The Damnedest Thoughts at 3:30 a.m. ...

Last night I awoke at 3:30 a.m., and Morpheus, seeing a flicker of a chance to escape, cast me from his arms and flew into the night. (Thanks, buddy.) And for the next 2+ hours (I usually get up around 5:45) my mind whirled around like a rotary lawnmower blade--and somehow--some way--ended up spending way too much time on a popular song from my youth, a song I've not thought about in decades and whose return in today's pre-dawn I cannot for the life of me explain.

The song was "Norman," sung by Sue Thompson (I had to check Wikipedia for her name, which I never could have recovered without ... cheating) and released in 1961. I can't (easily) find the precise date--but 1960-61 was my junior year in high school, 61-62 (you figure it out). (Oh, lyrics and music by John D. Loudermilk. See lyrics at the bottom of this post ...) It soared to #3 that year. A gold record.

Link to a recording/video of the song. Link to some info about Thompson, born in 1925.

It's a catchy if simple thing--a bouncy bubble of a song. (I picture a little kid blowing a bubble from one of those bottles of bubble-stuff--then chasing it around the room.)

And just adhesive enough, it seems, to find a remote little room in my brain, where the song has stuck around for more than a half-century, though rarely exiting that room.

Until last night.

For a reason I cannot comprehend. I've hardly been in a bouncy, "Norman"-y mood lately, but maybe Morpheus, plotting his escape, thought of something fluffy from my past that would distract me while he winged off. If so, I'm not sure whether to thank or condemn him. It was kind of nice to think about Days of Youth and foolishness early today, but now--and for who knows how long?--that weightless piece of fuzz is floating around in my brain ...

I hope it soon finds an exit ...

Norman , ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Norman, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm

Norman, Norman, my love

Jimmy called me on the phone but I was gone, not at home

Cuz I was out parked all alone with darlin' Norman

Bill invited me to a show but I said no, cannot go

There's a dress that I've got to sew and wear for Norman

Norman holds me close to him, Norman kisses me and then

Norman knows my heart belongs to him and him and only him, oh

Norman, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ohh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Norman, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ohh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Norman, Norman, my love

Joey asked me for a date, he wanted to take me out to skate

But I told Joey he would have to make 'rangements with Norman

Norman is my only love, Norman's all I'm thinking of

Norman gives me all his lovin', kissin', huggin', lovey-dovin'

Norman, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Norman, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm

Norman, Norman, my love