Overplayed

Last week, Alrica and I were playing a game. It was from the archives of the NY Times Connections game. You have sixteen words and you have to group them into four categories of four. Four of the words were Donkey, Doolittle, Axel, and Akeem. I realized those were all Eddie Murphy roles. Alrica, who never remembers the names of characters in movies unless they are basically the title character, couldn't remember Axel. So we discussed Beverly Hills Cop.

A couple days after that we decided to rewatch Beverly Hills Cop as each of us hadn't seen it since the 80s, when it came out. The main musical theme in that move is the song Axel F which was written for the movie and named for Murphy's character, Axel Foley. I like the song Axel F. But I have to say, after rewatching that movie I was thinking, "Couldn't they have hired a composer to write one or two other instrumental pieces for different moments in the film?" I mean, unless we were listening to a pop song, the background music was almost always Axel F or maybe once it was a toned down more serious version of Axel F.

Additionally, I remembered that movie being a lot funnier than I found it now. Of course, I was a lot teenagier when I saw it back then, so that could account for the change in the perceived level of humor.

This past Monday, July 20, was Independence Day. Of course, I don't mean in the United States. I mean here in Colombia, July 20 is Independence Day. On Monday itself, things were generally quiet. Independence Day seems to be a time to spend with your family, not in raucous celebrations. But in the week leading up to Independence Day, there was plenty of sound and fury (metaphoric fury.)

Several times during the week, we heard the thundering of drums. They were a bit distant, but as they grew closer we could make out brass instruments. Then as the procession of sound got even closer, we could hear woodwinds.

Parade view from on high

It was a parade. Each time the parade happened, it got bigger. But all three parades (which we could see from our balcony once they got to the street a block from our place) involved bands which were heavy on percussion. The third parade, on Sunday, the day before Independence Day, was the largest. Several bands, different community groups, and members of the military marched through the streets. And through it all, I could only discern two different songs. One of them, I didn't recognize. Perhaps it was the Colombian National Anthem. But the other was The Ants Go Marching One by One (hurrah, hurrah.)

It included horses! Unless that was just coincidence that a bunch of horsemen were riding by at the same time and on the same route as the parade.

I thought that was a strange choice of song. So I looked it up. The tune The Ants Go Marching One by One (hurrah, hurrah) is actually the tune from When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again (also hurrah, hurrah.) That's a song about welcoming back soldiers who are returning home from a war. That makes a bit more sense for an Independence Day parade than a song for children about ants. But this was entirely instrumental, so in my head there were lyrics about ants, shoe-tying, and closing portals such as doors and gates.

On a separate note, I did one of my walking explorations. I saw a man on a unicycle juggling blades in front of traffic as they waited at a red light. I went to what I thought was a park (because it was green on the map) and discovered was a cemetery. That cemetary has the grave of Pablo Escobar, the famous drug cartel leader who is known for corruption and importing hippopotami. I was unable to get a good picture of his grave though because a tour group was visiting.

I wonder what his income per red light cycle is

Ugh! Now I have the song about the ants stuck in my head! Well, if it gets too annoying I will try to wipe it from my mind by humming Axel F.