My Gen X Playlist: Mayonaise – Smashing Pumpkins

Having a favorite thing to cook would first imply that I enjoy cooking. I’m not a stranger to the kitchen, but I’m not a great cook, either. I can cook to survive – meaning, I can put something together that is fine for a work week dinner, but I wouldn’t serve it to guests at a dinner party.

I grew up before culinary competitions were a thing on TV. My dad was able to cook breakfast and he could also barbecue. I seemed to inherit both of these in my tool box. I know people who enjoy cooking and serve delicious meals. My cooking is only slightly better than my Swahili. Swa-what-the-heck-li? Yes, exactly.

The past few years, I’ve been dubbed as the designated sandwich guy in our camping group. Apparently, I make a mean sandwich. Now I’m keenly aware they may be saying this as a strategy to get out of making lunch for the long hikes, but for now I’ll take it at face value as a compliment. I’ve always said, if you’re going to make a sandwich, make it a good one.

So to answer the question, I don’t have a favorite thing to cook. I wish I did. I’ll just quietly accept my honorary sandwich making title and be happy with my sprinkled accolade. It’s better than nothing.

Mayo is one of many layers that I include in my sandwiches. So today’s song is Mayonaise from the Smashing Pumpkins. The song title was intentionally misspelled and apparently, the lyrics were a mishmash of phrases.

Billy Corgan got the title for this song after looking in his refrigerator. Corgan had many interesting names for songs. He said this about coming up with titles: “Say you write a song about a chandelier, and the chandelier gives off light. And the light is the color red and red reminds you of the color your not supposed to wear around a bull. So you name the song ‘Cow.'”

According to Billy Corgan, when he wrote the lyric he just “threw together a bunch of weird one liners.” He says that while the song doesn’t have any continuity, it later made some sense to him, as he could see that it reflected what he was going through at the time.

– Songfacts

Open the frig and pick a few random things. I guess it’s kind of like a peanut butter and pickle sandwich. I’ve never had the nerve to give it a try. I hear it’s pretty good, but I’ll just take their word for it.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Fool enough to almost be it
Cool enough to not quite see it
Doomed
Pick your pockets full of sorrow
And run away with me tomorrow
June 

We'll try and ease the pain
But somehow we'll feel the same
Well, no one knows
Where our secrets go

I send a heart to all my dearies
When your life is so, so dreary
Dream
I'm rumored to the straight and narrow
While the harlots of my perils
Scream

And I fail
But when I can, I will
Try to understand
That when I can, I will

Mother weep the years I'm missing
All our time can't be given
Back
Shut my mouth and strike the demons
That cursed you and your reasons
Out of hand and out of season
Out of love and out of feeling
So bad

When I can, I will
Words defy the plan
When I can, I will

Fool enough to almost be it
And cool enough to not quite see it
And old enough to always feel this
Always old, I'll always feel this

No more promise no more sorrow
No longer will I follow
Can anybody hear me
I just want to be me
When I can, I will
Try to understand
That when I can, I will