So I've been listening to OMC's "How Bizarre" more or less nonstop for the past four or five days. For the first 48 hours or so I couldn't believe that this song was written by the same outfit responsible for "If You Leave" from the John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink. How could one band vary their styles this wildly and not be ranked alongside, say, the Beatles or They Might Be Giants?

Of course it turned out that "If You Leave" was by Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark, not Otara Millionaires Club. (It's a common misconception. As EMF might say, it's unbelievable. Oh!) But during the next 72 hours of my exploration of the tune I realized: Does authorship and origin really matter? Surely the story of Brother Pele, sweet Sister Zina, their Chevy '69, a policeman, a ringmaster, a missing herd of elephants, and our unnamed narrator is universal, regardless of whether or not it ever provided a soundtrack to the romantic misadventures of Molly Ringwald. (And who can authoritatively say it hasn't? Besides Ms. Ringwald, I mean.)

"Every time I turn around, it's in my face." Indeed, OMC. Indeed.