You know the Wings song "Mull of Kintyre"?
I've never bothered to find out exactly what the titular Mull might be (I assume it's the name of a place in Ireland or Scotland), but when I was a young child I took it for granted that of course the name Mull of Kintyre referred to -- any guesses?
The Goodyear Blimp.
I don't know how on earth I made that connection -- maybe the syllable tyre made me think of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company? -- but it has proven to be ineradicable. To this day, I cannot listen to that song without imagining the blimp floating serenely over valleys of green and past painted deserts the sun sets on fire.
After taking in Mozart's Magic Flute for the first time, I found myself humming "Mull of Kintyre" to myself, and it took me a second to realize why. The production I had seen had the three Knaben floating around in a sort of airship, which had put me in mind of the lines
Nights when we sang like a heavenly choir
Of the life and the times of the Mull of Kintyre
I have no idea whether such associations are contagious, but if so, you're welcome.
