That Song

Discussing frivolous things right now seems wrong. Serious, important issues are at the forefront and I’m definitely taking part in those conversations. But sometimes, you need a mental break. Whether it’s turning off social media, or talking about the weather, or what have you. In that spirit, I want to share a little happy, silly, but satisfying occurence in my life! And it’s all about a song.

It’s been years since I was so taken by a song that I went to great lengths to find its artist and title. As a radio host, I was the person people came to with such a question. At my peak of music expertise, I could name a song instantly upon hearing just a few notes or words hummed off-key. So, when I found myself struck by a song’s hook a few months ago, I did whatever I could to figure it out. I knew I didn’t have nearly enough to go on to bother anyone about it.

All I had was a bit of melody and the cadence of the chorus, no words. I tried humming it to Alexa and I’m pretty sure she was about to call 911 to report a person in distress before I stopped her. I looked at the current music charts. Was it a new song? Pop music? I had no idea. I’m not a regular listener to music radio. Well, that’s not true. I do listen but I hunt and peck through everything from classic rock to hip-hop until I find something I can settle on for a few minutes. I knew I’d have to hear the song again and either use my Shazam app to ID it or record a bit of it and ask someone. I was on alert!

One weekend, I caught the end of the song trailing off on a local FM station and immediately went to their website. They post a scroll of the songs they just played so I was excited! However, the page wasn’t being populated with new info. It had a note on it saying sorry, this feature is down right now. Foiled again. But now I knew it was a pop song and probably a fairly recent one.

Months went by with no hint of the song anywhere. I wasn’t actively looking for it because how could I? I knew less about this song than Donald Trump knows about viruses.

Listening to CBC radio one recent Sunday morning, I heard the tiniest snippet of the song in a promo for their music service. In the promo, a woman said, “When I hear Coldplay, I turn it up” and the clip played. COLDPLAY! Now I had a band! It was a big step forward. (Thank you CBC promo producer!)

I Googled Coldplay’s biggest hits and found a title that fit into the rhythm of the phrase that was locked on a loop in my brain. I looked up the song on YouTube and knew, instantly, that it was what I had been searching for. The joy and satisfaction of listening to the entirety of this song, researching the lyrics, and discovering that I truly love it, is something beyond what words can express. Imagine an unfinished puzzle on your dining room table for months, and one day, you find the last piece in an unlikely place. That’s close.

I’m a rock fan and like my music the way I like my cheese: hard. But I also enjoy Bruno Mars and I’ve been known to sing along with Beebs now and again. This song was a big pop hit that I somehow missed. I’d like to share with you the song whose six little words vexed me for several months. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, released in 2017 and appearing on both band’s albums of that year. The phrase, “I want something just like this”, is what I tried in vain to sing to Alexa, but without the words, she thought it was gibberish. I don’t blame her.

I love this song, its sentiment, and its performance. You might know it so well that you’re already sick of it This video has 1.8-billion views. I’m just catching up.