Comments on: Music for the Forgetful

Question: Music for the Forgetful

captnkurt — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:14:09 -0800

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?

By: 0xFCAF

0xFCAF — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:15:50 -0800

"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

By: clockwork

clockwork — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:17:08 -0800

"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."

By: spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:18:49 -0800

Anything by Gary Glitter.

By: drinkcoffee

drinkcoffee — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:25:47 -0800

"One Step Beyond" by Madness

By: pdb

pdb — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:28:28 -0800

"5 American, 6 Canadian" by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.

By: clockwork

clockwork — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:29:56 -0800

"Vitamin", "Aero Dynamik", and "Elektro Kardiogramm" from the Kraftwerk album Tour De France

By: iamkimiam

iamkimiam — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:30:27 -0800

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.

By: owtytrof

owtytrof — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:30:52 -0800

2nding 0xFCAF's suggestions.

Also, "Race Car Ya-Yas" by Cake.

By: criticalbill

criticalbill — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:31:37 -0800

Revolution 9?

and must be quite a lot in James Brown's oeuvre... Pass the peas?

By: clearly

clearly — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:32:05 -0800

List of Songs whose title constitutes the entire lyrics.

By: clockwork

clockwork — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:34:29 -0800

"Nuclear War" by Sun Ra (or Yo La Tengo)

By: General Malaise

General Malaise — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:36:52 -0800

Chemical Brothers - It Doesn't Matter

By: martinX's bellbottoms

martinX's bellbottoms — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:39:02 -0800

"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.

By: mikepop

mikepop — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:39:29 -0800

Jingle Rock Bell?

By: ekstasis23

ekstasis23 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:40:40 -0800

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.

By: patricio

patricio — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:45:27 -0800

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)

By: patricio

patricio — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:46:30 -0800

on preview, KWTS is right I think, but Sexy Boy definitely has multiple verses.

By: Stynxno

Stynxno — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:49:45 -0800

"I love you" by the Dandy Warhols

By: StarForce5

StarForce5 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:50:12 -0800

The Crystal Method's "Get Busy Child" ( ... although lyrics contain one other phrase, "I guess I didn't know")

By: Stynxno

Stynxno — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:50:54 -0800

"mimimum wage" by they might be giants

By: Vervain

Vervain — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:53:50 -0800

"Get Off Your Ass And Jam," Funkadelic

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:54:57 -0800

Punk Love by The Magnetic Fields
Women Are Born in Love by Oh No! Oh My!

By: Neiltupper

Neiltupper — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:57:09 -0800

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

Hey, that's a rip from Steely Dan.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:01:01 -0800

Ragg Mopp

By: brooklynexperiment

brooklynexperiment — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:01:07 -0800

"all the tired horses" by bob dylan and "one of these mornings" by moby both come close.

By: cashman

cashman — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:04:12 -0800

Black Sheep - For Doz That Slept . The entire song is different samples saying and singing "Fuck You", set to music.

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:09:18 -0800

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)

By: grateful

grateful — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:11:48 -0800

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

Pink Floyd - One of These Days (I'm Gonna Cut You Into Little Pieces)

By: Dr-Baa

Dr-Baa — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:12:09 -0800

"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.

By: bubukaba

bubukaba — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:40:50 -0800

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

Otherwise, I suggest "Collide" by Beat Happening.

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:48:45 -0800

"David Bowie" by Phish.

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:50:58 -0800

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

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:51:12 -0800

Silkworm's "Don't Look Back" off of It'll be Cool uses the title phrase somewhere around 30 times in the song.

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:53:06 -0800

But sadly may use too many other words. Damn!

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:54:42 -0800

"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.

By: mumkin

mumkin — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:55:57 -0800

What What by Samwell.

By: bunyip

bunyip — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:00:05 -0800

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.

By: rocket88

rocket88 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:13:03 -0800

John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Part 1: Acknowledgement) only contains the repeated title as lyrics.

By: Lemurrhea

Lemurrhea — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:16:22 -0800

"Doug" by Moosebutter. Not quite right, but it's close, at least. You love doug.

By: Lemurrhea

Lemurrhea — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:17:12 -0800

Whoops, should have mentioned. Here's where to listen

By: contraption

contraption — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:18:47 -0800

mahna mahna
Covered by Cake
More Ween: Awesome Sound

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:22:59 -0800

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

By: contraption

contraption — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:45:44 -0800

oops, forgot Space Ghost. Don't Touch Me!

By: ekstasis23

ekstasis23 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:47:53 -0800

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"

By: grateful

grateful — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:21:28 -0800

Oooh, more Phish - "Let's Go Out To Dinner and See a Movie"

By: Maastrictian

Maastrictian — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:41:00 -0800

Orbital, "Time Becomes"

By: yeti

yeti — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:48:17 -0800

LCD Soundsystem - "Yeah"

By: sLevi

sLevi — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:06:21 -0800

This is embarassing, but...It's Time for the Percolator.

By: Soulbee

Soulbee — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:06:52 -0800

i think maggie's farm by bob dylan may fit the bill.

By: philomathoholic

philomathoholic — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:15:34 -0800

Nazareth's Hair of the Dog's chorus is extremely repetitive. It's one of my least favorite songs.

By: CiaoMela

CiaoMela — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:28:31 -0800

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.

By: Epsilon-minus semi moron

Epsilon-minus semi moron — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:30:40 -0800

If you can find it...I Trusted You by Andy Kaufman

By: DandyRandy

DandyRandy — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:42:50 -0800

Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango.

By: escabeche

escabeche — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:06:22 -0800

"Three-Way," the first single from the forthcoming Magnetic Fields album.

By: Muffpub

Muffpub — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:09:00 -0800

Robot Rock by Daft Punk
Music is Math by Boards of Canada

By: acorncup

acorncup — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:14:03 -0800

Two and a Half Men's theme song has only the word "men".
Our own cortex's Rock Bell Jingle.

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:14:52 -0800

"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.)

By: LionIndex

LionIndex — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:31:38 -0800

"Every Night About 11 O'clock" by Morphine

A number of Morphine songs are highly repetetive, but might not totally qualify for your list.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:45:23 -0800

Van McCoy'ss "The Hustle"

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:03:11 -0800

HIV - Ween

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:14:41 -0800

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.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:26:47 -0800

Io by Helen Stellar ("This time around, you can be anyone.")

By: streetdreams

streetdreams — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:36:24 -0800

Arrested Development - Shell.

By: statolith

statolith — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:02:48 -0800

Pogo Pope by Rudimentary Peni

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:05:27 -0800

De Do Do Do De Da Da Da is not a great answer, but it's a fun one.