I suffer from that terrible malediction that 99.99999% of the world suffers - you hear a snatch of a song and you're singing it for a week until it drives you completely batty and you'd be happy singing a few bars of Mmmm Bop rather than continuously singing the refrain of I Will Follow Him.
Amazingly, Sylvain doesn't.
He just doesn't get songs stuck in his head.
When he told me this, I felt like the sky had fallen. I've never met anyone before who doesn't get songs stuck in their head.
I often find myself staring at him, and ask, out of the blue, "how don't you get songs stuck in your head? That's just so weird". In the time I've known him, I've probably asked him at least 500 times. He usually just shrugs and tells me I'm the weird one.
Today, I had one of those moments in the car. I was humming something ridiculous to myself when I turned to him and said, "how come you don't get songs stuck in your head? I just don't understand!"
He shrugged to me and replied, "it's my superpower".
I thought on that. Superpowers are always exciting. And it really would make sense. After all, who doesn't get songs stuck in their head? Superpowers can really be the only explanation. "So what's mine?" I ask.
With barely a moments hesitation, he replied, "the ability to hurt yourself without doing anything at all". I nodded in agreement, and added, "or the ability to stain myself under any and all circumstances".
He tilted his head thoughtfully, "Oh yes. I think that this means you're can change colours. You know, from staining yourself. A chameleon, if you will."
I burst into laughter. And of course, a moment later, I burst into song, "Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon... You come and go... You come and go..."
"HOW CAN YOU NOT GET THIS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD????" I shout, then I look at him out of the corner of my eye. "Wouldn't it be cool if I could just touch you and absorb your superpower, just for a bit?"
He replied, quick as a flash, "no. My superpower is pure. Yours is dirty."
Whatever. I can see where my superpower could come in use, Mr Muffin Man.
Really, who doesn't get songs stuck in their head?
Haha. That's a damn fine superpower. I have an annoying habit of randomly singing a tune from Carmen. I've never heard the whole opera so it's just the same part over and over again and it crops up really unexpectedly. It is very annoying to others!
I wonder how many people were singing "master of the house, keeper of the inn" after that episode of Seinfeld where George and Jerry couldn't get it out of their heads?
Amazing that you should realise that your father and Sylvain are "blessed" by not ever having a song go on in their heads for a week. And not realising that they share that trait is a bit scary, but is understandable, because they would never even think to initiate a conversation on the topic...!
I hate you. I now have Karma Chameleon stuck in MY head... ARGH!
Happy Belated Birthday, my friend, and many bisous!
You come and go, You come and go-o-o-o
I don't know anyone who doesn't suffer from Earworms every now and again...definitely supporting his claim of a super power. :)