Music Monday: Sunscreen and Schmich

Today's track is technically a musical single, but features a lot of talking. Released by Baz Luhrmann, on the album Something for Everybody this is a piece that I try to listen to every couple of months. I never, ever get nostalgic while doing so. Ever. I'm not that old yet.

The speech at the basis of the song is widely rumoured to have originated from an MIT commencement speech, given by a gentleman by the name of Kurt Vonnegut. The fiction filled tale was so convincing that Mr. Luhrmann himself was frantically searching for Vonnegut as to secure permission to record the speech.

In fact, the speech was published as a column in the Chicago Tribune on June 1, 1997. Written by Mary Schmich, it was introduced as the commencement speech she would give, if ever asked to do so.

Despite publishing a follow-up piece on August 3, 1997, credit is rarely attributed correctly to Ms. Schmich.

So here it is, my friends, Everbody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen). Consider picking up the album (if you can find it). I love it, but haven't had much luck replacing the copy I lost. It is probably hiding in some Disney vault somewhere. Damn those dwarves (I speak to the Snow White version, I've always thought they were a little shady).

So, how about it - are you fanatic about sunscreen? Do you rock the tanned look? Personally, I'm whiter than a bowl of vanilla ice cream. I tend to burn quickly (my record is fifteen minutes for a burn received in North Carolina a month or so ago).

Screening the sun (through tinted windows),

L