MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Finally today, it's time for the latest in our In Your Ear series. That's where we ask some of our guests to tell us about the songs that give them inspiration. In honor of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we are hearing from a star of Trinidadian Soca music.
BUNJI GARLIN: Hi. Hello, this is Bunji Garlin all the way from Trinidad and Tobago, and this is what's playing in my ear.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET'S GET IT STARTED")
THE BLACK EYED PEAS: (Singing) Everybody. Everybody. Let's get into it. Get stupid. Get it started. Get it started. Get it started. Let's get it started, hah.
GARLIN: The Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get It Started."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET'S GET IT STARTED")
THE BLACK EYED PEAS: (Singing) Let's get it started, hah. Let's get it started in here. Let's get it started, hah. Let's get it started in here. Let's get it started, hah. Let's get it started in here. Let's get it started, hah. Let's get it started in here.
GARLIN: I always liked that song from the first time it was released. It just puts me into that atmosphere of getting ready to party, getting ready to move, getting ready to get work done, getting ready to get something started.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET'S GET IT STARTED")
GARLIN: Another song that has been playing in my ear, Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD")
TEARS FOR FEARS: (Singing) Welcome to your life. There's no turning back, even while we sleep. We will find you acting on your best behavior. Turn your back on mother nature. Everybody wants to rule the world.
GARLIN: There's so many things about that song. It just lifts my spirit. There's serious nostalgia when I hear that song. My childhood days come back into play. I remember when my parents were still together. We were in the same household - all that stuff. The whole atmosphere becomes one - something like dreamland every time I hear that song. And I like to dream a lot, so I constantly play that song. Yep.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD")
TEARS FOR FEARS: (Singing) Of freedom and of pleasure, nothing ever lasts forever. Everybody wants to rule the world.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOLD ON WE'RE GOING HOME")
DRAKE: (Singing) I got my eyes on you. You're everything that I see. I want your hot love and emotion endlessly. I can't get over you.
GARLIN: Another song that's playing in my ear is by Drake, just "Hold On We're Going Home." Just the song alone, I mean, it just- it tells so many stories. Let's listen in to it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOLD ON WE'RE GOING HOME")
DRAKE: (Singing) Just hold on, we're going home. It's hard to do these things alone. Just hold on, we're going home
GARLIN: You could visualize your own mini-movie in your head when you hear that song. Every time I'm leaving from a show and I'm going home to my wife and daughter, that is the song that I play. And it just keeps me company on the way home to see them because sometimes it's been a long night. I just need to take it easy to go home.
MARTIN: That was Trinidadian Soca singer Bunji Garland telling us what's playing in his ear. To hear our full conversation, please go to our website at the TELL ME MORE page of npr.org And that's our program for today. I'm Michel Martin, and you've been listening to TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Let's talk more tomorrow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.