Got Techno?

One of the great joys of driving in Germany is aaaahhh....German radio. Yes, my friends, if you'd ever wondered what your favorite American tune would sound like when overlayed with a pulsing techno beat, well, look no further! Simply come on over, I'll take you out for a drive, and I promise, it's only a matter of time until you can hear almost any of your American favorites remade into something far more exciting than their original incarnations! No more pesky worries about hearing songs that you can't dance to! M. and I have begun affectionately referring to the ubiquitous technique of song reformulation as "germanizing", as in, "Hey, is that the germanized version of 'Three Times a Lady?' I cannot get enough of that song!" I mean, there's rarely a song that isn't improved by adding a techno beat, right? Fortunately, one of our favorite techno-improved songs on the radio is also one of the most overplayed these days. Remember the 80's tune "Break My Stride"? Oh yeah: it's ba-aaack! In case you need a refresher, the chorus goes something like this: "Ain't nobody gonna break-a my stride, ain't nobody gonna slooow me down, Oh no! I got to keep on movin'..." Sounding familiar? Now, who didn't love that when it came out? I know I did! But here's what we realized when listening to the germanized version: previous to hearing this version, neither M. nor I had any idea what the actual verses to the song were. Chorus? Familiar. Verses? Not so much. Hmm. Now, this hadn't exactly been keeping me awake at night, but still: we're now reeeeally familiar! And I love this so much, and find it so hysterical, that I can't resist sharing. So, here we go: in the german version, the first verse goes something like this: "Last night I had the strangest dream...." (Okay, I'll admit it: that line does kind of ring a bell.) Then it continues, "I sailed away to Chi-na, in a little row-boat to find-ya, and you said you had to get your laundry cleeeeeean." (Sing along now, you know you know the tune!) "Said you don't want nobody to hold-ya, What does that mean? And you said, ain't nobody gonna break-a my stride, ain't nobody gonna sloooow me down...." Remember that? Yeah, that's good stuff! This song comes on, oh, probably 5 times an hour, and every single time it's hysterical: I sailed away to China? You said you had to get your laundry clean? What? Oh good grief! If only I could figure out how to put an audio link on this web page...