"Opera Singer" - Cake
This was the hardest of the first five for me, as the answer did not just pop into my head. I firmly believe that I have a rare form of ADHD. I constantly have ideas and songs and images running through my head at a breakneck pace. When I was in college, alcohol was a means by which I was able to rest these flying furies, though I would not prescribe the treatment as a long-term solution.
Over the years, I have learned to focus the hyperactivity. Occupationally, this has become one of my most valuable assets. I can consume, digest and synthesize inhumane amounts of paper and information at a pace that consistently surprises people. "Impossible" deadlines are an essential part of the euphoric blood lust that successful deal lawyers savor. It is one of the few aspects of the job that I still find satisfying.
Age, experience and parenthood have taught me how to bring this hyperfocus to bear in non-work situations. I guess the skill always was there--as a child, I could lose myself for a whole day with Legos. But know I understand how to flip the proverbial switch. When I turn the mental hat around, I become a hyperfocused truck, so to speak. Thus, as I was sitting in the rocking chair and holding our daughter as she slept, I closed my eyes and peeled back the onion skins. This song was the last one remaining.
The harmonies in this song are brilliant. And perfect. Especially in the the last stanza, where they bring up the bass and the vocals ever so slightly in the mix, consummating a meticulous layering of elements at just the right moment. And, hitting a self-fulfilling prophecy aspect of this song within this post, "My talent feeds my darker side / but no one will complain." Apropos, to say the least.
And, yes, I often find myself humming or singing this song to myself from time to time.