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The Mind Is a Terrible Thing
“What’s on the shopping list?” I asked my wife as I got ready to head out the door.
“Milk, eggs, bananas, and coffee beans.”
“Coffee beans, cha-cha-cha.”
It came out of my mouth with no thought whatsoever. It just fell out. My wife of over 30 years stared at me.
“Where did that come from?”
I had no idea.
Over the next few days, the phrase kept popping back into my head. It had to have come from somewhere!
I finally thought to Google it. At my age, it still isn’t my default, and what do you know, I wasn’t the only one with that search. The consensus is that it came from an old Western Airlines commercial – one of several where they had an animated parrot who rode on the tail of an airplane, cocktail in hand, spouting the tagline “Western Airlines, the only way to fly.”
If that’s true, “Coffee beans, cha-cha-cha” had been percolating in my subconscious for over 40 years. The mind is truly an amazing, scary thing.
It made me wonder, though, what things hidden in other people’s brains have made a sudden appearance, sometimes years later without really thinking? What was the occasion? Was the audience as gracious as mine? Enquiring minds want to know.
Published in General
Yesterday I put a post up on Ricochet, seems I thought I was living in America in the 21st century.
I told Empress Josephine. She just laughed and told me to stop keeping my hand in my waistcoat. Said it makes me look shorter.
My husband regularly responds to all of us with similar obscure phrases. He is the youngest of five and by all accounts spent a lot of time in a playpen in front of a TV.
He and I are the same age, but I am often confused.
He recently delighted granddaughters with a re-enactment of this commercial while he was giving them each Fig Newton. He remembered every word, along with the dance steps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyI3IL46yq4
(Edited to add: we’ve all learned from painful experience not to bring up anything even remotely related to the three stooges)
That brings back memories. I don’t know how many commercials that I can recite the tag line on or sing the song.
“Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, …”
“Two all beef patties, special sauce …”
“Have another Nutter Butter peanut butter …”
Etc., etc., etc.
“…oh, what a relief it is.”
“…lettuce, cheese, pickle, onion, on a sesame seed bun.”
“…sandwich cookie.”
WMBTOPCITBUTNIALI — before the break up of ATT.
What? You don’t know what that is?
Wait for it…..
We May Be The Only Phone Company In Town, But We Try Not To Acit Like It!
They may have tried, but they didn’t get even close ?>)
“I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. I’d like to buy the world a coke and keep it company….”
“Tastes great!”
”Less filling!!”
”Tastes great!!!”
“Less filling!!!!”
“Tastes great!!!!!”
“ Less filling!!!!!!……”
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! US 30 Dragstrip! Drag racing capital of Chicagoland!!!
Hudson 3-2700 (phone number for some business in Chicago, sung with a particular cadence)
I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener. That is what I truly want to be-e-e. For if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, everyone would be in love with me!
My baloney has a first name, it’s O-s-c-a-r…
New Kellogg’s Apple Jacks, apple good for breakfast or snacks, cinnamon toasty, apple tasty! A bowl a day keeps the bullies away!
“Where’s the BEEF!
Y’all watch way too much tv.
“Reach out… reach out and touch someone…..”
Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!
My husband has a tendency to sing people’s names. His sister had a friend in grade school called Christine Valerio. He always sung it to the tune of Uh-oh, Spaghettio’s. His sister to this day cannot think of that name without singing it.
Don’t even get me started on Simpson’s quotes. Some of which are 30 years old. One of my top favorites is when Ned Flanders’ beatnik parents are complaining they don’t know how to discipline young Ned. “We’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” I use that one a lot. Especially in my job as a school psych.
I also use Bullwinkle’s “don’t know my own strength” on a regular basis.
Was that company also known as Good Old POTS?
“See the USA in your Chevrolet.” I always liked that song.
This is a well documented neurological trait.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRoP4AN-cN4
“Have you driven a Ford… lately?”
My wife brought into our relationship her family’s habit of singing a song that is triggered by someone’s spoken phrase. In the middle of a conversation she may suddenly break into song. And yes, it has rubbed off on me as well.
“Use Ajax – boom boom – the foaming cleanser,
boba boba boom boom boom,
floats the dirt right down the drain,
boba boba boba boom.”