Do you find it annoying when a song gets stuck in your head and despite your efforts to change it, your brain still keeps going back to that same song? It's rarely a song that you really like and it's probably just the chorus. So you hum it, whistle it, or it's just silently eating away at your brain on a constant loop. It's called an earworm and Van Halen's song definitely causes earworms.
For obvious reasons, the Van Halen song gets lodged into my subconscious on a constant loop. Unfortunately, it's not the rich lyrics like "hot shoe, burning down the avenue" or "got the fearing, power steering" it's just "Panama! Panama-a!" Usually gifted from a friend thinking about visiting us that sends me the song via social media and then, there it sits in my brain for days on a constant loop. We all have friends like that and I have to admit, it is funny.
Over an interesting discussion about the music of Panama this past week with a visiting family, we landed on the Van Halen song 'Panama.' Ever wonder why they wrote a song about Panama?
It didn't take long to learn that that song is about a car and not this beautiful country which I'm guessing is what most people think of when they hear that song. Panama! Panama-a! Now that I have gifted this rich melody to earworm you for the rest of your day, let's move on to a slightly different genre of music.
Our conversation then drifted from Van Halen to classical music with that family whose son plays bass in an orchestra so we got to talking about music and he was telling me about some of the great classical music that comes out of Panama, specifically symphony, to which I of course, had no idea. I am so lazy when it comes to music so I really appreciate being surrounded by people who love it and even more - play it.
Van Halen isn't your typical lead in to symphony orchestra music but I was interested to learn more and be able to share another part of what makes Panama such a great country. In 1941, The National Symphony Orchestra of Panama was founded by Herbert De Castro. Since then, the symphony has played for generations of music lovers in the National Theater where they have hosted music festivals, and continue to inspire future generations of musicians.
So, if you're classical music lover now you have yet another reason to visit Panama with a visit to the National Theater on your list. The music of Panama is as diverse as its people which means you'll be hearing a bit more about what keeps the booties shaking in this part of the world.
Your Friends in Morrillo, Cari and Ryan Mackey Owners and Hosts Morrillo Beach Eco Resort