Legal Commentary

Sunday Song Lyric

By Jonathan H. Adler

Do songwriters understand behavioral economics better than law professors?  They might.  Liam Delaney and Alex Tabarrok have been suggesting songs for ?the behavioral economics songs hall of fame.?  Delaney nominates ?The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song? by the Flaming Lips.  Tabarrok suggests Chris Smither?s ?Hey, Hey, Hey? for these lyrics:

Pretty soon you?re gonna ask me,
How come the life you lead,
Doesn?t make you very happy,
Or satisfy your needs,
You talk about your needs as though
You know just what they are,
When in fact to really know them,
Is like traveling to a star,
It takes so long you die along the way,
So I say hey, hey, hey.

These two are not alone. (Just see the comment thread on Tabarrok?s post.)  Perhaps some songwriters understand aspects of human behavior better than us academics.  [Perhaps?!?Is there any question? ?ed.]

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on March 14, 2010 (boomark / email).