Music for the Forgetful

December 18, 2007 9:14 AM

I'm considering making a mixtape (okay, not on actual tape, but "mixCD" just doesn't roll off the tongue) consisting of songs with one word or phrase only repeated in the lyrics.

I'm not interested in instrumentals (no lyrics at all), nor songs that are simply repetitive in parts but otherwise actually have full lyrics (think "Who Let The Dogs Out?")

I've got "Pick Up The Pieces" by Average White Band
Pick up the pieces, uh, huh
Pick up the pieces, alright...

and "Beef Jerky" by John Lennon
Beef Jerky, Beef jerky, Beef jerky...

"Tequila" from The Champs
Tequila!

What other songs (any genre) can I include?

posted by captnkurt to media & arts (65 answers total)

"Heaven" by Fatboy Slim
"Around the World" by Daft Punk
Almost the entire Vegas album by The Crystal Method
"Feel Good Hit of the Summer" by Queens of the Stone Age
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:15 AM on December 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

"Prelude to 110 or 220-Women of the World" by Jim O'Rourke from the album Eureka
"Women of the world, take over. 'Cause if you don't the world will come to an end, and it won't take long."
posted by clockwork at 9:17 AM on December 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Anything by Gary Glitter.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:18 AM on December 18, 2007

"One Step Beyond" by Madness
posted by drinkcoffee at 9:25 AM on December 18, 2007

"5 American, 6 Canadian" by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.
posted by pdb at 9:28 AM on December 18, 2007

"Vitamin", "Aero Dynamik", and "Elektro Kardiogramm" from the Kraftwerk album Tour De France
posted by clockwork at 9:29 AM on December 18, 2007

Push it Out – Beta Band
Woke up this morning – A3 (Sopranos Theme)
Cowgirl – Underworld (has minimal lyrics, but they all repeat. a lot)
Sex (I'm a) – Berlin (every line starts with "I'm a" and ends differently, while "sex" repeats over and over in the background)

Wow. This is a rather tough question.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:30 AM on December 18, 2007

2nding 0xFCAF's suggestions.

Also, "Race Car Ya-Yas" by Cake.
posted by owtytrof at 9:30 AM on December 18, 2007

Revolution 9?

and must be quite a lot in James Brown's oeuvre... Pass the peas?
posted by criticalbill at 9:31 AM on December 18, 2007

List of Songs whose title constitutes the entire lyrics.
posted by clearly at 9:32 AM on December 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

"Nuclear War" by Sun Ra (or Yo La Tengo)
posted by clockwork at 9:34 AM on December 18, 2007

Chemical Brothers - It Doesn't Matter
posted by General Malaise at 9:36 AM on December 18, 2007

"I Like Short Songs" by the Dead Kennedys
"(This song's just) Six Words Long" by Weird Al actually has proper verses and stuff (so it doesn't fit your criteria) but it's about songs with repetitive lyrics.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:39 AM on December 18, 2007

Jingle Rock Bell?
posted by mikepop at 9:39 AM on December 18, 2007

Several songs on the Moon Safari album by Air feature a single phrase (often the title of the song) as the only lyric. "Sexy Boy," "Kelly Watch The Stars," and "New Star In The Sky" for sure.
posted by ekstasis23 at 9:40 AM on December 18, 2007

Air - Kelly Watch the Stars?

Not sure if the verse at the beginning precludes its inclusion, but The Man Don't Give a Fuck by the Super Furry Animals is pretty damn repetitive:

Spent some times in stormy weather
Under clouds of my dilemma
Now there's nothing much to do
But sit and rot in front of televisions
Staring back at me
I'm just waiting for the microwaves
To wash me into the sea

You know they don't give a fuck about anybody else (X4)
You know they

Out of focus ideology
Keep the masses from majority
Experts, brain washed, tumble dried
Left to bleed whilst vultures glide

You know they don't give a fuck about anybody else (X8)
You know they

You know they don't give a fuck about anybody else (X36)
posted by patricio at 9:45 AM on December 18, 2007

on preview, KWTS is right I think, but Sexy Boy definitely has multiple verses.
posted by patricio at 9:46 AM on December 18, 2007

"I love you" by the Dandy Warhols
posted by Stynxno at 9:49 AM on December 18, 2007

The Crystal Method's "Get Busy Child" ( ... although lyrics contain one other phrase, "I guess I didn't know")
posted by StarForce5 at 9:50 AM on December 18, 2007

"mimimum wage" by they might be giants
posted by Stynxno at 9:50 AM on December 18, 2007

"Get Off Your Ass And Jam," Funkadelic
posted by Vervain at 9:53 AM on December 18, 2007

Punk Love by The Magnetic Fields
Women Are Born in Love by Oh No! Oh My!
posted by ludwig_van at 9:54 AM on December 18, 2007

You know they don't give a fuck about anybody else

Hey, that's a rip from Steely Dan.
posted by Neiltupper at 9:57 AM on December 18, 2007

Ragg Mopp
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:01 AM on December 18, 2007

"all the tired horses" by bob dylan and "one of these mornings" by moby both come close.
posted by brooklynexperiment at 10:01 AM on December 18, 2007

Black Sheep - For Doz That Slept . The entire song is different samples saying and singing "Fuck You", set to music.
posted by cashman at 10:04 AM on December 18, 2007

Great concept for a mix. Here's my offering:
Lavish (Deadbeats Remix) - Mark Rae
Soul Purpose - Nightmares on Wax
Get a Move On - Mr. Scruff
Horses - Aromabar (my favorite...turn up the bass, alot of the song's charm is in the texture)
posted by cowbellemoo at 10:09 AM on December 18, 2007

Beatles - I Want You (She's so Heavy)

Pink Floyd - One of These Days (I'm Gonna Cut You Into Little Pieces)
posted by grateful at 10:11 AM on December 18, 2007

"Acid Police" by Boredoms
"Holy Melancholy" by Kiila
"Don't Sit Down" by David Bowie


and for ultimate effect, "I am sitting in a room" by Alvin Lucier, but that bends your rules a bit.
posted by Dr-Baa at 10:12 AM on December 18, 2007

Lucier's "I am sitting in a room" can be found here on mp3.

Otherwise, I suggest "Collide" by Beat Happening.
posted by bubukaba at 10:40 AM on December 18, 2007

"David Bowie" by Phish.
posted by yerfatma at 10:48 AM on December 18, 2007

Make Sex - Andrew W.K.

I don't want to make life, and I don't want to make death, I don't want to make love, I just want to make sex
posted by wemayfreeze at 10:50 AM on December 18, 2007

Silkworm's "Don't Look Back" off of It'll be Cool uses the title phrase somewhere around 30 times in the song.
posted by safetyfork at 10:51 AM on December 18, 2007

But sadly may use too many other words. Damn!
posted by safetyfork at 10:53 AM on December 18, 2007

"Disco Mystic" by Lou Reed (on THE BELLS, perhaps the most inconsistent album of all time) fits this bill so well that I actually insist that you use it.

"Nonpartisan" by Optiganally Yours

I know there are several Ween songs that do this, but can't think of them off the top of my head. Oh!: "The HIV Song," from CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE.
posted by Dr. Wu at 10:54 AM on December 18, 2007

What What by Samwell.
posted by mumkin at 10:55 AM on December 18, 2007

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet by Gavin Bryars. The full 25/60/74 minute versions probably aren't that great for a mixtape, though.
posted by bunyip at 11:00 AM on December 18, 2007

John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Part 1: Acknowledgement) only contains the repeated title as lyrics.
posted by rocket88 at 11:13 AM on December 18, 2007

"Doug" by Moosebutter. Not quite right, but it's close, at least. You love doug.
posted by Lemurrhea at 11:16 AM on December 18, 2007

Whoops, should have mentioned. Here's where to listen
posted by Lemurrhea at 11:17 AM on December 18, 2007

mahna mahna
Covered by Cake
More Ween: Awesome Sound
posted by contraption at 11:18 AM on December 18, 2007

Husker Du, "New Day Rising"
The Isley Brothers' "Nobody But Me" (in their cover the Human Beinz sing "no" over 100 times in 2:16).
Pat Benatar, "Ooh Ooh Song"

The Smiths' "Panic":

Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, hang the DJ

posted by kirkaracha at 11:22 AM on December 18, 2007

oops, forgot Space Ghost. Don't Touch Me!
posted by contraption at 11:45 AM on December 18, 2007

Gah, you got me, patricio. Stupid faulty memory..."Sexy Boy" does indeed contain non-sexy boy lyrics. But I thought of another one, "Chewbacca" by Supernova.

"Chewbacca"

"Chewie"

"Ooooooh What a Wookie"
posted by ekstasis23 at 11:47 AM on December 18, 2007

Oooh, more Phish - "Let's Go Out To Dinner and See a Movie"
posted by grateful at 12:21 PM on December 18, 2007

Orbital, "Time Becomes"
posted by Maastrictian at 12:41 PM on December 18, 2007

LCD Soundsystem - "Yeah"
posted by yeti at 12:48 PM on December 18, 2007

This is embarassing, but...It's Time for the Percolator.
posted by sLevi at 1:06 PM on December 18, 2007

i think maggie's farm by bob dylan may fit the bill.
posted by Soulbee at 1:06 PM on December 18, 2007

Nazareth's Hair of the Dog's chorus is extremely repetitive. It's one of my least favorite songs.
posted by philomathoholic at 1:15 PM on December 18, 2007

Might just squeak in under your requirements: Spoon's "Don't Make Me a Target" has an intro with a verse, but the rest of the song is the title repeated over and over again.
posted by CiaoMela at 1:28 PM on December 18, 2007

If you can find it...I Trusted You by Andy Kaufman
posted by Epsilon-minus semi moron at 1:30 PM on December 18, 2007

Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango.
posted by DandyRandy at 1:42 PM on December 18, 2007

"Three-Way," the first single from the forthcoming Magnetic Fields album.
posted by escabeche at 2:06 PM on December 18, 2007

Robot Rock by Daft Punk
Music is Math by Boards of Canada
posted by Muffpub at 2:09 PM on December 18, 2007

Two and a Half Men's theme song has only the word "men".
Our own cortex's Rock Bell Jingle.
posted by acorncup at 2:14 PM on December 18, 2007

"Two States" by Pavement comes pretty close...

Any recording of "Salt Peanuts" would work (Off the top of my head, Dizzy Gillespie and Roland Kirk both have nice versions of this.)
posted by Dr. Wu at 2:14 PM on December 18, 2007

"Every Night About 11 O'clock" by Morphine

A number of Morphine songs are highly repetetive, but might not totally qualify for your list.
posted by LionIndex at 2:31 PM on December 18, 2007

Van McCoy'ss "The Hustle"
posted by kirkaracha at 2:45 PM on December 18, 2007

HIV - Ween
posted by pompomtom at 4:03 PM on December 18, 2007

The Smiths' "Panic"

The question says: "I'm not interested in songs that are simply repetitive in parts but otherwise actually have full lyrics," so Panic doesn't work.
posted by ludwig_van at 4:14 PM on December 18, 2007

Io by Helen Stellar ("This time around, you can be anyone.")
posted by The Deej at 4:26 PM on December 18, 2007

Arrested Development - Shell.
posted by streetdreams at 4:36 PM on December 18, 2007

Pogo Pope by Rudimentary Peni
posted by statolith at 8:02 AM on December 19, 2007

De Do Do Do De Da Da Da is not a great answer, but it's a fun one.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:05 PM on December 20, 2007