El Mariachi
A couple of years ago, the public areas of the building I work in were renovated. In addition to the modern furniture and updated decor, they brought music (probably Muzak) to the lobby and elevators. At first, the music was a distraction but it soon faded into the background and the subconscience. That is, until recently.
Something changed around the end of last year. The programming became “topical.” By that I mean, depending on which major holiday happened to be approaching, music of that holiday could be heard. So, starting after Thanksgiving we had Christmas music, of course. This was a welcome change from “Beatles Lite.” Round about the middle of January, the love songs kicked in to honor St. Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing like Whitney Houston wailing away for the umpteenth time to keep you from loitering in the lobby. Next in the holiday line-up was St. Patrick’s Day. At this point I thought they had gone too far. Rollicking Irish jigs and sad ballads for flute made the elevator into a scene straight out of Titanic, and we were all going down with the ship.
I’ve forgotten what happened in April; perhaps they played traditional Easter songs, whatever they may be. But now there is no mistaking what major holiday is coming next. Why, it’s Cinco de Mayo, of course! Los Mariachis are in full force and I can’t help but waltz through the lobby wishing I had a tequila in my hand. I step into the elevator and tap my heels while shouting “Olé!” to the bemusement of my elevator mates. I am transformed.
(Editor’s note: some of the above statements have not been fully corroborated and may contact factual errors.)
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