The Reach of American Pop Culture

Today, being my first day in KL, was an acclimatization day, spent getting organized, adjusting my sleep schedule, and lining up the plan of attack for the city. Since I was pretty tired and it was rather late to be wandering a strange city, I decided to just grab dinner in the hotel, which I usually try to avoid.

The “Blue Chip Lounge” downstairs sold a decent cup of tea and acceptable satay, but it was the musical entertainment that really put a smile on my face. The pianist was pretty good, even if he did stick to American pop classics. But the real joy came between his sets when the sound system played recorded music. You never quite appreciate the global penetration of American pop culture until you have a heard a delicately-voiced and passionate, although clearly accented man, sing Careless Whisper by George Michael, or better yet, You Were Always on My Mind, popularized by Willie Nelson. I will leave it to your imagination to envision what this sounded like and I am sure it will bring a smirk to your face, as it did mine.