There is a subset of my Bike Ride playlist that I chose as good "biking in town" songs - songs that have a decent rhythm while you're pedaling, but don't need to push you that extra few yards up a steep hill or help you keep up your energy. Lately, one of my favorite members of this subset has been "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard," which gives Paul Simon the distinction of being my mother's favorite artist on my iPod.
Every time I listen to this song, I find myself whistling. There is a section where Simon whistles for a few measures, and it usually starts there, but then I keep whistling. This has led to the previously undiscovered knowledge that it is really hard to whistle on a bike. Even if you're only in town, you don't have the air to spare, and being bent over the handlebars you aren't in the greatest position to use your air in that particular fashion.
You should totally try it if you don't believe me. If nothing else, it's turned out to be a sure-fire way to make everyone on the sidewalk look around to see where the whistling noise is coming from. Sometimes they kind of smile. Sometimes they kind of look at you like you're not right in the head. I feel like those people are probably no fun, because whistling isn't all that weird, even if you are kind of taking a huge breath every so often to keep doing it.
I can actually take or leave Paul Simon for the most part, despite the fact that his Greatest Hits CD was the soundtrack in my family's car on many a childhood road trip. I do love this song, and I hope this week's jam inspires you to try it out as a good, upbeat, rhythmic song for biking around your town. And if you ever figure out just what mama saw that was against the law, let me know.
Oh, and lyrics.
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