play it again, sam

Have you ever fallen in love with a song?

I mean, really-and-truly-head-over-heels-obsessed in love?

I've begun to notice over the past few years that not everyone can handle this sort of musical obsession - the extreme ability to love one song above all others, and to listen to said song ad nauseum for an undetermined period of time. Past roommates hated me, old boyfriends mocked me, strangers stuck beside my car in traffic looked at me funny.

Maybe it's a genetic thing. I clearly remember an Uncle of mine going through a divorce in the late 80s, lying on the rug in my grandparents' family room, listening to 'Sacrifice' by Elton John - loudly, with headphones, a bottle of red wine and, most importantly, the song on 'repeat'. (Hey man, whatever speaks to you, right?)

But oh, the magic of digital music and the repeat button! Let me tell you a little story that will help you to appreciate this marvellous piece of technology.

Picture it: 1990. I'm wearing whack shit like hammer pants and hypercolour t-shirts tied in a knot on my left hip, hair in a banana clip, socks rolled down to the top of my L.A. Gear kicks (with three different pairs of laces)....you get the idea. Clearly I am the epitome of cool. ANYWAY, something exciting has just happened to me - I've discovered the song 'More than Words' by Extreme, and have just bought the full-length album ('Pornograffitti') from my local A&M Records.

I rush home, put it in my red, dual-cassette 'ghetto blaster' in my room, and prepare to bliss out. Except - I can only bliss out for approx. 5.21 minutes at a time because then I have to get up and push play/rewind to get to the beginning of the song again. After several trips to the buttons, I began to think there must be a better way. I rummaged through my collection of blank tapes to find one that I didn't really like (it was a mix tape from a girl who was so totally like, not my friend any more) and headed back to my boom box to put my genius plan into action.

You can see what's coming, can't you? That's right - I taped 'More Than Words' back to back on an entire side of that cassette. If memory serves, I believe it fit 7 times in a row (and at the end of the final repetition, there was a few seconds of Mariah Carey's 'Vision of Love' from the previous tape). No more play/rewind for this sucka. Man, was I proud of myself.

My poor family, you say? Forced to listen to my current obsession through the walls of our home? Oh please -

Mom was in the kitchen listening to 'Lady in Red' (an all-time Mom fave - there's a good chance it's playing in her kitchen right now)

Trav was in his room listening to 'U Can't Touch This' (or possibly the Humpty Dance) and possibly shakin' his thang. Ew.

Dad was in the living room listening to something by Nana Mouskouri that he'd had on repeat since the early 70s.

Told you I came by it honestly.