Do you believe anyone thinks about Procol Harum anymore?

I think you should.

And by that I don’t mean turning up the radio when classic rock radio plays “Conquistador” for the 16 millionth time or “A Whiter Shade of Pale” for the 27 millionth time. I’m talking about the rest of Procol Harum.

Utopia.

Truth told, I hadn’t thought about the band much, lately, myself — maybe not for several years, back when Ringo Starr brought his then-latest All-Starr Band to Mohegan Sun, and the Harum’s Gary Brooker was onboard. In fact, so were Jack Bruce and Todd Rundgren — which had to be the strongest of Ringo’s myriad lineups. That night, I sorta forgot ol’ Ringo was even there — except for those irritating times when he’d step out front and sing “You’re Sixteen” or something and ruin an otherwise excellent night that saw Brooker sing “Whiskey Train” and, yes, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Conquistador," Bruce break out “White Room” and “I Feel Free,” and Todd perform the entire side one of

Utopia, but he did stomp ass with “Hammer in My Heart.”

Okay, Todd didn’t do side one of

“Strong as Sampson” spontaneously hopped into my brain. Sensational! A monstrously fine song! Hadn’t thought of it in years! From the Exotic Birds and Fruit album!

Anyway, completely unbidden in the shower this morning, Procol’s

"New Lamps for Old,"  and “Beyond the Pale."

And that tune reminded me of other relative obscurities from their archives:

Listen and agree with me that these are songs that scream for immortality.

By the way, my lovely bride was just complaining to me the other day that, for reasons only the Dark Soul-Thief understands, the Men at Work song called “Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive” had imbedded itself into her consciousness like an insidious pinworm that winds through one’s intestines in honeycomb fashion.

I’m not sure why some folks, like myself, get songs out of nowhere that are typically great, like a knock at the door from an old friend, and other folks channel really horrible songs like a Ouija Board experiment gone horribly array.

On the other hand, perhaps YOU might react to the sudden appearance in your skull of a Procol Harum song as decidedly not a good thing — and, conversely, maybe you’re delighted when “Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive” starts going through your head.

Which reminds me: in an interview long ago, Gin Blossoms guitarist Jesse Valenzuela told me that “Feliz Navidad” goes through his head pretty much continually and had since he was a kid. He has no idea why and had given up fighting it. I still find that melancholy but interesting.

Are there tunes that either bless you or curse you by buzzing around your ears? And don’t say Electric Light Orchestra’s “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” because I won’t believe you.