What do you know about fun-feeled love? Far too often we fill our lives with things we dread–things that don’t reflect the essence of life. We’re worried about “wasting time,” rather than embracing the idea of “spending time” enjoying the simple things alone or with those we love. On this week’s musical episode of The Axiom Amnesia Theory, Heit & Cheri explore and analyze songs that challenge us to fully experience the fun and simplicity of life, including an interesting discussion about feelings and expressing “those three words.”

You’ll hear songs by Natasha Beddingfield, Little Jackie, Snow Patrol, Lupe Fiasco, Nina Simone and Instituto Mexicano Del Sonido.

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• Heit explains that synthpop is a genre that comes from the synthesizer era of music that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s.
• Cheri says that when she thinks of synthesizer music it reminds her of the theme from the movie Beverly Hills Cop:

• Discussion about Robert Moog, the inventor of the synthesizer.

• Cheri likes the repition of the lyrics “just play it from the heart” at the end of the song.
• Heit loves the metaphor of Mozart and the piano. Mozart is considered one of the best composers who ever lived.
• Heit says that he would have expected pianos to be more prominent in the song. He says he hears the strings more prominently when the song builds to the climax.
• Cheri says that one of her favorite parts of the song are the sexy lyrics:
  

  Oh, the way you’re playing that piano
  I got a Mozart of my own
  The way you’re running up and down those keys
  Sounds like a symphony to me

• She’s obviously not just talking about the piano here.
• Heit’s favorite lyrics are “I don’t care if there’s a few wrong notes, you don’t have to be a Mozart.” It doesn’t matter if you hit a few wrong keys as long as you’re being yourself.
• Cheri tells about watching a a live version of Natasha Beddingfield singing No Mozart, where she messes up the notes a bit, which was ironic:
  
• Discussion of whether you can hear her British accent while she sings.
• Natasha’s voice is so soulful, and the raspiness gives it an added element that makes her sound unique.
• Discussion about how R&B music has changed, and is lacking in content.

• Little Jackie changed her name from Imani Coppola.
• Cheri thinks this sound sounds so familiar, and Heit says that’s how you know you have a hit. He’s surprised that it is not a bigger hit.
• This song sounds like a Saturday where you can just go out an enjoy life–no schedules to keep, just singing and free.
• Heit’s favorite part of the song was:
  

  There’s only one me in the galaxy
  I am an endangered species
  This kind of flower don’t grow on Earth
  Just lettin’ you know for what it’s worth

  This kind of knowledge can cause a depression
  So I bide my time with philosophical questions
  Not for nothing, but what came first?
  The chicken nugget or the Egg McMuffin?

• This is a song where there are philosophical nuggets intermingled in a light-hearted sounding song.
• Discussion about the lyrics “I am an endangered species, This kind of flower don’t grow on Earth.” A lot of people feel like they are different.
• Mention that scientists claim there is a comet that might shine brighter than the moon.
• The part of the song that stands out to Cheri is the part where she says, “I’ve had a lot of failed relationships. I don’t get involved because I’m not equipped.” Hasn’t every relationship that you’ve had up until your current relationship failed? Isn’t this true for everyone?
• Discussion of what people go into relationships looking for.
• Discussion of the line, “One man’s pleasure is another man’s chore.”

• The first time Cheri heard this song wasn’t by Snow Patrol. She saw it on a musical episode of Grey’s Anatomy:
  
• What do you think “chasing cars” means? Perhaps it’s symbolic of doing things that are widely considered a waste of time, like chasing cars, knowing you’ll never catch them. Another possibility is that it could refer to chasing cars with your eyes while you lay down and relax.
• Discussion about “wasting time.” It’s not wasting time, it’s spending time. Heit & Cheri see things that you do to prep to get the end result as the actual waste of time. It’s never a waste of time to enjoy the simple moments in life.
• Heit brings up Ellen DeGeneres saying that people should procrastinate now. The idea is that all we have is the here and now, yet we work so hard now with the idea that when we get old we’ll be able to sit there and do nothing:
  
• Ellen is right! We should procrastinate now.
• Cheri reflects on the version she heard on Grey’s Anatomy. If you don’t know who Sara Ramirez is, you should check her out. She’s been in a lot of musicals, like Spamalot.
• Heit & Cheri’s favorite part of the song is:
  

  I don’t quite know
  How to say
  How I feel

  Those three words
  Are said too much
  They’re not enough

• Cheri references the idea that the words “I love you” are overused and the real sentiment is difficult to encompass in words alone–the words are not enough.
• Cheri thinks that she needs to invent a word that means more than love.
• Heit’s favorite lines are “I don’t quite know how to say how I feel.” He gets frustrated when people ask him to say how he feels just to satisfy their need to hear him say something. Perhaps he doesn’t have the words, but chooses to express those feelings through actions.

• How does Lupe just come up with a great song every time?
• Cheri’s favorite lines were “Place that I was born into systematic brokeness. Took that downpression and developed it to dopeness. It’s that great American rap-rap ferocious.” She likes that he points out that the circumstances in which we find ourselves also contribute to our greatness. We are all products of our environments.
• Heit says that he attributes both his successes and failures to his past experiences.
• Cheri also likes the part in the hook where Lupe says, “And here’s some kisses for the babies” and then makes the kiss sound. You don’t hear that every day in hip hop.
• Heit’s favorite part is:
  

  Called the president a terrorist
  Corporate sponsors like, how the fuck you gon’ embarrass us?
  Ain’t my fault, I was just repeatin’ this
  Professor Emeritus from America

• When people come out and make a statement of truth, corporations want to protest for fear that it will make them look bad. However, when the person attributes their statement to a credentialed person, it gives credence to the statement.
• Discussion of the lyrics, “I can’t listen if you ain’t sayin’ shit.” So many people want to be heard, but they are not saying anything of substance. This is the problem with music now. All of the songs are saying the same thing– “Look at me and how much money I have.”
• Cheri mentions that her faith in musical artistry has been restored as she and Heit have searched for songs for the show. There is good music out there, but you have to search to find it. The best music isn’t what’s being served up by the record companies.
• Discussion of Lupe’s reference to fiscal responsibility. Maybe this is partly self-talk, considering that Lupe has a Ferrari collection.
• Discussion of the beat to the song. Heit thinks a lot of people might not like the beat because it is not the heavily sampled beats people are used to hearing. Heit & Cheri love the beat though.
• What does ITAL mean?
• Discussion of the lyrics:
  

  But my tone was like an Afghani kid without a home
  Blew that bitch up with a drone
  An Iraqi with no daddy, Palestinian throwing stones
  The fuck you think they call him, I’mma leave that all alone

• Nina Simome’s vocal talent and piano playing skills are absolutely excellent.
• Was that a scat at the end of the song?
• The transition from the acapella singing to the dramatic entrance of the music is amazing.
• Nina is talking to nature in the song, presumably because people don’t understand what it is to be natural and free. Much of this is because of our societal conditioning.
• Nina Simone is talking about all of the parts of nature being where they exist and belong, and the freedom in that.
• Heit & Cheri’s favorite lyric is “And this old world is a new world.” Heit likes it because of the play on words. They both like it because of the perspective of seeing the same world in a new way.
• Did you notice how she says, “I know how I feel” at the end of the song? She now places herself inside the world of what is natural and free.
• Initially, Heit thought that this music was the same as the theme from the TV show Perry Mason:
  



• Discussion about Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone in a biopic. This is ridiculous for so many reasons. First, Saldana doesn’t like to identify as Black, and Nina Simone was extremely pro-Black.
• Cheri would rather see Lauryn Hill play Nina Simome. She’s got the look and the talent.
• Heit jokes that Antoine Dodson should play Nina Simone–he could sing it like he did “The Bed Intruder Song.”
• Bottom line, it’s just wrong that they’d even consider Zoe Saldana for the role of Nina Simone.

• Heit first heard this song at a Mexican restaurant.
• The song seems to translate literally to “Write me soon” and “Hello!” The words are originally spoken in Spanish and Italian.
• Cheri doesn’t have a favorite line, but loves the overall feeling of the song. She imagines the song as a guy saying to a woman, “Hello and write me soon!”
• Heit’s favorite lyric was “Go!” It hypes up the song and it makes you just wanna jump up and move your body. Heit says that the “Go!” lyric is like adding Tony Chachere’s seasoning on the song.
• They say that Instituto Mexicano Del Sonido is part of the Mexican electronica movement that has been talking off in the past few years.
• This song just feels good!
• Discussion about posting quotes without attributes to see if people are objective in their assessment of the quote.”
• We’ll do something special for the listener who can tell us which show (and the time stamp) where Cheri says, “You haven’t even read it!” It’s probably in the first 15 shows.

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