Where did I hear this story of a jukebox song played over and over?

June 11, 2010 6:39 AM

Where did I hear a humorous story of someone playing a song over and over and over on a jukebox?

Things I'm not sure of I will put in [brackets]

I think it was on the radio, or on a podcast. Possibly The Sound of Young America, or Creative Screenwriting, or This American Life, but I listen to a lot of stuff, so I'm not sure. It was a person telling the story of how funny it was when someone play the same song, [Tom Jones'] [It's Not Unusual] over and over on a jukebox [in a diner]. It discussed the extent to which people can tolerate a song being played over and over, and how funny it was, it went into detail about the specifics of the song, and there may have been a moment when the person who played it over and over added a different song by the same artist.

If you have a link to it, all the better!

posted by artlung to media & arts (13 answers total)

John Mulaney - The Best Meal I've Ever Had
posted by Optamystic at 6:42 AM on June 11, 2010 [4 favorites]

OH THANK YOU THANK YOU! John Mulaney, Standup Comedian and Saturday Night Live Writer: Interview on The Sound of Young America must've been where I heard it.
posted by artlung at 6:46 AM on June 11, 2010

I had a friend in college would used to love to do this. She'd go into a bar and drop $5 in to the jukebox, get 20 plays and select some dated tune you couldn't stand.

She also had the phone number to the pay-phone that was located inside the place. She'd call it up and the bartender would have to leave their spot to go answer... at which point she'd order a Gin and Tonic.
posted by yeti at 7:40 AM on June 11, 2010

A good friend of mine and I used to go to this scary backwoodsy roadside truck stop/restaurant in Belvidere, IL. They had great cheese balls, and the equally great misfortune of stocking Faith No More's "Das Schutzenfest" in the jukebox. $5 worth of quarters and 2,000 calories later, we'd be sneaking out the door stifling tearful laughter as that oompah rhythm started up.

It's an old trick, and perhaps not a very good one, but I wonder how many times we did that before they finally took that record out and smashed it to bits.

(Ja, ja!)
posted by mykescipark at 8:04 AM on June 11, 2010

We do this with Chuck Mangione's "Feel So Good."
posted by greasy_skillet at 9:07 AM on June 11, 2010

We used to kill the old Pizza Hut juke with $5 of "Axel F"
posted by smelvis at 9:12 AM on June 11, 2010

A couple of us used to do this in a dive bar just off Oxford St. in London (Bradleys) and we would put on Elvis' The Ghetto, teh funny was the way the song starts and ends at the same scene (dead guy in a street, mother looking on, a new child born). It seemed to tie in well to putting the song on loop.
I was eventually asked to find another bar.
posted by fingerbang at 9:20 AM on June 11, 2010

For those who haven't/won't listen(ed) to the youtube link, it's seven repetitions of
What's New Pussycat?" by Tom Jones, then "It's Not Unusual", then back to "What's New Pussycat?", for what sounds like a total of 11 plays, though they'd aimed for 21. It's a little vague if it's 11 plays total, or 11 plays after "It's Not Unusual" plays. Worth a listen.
posted by knile at 10:30 AM on June 11, 2010

In my social circle we used to play Wild Wild West over and over again whenever we went to our favorite diner. I know about the first minute or two of that song by heart now, it's disgusting. Sadly, they removed the jukebox a year or two ago and I feel we were responsible.
posted by SteveFlamingo at 10:50 AM on June 11, 2010 [2 favorites]

Our song was "Jump" by Van Halen. The keyboard riff intro starting up again after a few plays would really get people's dander up.
posted by ktrey at 1:08 PM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh man! I was totally an accomplice in StevieFlamingo's shenanigans! Good times. It's all in good fun, though!
posted by Lizsterr at 1:45 PM on June 11, 2010

This is why we can't have nice things.
posted by Aquaman at 3:52 PM on June 11, 2010 [2 favorites]

SteveFlamingo: Wild Wild West, which version? Will Smith, The Escape Club, or Kool Moe Dee. I think if only the Kool Moe Dee version could keep me from trying to strangle you.

This turned into a really fun thread, thanks y'all!
posted by artlung at 6:11 PM on June 11, 2010