Mental Acid Reflux

My mind wanders . . . a lot. Chasing thoughts down yesterday's rabbit holes is rarely an activity worth sharing - except, perhaps, for today.

The other day I followed my wandering mind to my Grandpa Southard and the adventures we had together. His health has been poor of late, making this all the more apropos.

Most memorable was the glider ride, soaring over Mount Timpanogos some 17 years ago (adventurous as he is, he excused himself from the actual flight part). Next was the road trip to Montana and Glacier National Park. It was a pleasant meander down memory lane.

And then, just like in the movies, it was time for a musical intermission: you know, the time where you get up and get a snack at the drive-in.

Maybe that's a bad metaphor. Really, what was the last movie you watched that had a musical intermission? Ben Hur? Lawrence of Arabia? And who, anymore, has even seen that? There's a new poll question.

Anyway, it was a musical intermission - complete with a man in suspenders dancing in front of (and for) a pig. Not that the imagery was all that important to my wandering mind; it was the melody.

And while I was tempted to get a snack during this musical intermission, I had a mystery to solve (Jinkies!). This melody was somehow connected to my Grandpa. And he wasn't the one dancing in front of (and for) the pig.

This is all like mental acid reflux. Where does this stuff come from?

It didn't take long to figure out the pig movie: how many are there, anyway? Two? Babe and Babe: Pig in the City. Not having seen the sequel, I assumed it was the first Babe I had seen in my mind's eye. Great show, by the way - the movie, not the mental regurgitation.

Now that I had the correct movie, it was time to rewind and listen to the melody. For those of you who go through trying to remember melodies from a movie you haven't seen in years, you know that this is very difficult.

It took me two days.

And then I had an apostrophe. Lightning had just struck my brain. ("Well, that must hurt," says Captain Hook.) It all made sense!

It was Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns' 3rd movement from his 3rd symphony - the "Organ" symphony! (Not a concerto, mind you. The organ is not a solo instrument, but rather a symphony with an organ in it.)

While at my Grandpa's house in Oregon, I was introduced to this Saint-Saëns "organ" symphony. Relatively new to serious classical music, I appreciated this piece for how the organ could rattle the china right off the shelves when played very loud. To boot, the melody is infectious and will stay with you forever. I wonder what the french word for "earworm" is?

When Babe came out, my dad I had an "a-ha" moment and prided ourselves in that fact. It was much like all of those snobby English majors who, after seeing a movie, say "the book is SO much better."

Of course, the suspendered man wasn't merely humming a symphony, but the number 3 song on the UK music charts from 1977.

I can see your eyes getting droopy; it is time for the video evidence.

First, the offending scene from my musical intermission.

That'll do, pig.

At the time, I thought the movie clever for adding lyrics to the Saint-Saëns melody. Little did I know it was an actual pop song some 18 years previous - à la A Lover's Concerto and Bach's Minuet in G.

See how many different "elements" you can identify in this video. Here's what I have so far: Hogwarts school of Witchcraft, A Bee Gee, Reggae, a MoTab organ and the Tijuana Brass.

Now for the actual 3rd movement. The famous melody becomes apparent within the first minute. I apologize for the horn section; they really need to be on a shorter leash.

As always, if you would like to do greater research into the matter, I have both Babe and a copy of the 3rd symphony for you to "borrow."