that I just did not practice that much.

I am told that I have a good singing voice and enjoy a good belt in church or when able to claim anonymity in a larger group such as in a choir or amongst those on a football terrace. 

It is therefore, in my opinion, perfectly natural to hum and allude to a tune as I go about my daily life. 

Take today, I awoke with a vague recollection of an electro-pop tune in my head and persisted with it through getting ready for work, having breakfast and until getting into the car. 

Driving along I passed an Eastern European Supermarket called Bismillah which within a few minutes manifested as a rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. 
Other traffic on the road, mostly cars produced a hummed version of "Best Friends Girl". 

At the first of a succession of traffic light controlled junctions I found myself into "Stop", the big electric guitar version by Joe Bonamassa. 
I was moving along nicely past the congested bus lane and was surprised when the song from the film Summer Holiday burst forth.

My office is on a road called Henry Boot Way. Even  before reaching the entrance to the office park I was visited by Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are made for walking".

I collected my list of jobs for the day and set off for my first appointment accompanied by the James Bond theme. Obviously I had high expectations for what the day would bring.

2-4-6-8 Motorway was inevitable as I made my way out of the city. 
I passed the retail park with the prominent golden arches of McDonalds. Ee-ay-ee-ay-oh.

It was a nice, easy and inspiring drive to my first appointment. Born Free seemed apt for that feeling of liberty. The winding country lanes, after leaving the trunk roads, somehow extracted from a distant memory the lyrics and tune of a John Denver hit although ironically I was travelling further away from home than towards it.

You will understand by now the reason for my constant humming and singing. I do find it quite relaxing but then again there must be a connection between my particular habit and the fact that no-one ever wants to share a journey with me. 

Oh no, that tune from the Lynx Deodorant advert ......."one is the loneliest number" comes to mind.

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