L U N A T A L K with Eva Moon

Anything Else But This

January 28, 2008 on 12:49 am | | In General Musing, Movies, Music

I’ve been pondering for about a week how to write this without coming off like a wheezy old fart shaking her walker at these kids today.

But the game is up. I may have to accept that my old fart status became permanent the day I saw the Moldy Peaches sing Anyone Else But You. It’s from the soundtrack of the movie Juno which is the best selling soundtrack of all time. Best. Selling. Soundtrack. Of. All. Time. Check out the song (and the other six songs they have on it) and then tell me how you feel. And the movie’s been out for what? About nine minutes?

I actually do have some inkling why the song appeals so strongly to teens. My son went through a rough patch where he was convinced he was weird and wished he were normal like everyone else. I tried to explain to him that the very definition of a normal person is someone you don’t know very well. And this song, like America’s Funniest Home Videos, gives a slice of the other side of normal. It’s not just you. I can understand that.

But this song deprives me of every last precious sour grape. They’re not young and cute. They’re not well-connected. They can’t write a melody of more than two bars. They can’t even sing or play. I’m fresh out of excuses for the pitiful state of my own music career. And at the same time, I feel like I should be thrilled: Someone made it who didn’t fit the mold and quirk ruled for a day. w00t!

My consolation is the thought that someday they’ll get some guitar lessons, shampoo and a personal trainer, learn a third chord, start to write beautiful, clever, insightful songs and yet at every gig from now until they’re gray and playing the casino circuit, no one will want to hear them play anything else but Anyone Else But You.

Will someone please hand me my walker?

See more like that one:

• Guilty Pleasures, A to Z
• The Bonehead of the Opera
• Sibling Revelry
• Mixed Reality Music
• No one will ever know