On "Wig Wam Bam"

As I think I've said before, I get very obsessive about certain movies and songs. If one that really strikes my fancy comes along, I will play it over and over and over until I have completely slaked my thirst for it permanently. That's happened with movies like "Abraxas, Guardian Of The Universe" and songs like "Them Changes" by Buddy Miles. Eventually I develop an ordinary affection for them, but first it is white hot and then it is completely gone.

The latest song to join that pantheon is "Wig Wam Bam" by Sweet. I already knew some of their songs, such as the classic "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox On The Run". I didn't know them incredibly well, and so when this particular song came on the radio while I was perusing VHS tapes at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, I didn't know what it was or who it was by. It occurred to me that there are iPhone apps that can ID a song like that, but I didn't have one, so I searched for it and was satisfied that I had found it.

I let it pass from my thoughts at that point. After returning home, I remembered how I'd liked the song and resolved to get it going on my computer. I did so, and the fire was lit. More than just a catchy song that I was content to hear once more in its entirety, it was a song that had really seized me, hard as that may be to believe. For most people, that would happen with a newer song by a currently popular artist, but that is less often the case for me. Consequently, I am frustrated in my attempts to pass such an enthusiasm as this on to others.

I'll try again here now. "Wig Wam Bam" is based on Longfellow's poem "Song Of Hiawatha". I must admit some ignorance of that poem. It was not something that my schools in Arizona regarded as especially important. We learned a fair amount about Native Americans of the Southwest, but little enough about poetry by anyone anywhere that I can recall. There must have been a little. In any case, that unlikely subject provides the lyrics of a rather compelling love song.

It's an exuberant song, as well. It's really the catchy, up-tempo music that gets me. Playing it over and over again, it locates in me a well of energy that might otherwise go untapped, regardless of how many cups of heavily-caffeinated tea I might drink. At home, I can get a little more done. Away from home, I can travel faster with a song like that in my heart. It even stirs some home of finding love, as corny as that might sound. It's a good song. You should check it out.