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TAG: 90s music
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songspeak
The Matt Who Hated the Man Who Sold the World
There is one purpose for this post, and that’s to get under Matt’s skin.
Some of you may remember that in the early 90’s, Nirvana did an edition of MTV Unplugged. It was pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. Many of the songs from the set became singles and got lots of radio airplay.
One of those was their cover of The Man Who Sold the World, originally released by David Bowie. Well, this sent Matt into a rage the likes of which I’d never seen. Whenever it came on the radio, he would tell anyone within earshot, “I didn’t like this song when it first came out, and I don’t like it now!” It was as if Nirvana had performed the song just to stick it to Matt, or at least that’s what he thought.
This has become a running gag here at Songspeak, and if I ever hear the song when Matt’s around, I always bring up how he didn’t like the song when it first came out, and he doesn’t like it now.
So, just for Matt, here you go:
And just for good measure:
Tags: 70s music, 90s music, 90s tv, covers, david bowie, david bowie cover, i didn't like it then and i don't like it now, mtv, mtv unplugged, nirvana, the man who sold the world, unplugged
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songspeak
Is MC Hammer ready for some football?
There’s a new commercial for Monday Night Football on ESPN with MC Hammer, and I sure do get a kick out of it. I’ve discussed in other posts the usage of MC Hammer’s songs in commercials, but this one’s different. For one thing, MC Hammer actually appears as himself. For another, well, I won’t ruin it, but just listen to what’s said just before the dude wakes up. I just think this commercial’s great because who hasn’t had a totally weird dream that gets weirder when their alarm goes off, and the sound of their alarm is incorporated into their dream? I know I have.
Anywho, I get a kick out of it. So here it is, for your viewing pleasure (there is a second commercial after it that’s also pretty amusing, but it doesn’t have MC Hammer in it, so nuts to them):
I mean, I don’t even care about sports and this commercial almost makes me want to watch Monday Night Football. Almost.
Tags: 00s tv commercials, 90s music, alarm clock, are you ready for some football?, back to the grind, dream, espn, espn monday night football, football, hammer, mad keytar skills, mc hammer, mc hammer monday night football commercial, monday night football, monday night football commercial, please hammer don't hurt em, weird dreams
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don't insult our intelligence
Natalie Imbruglia’s inspiration has run dry
I just heard Natalie Imbruglia’s version of Torn on the radio at work, and I was reminded of the controversy this song caused (mainly amongst Matt) when it first came out in 1998. Most of you have probably heard this song. But how many of you know it’s a cover?
YES! The band Ednaswap originally wrote and released the song in 1995. They’ve recorded a couple different versions of it, but for some reason, when Natalie Imbruglia released her version, no one ever acknowledged that it was a cover. This got under the skin of Matt, because he was a fan of Ednaswap and thought that Natalie Imbruglia shouldn’t be getting the credit for a song she didn’t write. Ironically enough, there is one line that appears in her version that doesn’t appear in the original version, and that line is “my inspiration has run dry”. Indeed.
If MTV, VH1, or any of the thousands of radio stations had acknowledged that it was a cover, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. But they all were part of the grand conspiracy. Some of us know better, though.
And here’s hoping Natalie Imbruglia gets what’s coming to her.
Tags: 90s music, controversy, cover, cover of torn, ednaswap, ednaswap cover, grand conspiracy, instant karma, mtv, my inspiration has run dry, natalie imbruglia, natalie imbruglia covers ednaswap, torn, vh1
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songspeak
If you fell out a window
This is perhaps one of the most insensitive songspeaks in Matt’s and my history together, but I feel it’s a songspeak that must be told.
Some may remember that in 1991, Eric Clapton suffered the tragic loss of his son when his son fell out the window of a 53rd floor apartment. I’ll start out by saying there’s nothing funny about this. At all. Eric Clapton wrote the 1992 ballad Tears in Heaven for his deceased son, and it was getting major airplay at the time. It’s still on the playlist on many mix and easy listening radio stations, and I think of this songspeak whenever I hear it.
Matt and I used to share an office when we worked together, and we’d have the radio on all day. Tears in Heaven came on once, and we both knew the origin of the song. The lyrics begin, “Would you know my name…if I saw you in heaven?” Well, apparently these lyrics weren’t good enough for Matt, who very sincerely sang along, “Would you know my name…if you fell out a window?”. His rendition may sound insensitive, but people deal with tragedy in different ways. Our way is to use humor to try to make light of things. At this point, the song was 7 or 8 years old, and we had kind of been desensitized to the entire situation that surrounded it.
We’ve definitely matured in the past 10 years, and don’t make light of death in quite the same way that we used to, due to many personal trials and tribulations that we’ve been through. And now, with a daughter of my own, I can’t imagine that I would find this songspeak all that funny, the way I did when Matt first sang it.
Be that as it may, this is one of the more memorable songstories for me, so I feel compelled to share it. Please don’t think less of us. We already know we’re going to hell.
Tags: 90s music, ballad, death, death of eric clapton's son, easy listening, eric clapton, going to hell, insensitive, open window, tears in heaven, tragic loss
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songspeak
U Can’t Putt This!
We’ve posted here before about the use of songspeak in commercials. However, I don’t know that we’ve ever praised the virtues of the local commercial. The Office even dedicated an episode to the art of the local commercial.
This post is a wonderful example of the local commercial combined with songspeak in advertising. Fenway Golf is a mini-golf/pitch & putt/driving range/par 3 golf course/batting cage all-around activity center located in East Longmeadow, MA. It’s a fun place to spend a Saturday with the family, but more importantly, it has one of the most phenomenal local commercials we’ve ever seen.
It features their own special version of U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer (which itself samples Superfreak by Rick James). There must be something about that catchy bassline, given that numerous commercials have utilized both songs, or alternate versions thereof (Mohegan Sun, for instance, or the many examples here). Well, in Fenway Golf’s version, their adorable golf ball mascot bounces to and fro throughout the grounds, singing his own catchy version of the MC Hammer classic.Words really don’t do it justice, so you’ll just have to see for yourself:
Tags: 00s tv, 00s tv commercials, 70s music, 90s music, east longmeadow, fenway golf, local commercials, mc hammer, rick james, songspeak in advertising, stop hammertime, superfreak, the office, u can't touch this
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misheard lyrics
I know what a prison lover ought to be
Spin Doctors had their 15 minutes of fame back in the early 90’s with their two big hits, Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong and Two Princes. I still hear Two Princes quite often on the radio, and I always think of Matt’s and my alternate lyrics for the chorus.
For those who don’t know, Chris Barron sings, “I know what a prince and lover ought to be”, but he sings the line so damn fast that it sounds like he says, “I know what a prison lover ought to be”. We prefer this line because, well, it sounds funnier that way.
Go ahead. Listen to it. Tell us we’re wrong.
Tags: 90s music, chris barron, i know what a prince and lover ought to be, i know what a prison lover ought to be, little miss can't be wrong, prison lover, spin doctors, two princes
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songspeak
Nothing attracts a clown like a clown
Hey, remember when Soul Asylum was popular?
Neither do I.
But I do remember about 15 years ago Grave Dancers Union came out, containing their first big hit, Black Gold, along with its ridiculous lyrics. Bill and I used to get hung up on the line “nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd”. We wondered whether the same applied to clowns and always changed the words to “nothing attracts a clown like a clown”.
And then there’s that ridiculous line about “I don’t care about no wheelchair”. What’s THAT all about?
Tags: 90s music, black gold, clown in a wheelchair, clowns, grave dancers union, I don't care about no wheelchair, nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd, soul asylum, wheelchair
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songspeak
BNL singer Steven Page arrested on cocaine charges in upstate New York
Having been to many a Barenaked Ladies show throughout the years, it’s unfortunate for us at Songspeak to learn that Steven Page was arrested on cocaine charges in Fayetteville, NY on July 11, 2008. He was charged with “fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance” and is due to appear in Syracuse court on Friday, July 18.
From the AP article:
Police say Steven Page was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance on Friday in the Syracuse area.
Authorities say the arrest occurred at about 2 a.m. after police noticed a suspicious car with its driver’s side door left open. They say they found Page and two women in a nearby apartment, along with cocaine and marijuana.
Barenaked Ladies recently released a cd of kids music called Snacktime, so this drug charge comes at a particularly bad time for the band.
Tags: 00s music, 90s music, barenaked ladies, bnl, canadian, cocaine, drug charges, fayetteville, snacktime, steven page, syracuse
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misheard lyrics
Whoops! There it is!
This is quite an old songspeak, but I was reminded of Whoomp! (There It Is) by Tag Team last night while Jamie and I and a bunch of other dudes got together for a GNO (Guys’ Night Out). Usually our GNOs consist of getting together and going out to dinner, but we decided to kick it old school and play some Wiffle ball… then go to dinner.
Speaking of wiffleball, I started singing Bono-style… “wiffle without you” to Kristen in the car on our way home from work in anticipation of the GNO wiffle ball game. She gave me a thumbs down on that one.
And speaking of Old School, on a recent trip to Martha’s Vineyard, I was driving in Edgartown and stopped to let a pedestrian across the street. The pedestrian was, in fact, Luke Wilson of Old School, Legally Blonde, and countless Wes Anderson movies fame. Kristen and Heather were in the car with me when I said, “Hey, look who it is.” matter-of-fact-ly. They shrieked with excitement. Luke Wilson is taller than I would have expected.Anyway, getting back to the Whoomp! (There It Is) portion of this story… basically, my dad– who is quite the jokester– started singing… Whoops, there it is! one time when he visited me. It’s been so long that I can’t remember the circumstances that led to it, but Jamie and I still joke about the misheard lyric to this day.
Tags: 90s music, bono, gno, guys night out, legally blonde, luke wilson, martha's vineyard, misheard lyrics, old school, tag team, u2, wes anderson, whoomp (there it is), whoops there it is, wiffle ball, with or without you
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songspeak
I killed a squirrel
This songspeak is actually over 10 years old, but still one of my favorites. This was back when Matt and I worked in the Smith College bookstore and hung out with the Smithies.
Well, one day on my way to the bookstore, a squirrel ran out in front of my car and, alas, I ran it over. I was devastated as it was the first animal I’d ran over since getting my license. If I remember correctly, Matt arrived to work a little after me, and having taken the same road to get there, confirmed the kill.
Well, later that night, or maybe the next (who knows, it was 10 years ago!), Matt and I were hanging out with Lisa and Erica and perhaps others at my house, and in the midst of the evening, I announced, “I killed a squirrel”. Matt immediately responded with, “Isn’t that a Jill Sobule song?” referring to the 1995 Jill Sobule hit, I Kissed a Girl. That struck all of our funnybones and we all had a good laugh after such a tragic event.
I actually saw Jill Sobule perform a few years back at a NACA National Conference, and she did indeed perform this song, among others. I had forgotten that the amazing Fabio appears in the video!
Remember when his face got effed up by a bird on an amusement park ride?
Tags: 90s music, dead squirrel, fabio, fabio bird accident, i killed a squirrel, i kissed a girl, jill sobule, naca, NACA National Conference, smith college, smith college bookstore
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