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Writer's pictureChristopher J Thomasson

Shinedown after Sundown

Yes, I'm referencing the rock band, Shinedown here. And no, I'm not going to tell you how much I don't like them or anything like that. In fact, they are one of my favorites to listen to when on the road. I even have them favorited on my SiriusXM radio so I get notified whenever one of their songs comes on. No...this is an earworm post.


A weird earworm post!


If you aren't aware of what an earworm is, here's the official Oxford definition (as provided by a quick Google search): Earworm: a catchy song or tune that runs continually through a person's mind.


So, Chris...where is all this going and why in tarnation do you have a picture of Quark, the Ferengi from Star Trek?


Don't worry, I'm getting to all that.


Back to the earworm (and no, this term is not being used in reference to the size of Ferengi ears...although, I have to say, the comparison would be ironically funny). Back in 2022, Shinedown released the album, Planet Zero. On that album is a song called, A Symptom of Being Human.


(Side note: if at this point there are any Star Trek fans reading this and have made the connection to where I'm going with it...then kudo's to you my friend, kudo's to you! As for the rest, I'll continue...)


The song is pretty catchy and has been played quite often on satellite radio and Pandora. I hear it all the time and last night, it happened to be the last song I heard before going to bed. Because of its catchiness...that earworm began to form and by three o'clock in the morning, the lyrics were on repeat and I couldn't get that mental button to turn off.


Here's where it gets weird. Are you a Star Trek fan? If so, you are familiar with the alien race of beings called the Ferengi (see photo for reference). The Ferengi have an odd way of saying the word, human. The way they say it sound more (to me, anyway) like, hyu-mon. So, not only was this song from Shinedown stuck in my head at three in the morning, it wasn't being performed by the original band singer...oh no...In my head, it was a Ferengi band and that last word of the lyric just get getting stuck on repeat: hyu-mon...hyu-mon...hyu-mon!


If you're not familiar with the song, here's the chorus:

Sometimes I'm in a room where I don't belong
And the house is on fire and there's no alarm
And the walls are melting too
How about you?
I've never been the favorite, thought I'd seen it all
'Til I got my invitation to the lunatic ball
And my friends are comin' too
How about you?
Don't worry, it's all just a symptom of being human

So, that's my funny little story for the week. I hope you got a little chuckle out of this and needless to say, it's barely 9am and I'm ready to go back to bed - without the singing Ferengi!


Till next time,

CJT

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