Annoying songs and the people who love them...

Not too long ago I heard "Pure" by The Lightning Seeds on the radio, a song I haven't heard in a while but one I remember constantly fighting to keep from taking over my brain. I don't know exactly why, but it's a song I've never been able to get out of head, even though there are so many things about the song I hate. The blat-blat-blat of the synthesizer riff (set on "boat siren"), the other backup synth borrowed from the Robyn Hitchcock "Globe of Frogs" sessions, the other other backup synth on bass, the drum machine, and beneath it all, little Ian Broudie singing the most nauseatingly precious lyrics you'll ever hear. There's no way in hell this song should work, and yet while I'm clenching my teeth I'm tapping my toes. My "theory" is Mr. Broudie never, to his credit, ever leads the listener to believe there's a trace of irony here a la "The One I Love" or "Every Breath You Take". Even though any targeted love interest would immediately choke on either laughter or vomit from a possible serenade, the sincerity of the song makes it work. Somehow.

And then there's 311.

I actually like our local alternative music station (don't tell C. Franz) but they play an unreasonably disproportionate amount of 311. I have about 12 different 311 songs stuck in my brain, which probably is the reason I have to review Russian past active participles every year or so. Just change the station, you say? Oh, were it that easy, but every time the lame guitar licks come on, immediately followed by the lame rapping and lame reggae stylings I find myself perfoming Barthesian deconstruction on every aspect of the song, until it ends and I marvel at the fact that I didn't crash into a tree. I'm not a big fan of conflict, but at some point I may need to call the station to figure out which DJ is the drummer's cousin just so I can sleep at night...