A Stuck Song Story

[kaasirpent]

This is how overactive my pattern-matcher is when "searching" for songs to get stuck in my mind.

I was driving in to work this morning and listening to a podcast (The Astronomy Cast — it's very good and you should be listening!) on which they were talking about the different kinds of solar eclipses. When Pamela said "total" my brain coughed up

(Da-doo)
I was walkin' in the wholesale flower district that day
(Shoop da-doo)
and I passed by this place where this old Chinese man
(Chang da-doo)
he sometimes sells me weird and exotic cuttings,
(Snip da-doo)
'cause he knows, you see, that strange plants are my hobby.
(Da da da da da da-doo)

He didn't have anything unusual there that day.
(Nope, da-doo)
so I was just about to, ya know, walk on by,
(Good for you)
when suddenly,
(Da doo)
and without warning, there was this total eclipse of the sun.
(To-Total Eclipse of the Sun!)

It got very dark and there was this strange
sound like something from another world.
(Da-doo)
And when the light came back this weird plant was just sitting there,
(whoop-see-doo)
just, you know, stuck in, among the zinnias.
(Audrey Two)
I coulda sworn it hadn't been there before,
but the old Chinese man sold it to me anyways,
for a dollar ninety-five.
(Sha la la, la la la, la la la loo)

("Da-Doo" from the musical Little Shop of Horrors). Complete with Rick Moranis doing the spoken part, but mostly the part I have in bold.

Pamela then continued her sentence and mentioned annular eclipses. Immediately, I heard

Who wants to bu-u-uy this diamond ri-i-i-ing?
She took it off her finger, now it doesn't mean a thi-i-i-ng
This diamond ring doesn't shine for me anymore
And this diamond ring doesn't mean what it meant before
So if you've got someone whose love is tru-u-ue
Let it shine for yo-ou-ou

(Gary Lewis and the Playboy's "This Diamond Ring")

Why "This Diamond Ring"? Well, it has nothing to do with an annular eclipse (tell my brain that). During a total eclipse, however, there is an effect called "The Diamond Ring Effect" that happens either just before or just after (or both) totality:



So there you have further proof that I need help. :)

Comments

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

A) Astronomy Cast! Oooooooo!

B) This makes perfect sense to me -- my brain orchestrates my life according to its own desires all the time.

C) Overly specific and unexpected pattern matching is one diagnostic tool for schizophrenia. Try not to think about this.

[kaasirpent]

Must not think of schizophrenia. Damn! Must not think of schizophrenia. Damn! Must not think of schizophrenia. Damn! ...

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

When you think of schizophrenia -- but are aware that someone is making you think of schizophrenia from a secret bunker behind Mt. Rushmore -- then you can stop.