Sometimes, denial can be a good thing.
Today, for example, I am going to deny that it is February. I am going to turn the heat up in my house until it is hot enough to wear shorts. I am going to put on flip-flops. I am going to put on sunscreen. I am going to swat away imaginary mosquitoes. Then I am going to put a beach chair in the middle of my living room, fan myself with a newspaper, and listen to “Old Cape Cod” by Patti Page.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The harmonies. They are so, so good. And perfectly executed, decades before anybody had heard of Auto-Tune.
2. The lyrics. “If you like the taste of a lobster stew/Served by a window with an ocean view…” No multi-sensory mental image does a better job helping you deny the presence of winter.
3. The piano. There’s so much focus on the vocals that it’s easy to forget that there are instruments in the background. But give a listen to the nice little flourish the pianist gives us at 2:02.
Recommended listening activity:
Having a drink that comes with a mini-umbrella in it.