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  Popular Culture Discovers Hemisphere Lateralization

  Posted by Peter Barus on May 12, 2023 at 1:53 am

  This came on the radio on a construction site today, and hearing the lyric “right brain, left brain,” I had to look it up. Turns out it was a hit in 1997, so the reference is to the early pop-psych fad, and not to current research. I don’t know whether to be disappointed about that or not.

  It got me wondering about the implications of popular “culture” focusing attention in whatever way on something that is now proving so fruitful as an access to our collective behavior. What might this reveal, or is it a trivial thing? At least it’s probably an example of what the LH will do with news of hemisphere lateralization.

  Cultural Selection, as Professor Pollack (Columbia U.) prefers to put it, took over from Natural Selection some millennia ago, and changes us (and our environment) much faster, as it doesn’t take a generation for a population’s behavior to shift evolutionary trends.

  I spent several decades as a performer, and have some experience with the way popular songs move through audiences. And especially since reading Bob Dylan’s “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” I’m convinced that these songs are all about you, the listener. It’s your new love, breakup, loss, rejection, long lonely night, they’re crooning or shrieking about.

  I’m sure the PR industry, followers of Edward Bernays and P.T. Barnum and their ilk (if there is such an ilk) have gathered quite a body of information on this, and continue to put it to nefarious use.

  …

  “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing” is a song written by Tim Nichols and Mark D. Sanders and recorded by American country music singer Trace Adkins. It was released in January 1997 as the third single from his debut album Dreamin’ Out Loud. It reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, marking his first Number One single. —Wikipedia

  
  

  Trace Adkins, “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing”

  
  

  I been thinkin’ ’bout our love situation

  All this attraction in the present tense

  I’ve reached the only logical conclusion

  Love ain’t supposed to make sense

  This ain’t no thinkinthing, <b>right brain, left brain </b></p><p>It goes a little deeper than that </p><p>It's a chemical, physical, emotional devotion </p><p>Passion that we can't hold back </p><p><span style="background-color: var(--bb-content-background-color); font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(--bb-body-text-color);">There's nothin that we need to analyze

  There ain’t no rhyme or reason why

  ‘Cause this ain’t, this ain’t no thinkinthing </p><p><br></p><p>Forget mathematical equations </p><p>Self help psychology </p><p>Gray matter don't matter much darlin

  When it’s gettindown to you and me </p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: var(--bb-content-background-color); font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(--bb-body-text-color);">This ain't no thinkin thing, right brain, left brain

  It goes a little deeper than that

  It’s a chemical, physical, emotional devotion

  Passion that we can’t hold back

  There’s nothinthat we need to analyze</span><br></p><p>There ain't no rhyme or reason why </p><p>'Cause this ain't, this ain't no thinkin thing

  There’s nothing that we need to analyze

  There ain’t no rhyme or reason why

  ‘Cause this ain’t, this ain’t no thinkinthing </p><p><span style="background-color: var(--bb-content-background-color); font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(--bb-body-text-color);">This ain't, no this ain't no thinkin thing

  Peter Barus replied 11 months, 1 week ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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