Song Worm

I’m sure most of you have experienced a time when, without warning, a song or tune floats continuously through your head. All day you hum, whistle and sing the tune! Sometimes it’s recognisable to you straight away; then other times this melody drives you mad as you try figure out what it is.

Today, I’ve had a repetitive musical air follow me. All day. Thankfully, I know the song, and who sings it. Thankfully, it’s a song I love. I first heard it by chance last year; I bought the EP and shared my newfound musical treasure to my wife and friends. I played it constantly at home and in the car; and sung it passionately while playing air guitar. (My wife will undoubtedly question my use here of the verb ‘sung’!!).

Weeks later, I was thrilled to discover the band are from Dublin – my birthplace and home for many years! A few months later, a song from their aforementioned EP was chosen to be played during a scene in the hospital drama, Grey’s Anatomy. Sales of this track (and the band’s EP) shot through the roof afterwards.

Who am I writing about? Kodaline. The song going through my head most of last year and today is ‘All I Want’. So, I thought I should share it with you. Be warned, I’m going to attach links, and when you click and listen to this track you will be humming it all day. If you already know this song, you’re probably already humming it!

Check iTunes for the original EP and song. Check YouTube for Kodaline videos, or for a huge selection of cover versions from guitar wielding admirers. Whilst there, you can also check out some of their live sessions. A really beautiful one is here, when Kodaline sang at the TodayFM radio studio for Ian Dempsey’s Breakfast Show.

Today, I hummed and whistled this gorgeous song and melody. My two and a half year old son has a nicely developing musical ear, so he joined me in humming this song. Then my seven year old daughter heard us and joined our chorus. I then threw in some enthusiastic finger drumming (and the compulsory bit of air guitar) and we rocked our way through the kitchen and the day. ‘All I Want’ is definitely an enjoyable tune. It’s certainly not a song worm.

Now it’s your turn…

still shot from the TodayFM / Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show recording on YouTube

Back to the Future

Recently, following a link from Imen McDonnell (@ModernFarmette) to a short movie (see here), I was reminded of my past. I studied folklore in college and researched similar topics to that mentioned in the film. The subject of vernacular furniture and storytelling interested me, but I have to admit I questioned the importance of studying the ‘History of the Spade in Ireland’ in my lectures.

Anyway, viewing this short film on the old kitchen dresser reminded me to appreciate again the simple and practical design of the furniture and tools of our past. I’m thrilled to see this film has gained interest amongst many other people. The storytelling skill of Tony Donoghue and his team has created an award winning film describing the emotion as well as the craftsmanship surrounding this furniture. [The award was given at the most recent Sundance festival in Utah.]

Thankfully, a combination of interests, skills and tools has brought this short movie to me, and to many others. The original craftsmen that built the furniture and the people who used it have created the subject, the curiosity and skill of the film makers created the story and the technological wizardry of the Internet, Twitter and YouTube has helped share and distribute this experience to the world. The collaboration of minds in various fields of expertise can be unexpectedly useful to us all.

When I was a student I often combined the teachings of other Departments with my own course of study. I wanted to look at a particular subject from various angles and try to interpret a story to tell from all the resources. In my final year, instead of the usual thesis, I had to create a programme for radio. This was a task that involved using a new medium to share a story.

The digital age today offers many opportunities for storytelling and sharing images. However, I’m beginning to feel a bit like the old kitchen dresser – wondering where is my place – in the kitchen or shed? I’m now getting to the stage of life where I’ll be needing constant up-cycling and repair! Thankfully, the old country kitchen dresser is still appreciated by many and has a role in our modern society. I hope to use this short film to help me appreciate the skill and knowledge of the past and to use the technology of today to create my future. I’ll start with this blog posting. 🙂

Still shot from the award winning short film ‘Irish Folk Furniture’