What songs reference their music in the lyrics?
May 20, 2022 1:35 PM Subscribe
Can you give me examples of songs where the lyrics reference what is happening in the music?
I'm thinking of songs like:
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen -> "The fourth, the fifth, The minor fall, the major lift"
-or-
Regulate by Warren G -> "The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble."
What other examples come to mind?
I'm thinking of songs like:
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen -> "The fourth, the fifth, The minor fall, the major lift"
-or-
Regulate by Warren G -> "The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble."
What other examples come to mind?
Best answer: Robbie Fulks' Fountains of Wayne Hotline is an absolutely delightful tribute to 90's alt rock power pop band Fountains of Wayne. In the song, Fulks is having trouble finishing his song, so he calls the eponymous hotline, where grizzled operators coach him on how FoW would develop the song. "What you need to do now is employ the radical dynamic shift... full band entry, fortissimo, while maintaining consistent apparent volume on the vocal track."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2022 [10 favorites]
Best answer: In "Touch the Sky" by Kanye West & Lupe Fiasco, a verse ends with the line "Now let me end this verse right where the horns are" and then there's horns.
posted by chudmonkey at 1:43 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by chudmonkey at 1:43 PM on May 20, 2022
Memphis Soul Stew (a lot of people have covered or interpolated it, like e.g. the Geto Boys)
posted by box at 1:46 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 1:46 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Car Seat Headrest - Bodies
"Is it the chorus yet? No. It's just the building of the verse, so that when the chorus does come it will be more rewarding."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:48 PM on May 20, 2022
"Is it the chorus yet? No. It's just the building of the verse, so that when the chorus does come it will be more rewarding."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:48 PM on May 20, 2022
Best answer: The line "How strange the change from major to minor" in Cole Porter's 'Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye'.
posted by misteraitch at 1:48 PM on May 20, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by misteraitch at 1:48 PM on May 20, 2022 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Came here to mention "Fountains of Wayne Hotline" ("oh, that Gerald") and was not disappointed -- thanks, DirtyOldTown!
In a similar vein, "The Grunge Song" by comedy band The Vestibules; and to an extent Todd Snider's "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues."
posted by Shepherd at 1:53 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
In a similar vein, "The Grunge Song" by comedy band The Vestibules; and to an extent Todd Snider's "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues."
posted by Shepherd at 1:53 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Chudmonkey mentioned Kanye's "Touch The Sky", and that reminded me of his virally-famous "Lift Yourself", which has a set of lyrics towards the end - spoken-word over a background chorus singing "Lift yourself on your feet" over and over:
"This next verse, this next verse though
These bars
Watch this some shit go..."
...Although, the "next verse" consists of Kanye saying things like "Poopy-di scoop, Scoop-diddy-whoop, Whoop-di-scoop-di-poop, Poop-di-scoopty scoopty-whoop" over and over.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:55 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
"This next verse, this next verse though
These bars
Watch this some shit go..."
...Although, the "next verse" consists of Kanye saying things like "Poopy-di scoop, Scoop-diddy-whoop, Whoop-di-scoop-di-poop, Poop-di-scoopty scoopty-whoop" over and over.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:55 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Monster Mash?
posted by Ahmad Khani at 2:02 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was working in the lab, late one nightin other words, is a song that is about a scientist listening to the 'real' Monster Mash…
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab, began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise
He did the monster mash
(The monster mash) It was a graveyard smash
(He did the mash) It caught on in a flash
(He did the mash) He did the monster mash
posted by Ahmad Khani at 2:02 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance: Awww yeah that's the break y'all look at that bass groove right here...
Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce the hi-hat"...
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama: Turn it up
SNAP! - The Power: Dig it like a cymbal, rhyme devil on the heavenly level Bang the bass, turn up the treble
The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
posted by tonycpsu at 2:03 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce the hi-hat"...
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama: Turn it up
SNAP! - The Power: Dig it like a cymbal, rhyme devil on the heavenly level Bang the bass, turn up the treble
The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
posted by tonycpsu at 2:03 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Barr - The Song is the Single is partly about the writing of the song itself and includes some asides like "end piano" right before the piano ends etc. Vocals, drum, bass, kinda art-pop. One of my faves.
posted by wemayfreeze at 2:06 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by wemayfreeze at 2:06 PM on May 20, 2022
Best answer: In the song Every Day Carry by Dry Cleaning, "Droopy flute solo comes in now," just before a droopy flute solo.
posted by The Half Language Plant at 2:08 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by The Half Language Plant at 2:08 PM on May 20, 2022
The theme song for the Gary Shandling Show? "This is the music that you hear/as you watch the credits")
posted by Morpeth at 2:09 PM on May 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Morpeth at 2:09 PM on May 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key, Billy Bragg and Wilco with Natalie Merchant.
posted by headnsouth at 2:09 PM on May 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 2:09 PM on May 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
I don't know if this is a little too obvious, but Weird Al's parody of George Harrison's (cover of) "I Got My Mind Set On You" is titled This Song Is Just Six Words Long.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:10 PM on May 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:10 PM on May 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
The song "G for Jesus" by the delightful country punk, Nick Shoulders , is a song, in the key of G, about playing a song in G. For Jesus.
posted by voiceofreason at 2:12 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by voiceofreason at 2:12 PM on May 20, 2022
NWA's 'Something 2 Dance 2,' a sonic throwback to Dre and Yella's World Class Wreckin Cru days.
posted by box at 2:13 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by box at 2:13 PM on May 20, 2022
In Johny Rivers' Summer Rain he sings the line, "Everybody just kept on playing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". At that moment his band plays a riff from that song.
posted by JonJacky at 2:17 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by JonJacky at 2:17 PM on May 20, 2022
Kris Delmhorst: Galuppi Baldassare (lyrics are on the page)
posted by polecat at 2:17 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by polecat at 2:17 PM on May 20, 2022
DO RE MI! ("Do a deer, a female deer")
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:18 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:18 PM on May 20, 2022
Another +1 for FOW Hotline, from which we got the name of our cat: (Oh, that) Gerald.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 2:19 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by Sweetie Darling at 2:19 PM on May 20, 2022
King Crimson, Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With
And when I have some words
This is the way I'll sing
Through a distortion box
To make them menacing, yeah
Yes, I'm gonna have to write a chorus
I’m gonna need to have a chorus
And this would seem to be as good as any other place to sing it till I'm blue in the face
posted by Daily Alice at 2:20 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
And when I have some words
This is the way I'll sing
Through a distortion box
To make them menacing, yeah
Yes, I'm gonna have to write a chorus
I’m gonna need to have a chorus
And this would seem to be as good as any other place to sing it till I'm blue in the face
posted by Daily Alice at 2:20 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Stardust The whole song is sort of about the melody, ends with a line about the memory of the refrain, and then plays the refrain.
posted by thivaia at 2:23 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by thivaia at 2:23 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just remembered Lou Reed, "Walk on the Wild Side", where the original leads into the chorus with "and the colored girls go doot de doot..."; per Wikipedia, there was a censored release for US radio that changed it to "and all the girls sing..." (and remove the reference to giving head).
posted by Shepherd at 2:30 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Shepherd at 2:30 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
G turns to D by Sloan is a great one. It’s a song about writing the song that it is. Plus it’s a nice little rocker.
posted by ordinary_magnet at 2:31 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by ordinary_magnet at 2:31 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Dance to the Music, Sly and the Family Stone
All we need is a drummer
For people who only need a beat, yeah
I'm gonna add a little guitar
And make it easy to move your feet
posted by rekrap at 2:32 PM on May 20, 2022 [7 favorites]
All we need is a drummer
For people who only need a beat, yeah
I'm gonna add a little guitar
And make it easy to move your feet
posted by rekrap at 2:32 PM on May 20, 2022 [7 favorites]
Oh, I like coffee and I like tea, but I don't especially like Blues Traveler's 'Hook.'
posted by box at 2:34 PM on May 20, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by box at 2:34 PM on May 20, 2022 [8 favorites]
If we never meet again, baby, remember me
How my lone guitar played sweet for you that old-time melody
And the harmonica around my neck, I blew it for you, free
No one else could play that tune
You know it was up to me
Bob Dylan, Up To Me
posted by el_presidente at 2:41 PM on May 20, 2022
How my lone guitar played sweet for you that old-time melody
And the harmonica around my neck, I blew it for you, free
No one else could play that tune
You know it was up to me
Bob Dylan, Up To Me
posted by el_presidente at 2:41 PM on May 20, 2022
I think that "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen might fall into this category but I don't know enough about music to know whether there is, indeed, the first, fourth, the major fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift.
I love the song "G Turns to D" by Sloan. Oh! Which, on review, ordinary_magnet has already cited.
posted by kensington314 at 2:44 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
I love the song "G Turns to D" by Sloan. Oh! Which, on review, ordinary_magnet has already cited.
posted by kensington314 at 2:44 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Elliott Smith's "Waltz #2" takes place in a karaoke bar. In the first verse, someone's singing The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown," and in a later verse, Linda Rondstat's "You're No Good." The lyrics in that verse quote the chorus of that song.
Here it is, the revenge to the tune: you're no good
You're no good
You're no good
You're no good
Can't you tell that it's well understood?
posted by emelenjr at 2:44 PM on May 20, 2022
Here it is, the revenge to the tune: you're no good
You're no good
You're no good
You're no good
Can't you tell that it's well understood?
posted by emelenjr at 2:44 PM on May 20, 2022
Maya Rudolph - Key Change Baby
Sorry that the video/audio is not great, it’s someone recording Netflix from their phone.
I believe the song comes from a Netflix Valentines Day special from a few years ago with Michael Bolton and Adam Sandberg.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 2:47 PM on May 20, 2022
Sorry that the video/audio is not great, it’s someone recording Netflix from their phone.
I believe the song comes from a Netflix Valentines Day special from a few years ago with Michael Bolton and Adam Sandberg.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 2:47 PM on May 20, 2022
Springsteen's Thunder Road does his lil "I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk" and then cue the guitar, talking. He's not really singing about that moment, but it's illustrative in a similar way.
Dylan's I Shall Be Free No. 10 ends with this funny lil verse about the song and where he references what he's doing with the guitar:
Dylan's I Shall Be Free No. 10 ends with this funny lil verse about the song and where he references what he's doing with the guitar:
You're probably wondering by nowposted by wemayfreeze at 2:51 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Just what this song is all about
What's probably got you baffled more
What this thing here is for
It's nothing
It's something I learned over in England
Pay TV's "Refrain Refrain" is essentially a whole song about constructing a formulaic pop song.
posted by subocoyne at 2:58 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by subocoyne at 2:58 PM on May 20, 2022
So I slept in the hobo jungles
Roamed a thousand miles of track
Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama
At a club they call Big Jack's
A little four-piece band was jammin'
So I took my guitar and I sat in
I showed 'em what a band would sound like
With a swingin' little guitar man
Show 'em, son
Jerry Reed, Guitar Man
posted by el_presidente at 3:06 PM on May 20, 2022
Roamed a thousand miles of track
Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama
At a club they call Big Jack's
A little four-piece band was jammin'
So I took my guitar and I sat in
I showed 'em what a band would sound like
With a swingin' little guitar man
Show 'em, son
Jerry Reed, Guitar Man
posted by el_presidente at 3:06 PM on May 20, 2022
The chorus of Harry Chapin's Stranger with the Melodies is
posted by darchildre at 3:32 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hold that D chord on the old guitarWhich is the chord progression of the chorus.
Till you've found the G
Drop it down to old E minor
Till the A chord rolls back home around to D
posted by darchildre at 3:32 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Sexy Back, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland (lyrics)
take it to the bridge
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:39 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
take it to the bridge
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:39 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
NOFX - Please Play This Song on the Radio
[Verse 1]
We wrote this song
It's not too short, it's not too long
It's got back-up vocals in just the right places
It's got a few "oozin'-ahs,"
And it takes a little pause
Just before I sing the F-word
Please play this song on the radio
[Verse 2]
Almost every line is sung in time
And almost every verse ends in a rim
Only problem we had was writing enough words
(Ooh, ah)
But that's okay, because the chorus is coming up again now
Needless to say, the music matches what the lyrics are describing.
posted by ejs at 3:56 PM on May 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
[Verse 1]
We wrote this song
It's not too short, it's not too long
It's got back-up vocals in just the right places
It's got a few "oozin'-ahs,"
And it takes a little pause
Just before I sing the F-word
Please play this song on the radio
[Verse 2]
Almost every line is sung in time
And almost every verse ends in a rim
Only problem we had was writing enough words
(Ooh, ah)
But that's okay, because the chorus is coming up again now
Needless to say, the music matches what the lyrics are describing.
posted by ejs at 3:56 PM on May 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
I think you'll find more in this previous question.
posted by daisyace at 4:51 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by daisyace at 4:51 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
John Cale Experiment Number One has some chord changes called out and stuff.
posted by ovvl at 5:42 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by ovvl at 5:42 PM on May 20, 2022
The Wailin' Jennys: One Voice
Charlie Daniels: The Devil Went Down to Georgia
The devil opened up his case and he said, "I'll start this show"
And fire flew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow
And he pulled the bow across the strings
And it made a evil hiss
Then a band of demons joined in
And it sounded something like this
posted by polecat at 5:48 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Charlie Daniels: The Devil Went Down to Georgia
The devil opened up his case and he said, "I'll start this show"
And fire flew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow
And he pulled the bow across the strings
And it made a evil hiss
Then a band of demons joined in
And it sounded something like this
posted by polecat at 5:48 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Manhattan Transfer’s Offbeat of Avenues plays with song’s beat.
posted by PussKillian at 5:57 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by PussKillian at 5:57 PM on May 20, 2022
Response by poster: These are incredible! Thank you everyone! I had to stop marking answers but you are all awesome!
posted by being_quiet at 7:53 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by being_quiet at 7:53 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Come All Ye, Fairport Convention.
"Our fiddler, he just loves to play
And that's why he plays so good"...
etc. Everyone gets a mention, even you and me!
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:11 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
"Our fiddler, he just loves to play
And that's why he plays so good"...
etc. Everyone gets a mention, even you and me!
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:11 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Bob Marley & the Wailers' Zion Train has the instruction "to the bridge."
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:29 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:29 PM on May 20, 2022
Matilda, by PUP, is sung from the perspective of the lead singer's old guitar, which he plays on the bridge immediately after the line "Can you hear me now?"
posted by valrus at 8:59 PM on May 20, 2022
posted by valrus at 8:59 PM on May 20, 2022
Marianas Trench - Pop 101 ft. Anami Vice
Pop music 101
Some simple instructions, for a good first impression
Now lets start with verse one
A minor chord, tensions grow
Fade in the bass like so
Now with momentum go
Stop
And bring the beat back
posted by alchemist at 9:22 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Pop music 101
Some simple instructions, for a good first impression
Now lets start with verse one
A minor chord, tensions grow
Fade in the bass like so
Now with momentum go
Stop
And bring the beat back
posted by alchemist at 9:22 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Herman's Hermits song I'm Henry VIII I Am includes the line "second verse same as the first." It applies to both music and lyrics, so maybe fits in your parameters?
Also in the "maybe this isn't what you want" category, the Peter, Paul, and Mary song I Dig Rock and Roll Music has verses about the Mamas and the Papas, Donovan, and the Beatles in which the music imitates the sounds of those bands. So it's not directly talking about the music, but it's very obvious to anyone who would recognize it, which, when the song came out, would be everyone.
posted by FencingGal at 5:05 AM on May 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also in the "maybe this isn't what you want" category, the Peter, Paul, and Mary song I Dig Rock and Roll Music has verses about the Mamas and the Papas, Donovan, and the Beatles in which the music imitates the sounds of those bands. So it's not directly talking about the music, but it's very obvious to anyone who would recognize it, which, when the song came out, would be everyone.
posted by FencingGal at 5:05 AM on May 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also in the 'maybe this isn't what you want' category, Ice Cube's 'Jackin' For Beats' is a song about how he steals people's beats, in which he... rhymes over beats from other rappers' songs.
Artists like Sticky Fingaz, T.I., The Game, and Atmosphere would later record their own versions.
posted by box at 5:11 AM on May 21, 2022
Artists like Sticky Fingaz, T.I., The Game, and Atmosphere would later record their own versions.
posted by box at 5:11 AM on May 21, 2022
Bernard Carney's "Here is the Chorus" (performed by Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer here) is 100% self-referential:
posted by scruss at 5:37 AM on May 21, 2022
I have a line of a verse it sets the mood it sets the time(full lyrics)
I colour it with images and maybe it will rhyme
And now it gains momentum getting stronger on the way
The chorus is approaching and it's what i want to say
Here is the chorus it’s the title of the song
Here is the chorus and it’s taking you along
It sums up all the verses and the themes that they contain
Here is the chorus and I’m singing it again
posted by scruss at 5:37 AM on May 21, 2022
Bob Dylan. Sitting on a Barbed Wire Fence. Toward the end ...
"I know you're gonna / think this song is just a riff ..."
posted by philip-random at 8:15 AM on May 21, 2022
"I know you're gonna / think this song is just a riff ..."
posted by philip-random at 8:15 AM on May 21, 2022
Pavement - Gold Soundz "And we're coming to the chorus now..."
Camper Van Beethoven - Take the Skinheads Bowling "There's not a line here that rhymes with anything"
posted by Windopaene at 8:24 AM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
Camper Van Beethoven - Take the Skinheads Bowling "There's not a line here that rhymes with anything"
posted by Windopaene at 8:24 AM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Four Tops' "It's the Same Old Song" famously references the fact that it's built from the same chords as their previous hit.
posted by aws17576 at 11:00 PM on May 21, 2022
posted by aws17576 at 11:00 PM on May 21, 2022
Rhythm of Love by the Plain White T's:
My heart beats like a drum
A guitar string to the strum
posted by poppunkcat at 4:43 AM on May 22, 2022
My heart beats like a drum
A guitar string to the strum
posted by poppunkcat at 4:43 AM on May 22, 2022
Counter example: the Sparks song 'I Predict' is about someone whose predictions are either obvious and banal, or hopelessly wrong. The last refrain is:
'And this song will fade out/And this song will fade out/And this song will fade out/I predict'
This repeats several times. The song does not fade out.
posted by Hogshead at 8:24 AM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
'And this song will fade out/And this song will fade out/And this song will fade out/I predict'
This repeats several times. The song does not fade out.
posted by Hogshead at 8:24 AM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
In Missy Elliott's Work It she says "Put my thing down, flip it and reverse it," followed by that exact line but backwards.
In Lizzo's newest single, About Damn Time she says "Wanna get up, wanna get down" and her voice goes up on "up" and down on "down"
posted by radioamy at 11:51 AM on May 22, 2022
In Lizzo's newest single, About Damn Time she says "Wanna get up, wanna get down" and her voice goes up on "up" and down on "down"
posted by radioamy at 11:51 AM on May 22, 2022
Extra credit, music major edition: Failing: A very difficult piece for solo string bass. (First google result; not an endorsement of that specific performance).
posted by fedward at 11:56 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by fedward at 11:56 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Fiona Apple's Werewolf contains the line, "There's nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key."
posted by Mister Moofoo at 12:04 PM on May 22, 2022
posted by Mister Moofoo at 12:04 PM on May 22, 2022
This is the song that never ends.
It just goes on and on, my friend.
Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was.
And, they’ll continue singing it forever, just because
This is the song that never ends…
posted by CathyG at 8:55 PM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
It just goes on and on, my friend.
Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was.
And, they’ll continue singing it forever, just because
This is the song that never ends…
posted by CathyG at 8:55 PM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, I like coffee and I like tea, but I don't especially like Blues Traveler's 'Hook.'
Some deeper background for those who aren't familiar: it's been observed many times by many people that a shocking number of pop songs are just variations on Pachelbel's Canon in D. Hook is an ironic take on that where the similarity to Pachelbel's is blatant, and the lyrics are about the shallowness of pop music: all you need is a good hook. It's an annoying song but conceptually it's savage and kind of brilliant. Blues Traveler actually made a hit song about how easy it is to make a hit song, and most people never listen closely enough to get the joke, which is exactly the point. For the record, I didn't realize it either until someone on Metafilter pointed it out! I think it might have been hippiebear?
posted by dephlogisticated at 9:11 PM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Some deeper background for those who aren't familiar: it's been observed many times by many people that a shocking number of pop songs are just variations on Pachelbel's Canon in D. Hook is an ironic take on that where the similarity to Pachelbel's is blatant, and the lyrics are about the shallowness of pop music: all you need is a good hook. It's an annoying song but conceptually it's savage and kind of brilliant. Blues Traveler actually made a hit song about how easy it is to make a hit song, and most people never listen closely enough to get the joke, which is exactly the point. For the record, I didn't realize it either until someone on Metafilter pointed it out! I think it might have been hippiebear?
posted by dephlogisticated at 9:11 PM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Modulation and I hold a high note, "Title of the Song", Da Vinci's Notebook (lyrics)
Great, fun question!
posted by kristi at 11:08 AM on May 23, 2022
Great, fun question!
posted by kristi at 11:08 AM on May 23, 2022
Another Blues Traveler self-reference is the opening line of Just For Me -- "Just another I - IV - V"
posted by 0xFCAF at 1:02 PM on May 23, 2022
posted by 0xFCAF at 1:02 PM on May 23, 2022
David Lee Roth, in "Two Fools a Minute," talks to his bandmates about what's going on in the song: "Take one for yourself, Billy," and Billy Sheehan then takes a bass solo; "Modulate, Daddy, modulate. . . Ahh, sizzlin' to the top" refers to Steve Vai's guitar soloing at that moment in the song; at the end, Roth wonders "Where's the drummer?" and then suggests "Billy, you've gotta drive. . . No, no; we can't let Steve drive," which leads into a final solo from Steve Vai.
posted by vitia at 2:45 PM on May 23, 2022
posted by vitia at 2:45 PM on May 23, 2022
Chorus.
I heard the Screaming Jets
Dum dum dum dum dum
Refrain.
No more, no more.
Again.
No more, no more.
G.
(guitar plays a G chord)
A.
(guitar plays an A chord)
G.
(guitar plays a G chord)
posted by pianoblack at 2:50 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
I heard the Screaming Jets
Dum dum dum dum dum
Refrain.
No more, no more.
Again.
No more, no more.
G.
(guitar plays a G chord)
A.
(guitar plays an A chord)
G.
(guitar plays a G chord)
posted by pianoblack at 2:50 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Wire, "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W" ("Chorus" before the first chorus)
The Fall, "Smile" from Perverted by Language: Mark E Smith instructs the band to "take it down", and then a few minutes later screams "up... UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP"
There are quite a few moments like this in early-80s Fall tracks, I can't remember which song has the (negative) example when he mutters "don't improvise for fuck's sake"
posted by mikelynch at 6:33 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Fall, "Smile" from Perverted by Language: Mark E Smith instructs the band to "take it down", and then a few minutes later screams "up... UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP"
There are quite a few moments like this in early-80s Fall tracks, I can't remember which song has the (negative) example when he mutters "don't improvise for fuck's sake"
posted by mikelynch at 6:33 PM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
"The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin:
Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean's roar
Play for free, I play for me and play a whole lot more, more
posted by swift at 8:13 PM on May 23, 2022
Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean's roar
Play for free, I play for me and play a whole lot more, more
posted by swift at 8:13 PM on May 23, 2022
Obscure song, but Ruck Rover's excellent song "Tennis" includes:
"Maybe now's a good time for a key-change?" (followed by a key change).
posted by pompomtom at 9:30 PM on May 23, 2022
"Maybe now's a good time for a key-change?" (followed by a key change).
posted by pompomtom at 9:30 PM on May 23, 2022
Beatin' It by Classified is a hip-hop song about making the beat used in the song, with references to (say) moving the hi-hats to the left channel then reflected in the beat.
posted by solarion at 2:05 AM on May 25, 2022
posted by solarion at 2:05 AM on May 25, 2022
Half of James Brown's songs are just him narrating what the band is doing. E.g. from Funky Drummer:
When I count to four
I want everybody to lay off
Let the drummer go
When I count to four
I want you to come back in
One Note Samba by Antônio Carlos Jobim is sung mostly on one note:
This is just a little samba
Built upon a single note
Other notes are bound to follow
But the root is still that note
Now this new one is the consequence
Of the one we've just been through
As I'm bound to be the unavoidable
Consequence of you
posted by mokey at 9:18 AM on May 25, 2022
When I count to four
I want everybody to lay off
Let the drummer go
When I count to four
I want you to come back in
One Note Samba by Antônio Carlos Jobim is sung mostly on one note:
This is just a little samba
Built upon a single note
Other notes are bound to follow
But the root is still that note
Now this new one is the consequence
Of the one we've just been through
As I'm bound to be the unavoidable
Consequence of you
posted by mokey at 9:18 AM on May 25, 2022
I haven’t seen these mentioned here yet:
The original Broadway production of Grease included a number called “Those Magic Changes” where one of the characters verbalizes the chords in the song, C, A, F, G7, etc. Only an abbreviated version of the song made it to the movie or the recent live TV version, but the original can be heard here.
Also, this is slightly out of the range of your question, but back in the early 2000s when MC Frontalot rocked a lot of uncleared samples in his tracks, he did one called “Good Ol’ Clyde” referencing how often Clyde Stubblefield performing on James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” has been used by hip-hop artists. And of course he uses the sample himself, along with some uncleared Casey Kasem vocals and some Tom Waits horns. I can’t locate Frontalot’s MP3s on my phone right now, but someone used it in this YouTube tribute video.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 10:06 PM on May 26, 2022
The original Broadway production of Grease included a number called “Those Magic Changes” where one of the characters verbalizes the chords in the song, C, A, F, G7, etc. Only an abbreviated version of the song made it to the movie or the recent live TV version, but the original can be heard here.
Also, this is slightly out of the range of your question, but back in the early 2000s when MC Frontalot rocked a lot of uncleared samples in his tracks, he did one called “Good Ol’ Clyde” referencing how often Clyde Stubblefield performing on James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” has been used by hip-hop artists. And of course he uses the sample himself, along with some uncleared Casey Kasem vocals and some Tom Waits horns. I can’t locate Frontalot’s MP3s on my phone right now, but someone used it in this YouTube tribute video.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 10:06 PM on May 26, 2022
I happened to hear Motley Crue’s ‘Dr. Feelgood’ on the classic-rock radio station, and noticed that, right before the guitar solo, Vince Neil says/sings ‘Guitar!,’ and upon reflection it seems like that’s something that, at one point in time, happened a lot.
posted by box at 5:09 PM on May 28, 2022
posted by box at 5:09 PM on May 28, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jeoc at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2022 [7 favorites]