One time I was in Afghanistan. It was in June. While there, part of my job was driving a white cargo truck. It was sort of like a bread van but smaller. Another part of my job was directing people in the truck towards certain airplanes for maintenance work. There were 10 people in the truck. There was no air conditioning.
I had an IPod and an FM transmitter. The transmitter allowed songs to be transmitted to any FM radio within a 20 foot radius on any frequency. After a couple un-noteworthy songs, I was requested to play something that everyone knew the words to. I chose 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' by Bonnie Tyler. It was recorded in 1982. The first few bars of echo-y piano did not rouse anyone out of their sun-induced fever dreams. I suspected no one could hear it. I turned up the volume.
The first 2 words of the lyrics are "Turn around". They are sung with soft desperation and are repeated in every line until the chorus drops. By the second "Turn around" in this glorious lament, everyone in the truck had their eyes clenched shut and was auditioning for Broadway. I had to keep my eyes open.
It was quiet outside. People not included amongst our dusty balladeers turned their heads in wonder. Soon "Turn around" evolved into a blissful "TURN AROUND!!!". We grew louder and recited every damned word. By the end of the opus, a few of us had our balled-fists pressed to our chests. One guy was standing with arms outstretched and another had his head jutted out of the window. The outer world yielded little applause. My boss yelled at me for not concentrating on the mission.
Lately, you can find this phenomenon at a karaoke bar whilst witnessing a college girl belting out a Journey tune. But we were sober, burnt and foreign. Fuck Journey. Bonnie Tyler 4 Ever!
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