It's a bitch convincing people to like you...

Hello all. Well, I don't know about you, but I've had a crappy week. I'm one beer down into my Friday night, the pie is in the oven and I'm about to crack open a bottle of red. One thing remains.... earworms of the week.

I absolutely adore this week's Guest Editor for lots of reasons... but mainly because she remains the one other person in the whole universe who enjoyed the alphabeticon. What more could you ask of someone than that?

Ladies and Gentleworms, without further ado, it is my great pleasure to present for your earworming pleasure... Doctor Who and Dougie Henshall fan extraordinaire.....

Earworms of the Week - Guest Editor #85 - Lisa from Rullsenberg Rules

Golly, I feel a bit like a gatecrasher to a well established party coming in on the earworms extravaganza that SwissToni has so ably run for so long! Thanks for letting me in!

To give a bit of background, I'm one of those geeks who loved the alphabeticon. What can I say? I like lists and order and hearing about other people's tastes even when I directly disagree with them.

> Bad Case (of Loving You): Robert Palmer

Oh dear god. I blame listening to bloody David Quantick on the radio. He was actually talking about Gary Newman. Why couldn't I have at least got one of HIS tracks in my head? Instead I'm stuck with the side-bar track they played in passing. Out damn song, OUT!

> Sing Me Spanish Techno: The New Pornographers

[ST's note: this is a great video, by the way. If you click one link tonight, click this one!]

Don't get me wrong I like this song a lot, but it does have a tendency to get stuck in my noggin like a stuck record. I think it got into my subconscious during one of my protracted periods of listening regularly to 6Music until I eventually managed to get the track via a free CD compilation I acquired from the wonderful OneUp Records in Aberdeen. I think I'm grateful I actually have the track, though when its hookline is on constant repeat in my head I do wonder if that is entirely a good thing...

> Oedipus Rex: Tom Lehrer

"You're way ahead of me..." Lehrer intones in his mega wonderful introduction to this track in the live performance that so captures his brilliance. This came up on the shuffle when we were painting the pantry recently and with Anna recently linking to the googleblog compliments re: Lehrer's 80th birthday it's been hitting my earmworm buttons since then.

> Laughing Aloud: David Ford

I'm a bit of a sucker for getting melancholic tunes stuck in my head. This one is an especially slow burner - and a long song too, over 8 mins long - but the refrain of "save your breath for the laughing aloud" is often called to mind when I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and its been in and out of my head for a few weeks now.

> Any Other World: Mika

For credibility ratings I really probably shouldn't have Mika in here, but this lulling string-laden track has haunted me for just under a year now. In fact I can pretty much date when it got stuck in there to the production of this Doctor Who inspired fan vid. Maggi's a bit of wizz with the old music selection and visualisation in videos and this remains one of my favourites. I have to admit that before seeing/hearing this video I'd actually managed to stay fairly unaware of Mika (good thing? bad thing? yes SwissToni, I know you're a fan!). But the strings swept in on this track and alongside the visuals I was sold (I'm a sucker for good strings). is it possible to be earwormed by a string section?

[ST's note: for the record, I quite like 'Grace Kelly', but I can take or leave the singer, thanks very much]

> Countdown: Pulp

Jarvis remains one of those inexplicably compelling performers: or rather one whom you either 'get' or you don't. I probably fall into the bracket of him appealing to my 'woman of a certain age' desires but his shrieks and yelps, his quirks of rhythm... oh, it brings visions! This dates from the 'Separations' period of their career and whilst it's rare for me to have a week pass without a Pulp song rattling in my brain, it's been a while since of these was in there.

> Lighthouse Keeper: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

I first heard this song whilst catching Jonathan Ross's radio show (yes, yes, I know) and it's somehow stuck in my head. It intermittantly takes up residence and will not leave. This week is such a week. "They don't have the glow of the city lights... and it's good to be home from time to time..." There's something about the song and the vocalist's completely 'trying-too-hard' indie-wiv-guitar way of singing that nevertheless reverberates to feel meaningful. I just wish I knew why.

> I Can't Decide: Scissor Sisters

[ST's note - this video could have been made especially for you Lisa...]

What can I say? Cloud has been away in Glasgow and I've been left in charge of the remote and a dvd player. Funnily, there's been some watching of the Doctor Who s3 box set dvds... You can therefore guess the reason why this is here. It's been stuck on rotational repeat in my head and is now duly dedicated to my offline pal Helen Lisette who I know will read this: it will certainly make her smile as I think she gets earwormed by the track a lot (it's the Bugsy Malone-esque qualities she loves).

That's all folks: it's been a blast. Now if I can just get the bloody Robert Palmer track out at least that would make me happier!

---

Thanks Lisa - another fantastically diverse list, as I think everyone will agree. Thanks for that Robert Palmer earworm though, eh? I'm especially loving that video for "Sing Me Spanish Techno". I knew it was a great song, but hands up who knew about that video? And really, the earworms slot ain't so special or exclusive really. Pretty much anyone who fancies a go here is likely to produce a more interesting list than me on a Friday (my list this week would consist largely of "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend. You can't get enough songs about punctuation, eh?)

Right. It's been a long week, so it's high time that we got on with the weekend.... avanti!

Next time: well, probably no one next week as I'll be attending the wedding of two of my dearest friends... but after that we'll have a bumper edition from the Pollstar....

[Previous Guest Editors: Flash, The Urban Fox, Lord Bargain, Retro-Boy, Statue John, Ben, OLS, Ka, Jenni, Aravis, Yoko, Bee, Charlie, Tom, Di, Spin, The Ultimate Olympian, Damo, Mike, RedOne, The NumNum, Leah, Le Moine Perdu, clm, Michael, Hyde, Adem, Alecya, bytheseashore, adamant, Earworms of the Year 2005, Delrico Bandito, Graham, Lithaborn, Phil, Mark II, Stef, Kaptain Kobold, bedshaped, I have ordinary addictions, TheCatGirlSpeaks, Lord B rides again, Tina, Charlie II, Cody Bones, Poll Star, Jenni II, Martin, Del II, The Eye in the Sky, RussL, Lizzy's Hoax, Ben II, Earworms of the Year 2006, Sarah, Flash II, Erika, Hen, Pynchon, Troubled Diva, Graham II, Cat II, Statue John II, Sweeping the Nation, Aravis II, Olympian II, C, Planet-Me, Mike, Michael II, Eye in the Sky II, Charlie III, The Great Grape Ape, asta, Ben III, Earworms of the Year 2007, Cat III, JamieS & Wombat, Pynchon II, Briskate, Craig Cliff, Fiery Little Sod, Cody II, J, Yoko II, Rol]