Isn't it funny how music comes at us? Sometimes you hear it on the radio. Sometimes you hear it through the walls coming from another room. Sometimes you hear it in an elevator or at the grocery store…Sometimes the knuckle-head on the subway has his iPod so loud you can hear the music coming through his headphones as though they were speakers. Sometimes music pops up in commercials on TV, or snippets of soundtracks from movies. Sometimes music is just floating in the air: origin unknown. Tonight we went to see the Second City Comedy Group, and they used short bursts of music between acts. Most of it sounded like generic “music library” stuff with titles like “Curtain Close” or “Exit, Stage Right.” However, with Name That Tune prowess I did recognize one short, thirty second burst from Manchester's poppy response to the Sex Pistols.
PictureThe Buzzcocks
The Buzzcocks were a singles band, and Singles Going Steady is a brilliant and flawless collection of their songs. I could always rely on The Buzzcocks to help me use up every last minute of tape (or nowadays, disc) whenever I put together a mixtape. With few exceptions, most of the tunes on Singles Going Steady clock in around three minutes — some less than two. Today's Happy Medium Song of the Day falls somewhere in between. “I Don't Mind” is 2:19 long and supports my theory that if you can't say it in under three minutes, perhaps it just isn't worth being said. (Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)