An unusual thing happened when my in-laws recently suggested we watch the Netflix series “Ozark.” Well, for me, falling in love with songs isn’t really that unusual! What is more unusual was that the song was by the British band Radiohead! While I don’t tend to dislike their songs, I would say that I’m usually 50/50 on whether I’ll like them or not.

Well, that all changed after watching season 3 episode 1 – there’s a scene (SPOILERS AHEAD) where Wendy (pictured above, played by Laura Linney) goes into the home they used to own in Chicago. Well, breaks in, really – it’s sort of creepy – and she goes into what used to be her son’s bedroom, and starts making the bed. The song “The Daily Mail” by Radiohead is playing the whole time.

I was HOOKED! If you haven’t heard it yet, then what are you waiting for? It has a nice bit of foreplay at the beginning, where Thom Yorke’s multi-octave range – and a minimal piano background, kind of caress your brain a bit – fitting because the song is about madness. Some speculators even think it might be a follow-up to Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage.” Maybe…maybe!

I just queued up the song so I’ll be able to write about it more effectively. Beginning at about a minute and 40 seconds in, the song intensifies a bit, with the piano becoming a little more intense, then at the second minute, the song really starts to roll. Foreplay is over, get ready for some really sexy driving stuff! Yes, I know “sexy” is hardly the word you’d think of when thinking of Radiohead songs, but this song really is like a quick round of sex – the kind you might squeeze in while on a 15 minute work break. Heck, Thom Yorke even kind of sounds a bit…like he’s “finishing” at the end of the song. What do you MEAN you haven’t listened to it yet? Take a break from reading this pointless blog and listen to it, dammit! 🙂

A similar song I’ve fallen in love with lately is by The Beta Band, whom you might know best for their song “Dry the Rain,” which was featured in the 2000 film High Fidelity, which made me fall in love with the song (I still really love the song). While it has its “orgasmic” qualities of its own, their song B+A is better. Its “foreplay” starts with some gentle electric guitar, while other instrumentations are gradually added. A nice little repeating guitar lick is played again as the song builds, then by the third minute, foreplay is over – and you know what’s next! The guitar really starts to build, along with some vocals (it’s primarily an instrumental, there are no real lyrics in the track). A little break in the action happens at the fourth minute or so, then the action kicks right back up, along with those vocalizations I mentioned earlier. It almost sounds like tribal chanting. It’s really cool, great driving music! Just watch what activities you choose to engage in while driving – especially on those awful wintry roads!

Move over, Barry White! You don’t have market cornered on “sexy” songs! 🙂