SONGSPEAK » 00s music

Bring it on down to Basketville

jamie — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:28:23 +0000

This morning on the way to work, I passed a billboard that I’ve probably passed countless times before. For some reason, I never really noticed it like I did today. It was for Basketville in Putney, Vermont. And all I could think of is that right out front, Justin Timberlake is dressed up in a giant ridiculous basket costume, pressing play on a boombox, singing basket-related lyrics to some kind of current pop hit like Ke$ha’s Tik Tok, and then shouting, “Bring it on down to Basketville!” All thanks to the Omeletteville skit from years ago, and then the follow-up, Homelessville:

Yes, these are the things that go through my head on the drive to work…

jamie wrote this on 07/15/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, 00s tv, basketville, billboard, boombox, homelessville, justin timberlake, ke$ha, omeletteville, putney, saturday night live, snl, tik tok, vermont

A boombox is not a toy

jamie — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:22:13 +0000

Imagine my joy when SNL featured a Digital Short this past weekend of my favorite track off the Lonely Island CD, Boombox. Julian Casablancas from the Strokes appears, as he provided vocals for the song. The video pretty much tells the story I envisioned in my head, and any song and/or video that references the 1990 hit Do the Bartman is aces in my book.

jamie wrote this on 03/15/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 1 comment so far | TAGS: 00s music, 10s tv, 90s music, andy samberg, digital short, do the bartman, julian casablancas, saturday night live, snl, the lonely island, the simpsons, the strokes

Think I work at CVS? I don’t.

jamie — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:11:08 +0000

The Jennifer Lopez classic Love Don’t Cost a Thing was on Mix 93.1 earlier today while I was working, and it reminded me of when the song first came out. I’ve always thought she says, “think I work at CVS, I don’t” at one point. I know those aren’t the actual lyrics, though. In fact, I don’t think I know what the actual lyrics are. After a quick google search, I’ve determine they must be, “think you gotta keep me iced, you don’t”.

Love Don’t Cost A Thing (Album…

Regardless, it’s a stupid song. As if J-Lo would work at a Consumer Value Store. And did anyone see her performances on SNL recently? What was THAT all about?

jamie wrote this on 03/12/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, consumer value store, cvs, j-lo, jennifer lopez, love don't cost a thing, mix 93.1, saturday night live, snl, think you gotta keep me iced you don't

You got your sixty back…

jamie — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:08:33 +0000

I got my sixty back!

This happened quite some time ago at a poker night at the VFW, but it merits mention nonetheless. It was final table with a few of us left, the blinds were high, and while I wasn’t involved in either of these hands, I was still playing and watching. Two guys got involved in a pot two hands in a row. In the first one, one of them lost about 60,000 in chips to the other. The next hand, he pretty much ended up winning them back. I told him, “you got your sixty back!” and the other guy said, “you other fuckers don’t know how to act”, clearly referencing SexyBack by Justin Timberlake. We all had a good chuckle over that one.

jamie wrote this on 02/26/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, final table, justin timberlake, poker, poker night, sexyback, vfw

Wouldn’t Black Sabbath make more sense?

jamie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:31:45 +0000

Thanks to Bill for sending me this link earlier today. It seems that the soundtrack for Iron Man 2 will consist of solely AC/DC songs, and the soundtrack, available April 19, 2010, will be called AC/DC: Iron Man 2. One would think that AC/DC recorded a new track or two for the soundtrack, like Big Gun from Last Action Hero or Who Made Who for Maximum Overdrive, but nope, no new songs…just old stuff. So really, it’s kind of a “greatest hits” package of sorts. Which is fine, I’m sure the music in the movie will be rockin’, but would it have killed them to record a new song for the movie? (As I mentioned to Bill earlier, given their age, it just might). And didn’t Black Sabbath have a song titled Iron Man? Maybe it was in the first movie, who knows…I still haven’t gotten around to watching it yet. It appears as though Jon Favreau is a big AC/DC fan, and that was one of the factors that contributed to this whole scenario. Very reminiscent of how Stephen King wanted AC/DC exclusively for the soundtrack of Maximum Overdrive (based on his short story Trucks) because he’s a fan. Oh, Maximum Overdrive. Emilio Estevez. And remember when that other dude got clobbered by that truck that came to life? That was awesome. Anyway, enough reminiscing.

It looks like the soundtrack does a good job encompassing AC/DC’s whole career with some classic old Bon Scott songs right up to a song off their most recent CD Black Ice. You can see the track listing at the link above, but here it is anyway:

1. Shoot to Thrill
2. Rock ‘N’ Roll Damnation
3. Guns for Hire
4. Cold Hearted Man
5. Back in Black
6. Thunderstruck
7. If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
8. Evil Walks
9. T.N.T.
10. Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be
11. Have a Drink on Me
12. The Razor’s Edge
13. Let There Be Rock
14. War Machine
15. Highway to Hell

And here’s the first video for Shoot to Thrill from the movie:

Keep your eyes on Brian Johnson. There’s something about a 62 year old grinding his hips that isn’t disturbing at all.

NOT.

jamie wrote this on 01/27/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: 00s music, 10s movies, 70s music, 80s music, 90s music, ac/dc, AC/DC: Iron Man 2, angus young, back in black, big gun, bill, black ice, black sabbath, bon scott, brian johnson, cold hearted man, emilio estevez, evil walks, greatest hits, guns for hire, have a drink on me, hell ain't a bad place to be, if you want blood (you've got it), iron man, iron man 2, jon favreau, last action hero, let there be rock, maximum overdrive, rock 'n' roll damnation, shoot to thrill, stephen king, t.n.t., that was awesome, the razor's edge, thunderstruck, trucks, who made who

Sloppy Joe, Slop Sloppy Joe

jamie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:15:27 +0000

On the nights my wife works, it’s up to me to make dinner for myself and Quinn. One of my go-to meals, mainly because it’s easy to prepare and doesn’t take much time, is Hamburger Helper. There are enough varieties that having it once a week doesn’t really get too old, and it’s just easier than cooking a big complicated meal for two after working all day (this sounds like a commercial). Anywho, a few weeks ago the one that I was making was a Sloppy Joe flavor. When I told Quinn that’s what we were having, I started singing all loud and crazy, “Sloppy Joe, slop Sloppy Joe!” from Adam Sandler’s Lunchlady Land. She looked at me like I was crazy, but I assured her it was a song. I’m not sure she quite believed me, so I put that very song on one of the CD mixes we made for the big Lancaster trip a couple weeks ago. When it got to that part, she said, “I didn’t think it was a real song, dad!”. She now requests the song on occasion and laughs at how silly it is (even though she’s only in preschool, doesn’t know what a lunchlady is, and has never been subject to public school lunches). When I hear the song, I think of the old Saturday Night Live when Adam Sandler performs it as Chris Farley dances around, playing the part of the lunchlady. And since there seems to be a trend of Chris Farley posts here lately, I figured why not post the video. It’s really poor quality, but I’m surprised I was able to find it at all. I had completely forgotten that Kevin Nealon played the part of Sloppy Joe. And how inappropriate it is that they have Ellen Cleghorne playing the chocolate pudding.

lunch lady land

TheGreatOne | MySpace Video

I’m making dinner tonight for Quinn and myself, and looking in the cupboard, noticed that we again have Sloppy Joe Hamburger Helper in stock. Maybe I’ll songspeak it again tonight if I make it, and perhaps Quinn will join me. Thanks to Sloppy Joe, slop Sloppy Joe.

jamie wrote this on 10/29/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, 90s music, 90s tv, adam sandler, chris farley, ellen cleghorne, hamburger helper, kevin nealon, lancaster, lunchlady land, mix CD, saturday night live, sloppy joe

The Hoedown Throwdown

jamie — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:42:56 +0000

So, another trip to Lancaster for me and and my family for work, and more mix CD’s made for the 6 hour roadtrip. When making CD’s for the trip, my wife and I strive for a good variety of music that we enjoy, as well as some kid’s songs to keep Quinn happy in the backseat. It seems every year there’s a song or two that catches on with her that we end up listening to incessantly. Last year, it was the theme songs to iCarly and Drake & Josh. This year, it was the Hoedown Throwdown off the Hannah Montana Movie soundtrack. The Hannah Montana Movie is the first movie Quinn saw in a real theater. And we netflixed the DVD so she’d have something to watch on the portable DVD player on the trip and in the hotel room. I hadn’t seen the movie, and hearing the song on one of my wife’s two mixes was my first experience with it. Then, we arrived in Lancaster, PA, and stopped at the Olive Garden for dinner. And while sitting at the table, Quinn kept singing, “Boom boom clap, boom dee clap dee clap”. It took me awhile to realize she was singing this song, but when watching the DVD with her in the room, it all became clear. Miley travels home to Tennessee with her dad and brother to visit her grandmother, and during a party, spices it up by adding some hip hop to their hoedown. And from then on, Quinn insisted on listening to the “Miley Montana” song (don’t worry, she’s very clear on the Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana double-life situation). And we must have listened to that song about a million times whenever we were in the car. Quinn wants to learn how to do the dance, but thinks she’s still a bit young, and then realized that Miley sings that, “if you’re 5 or 82, this is something you can do”, and since she’s only 4, she’s not quite old enough to do it. Now, Hannah Montana has grown on me in the past year or so, and I must say, this song is damn catchy. I didn’t really mind listening to it over and over. See for yourself:

jamie wrote this on 10/19/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s movies, 00s music, 00s tv, billy ray cyrus, boom boom clap, boom dee clap dee clap, double-life, drake & josh, hannah montana, hip-hop, hoedown, hoedown throwdown, iCarly, lancaster, miley cyrus, miley stewart, olive garden, pennsylvania, roadtrip, Tennessee, the hannah montana movie

It’s a nice day for an Office wedding

jamie — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:29:42 +0000

Last night marked the biggest television wedding since Monica and Chandler or Luke and Laura when Jim and Pam got married on The Office. The episode actually surpassed my expectations, and the entire cast got some really funny moments. The episode was chock-full of great moments; Dwight hooking up with Pam’s best friend, Andy tearing his scrotum, Michael hooking up with Pam’s mom, Kevin losing his shoes, Oscar getting offended by Pam’s sister thinking Kevin was his boyfriend, Jim’s slip-up during his toast, and Michael’s awkward attempt at a save. And then, of course, there was the wedding party dancing down the aisle to Forever by (Rihanna-beater) Chris Brown, based on a real-life wedding youtube sensation hit. Let’s suspend disbelief for a moment and not question why all of Jim and Pam’s co-workers would, for some reason, be allowed to walk/dance down the aisle in addition to the wedding party, because, well, the show IS called The Office and a moment like this without the cast of the show wouldn’t feel right. Here is it for those who missed it:

And, the original, as performed at Jill and Kevin Heinz’s wedding (and how awesome is it for them that not only did it become such a huge viral hit, but is now also referenced in one of the most iconic moments on one of the best shows on television?):

All in all, the episode wasn’t nearly as sappy as it could have been, and I thought they did a good job balancing the schmaltzy Jim & Pam stuff with the crazy hijinks that the show does so well.

jamie wrote this on 10/09/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, 00s tv, andy bernard, chris brown, crazy hijinks, dwight shrute, forever, Friends, general hospital, jill and kevin heinz, jim and pam, jim and pam wedding, jim halpert, kevin, luke and laura, monica and chandler, nbc, oscar, pam beesly, rihanna, schmaltzy, season 6, the office, torn scrotum, wedding dance

There’s no need to argue, Parks & Recreation just can’t read my poker face

jamie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:12:21 +0000

The second season of Parks and Recreation premiered last night, and they took no time getting right into the songspeak. The cold open of the episode is classic songspeak, with Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope breaking into a dope rendition of The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s hit, Parents Just Don’t Understand. This whole scene actually reminded me of something that Matt or I might have done when we shared an office:

But it didn’t stop there. In this episode, Leslie Knope staged a penguin wedding at the local zoo, only to find out they were both male. This created a political firestorm in which the gay community embraced Leslie as a champion for their cause. So they invited her to a party in her honor at Pawnee’s gay nightclub, The Bulge. She goes with the intention of setting the record straight (no pun intended) that the wedding wasn’t a political statement, but is soon won over after a few drinks and hearing all the gay guys chant her name. She dances with them, and then does a stirring rendition of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, only to have it incessantly stuck in her head the next morning. I can relate, as the song was stuck in my head as I was trying to fall asleep last night after watching the episode:

Two splendid examples of songspeak in the first episode. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Parks and Recreation.

jamie wrote this on 09/18/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: 00s music, 00s tv, 80s music, amy poehler, dj jazzy jeff, gay marriage, gay nightclub, lady gaga, leslie knope, parents just don't understand, parks & recreation, pawnee, poker face, the bulge, the fresh prince

That’s why I say Colin Hay, man, nice show. What a good show, man.

jamie — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:15:11 +0000

Last night, my wife and I went to see Colin Hay (former lead singer of Men at Work) perform at the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun (or, as he called it, “the den of the wolf”). He’s touring in support of his new CD, American Sunshine. This is my fourth time seeing him perform (the first being at the Wolf Den a few years ago, and then twice at the Iron Horse in Northampton), and he put on a great show once again. One of the highlights was his wife, Cecilia Noel’s crazy interpretive dance to most of his songs (my wife referred to her as “whimsical”, but I’ll stick with “crazy”), and, of course, her air flute and redick flute-sounds when they played Down Under. Thankfully, they played Overkill (I remember when I emailed my friend Brian awhile back that I was going to see Colin Hay at Mohegan Sun, his email reply was simply “ghosts appear and faaaaaade awaaaaaaaay”), but missing from the set was one of my favorites to hear him play live, Be Good Johnny. Regardless, it was no mistake going to see him again. Below is a dramatization of the event:

jamie wrote this on 08/27/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, 80s music, 90s music, air flute, american sunshine, be good johnny, brian, cecilia noel, colin hay, crazy, den of the wolf, down under, iron horse, it's a mistake, men at work, mohegan sun, northampton, overkill, whimsical, wolf den

Thanks to Weird Al, Charles Nelson Reilly finally gets the badass recognition he deserves

jamie — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:41:03 +0000

Thanks to Bill for sending me the link to JibJab’s video for Weird Al’s new song, CNR, available now on iTunes. I still watch old reruns of Match Game on the Game Show Network, and Charles Nelson Reilly was a comic genius. RIP. Watch out Chuck Norris, there’s a new badass hitting the interwebz.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

jamie wrote this on 08/04/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: 00s music, badass, Charles Nelson Reilly, chuck norris, CNR, comic genius, game show network, gsn, itunes, jibjab, match game, weird al, weird al yankovic, white stripes

The guy from Theory of a Deadman hates his life

jamie — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:00:30 +0000

One of the catchier songs I’ve been hearing on Lazer 99.3 lately is Hate My Life by Theory of a Deadman. You may not know the band, but they’re one of those stereotypical rock radio bands. You might confuse them with Nickelback, or Shinedown, or Three Days Grace, or Breaking Benjamin, or…well, you get the idea.

I like this song, even though there’s something annoying about someone from a relatively successful rock band complaining about how much their life sucks. Let’s look at the video, shall we?

I’ll tell ya, when I first watched the video, the singer looked nothing like I pictured him. And you can tell he must not be used to making videos. He sure comes across lifeless and devoid of emotion for a song filled with such bitter rage.

The novelty of this song will likely fade, and as far as songs about hatred go, I still think Ugly Kid Joe did it best.

jamie wrote this on 05/18/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, breaking benjamin, hate my life, lazer 99.3, nickelback, shinedown, theory of a deadman, three days grace, ugly kid joe

I’m looking to the sky to save me, looking for a satellite

jamie — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:00:59 +0000

Here at Songspeak, we love the Foo Fighters. I don’t remember if this particular misheard lyric was due to me, Matt, or just something we heard somewhere else, but it’s a misheard lyric nonetheless.

It’s from their song Learn to Fly. It sounds like Dave Grohl sings, “I’m looking to the sky to save me, looking for a satellite”, but “satellite” is really “sign of life”.

Really, this post is just an excuse to post the video for the song. We’ve talked about Foo Fighters’ hilarious videos before (most notably for Big Me), but this one takes the proverbial cake. The bands plays multiple characters throughout the video, and the only thing I remember about seeing it for the first time was Matt showing it to me on the computer and giggling the most squealish giggle I’ve ever heard come out of him when fat lady Dave Grohl pictures the guy’s head as a hamburger and licks his teeth.

Foo Fighters – New Music – More Music Videos

jamie wrote this on 05/15/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, big me, foo fighters, learn to fly, satellite, sign of life

Sodomy

jamie — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Superman often likes to take advantage of situations

This goes back to when Matt and I shared an office. And yes, I know there are a lot of these stories, but it was a good opportunity for songspeaks, so you can all suck it.

Five for Fighting’s song Superman (It’s Not Easy) had just been released, and there wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t hear it at least once or twice. And on a tangential note, isn’t it weird that Five for Fighting is just one guy? Yeah, his name is John Ondrasik. What a weirdo.

Anyway, at one point late in the song, he sings the line, “inside of me”, but Matt and I think it sounds like he’s singing, “In sodomy”. We both had AIM on our computers, so we always had a contest to see who could message “sodomy” to the other the quickest when the line was sang. The rule was that you couldn’t send it before he sang it, so it was always a mad dash to get it typed and hit enter as the words escaped his mouth.

Ah, good times. Dyno-miiiiiiiiiiite.

Here’s the video. John starts singing about sodomy at the 2:28 mark.

Five For Fighting – New Music – More Music Videos

jamie wrote this on 05/13/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 1 comment so far | TAGS: 00s music, AIM, five for fighting, good times, in sodomy, inside of me, instant messenger, Jimmy Walker, john ondrasik, sodomy, superman, superman (it's not easy)

Do you know your enemy?

jamie — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:26:11 +0000

I heard Green Day’s first single off their new CD, 21st Century Breakdown, for the first time on Lazer 99.3 yesterday afternoon on the way home from work. I like it. I was a big fan of American Idiot, and wasn’t sure they’d be consistent with their quality on their future albums, but I must say, this rocks. Usually it takes a few listens for news songs to grow on me, but I liked this one right away. Lyrics follow the video:

Green Day – New Music – More Music Videos

Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
Violence is an enemy
Against the enemy
Violence is an energy
Bringing on the fury
The choir infantry
Revolt against the honor to obey
Overthrow the effigy
The vast majority
Burning down the foreman of control
Silence is the enemy
Against your urgency
So rally up the demons of your soul
Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
The insurgency will rise
When the bloods been sacrificed
Don’t be blinded by the lies
In your eyes
Violence is an energy
From here to eternity
Violence is an energy
Silence is the enemy
So gimme gimme revolution
Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
Overthrow the effigy
The vast majority
Burning down the foreman of control
Silence is the enemy
Against your urgency
So rally up the demons of your soul

jamie wrote this on 04/28/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 6 comments | TAGS: 00s music, 21st century breakdown, american idiot, green day, know your enemy, know your enemy lyrics, lazer 99.3