Pandora Cinema, Fontana/Mercury/Phonogram
I have a love/hate relationship with Groundwork Coffee. It’s an on-again/off-again relationship born out of convenience. There are many other coffee selections I can make but sometimes Groundwork is in closest striking distance. I roll my eyes while standing in line with the bourgeoisie set, cursing my laziness and my need for caffeine before quickly perking up to the beckon of my name.
This morning, was one such morning, where again, against my better judgment, I found myself unwittingly in line at Groundwork. However this time, the coffee shop extended an olive branch over their speakers blaring the sweet, sweet tune that is the Tears for Fears’ 1985 classic, Head Over Heels. I used to not like Tears for Fears, they looked kinda funny and the heavy-rotation of ‘Shout’ nearly incinerated any possibility of ever liking them. But all that changed when a certain track appeared in Richard Kelly’s 2001 bizarro sci-fi flick, Donnie Darko. In the film, Head Over Heels provided a music video interlude, which I normally don’t like, but damn, the intro notes hit so perfectly to Jake Gyllenhaal exiting the school bus, I’ve been hooked ever since. Even in a coffee shop that normally pisses me off.
I recommend listening to the track very, very loud. Those intro notes are so big, so good, and they continue to climb from there. Maybe it was the blinding light as Donnie Darko stepped out of the school bus but now the track always sounds huge, as if bursting with possibilities. Funny how time flies.