This sweet and groovy little number was written by Cafe Nordo music director Annastasia Workman, and produced and performed by our old friend Colin Ernst. According to Colin, Annastasia wrote it for Nordo’s adaptation of Tom Robbins’s Jitterbug Perfume. It’s been ages since I read that book, but “Cosmic Bees” does seem to capture, both musically and lyrically, some of the hedonistic glee of Robbins’s work. The shaker-backed groove and bees-and-flowers imagery has me picturing a colony of bees floating from bud to bud, nodding their heads and buzzing along with the kazoo line, catching the buzz.
One question I have about the lyrics pertains to the opening, which includes the phrase “whatcha doing here, with your shady deals and your orange-faced lies?” Between this and the political nature of much of Colin’s recent work, I kind of assumed this was another tune about our Dear Leader. But then we pivot to singin’ and lovin’ and joyful abandon and our brief reminder of The Real World is forgotten. Of course the original Jitterbug Perfume was written decades before our orange-faced liar rose to power, but maybe Robbins anticipated him and included his own orange-faced liar in the book? Or maybe Annastasia’s interpretation included room for present-day reference. Further research is recommended, starting with another spin of “Cosmic Bees.”
Colin will open up our Ball of Wax 57 release show this Saturday with a set including this and other BoW favorites from over the years. Make sure to get there on time!