Monday 15 December 2008

Round, Round, Get A Round, I'll Get A Round (In)

Alcoholic beverages, in the titles of songs. Only one example of each needed, but special dispensation will be given for good duplicates.

  • Agua Di Beber - Tom Jobim, or anyone else for that matter. It means water to drink, and is therefore disqualified on the grounds of not being alcoholic.
  • Milk & Alcohol - Dr Feelgood
  • Black Label Blues - Gamble Rogers. About Jack Daniel's, rather than Johnnie Walker's (YouTube)
  • Bluebird Wine - Emmylou Harris (YouTube)
  • Brandy - The O'Jays
  • Brandy Alexdander - Feist
  • Champagne Supernova - Oasis
  • Chardonnay - Cerys Matthews
  • I Am A Cider Drinker - The Wurzels
  • Gin And Juice - Snoop Dogg
  • Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, Please - Splodgeness Abounds
  • Lilac Wine - Jeff Buckley, Elkie Brooks, Katie Melua
  • Have Some Madeira, M'Dear - Flanders & Swann
  • Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
  • Moonshine Sally - Mud
  • Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
  • Jug of Punch - The Dubliners and many other folkies
  • Red Red Wine - UB40
  • Sherry - The Four Seasons
  • Special Brew - Bad Manners
  • Tequila - CafĂ© Quijano
  • Tequila Sunrise - The Eagles. Tequila, orange juice, and grenadine.
  • Whiskey In The Jar - Thin Lizzy. Irish, of course.
  • One Whisky, One Bourbon, One Beer - George Thorogood & The Destroyers. Please drink responsibly.
  • Whisky & Green Tea - Supergrass. Sounds like a disgusting cocktail
  • Zombie - The Cranberries. Rum, apricot brandy, pineapple, lime, strangely no cranberries.


and afterwards, Black Coffee In Bed - Squeeze

Sunday 23 November 2008

Instant Carma

A list of song titles that include the names of cars. I'm being kind here, so they can be make or model, and I'll even allow songs that aren't really about the car, but happen to use a car-related word, such as, er, Thunderbird by Seasick Steve.

  • Beetlebum - Blur. Here is a VW Beetle:

  • Bluebird - 10CC. Here is the Nissan Bluebird:

  • From A Buick 6 - Bob Dylan

  • Cadillac Ranch - Bruce Springsteen. Even Burt Reynolds in the black Trans-Am / All gonna meet at the Cadillac Ranch.

  • Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole

  • Bitchin' Camaro - The Dead Milkmen
  • Cavaliers - Blue Aeroplanes
  • Chevrolet - ZZ Top
  • Red Cortina - The Saw Doctors

  • Little Red Corvette - Prince. Here is the Chevrolet Corvette:

  • Little Deuce Coupe - The Beach Boys. A Deuce Coupe is a 1932 Ford Model B Coupe (deuce being for the year), apparently. We live and learn.

  • Escort Crash On Marston Street - Heavenly
  • Fiesta - The Pogues. I used to have a Ford Fiesta 1.6 GL a bit like this one:

  • Help Me, (R)Honda - The Beach Boys. Ouch.
  • We're Going to Ibiza - Vengaboys. That's the Seat Ibiza. Wince.
  • Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin
  • MGB GT - Richard Thompson
  • Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett. Here is the Ford Mustang:

  • Roadrunner - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers. Here is the Plymouth Road Runner:

  • Wild Rover: The Dubliners.
  • Antique 32 Studebaker Dictator Coupe - Ronnie and the Daytonas

  • Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks. The Nissan Sunny. It gets worse.

  • Terraplane Blues - Robert Johnson. Here is a Hudson Terraplane:
    Hudson Terraplane
  • Thunderbird - Seasick Steve
  • (I'm Stuck In A Pagoda With) Tricia Toyota - The Dickies
    Trans Am - Neil Young
  • From A Vauxhall Velox - Billy Bragg.

Monday 27 October 2008

Very Repetitious

A list of bands or songs where the name comprises repeated words (and only the repeated words, so Bow Wow Wow and Zigue Zigue Sputnik are disallowed).

  • Adieu, Adieu - Fairport Convention
  • Again again - Lady Gaga
  • Alegria Alegria - Caetano Veloso
  • Alright Alright Alright - Mungo Jerry
  • Amy Amy Amy - Amy Winehouse
  • A Wager A Wager - Tim Hart & Maddy Prior
  • Baby Baby - Sunblock "feat.", as they say in modern parlance, Sandy
  • Baby, Baby - Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
  • Baby baby - The Vibrators
  • Baj, Baj, Baj (Hungarian for "trouble, trouble, trouble") - Marta Sebestyen and Muzsikas
  • Baker Baker - Tori Amos
  • Bam Bam - Sister Nancy
  • Bang Bang - B. A. Robertson
  • Bang Bang (a very different one) - Nancy Sinatra
  • Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker
  • Bourgie Bourgie - Gladys Knight & The Pips
  • Boys boys boys - Lady Gaga
  • Bye Bye - Bob Dylan
  • Bye Bye Bye - *NSync
  • Call Call - The Faint
  • Cannily Cannily - Maddy Prior & Tim Hart
  • Chan Chan - Buena Vista Social Club
  • Chinito, Chinito (Spanish for "Little Chinese man, little Chinese man") - Juliette and Carla Commagere
  • C'mon, C'mon - Sheryl Crow
  • C'mon, C'mon - One Direction
  • Co-co - The Sweet
  • Cockroach Cockroach - The Crocodiles
  • Cody, Cody - The Flying Burrito Brothers
  • Corrina Corrina - Bob Dylan
  • Cough cough - Everything Everything (bonus!)
  • Cry Cry - Cheap Trick
  • Cry Cry - Oysterband
  • Cry! Cry! Cry! - Johnny Cash
  • Da Da Da - Trio
  • Dance Dance Dance - The Beach Boys
  • Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) - Chic. Even though their parenthetical subtitle is also repetitious, disqualified.
  • Darkness, Darkness - The Youngbloods and many others
  • Drip, Drip, Drip - Chumbawumba
  • Doctor Doctor - UFO
  • Dodo - Genesis
  • Down Down - Status Quo
  • Duran Duran
  • Et moi, et moi, et moi - Jacques Dutronc
  • Everything Everything
  • Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa (Sad song) - Otis Redding. Otis, Otis, Otis - when will you learn that parenthetical subtitles rule you out? Disqualified.
  • Farewell, Farewell - Fairport Convention
  • Fine Fine Fine - Status Quo
  • Fun Fun Fun - The Beach Boys
  • Funny Funny - The Sweet
  • Get It Get It - Scissor Sisters
  • Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) - ABBA. Also disqualified.
  • Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie - Black Flag
  • Girls Girls Girls - Sailor
  • Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. Disallowed
  • Good Morning Good Morning - The Beatles
  • Ha Ha Ha - Flipper
  • Hanna Hanna - China Crisis
  • Honey, Honey - ABBA, Sweet Dreams
  • Hot Hot Hot - Byron Lee
  • Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups, The Belle Stars, etc.
  • Isis - Bob Dylan
  • Jenny, Jenny - Little Richard
  • Jimmy Jimmy - The Undertones
  • Kara Kara - New World
  • Kare Kare - Crowded House
  • Kiss Kiss
  • Kiss Kiss Kiss - Yoko Ono
  • Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me - The Cure
  • Lagu Lagu - Sa Ding Ding
  • Laugh, Laugh - The Beau Brummels
  • Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dean Martin
  • Liar Liar - Avicii
  • Long, Long, Long - The Beatles
  • Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
  • Love, love, love - John Prine
  • Lulu - Lou Reed album
  • Lulu
  • Mama - Genesis
  • Mary Mary
  • Me Me Me
  • Mirror Mirror - Dollar
  • Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm - Crash Test Dummies
  • Mini, mini, mini - Jacques Dutronc
  • Money, Money, Money - ABBA
  • Monomono
  • Mony Mony - Tommy James & The Shondells, Celia & The Mutations, Billy Idol, etc.
  • My-my-my - Otis Redding
  • Na Na Na - Cozy Powell
  • Nag Nag Nag - Cabaret Voltaire
  • Nag Nag Nag Nag - Art Brut
  • Neat, Neat, Neat - The Damned
  • Neighbour Neighbour - The Spectres
  • Neon Neon
  • Never Never - The Assembly
  • No Light, No Light - Florence & The Machine
  • O Charlie, O Charlie - Archie Fisher
  • Okay, Okay - Linus
  • Pata Pata - Miriam Makeba
  • Please, Please, Please - James Brown
  • Pussy, Pussy, Pussy - The Hot Club Of Cowtown
  • Radio Radio - Elvis Costello and The Attractions
  • Rain Rain Rain - Roxy Music
  • Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
  • Rufus Rufus Rufus - Benjamin Brunel
  • Run Run Run - Jo Jo Gunne
  • Run Run Run - Velvet Undergound
  • Say Say Say - Paul McCartney
  • Scarlet Scarlet - Marry Waterson & Oliver Knight
  • Shame, Shame, Shame - Bryan Ferry
  • She Said She Said - The Beatles
  • Sin Sin Sin - Robbie Williams
  • Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! - Tex Williams
  • Stop Stop Stop - The Hollies
  • Suffragette Suffragette - Everything Everything (bonus again!)
  • Sugar Sugar - The Archies
  • Talk Talk - both a band and a song
  • The The
  • Tum Tum - Rita Lee
  • Tum-tum-tum - Jackson do Pandeiro
  • Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - Major Lance
  • Wah-wah - George Harrison
  • Waka Waka - Shakira
  • Wet Wet Wet
  • Xiu Xiu
  • Ya-ya - Lee Dorsey
  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs - disqualified for that one little "s". Nice try, though.
  • Yummy Yummy Yummy - Ohio Express


Denied:

  • De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da - The Police


Thanks to Ali B for the suggestion, and to Jude The Obscure for inspiration. Thanks to Cath, Peter, Rupert, Gavin, Jenni, Matt for suggestions.

Friday 29 August 2008

Percussive-rattle-type-thing

A list of songs featuring the strange ball-on-a-springy-stick that is the vibraslap.

Now available as a Spotify collaborative playlist - so you can enjoy spotting those vibraslap deployment moments.

Learn to play one here on
YouTube.


  • 5000 Volts - Dr Kiss Kiss (YouTube). Quick twang wherever there is a suitable gap.
  • Lily Allen - LDN
  • Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear The Reaper (only once, in the middle eight)
  • Carpenters - This Masquerade
  • The Clash - Revolution Rock (very subtle)
  • The Clash - Last Gang In Town. Quiet one near beginning.
  • Cheap Trick - The Ballad of TV Violence
  • Lou Christie - I'm Gonna Make You Mine (YouTube)
  • Gabriella Cilmi - Nothing Sweet About Me
  • Culture - Stop The Fussing and Fighting. Extensive use in the intro
  • David Essex - Oh What A Circus (tons)
  • Dana - All Kinds of Everything
  • Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno. A big one in the middle, and some other more subtle ones.
  • E.L.O. - Jungle
  • Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye
  • The Guillemots - Through The Windowpane (faint)
  • Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face (lots, but mixed well back)
  • Kaiser Chiefs - What Did I Ever Give You
  • Kenny - Heart of Stone
  • Joan as Police Woman - Shame
  • John Kongos - Tokoloshe Man (overdone)
  • Bob Marley - Satisfy My Soul (lots)
  • Sugar Minott - Good Thing Going
  • Walter Murphy - A Fifth of Beethoven
  • Mylo - Otto's Journey
  • New Seekers - Neverending Song of Love
  • Noah and The Whale - Five Years' Time (plenty, mostly in the chorus, starting about 1:45 in)
  • Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger
  • Odyssey - Inside Out
  • Santana - She's Not There
  • Stereophonics - I Miss You Now
  • Paul Weller - Empty Ring. Right at the beginning, and several times throughout.
  • The Raconteurs - The Switch & The Spur. Two big ones that serve as parentheses for the middle section.
  • R.E.M. - Orange Crush
  • Roxy Music - The Space Between
  • The Zutons - Harder & Harder (near the end)


Points will not be given for copying from the list at Wikipedia

Saturday 17 May 2008

Pop Quiz time

This isn't a list, it's more of a quiz. Listen to the intro, and name the song and artist. Email the answers to ian (dot) hall (at) oup (dot) com, rather than posting them in the comments, as that will spoil everyone's fun. I'm hoping you will find some quite challenging.

  1. Number 1
  2. Number 2
  3. Number 3
  4. Number 4
  5. Number 5
  6. Number 6
  7. Number 7
  8. Number 8
  9. Number 9
  10. Number 10
  11. Number 11
  12. Number 12
  13. Number 13
  14. Number 14
  15. Number 15
  16. Number 16
  17. Number 17
  18. Number 18
  19. Number 19
  20. Number 20


If it helps, they were all singles released in the same year.

Wednesday 23 April 2008

Brrrrr, Brrrrr.... Brrrr, Brrrrr

Songs where the central theme is phones or the use thereof. Peripheral mentions of ringing someone up don't count.


  • 5.7.0.5. - City Boy. But there's no reply.
  • 634-5789 - Wilson Pickett, the Blues Brothers, Bon Jovi and (best of all, says Chris) Ry Cooder.
  • Babe - Take That.
  • Beechwood 4-5789 - The Marvelettes. You can call me up and have a date any old time - very obliging.
  • Call Me - Blondie. Appelle-moi, mon cherie.
  • Donna - 10 CC. Scores extra points for phone sound effects.
  • Hanging On The Telephone - Blondie.
  • Hello, This Is Joanie (The Telephone Answering Machine Song) - Paul Evans. Joanie just died in a car crash, but hey, at least we can still hear her voice on the answering machine.
  • I Just Called To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder. Free key change with every chorus.
  • Is Vic There? - Department S
  • Last Night A DJ Saved My Life - In Deep.
  • Love It When You Call - The Feeling.
  • Memphis, Tennessee - Chuck Berry. Long distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee.
  • Midnight Moonlight - The Be Good Tanyas.
    "If you ever get lonesome / and you're down in San Antone / just beg, steal or borrow / two nickels or a dime / and call me on the phone."
  • Name And Number - Curiosity Killed The Cat
  • Nobody Home - Pink Floyd.
  • One Of The Boys - Mott The Hoople. Can't find the recording now, and the lyrics give nothing away, but I'm pretty sure this has something to do with phones.
  • Pennsylvania 65000 - Glenn Miller Band
  • Private Number - Judy Clay & William Bell. And several other songs of the same name.
  • Red Frame White Light - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. About an old-fashioned UK phone box.
  • Ring Ring - Abba. "The happiest sound of them all." Not in our house.
  • Ring Ring - Mika. "Is that you on the phone? / You think you're clever / But you're never saying nothing at all."
  • Sylvia's Mother - Dr Hook. And the operator said "40 cents more for the next three minutes..."
  • Talk To Me Baby - The Blues Band.
  • Telephone - Diana Ross
  • Telephone - Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé
  • Telephone Call from Istanbul - Tom Waits
  • Telephone Line - E.L.O. Let it ring for evermore.
  • Telephone Man - Meri Wilson. She got it in the kitchen, she got it in the hall...
  • Wanna See Your Telephone Bill - Telephone Bill and the Smooth Operators.

Tuesday 5 February 2008

Stuttering and stammering

A list of songs involving repetitions of a consonant or vowel before being passing onto the following sound. That's stuttering to you and me.

  • 19 - Paul Hardcastle. N-n-n-n-nineteen. S-s-s-s-Saigon. Only allowing one example of this kind of sampling.
  • Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - Bachman Turner Overdrive. B-b-b-baby.
  • Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood & The Destroyers. B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone.
  • Bennie & The Jets - Elton John. B-b-b-Bennie & The Jets.
  • Boogie Woogie/Rock 'n' Roll - Komeda. There's a p-p-p-...lots of this...-p-p-party going on.
  • Boom! Shake the Room - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. The f-f-f-f-fresh p-p-p-prince is who I am / so tell my mother that I never wrote a whack jam / but some times I get n-nervous and start to stutter / and I f-fumble every word for word I utter / so I just try to ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chill / but it gets worse-a but worse-a but-but-but worse still / I need the c-c-c-crowd to k-k-k-kick it to me.
  • Changes - David Bowie. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.
  • Check It Out - Beastie Boys. Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out / What-wha-what-what-what's it all about / Work-wa-work-work-work-wa-work it out /
    Let's turn this motherfuckin' party out.
  • Checkin' It Out - Lil Chris. Ch-ch-ch-checking it out!!! t-t-taking my chances,
  • Chuck E's in Love - Rickie Lee Jones. He gonna s-stutter when he talks.
  • Doctor Doctor - UFO. N-nervous boy.
  • Dr Beat - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine. Doc-doc-doc-doc Doctor Beat.
  • I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor - The Arctic Monkeys. And lighting the fuse might result in a bang. B-b-bang. Go!
  • John Wayne is Big Leggy - Hayzee Fantazee. J-j-j-j-j-j-John Wayne.
  • Julie Anne - Kenny. "Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju-Julie Anne like a fool
    I ran away ran ran ran ran away." I'm almost ashamed to have remembered that one.
  • L-L-L-Lucy - Mud.
  • Mary of the Fourth Form - Boomtown Rats. M-m-m-m-m-m-Mary!
  • My Generation - The Who. Why don't you all f-f-f-fade away?
  • My Sharona - The Knack. M-m-m-my Sharona!
  • Never Be Lonely - The Feeling. B-b-b-baby! I think I'm going c-c-c-crazy.
    (YouTube)
  • Push It - Salt 'N Pepa. Ahh, push it / Push it good / Ahh, push it/ P-Push it real good.
  • Respect - Aretha Franklin. Re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-spect.
  • Saturday Night - Kaiser Chiefs. P-p-p-party. P-p-p-pneumothorax. Etc.
  • S-s-s-single Bed - Fox
  • Sussudio - Phil Collins. Su-su-sussudio.
  • Stutter Rap - Morris Minor and The Majors. Funny how that rhymes with "utter crap".
  • Tick - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. T-t-t-time, you take it.
  • Welcome to the Jungle - Guns 'n' Roses. Watch it bring you to your shun n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n knees, knees.
  • White Lines (Don't Do It) - Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel. Yeah man th-that’s that’s raw, wuh.

Thursday 24 January 2008

And don't forget the Joker

Lemmy's passionate defence of gambling has once again come to my ears, and prompted me to start a list of songs mentioning cards of the playing variety.

  • The Ace of Spades - Motorhead
  • The Queen of Spades - Styx, also in Shape of My Heart - Sting.
  • The Queen of Hearts - Dave Edmunds, and in Desperado - The Eagles.
  • The Queen of Diamonds, in Desperado - The Eagles. Also a track by Chiodos.
  • The Queen of Clubs - KC and The Sunshine Band. Cheating, this one.
  • Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts - Bob Dylan
  • The Jack of Diamonds, in Shape of My Heart - Sting.
  • Jack O'Diamonds - Odetta.
  • She's Got The Jack - AC/DC. I think they may mean that metaphorically.
  • From a Jack to a King - Ned Miller
  • Deck of Cards - T. Texas Tyler and many others. And a special mention for Max Boyce for his Welsh Rugby Union Rulebook version.

Thursday 17 January 2008

Elvis lives on... through the medium of song

Scouting For Girls prompted me to kick off a list of songs that mention or allude to Elvis, e.g.

  • Scouting For Girls - Elvis Ain't Dead (Coz I Heard Him On The Radio)
  • Kirsty McColl - There's A Guy Works Down The Chipshop Swears He's Elvis
  • Kate Bush - King Of The Mountain
  • Thin Lizzy - a track off Black Rose (have to find out which one) has "The King is dead. The King of Rock 'n' Roll is dead" in the fade out.
  • Cher, Marc Cohn - Walking in Memphis
  • Paul Simon - Graceland
  • Colorblind James Experience - I'm Considering A Move To Memphis
  • Elvis is Dead - Peter & The Test Tube Babies (YouTube)

but when I looked into it,
someone had done it already
, and quite comprehensively.