Who Ya Gonna Call? (an examination of automatic lyrical responses)

The answer to the question that titles this post is, and will always be, "Ghostbusters!"  The movie was released in 1984, to this day remains a classic (one of my 200 favorite movies of all time)... but honestly, I'm not sure how many people under the age of 20, maybe even 25, have even seen this movie... in fact, as of this past June 7th (2011), the movie itself is 27 years old.  Heck, forget the movie--how many of these kids have even heard the Ray Parker, Jr, song?  Not too many, I would venture a guess.

But you turn to some 19 year old kid and say, using at least some of the movie's tone, "Who ya gonna call?", there's a good shot you'll hear 'em say "Ghostbusters!"

And that leads my to my thoughts... what are those phrases, cliches and terms you hear everyday that evoke a music response, one that stems from a lifetime of hearing the same songs to the point that their lyrics are part of your own venacular? 

I don't mean just using the term "Shake it like a Polaroid picture", I mean when you hear "Jump!" you think "cause I'm the miggity miggity miggity miggity mack daddy..." or your mind wanders to "Jump around!  Jump around!  Jump up, jump up and get down!"

For examply, when I hear anyone say, "Stop", nothing crosses my mind beyond a quick decision to possibly cease whatever action I'm currently engaging in.  However, I hear someone yell, "STOP!", I immediately think, and sometimes want to shout out, "COLLABORATE AND LISTEN!"

I even heard someone use the term "A-1-A", and I wanted to respond, "Beachfront Avenue!!"  And on the rare occasion I hear the words, "Yo, let's get out of here", not only will I say, "Word to your mother", I'll toss up a random, made up gang sign.
Why?  Cause I'm shay with a gauge and vanilla with a 9.

I hear "Too legit", I respond, "To quit", or sometimes if I'm feeling really froggy, "Too legit to quit, hey hey."  And of course, you have to put the high pitch on the hey-hey part.  More of a hay-haaaay...

MC Hammer has a few lines of his own that emit lyrical responses... when the anyone says, or prays, "Thank you for blessing me", I am quick to bust up with "with a mind to rhyme and too hype feet", and heaven forbid you drop "You can't touch this" around me, I'll immediately pipe up with "do-do-da-do da-do da-do"...

As mentioned in a previous post of meanderings, when I hear Pastor Calvin throw down on "When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," my inner Coolio rages on with, "I tayka looka my life and ree-ah-lize they ain't nuthin' leff..." 

Coolio reappears amongst my inner monologue when someone does a count of 1-2-3-4... and I respond with, "Get yo woman on the floor..." and I might add "gotta get up and get down... gotta gotta get up and get down..."

I hear someone say something about 3am, I'm likely respond, "I must be lonely."  Heck, say something about 3p, and I still might say, er, sing, "I must be lonely."

I hear someone use the term, "Oh my gawd", and I respond, "Becky, look at her butt..."

And names are just as bad... in my line of work, its difficult not to call out "Jeremy" without saying--in a very, very raspy voice, "spoke in... class... today...".

It's sad, really. 

However, unlike "Ghostbusters", not all lyrical references are caught by the younglings, no matter how popular they were in their day.  Some youngster at work, maybe 18 or 19, was telling a story and ended it with, "and I told the guy, don't go chasing waterfalls, right?"  I replied, "Yeah.  You should stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used too."

The youngling said, "Yeah, that's a good point."  It took me a few minutes to realize she had no idea what I was saying. 

Dude.  I'm old.

Funny thing... I'm assuming that anyone who reads this will understand all of these references... what about you?  Any every day conversation that makes you recite a lyric or two?

The Summer of Blogging Day Fifty Four