The Smurfs’ theme song has words, you know. Not many of them. But after the catchy Tra la la-la-la la – if I remember correctly – it follows, sing a happy song. Oh, those peppy little Smurfs. And oh, that I'd had their breezy little anthem playing on my iPod this morning.
Instead, I did what I now know I should never do on a gloomy day: I played the musical lottery and let shuffle choose my tunes for me. Now, the nastier the weather, the tighter the subway cars are packed, leaving no room to wriggle a misguided iPod from its hiding spot, deep, deep in a raincoat pocket. So, ten seconds into the first song, I knew I was in trouble. And by the time Superstar hit its climactic, “don’t you remember you told me you loved me, baby…” I was in agony. Like that scene from Tommy Boy.
Hee. Tommy Boy.
Does this tie make me look fat?
No, your head does.
Anyway, I digress. A smarter woman would probably have yanked those earphones right out when, at 59th street, Colin Hay came on. And then Damien Rice’s Older Chests. But I was sleepy, and entranced and frankly, I don’t like listening to real life sounds on my morning commute. I’d much rather be in my iPod bubble – no matter how depressing—than be too aware of other folks before 9AM.
At the office, the coat closet smelled… well, like a community coat closet smells on a rainy morning. My voicemail light was blinking and the To Do list next to my keyboard was longer than I remembered it being the day before. My tasks had babies. Multiplied overnight. (I’m tempted to liken it to Gremlins, but I never actually saw that movie, so I wouldn’t know what I was talking about.)
My day was starting off to a tune in the key of ick.
But a funny thing happened when I sat down to turn on my computer. Apropos of absolutely nothing (and most likely the result of some off-kilter brain synapses), I started humming the Smurf song. Tra la la-la-la-la sing a happy song. And I haven’t been able to get it out of my brain since.
It’s cute. It’s peppy. And it’s annoying as hell. I’m two Tra-las away from smacking my head into a wall. Fuck you and your smurfin’ good time! Fuck your happy song!
I’m obviously a girl who’s never satisfied.
Posted by This Fish at April 27, 2005 10:49 AMI don't understand why anyone would pay so much for an ipod shuffle? This proves my point!
Posted by: ee at April 27, 2005 10:58 AMNow it is in my head. Now, I have to wait outside your building tonight and sing Kokomo in retaliation!!
Posted by: Ari at April 27, 2005 11:07 AMtry: "fat guy in a little coat."
if you don't get it stuck in your head, at least you'll have a good laugh!
finally, someone else who has never seen Gremlins.
Posted by: kate at April 27, 2005 11:27 AMthank you. now I'LL be singing that damned smurf song all day long..... :)
Posted by: red at April 27, 2005 11:30 AMMy most depressing grocery store moment involved “don’t you remember you told me you loved me, baby…” playing while i slowly pushed my cart alone through the aisles on a sunday morning, day one post break up. Damn my soviet-safeway with its disturbing soundtrack and empty shelves.
Posted by: bobby at April 27, 2005 11:38 AMworse than your day at work....
my job is so boring, that i've spent the last two days of my life reading the last two years of yours.
but i have to admit, they've been two of my most entertaining days at work in a while.
seeing as i am an opera singer, (or will be, this is swear to you, one day :) may i just say that "a tune in the key of ick" was amazing. truly fantastic. cough. made my day. :-)
so sorry 'bout the tra la la's, but thank you for the music joke!
Posted by: elizabeth at April 27, 2005 12:23 PMActually I think the only way to listen to the iPod (Or Dell-Pod in my case) is on shuffle. You have to give yourself over to it. And like Elton John said...Sad songs say so much. Of course if you want to que up a great album, then you can't shuffle it. Because a great album is just a really great sequence of songs that someone already shuffled, and their suffle has to be respected. You can't re-shuffle it. Take The Bends by Radiohead for example. You can't reshuffle that! The universe will collapse.
Posted by: Mike at April 27, 2005 12:31 PMI'm feeling very Gargamel today.
Posted by: tanya at April 27, 2005 12:53 PMI give you this because...well....because I feel evil this morning.
La la la-la la la,
Sing a happy song.
La la la-la la la,
Smurf your whole day long.
[Whistled]
La la la-la la la
[Papa Smurf speaks]
Smurf along with me!
[Whistled]
La la la-la la la
[Papa Smurf speaks]
Simple as can be.
[Sung by Smurfs in unison]
Next time you're feeling blue just let a smile begin,
Happy things will come to you...
[Smurfette speaks]
So smurf yourself a grin!
[Ominous Gargamel music]
[Gargamel speaks]
Oooooo I hate Smurfs!
[Azrael meows]
[Gargamel speaks]
I'll get you, I'll get all of you if it's the last thing I ever do! hehehehe!
[Sung by Smurfs in unison]
La la la-la la la,
Now you know the tune,
[Harmony Smurf plays the "la la la-la la la" tune (barely) on his off-key trumpet]
[Sung by Smurfs in unison, accentuated for finale]
You'll be Smurfing soon!
Posted by: Christina at April 27, 2005 12:55 PMMy repeating happy song is "Don't worry be happy" but I like it...because I can't whistle, and every time I try...it makes me smile.
The shuffle gods work in mysterious ways. Go with it, Fish. And for God's sake, whatever you do, DON'T put the smurf song on your ipod! (Dubious advice coming from someone who has "Meet the Mets" on his own, but still).
Posted by: LiAps at April 27, 2005 01:47 PMAh, yet another reason to be glad that I'm, er, of a more mature vintage. I don't know that tune! Phew. On the other hand Karma Chameleon plagues me like the ghost of Banquo.
Posted by: Coelecanth at April 27, 2005 01:52 PMOh, and don't think your cautionary tale has curbed my desire for an I-pod. Nosirree. I still want one so bad I can taste it. I'm assuming they taste like ice cream only more tunealicious.
Posted by: Coelecanth at April 27, 2005 01:57 PMI cannot imagine using my iPod without having it on shuffle! Dare to be surprised by your ipod...it makes the day much more interesting. And for all of you who have those "yea but I wouldnt want to hear that song in the morning blues....make a playlist of everything you would like to hear....then just shuffle the playlist. ;) Sing a happy song.........
Posted by: Vanessa at April 27, 2005 02:01 PMif you were smurfette-fish, just imagine how many bicycles you'd have at your disposal! now that'd make me sing a happy song! ;)
Posted by: RazDreams at April 27, 2005 02:09 PMOh my god. Perhaps the only cartoon female more annoying than Disney's Snow White would be Smurfette. Hate her. H-a-t-e. Loved when Gargamel fooled them all with his robo-smurfette.
Posted by: Fish at April 27, 2005 02:13 PMBobby, Soviet Safeway sucks ASS. I hate the Soviet Safeway. Try the Townhouse Safeway -- so much better. Esp. if you don't have a car and can't get to Social Safeway.
Posted by: Chanelbaby at April 27, 2005 02:39 PMHang your coat on the back of your chair grumpy smurf. :)
Posted by: Robin at April 27, 2005 02:52 PMI don't even own an IPOD! I'm still waiting to get my Blackberry, the other day I had a conversation about Smurfs. Isn't that weird?
Posted by: mrsmogul at April 27, 2005 03:19 PMAlthough you've never seen Gremlins, it was indeed a good choice given the weather. If I remember correctly they mulitply and turn into the not so fuzzy cute creatures when wet.
Maybe next time get a raincoat for your to do list! ;)
Posted by: DF at April 27, 2005 03:22 PMOh no, no, NO! Now i'm going to have Superstar stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Doh...
Posted by: Amy at April 27, 2005 04:30 PMmy friend and i used to refer to xanax as "our little happy pills". i recently read a book wherein one of the main characters referred to them as "smurfs of sanity". little blue smurfs of sanity... that just paints a picture!
Posted by: Wendi at April 27, 2005 04:55 PMi was just reading your first month or so of blog entries and you wrote just like bridget jones :P (i know that, of course, because i did the same thing in my journal for weeks after reading the books)
Posted by: kate at April 27, 2005 05:26 PM....here are a couple that have been running through my head today (alternating): the "final Jeopardy" track AND "If I only had a brain" from the Wizard of Oz!! :) Hope those offer a respite from Superstar and the Smurfs! (Wouldn't that be a great name for a band??????) :)
Happy Wednesday!
Posted by: lawyerchik at April 27, 2005 05:31 PMCan we form a support group for the children of the 80s who missed Gremlins?
Posted by: Angie at April 27, 2005 07:03 PMSmurf you and your smurfin' good time! Smurf your happy song!
My older brothers always told me that when a Smurf said the word "smurf" it was a substitute for a curse word. This horrified my eight-year-old virgin-eared self. They also told me during every episode that they were all going to die, but that's a whole 'nother therapy session.
Posted by: Leta at April 27, 2005 08:34 PMOkay this is twice I've felt bizzaro today...
Had a dream about the damn smurfs songs and really couldn't figure it out until I awoke to find it playing on the TV I had left on...
Now your talking about the smurfs...Me thinks there are Smurf PR guys planting things in are subconsious for a Smurfs comeback in '06. But then again I'm really tired.
Posted by: Justin at April 27, 2005 11:01 PMyou're all wrong.
the only lyrics in the smurfs theme song were:
Gargamel: I'll get you, I'll get all of you if it's the last thing I ever do! hehehehe!
the rest of the song was all "la la la la la la la".
of course, i started watching the smurfs when it first premiered in 1981 (i was 4 and just getting started on a life of huge dork-dom). the song may have added lyrics later.
in any case - i don't remember the lyrics.
Posted by: LilB at April 27, 2005 11:45 PMOMG! I totally get random-ass songs stuck in my head...for NO REASON whatsoever, and yes, they often drive one to the brink of insanity! I'm glad I'm not the only one! (Monday, it was "it's a hard knock life" from Annie, ACK)
Um, late poster, but I just must say that Smurfette was originally the creation of Gargamel. He made this black haired beauty to destroy the Smurfs. Of course the Smurfs, with their wiley smurfy ways, transformed her into their personal sex toy. The Danish (who created the blue abominations) were twisted women haters.
Posted by: jimmycorrigan at April 28, 2005 07:41 AMvery easy solution:
get yourself a remote control
saves you the hassle of having to reach into your iPod hiding place ;o)
Posted by: Phil at April 28, 2005 09:26 AMI have the iPod remote. The cord on that thing is so damn long... it's a design flaw. Makes it much less user-friendly.
Posted by: Fish at April 28, 2005 09:28 AMLilB,
Hate to burst your bubble but there are more lyrics to the song. The lyrics I posted here earlier were downloaded straight from the official Smurfs site.
I find it frightening that there even IS an official Smurfs site, but there you go.
Posted by: Christina at April 28, 2005 01:25 PMOK - this post from today: http://smartypants.diaryland.com/
Is also about smurfs and iPod shuffling. This is like a blogger total eclipse or something.
The Smurf song ain't got nuttin' on Ren and Stimpy's "Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!"--someone please make it stop!
Posted by: Phyl at April 28, 2005 04:05 PMOh, and let's not forget...
this is the song that never ends
yes it goes on and on my friends
some people started singin' it not knowin' what it was
and they'll continue singin' it forever just because...
[repeat until you finally bang your head against your desk to escape the madness]
Damn Lambchop!
Posted by: Amber at April 29, 2005 12:09 AMYou are all ill - the LAST thing a person with a song stuck in her head wants is MORE songs stuck there! Then you just get an effective shuffle of annoying songs stuck in your head! Grrrr... :)
Posted by: Laura at April 29, 2005 01:02 AMThis one is guaranteed to clear all others from your mind...
http://www.belowthefold.us/tvgoodness.mp3
Here's one that'll get that out of your head.
Think Country music...Faith Hill...& tweak the lyrics..."This FISH, this FISH".
Now that should shoo away those smurfs!
Anne
Posted by: Anne at April 29, 2005 02:47 PM