30 Day Song Challenge, Day 8: A Song You Know All The Words To

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I’m somewhere between not giving a fuck about lyrics and actively hating them. They’re just not what I listen to (or: all those music theory courses turned me into a structural listener, thanks Adorno).

There is one song I lip sync along to while I’m running. Andrew Eldritch’s register is just below what I can normally hit, so by pretending to sing along to this song–especially the line “And the devil in the black dress/watches Oooooo-ver”–helps me relax my shoulders and open up my lower sinuses, the back of my throat, and upper chest so that I can breathe better. Yes, yes, I’m the nerd who uses singing technique to breathe better when I run. So, because I use this song’s vocal line as a bodyhack while exercising, I know all the words to it. (The song is also a good example of how goth can get pretty orientalist sometimes.)

Sisters of Mercy, Temple of Love

 

Runners Up: XRay Spex, “I Am A Cliche“; Donna Summer, “I Feel Love,” The Sex Pistols, “Johnny B. Goode/Roadrunner” (this is a song ostensibly about Lydon’s inability to remember lyrics).