What melody is this?

July 4, 2008 11:20 PM

There is something very familiar in the intro vocal melody of this song: Marble House by The Knife. What song is this melody referencing?

The lyrics that I am specifically asking about are:
I cut your nails
And comb your hair
I carry you
Down the stairs

posted by Drama Penguin to media & arts (11 comments total)

Camp Grenada? It's the first thing I thought of.
posted by wsp at 11:37 PM on July 4, 2008

At first I thought it was just some take on a Weimar-era cabaret tune, but the more I hummed it in my head, the more I realized it did have a resemblance to the song above, which I believe is actually called "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" and was written and performed by Allan Sherman.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 11:44 PM on July 4, 2008

Happy birthday to you....
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 11:58 PM on July 4, 2008

Except it's minor. But it's a little closer than that Allan Sherman tune. It sounds familiar, yeah, and I'm still racking my brains...
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 12:01 AM on July 5, 2008

I can hear the Lloyd Webber 'The Phantom of the Opera' and something else I can't put my finger on. Oh, I know: it's the opening bars of the Mozart Requiem 'Lacrimosa'. No, really.
posted by holgate at 12:25 AM on July 5, 2008

It's similar to Dark Eyes -- the part where the man starts singing solo.

If you represented the original melody as AABC, it's as if The Knife has turned it into ABAC.
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:29 AM on July 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Here's a clearer instance of the melody. The song is a.k.a. Oci Ciornie.
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:37 AM on July 5, 2008 [3 favorites]

I'd say that's the closest yet.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 1:05 AM on July 5, 2008

Yep, give the tick to Jaltcoh, because that melody was in my head too.
posted by holgate at 2:16 AM on July 5, 2008

Jaltcoh ftw?
posted by billtron at 6:58 AM on July 5, 2008

After listening to Jaltcoh's first link I have an overwhelming urge to play Tetris.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:38 AM on July 5, 2008