My Mental Jukebox Needs to Update Its Playlist

When songs get stuck . . . get stuck . . . get stuck in the brain. And why is it always some old chestnut of a song?

French singer Georges Brassens, if my French were better, his songs might give me earworms (author’s photos

After weeks of grey skies and rain, I woke up this morning to bright sunshine. In a few months, I’ll probably be griping about the heat, but my first thought as I opened the doors to the balcony and felt the sun warm on my arms was: It’s a lovely day.

And, immediately, as though the words had been hanging out in my brain waiting for just this moment, the entire words of the song, “It’s A Lovely Day Today” popped into my head. Then I impressed my partner by singing four verses —well, impressed might be overdoing it, ditto, singing. What amazed me, though, was recalling every word to an obscure song that I’ve never consciously thought about.

I’d print the words here, but the song, written by Irving Berlin in 1950 for the musical Call Me Madam, is under copyright until 2045. If you’re quite old (comme moi), you might remember recordings by Doris Day, Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald.

I was six years old in 1950 and never saw Call Me Madam. Neither do I remember even hearing It’s A Lovely Day Today. But it’s late afternoon as I write this, and the song has been playing in my mental jukebox since this…