Great opening lines.

[Mibbes Aye]

I listened to a wonderful programme by the inestimable Tom Service on BBC Radio 3 pre-lockdown.

It was all about how we react to music aurally. He didn’t introduce it as such, he just played four intros and one was the intro to ‘California Dreamin’’ by the Mamas and the Papas.

When he did start talking he said it was human nature for most of us to sing along to the chorals that back up the soloes or leads.

So Mama or John Cass starts and sings ‘All the leaves are brown’, but instinctively you follow the backing singers and sing ‘All the leaves are brown’ etc just some notes behind Mama’s or John’s lead, along with the backing singers, rather than the main vocal part. It is compulsive.

I can’t remember the other pieces but it was true of them as well. Some were classical, maybe Bach, I can’t remember. It was absolutely fascinating and well worth digging up on BBC iPlayer if you can.