Repetune - The Songs of our Heads

Sparks - This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us

Writing by richard on Saturday, 29 of September , 2007 at 8:35 am

Listen to the first 30 seconds

This song has the honor of being the first song honored, or dishonored as the case may be, on this site. This song manages to pop into my head during drives, more than anything. I have a 90 minute commute and the song matches the scenery far more than it should.

The song’s rhythm strikes me in the same way similar to Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King as it shares staccato and frantic pacing. Of course, the inclusion of classical instruments, orchestral sounds, and an operatic voice probably don’t hurt in reminding me of Grieg. The violins recall Copland’s Rodeo - Hoe Down and make me want beef for dinner.

But what hooks and repeats most from this selection are the lyrics.The refrain is obvious as it simply states:

This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.

However, it does this over no music at all over with staccato and is immediately followed by ominous violin sounds. It’s a spoken movie cliché followed by a background music movie cliché.Moving to another lyrical highlight that manages to repeat in my head over and over is:

They need their protein just like you do.

To this day, I really have no idea what most of the lyrics are despite my looking up the lyrics multiple times. But this line has always been easy for me to understand, much like “Marilyn Monroe” in Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire. I would sit through the song and wait just so I can sing along with this one line. If we take a look at the lyric immediately preceding this line, we find:

As twenty cannibals have hold of you, they need their protein just like you do.

All I can really say is, “What the hell?”

Why does this song stick in my head? I have no idea. It may be because it is simply completely novel. Maybe I just have a soft spot for violins in pop music? Perhaps it’s because the refrain is sung a cappella? I love the Beach Boys rendition of Sloop John B and one of my favorites parts is when they sing a capella. I have absolutely no idea, but I can’t get rid of it. And now, dear readers, I give it to you.

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Category: Sparks

What is a repetune?

It has happened to us all. For any reason, and sometimes for no reason at all, some obscure song we have heard but try to avoid manages to sneak itself into our head. It does nothing but repeat in our head over and over until one day, we realize it is gone. Then it only comes back again. These are those songs. These are repetunes.