Persistent earworm alert CDXLVI

You know it's a long, challenging month at work when the earworm in your mind paraphrases Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Karn Evil 9" as "Welcome back, my friends, to the month that never ends..."

Summer is often our workplace's most difficult season, and July is typically the most difficult month.  I know it'll end eventually--but it doesn't feel that way, at the moment. 

A function of age LI

Tonight, I gave up on listening to an AM station when a loud hum on the radio blocked the station's frequency.

Yes, that happened, and yes, it's not a sentence many people under age 55 say these days. 

Persistent earworm alert CDXLV

This morning, I thought about how much work I'd done throughout the long, draining night and how long the rest of the week and month feel.  While contemplating this, the circus music opening of Three Dog Night's "The Show Must Go On" ran through my mind.

That goofy carnival-like theme is still there now.  I'm glad my mind, at least, feels subconsciously whimsical even when I don't.

Persistent earworm alert CDXLIV

Talk about having to be on my game this weekend.  Between Friday night and Sunday morning, I'm scheduled to work 22 hours in a 34-hour span.  Financially, this is a plus, and fortunately, the first big chunk of working hours is already over.  By Sunday morning, however, I expect I'll be delirious.  I've been keeping things in perspective, though, with a mental soundtrack of "People Make The World Go Round" by The Stylistics.

So far, this has been an effective tactic.  We'll see how I feel Sunday morning, however.

Separating the theme from the show

Many reviewers regard season six as the worst or one of the worst seasons of "Saturday Night Live."  While listening to the "Not Ready For Season 6" podcast recently, I thought, "The show wasn't great that season, but the theme song SNL used that season isn't bad.  It's sunny, bouncy, and saxophone-driven, setting the audience up for the comedy to follow."

It's a shame such a well-composed theme has to be tied to a season in which laughs were mostly few and far between.

Online radio sampler highlights CCCIV

Five standout selections heard today:

KUNV (Las Vegas, NV)

• Everything Is Fine-Nicole Henry (An easy, relaxed bounce supports Henry's strong vocals.  Rhythmically and lyrically, Al Jarreau's "We're In This Love Together" could segue with this.)

KWAX (Eugene, OR)

• Frederic Chopin: Mazurka in C minor, Op. 56, No. 3 (Emanuel Ax, piano) (This graceful, melancholy melody had me leaning in to ingest it.)

KXCI (Tucson, AZ)

• Follow Your Heart-The Paladins (With a guitar intro this intense, I don't doubt the conviction of the lyrics that follow it.)

WKYN (Mount Sterling, KY)

• Seven Year Ache-Rosanne Cash (Cash has always been adept at crafting cross-categorical tunes that fit just as easily in the singer-songwriter genre.  "Seven Year Ache" chronicles someone's inability to grapple with a relationship that's falling apart.  The synthesizer part has 1981 stamped all over it, appealingly.)

WSCA (Portsmouth, NH)

• Swingin' At Newport (Live)-Count Basie (Basie sets the template with a "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie"-style rhythm on the piano, and his band maintains its swing for eight minutes.  I'm glad that in 2026, there's a place on the air where you can still hear a vinyl recording of this.)

Segue suggestion XVIII

For a smooth jazz station seeking two compatibly bouncy tunes, I recommend pairing Kenny G's "The Shuffle" with Tom Grant's "Eye Of The Hurricane."  I played "The Shuffle" many times on KNJZ, but surprisingly, I have yet to hear "...Hurricane" on any station or stream.  This pairing offers a graceful way of gliding from an upbeat saxophone instrumental into rhythmically compatible vocals.