Fun and Games – "Grooviest Girl in the World" (1968)

You’re the grooviest girl in the world

And I’m a guy with impeccable taste

A few nights ago, I went online to shop for a fleece throw that I could use to make watching TV in my apartment a cozier experience.

I’m usually pleased with the stuff I get from L. L. Bean, so I went to their website first.  Their “Wicked Plush Throw” – which was touted as a New York Times Wirecutter pick – seemed to fit the bill.

Are you familiar with Wirecutter?  They test and rate a wide variety of products – everything from televisions to winter boots for kids to boxed macaroni and cheese.  

I discovered Wirecutter a couple of years ago when I was shopping for an electronic keyboard.  I picked the keyboard that they recommended, and have been very pleased with my choice.

The Wirecutter review of the L. L. Bean throw – which cost $32.95 – made it sound perfect for my needs.  But the “Wicked Plush Throw” wasn’t in stock at the nearest L. L. Bean retail store, and I hated to pay eight bucks in shipping and handling to have it delivered.

I did some more looking around online and decided to look for a throw at the Target store that’s near my gym.  I found a nice plaid one – it was much nicer looking than the solid-color Bean throw I had considered – that cost only $15.

*     *     *     *     *

When I showered after undergoing a minor medical procedure recently, I ended up with a little blood on my bath towel.  I spritzed the towel with some laundry stain remover and dropped it into the washing machine with the rest of my laundry.

While waiting for my washing machine to do its magic, I decided to see if Consumer Reports had anything to say about laundry stain removers.

It turned out that Consumer Reports had tested a half-dozen different laundry stain removers a couple of years ago.  I was pleased to find out that my brand I had been using – OxiClean Max Force – was the magazine’s top choice.  (It did particularly well when it came to removing blood stains.)

I’ve made a mental note to pick up a bottle on my next visit to Walmart.  (I could have picked one up the next time I went to the grocery store, but OxiClean Max Force costs $4.49 at the local Harris Teeter and only $4.39 at Walmart.)

*     *     *     *     *

Was it really necessary for me to go to product testing websites and then compare prices at various retail stores before purchasing a fleece throw and laundry stain remover?  

As a matter of fact, it was.  Because in each case I wanted to get the perfect product.  And I wanted to get it at the best price possible. 

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder – or “OCPD” – is characterized by excessive perfectionism.  Based on my description of the effort I put into shopping for a couple of simple and inexpensive products, do you think I sound like someone who suffers from OCPD?  Or am I just a little (or a lot) weird?

We’ll continue to chew on that question in the next 2 or 3 lines.

*     *     *     *     *

One final thought before we get to today’s featured record.

This may sound paradoxical, but I don’t think my need to get the lowest price for everything I buy has anything to do with money.  I’m comfortable financially – but even if I wasn’t, we’re talking about very small amounts of money here.

I could give you many more examples of the lengths I go to in order to save money.  For example, my car takes 89 octane gasoline, and I figured out a long time ago that I can save a couple of bucks each time I fill up by mixing 87 octane regular and 93 octane premium in a 2:1 ratio instead of pumping 89 octane gas directly. 

Sure, that requires spending more time at the gas station.  But the reward for my extra effort is the knowledge that I have figured out how to beat the system.

And so am I!

For me, figuring out ways to save money without sacrificing quality is just as satisfying as solving a sudoku puzzle or winning at trivia – not because the amount of money involved is meaningful, but because I’m satisfying my innate desire to master skills and achieve competence. 

*     *     *     *     *

The Fun and Games were a short-lived Houston group that broke up shortly after releasing their one and only album, Elephant Candy, in 1968.  

Click here to listen to their recording of “Grooviest Girl in the World,” which stalled out at #78 on the Billboard “Hot 100” in early 1969.  

The song’s lyrics contain references to three well-known sixties records – “Judy in Disguise” (by John Fred and his Playboy Band), “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (by the Beatles), and “Up, Up, and Away” (by the Fifth Dimension).

A cover of “Grooviest Girl in the World” by a New Zealand group, The Simple Image, was a #3 hit in that country later that year.

Click here to buy The Simple Image’s cover of “Grooviest Girl in the World” from Amazon.