Pop Music as Teacher

When I recently purchased the new Elvis Costello disc (I should actually call it an album with deference to Mr. Costello - the volume was issued first on vinyl "the way the Supreme Being intended," he says, with the CD version coming almost a full month later), I was intrigued by its name, Momofuku.

'What does Momofuku mean?' I wondered. Lucky for me, he explains on his website that the name is an homage to Momofuku Ando, inventor of cup noodles, because, says Mr. Costello, making this album was as easy as just adding water. So now I have that little bit of trivia tucked away in my brain.

Other things I have learned from pop music:

* The meaning of the word bravado. I had to look it up because of the line in that awesome 70s pop song Baby Come Back by Player: "All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado. Trying to keep up a smile to hide the tears."

* Who John Coltrane is, because of the line in the Cowboy Junkies song, Sun Comes up, it's Tuesday Morning: "Lunchtime: I start to dial your number. Then I remember, so I reach for something to smoke. And anyways, I'd rather listen to Coltrane than go through all that shit again." I figured if Margo Timmins is listening to Coltrane he must be cool.

* Who Ann Rice is and what the vampire chronicles are, because of Moon Over Bourbon Street by Sting. A sentence in the liner notes of the album on which the song appeared says, "'Moon Over Bourbon Street' was inspired by Interview with a Vampire by Ann Rice." I ran right out and found the book and read it.

There's more. But those are the ones I can think of right now. You get the idea.