Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Song

Do you know the lyrics to this song?

h00py — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:56:28 -0800

I heard a song on the radio station JJJ with some lyrics that sounded to me like this: "We go out in the coco fire, never ever coco liar". It is more than possible that these lyrics have been woefully mangled. It was a guy singing. If you know what this is could you tell me please? I heard this song on JJJ the other week. I don't know whether it's an old song or a new one, but I felt like I'd heard it before. Anyway, I really liked it and one little part of it has been haunting me ever since so I'd love to listen to it in full again.

I am about to reveal my complete ignorance of musical tablature here, but the notes in my head go aa g gg cc b a aa cc ff ed (I tried to find an online keyboard to record it on but couldn't find one that would record it in real time with the spaces between notes put in as played, plus also it would have sounded like shit because I can't play).

Vulnerable songs

sprocket87 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:00:27 -0800

What song(s) would you describe as "vulnerable"? What songs would you use the word "vulnerable" to describe? This is pretty open-ended as to how you'd like to interpret it. I'm not looking for songs that use the word "vulnerable" - rather ones that evoke that feeling. Either in the delivery or in regard to the subject, story, emotion, etc...

Note that this may be slightly more specific than just "emotional songs", "sad songs", etc. Not looking for an emo playlist per se.

Bonus points for listening links, but I can probably find most anything if not.

What's the name of this mysterious squirrel song?

obiwanwasabi — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 22:17:46 -0800

Singing Christmas squirrels toy - what's the name of the song?

Where can I listen to Japanese train station melodies?

avocet — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:38:16 -0800

Where can I listen to Japanese train and bus station melodies and onboard announcements, preferably without installing RealPlayer? My previous go-to archive is 404ing. My Japanese is mediocre but good enough to help me navigate sites.

Please find this song for us.

multivalent — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:32:56 -0800

Findthatsongfilter: Lyrics containing "die together"...we think! My girlfriend is looking for a song that was released around a year ago and got some radio play. Have googled the lyrics so the phrasing may not be exact. Song was indie ish lyrical and ballady. Male singer. Sorry this is all so vague; this question is as much wanting to know the song as to demonstrate the power of the hive mind to the unconverted.

Thanks for your help.

Who makes the station-specific versions of radio songs?

Zephyrial — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:01:33 -0800

Who is responsible for recording / editing those customized versions of pop radio songs that include the radio station's or city's name? You know when a song on the radio has been edited to change some lyric to include "KISS 107" or the name of your city (the most recent example that comes to mind is I heard Kesha - Tick Tock on the radio and the lyric "DJ blow my speakers up" was replaced with "New York City blow it up")? Who is responsible for those?

Does the singer record a bunch of different versions with sponsor-station names in the studio? Are they recorded when the singer records those "Hi this is [name] and you're listening to [station]!" messages? Or do stations hire sound-alike singers to dub over certain key moments with their name / location?

I don't know if anyone will have any insight into this, but it's something I've always been really curious about.

Can anyone identify this song?

marimeko — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:17:09 -0800

Can anyone identify this song? The last time I head the track in question was in 2001.

The intro (keyboard/guitar/strings possibly wind sound effect) builds up to a male voice saying "it's a beautiful day" (several times, slowly, almost whispering).

The artist has a slight Brooklyn accent and doesn't ever actually sing.

It's not any of the songs or albums that comes up in google for "Beautiful Day".

The words "telephone" or "pop" might be in the name of the track, band or album.

I would describe the music as pop, hip hop, electronica.

Thank you!

Classical composers who sang instead of played instruments?

mediareport — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:56:33 -0800

Are there well-known classical composers who aren't trained on a particular instrument? An acquaintance is a young singer who's interested in composition (mostly for voice), but in talking to him I get the sense that he feels a little inadequate compared to his fellow students who are accomplished on at least one instrument like piano or violin. Can you give me examples of classical composers whose work is respected but who weren't primarily instrumental players? Modern or otherwise. Thanks!

Songs about redemption other than "Redemption Song?"

the_bone — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:37:25 -0800

I'd love suggestions for a song about redemption that isn't Marley's "Redemption Song." I was just asked to sing at a benefit dinner my friend is organizing this Saturday... it's for a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides housing and reentry support to women who were formally incarcerated. She requested that I sing a song about "redemption" and I immediately thought of "Redemption Song," but realized while practicing that the opening lyrics make it a potentially problematic song for a white guy to sing. (Specifically: Old pirates, yes, they rob I/Sold I to the merchant ships/Minutes after they took I/From the bottomless pit.) Even though I think it works on a metaphorical level I'm worried that my singing those lyrics would come off as insensitive and douchey. Plus, I don't want people to give the friend who asked me to sing any grief over it.

So, my question is twofold:

1. Am I overthinking this? My main objective here is to be sensitive, but I wouldn't mind being convinced that singing Marley's song is fine (mostly because it's fucking gorgeous and fits my voice ridiculously well).

2. Assuming that I go with my instinct and find another song, any ideas? It can be religious or not, although I'd prefer that songs with religious/spiritual overtones be appropriate for an interfaith sort of event. I'll be accompanying myself on either guitar or piano so it ideally wouldn't be something too difficult to play. It can be vocally challenging though. Range doesn't really matter; I'm a tenor with a wide range and an excellent falsetto, and would transpose whatever song I pick into a suitable range anyway. (To give you idea of range: I was practicing "Redemption Song" up a step, in A, and it worked nicely.) An "outside the box" suggestion would be ideal.

Thanks!

Lyrics to Fool's Gold song "Surprise Hotel."

feathermeat — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:56:02 -0800

Lyrics to Fool's Gold song "Surprise Hotel." Can any Hebrew speakers transcribe the lyrics to "Surprise Hotel" for me? I want to be able to sing along!

Who'd you rather be; The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?

Lorc — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:50:03 -0800

The song Gimme Sympathy by Metric has a line: "After all of this is gone, who'd you rather be; the Beatles or the Rolling Stones." What would you interpret that to mean? What characteristic of those bands is being contrasted here? Googling suggests that there was some Beatles/Stones dichotomy, but I'm not 100% clear on how it relates to that lyric.

I've sussed that the later lyric "play me something like Here Comes The Sun" is a reference to that Beatles song, so are The Beatles the "right" choice? Maybe?

Sorry for overthinking a plate of beans, but you know how when one line of a song sticks in your mind?

Full lyrics for the song are in the linked vid's description.

It made me so happy!

Evangeline — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:43:10 -0800

My very first "name that song"! Oh help. It played on college radio in the 80's. I'm going crazy trying to remember it, but if anyone - ANYONE - would know, it would be you guys. Starts off with a woman's voice saying something like "fe, fe fi, fe fi fo fum... eeny meeny..." and goes on from there with nonsense words. Then guitars, and a man singing something about some kind of witchy woman who makes him "break out in a cold sweat".

Anything?

What is this song?

Holygrail2 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:41:00 -0800

This has vexed me for more than half of my life. What song is this? I recorded the final snippet of this song from a Comedy Central rerun of (I think) SNL in 1993. I've been randomly singing it every now and then for the last 16 years but I still have no idea what the song is and who the singer is.

Luckily, thanks to modern technology, I can put VHS tapes on my computer and put the video up on YouTube (yay!). Any music buffs know the answer? I think it's an early 80s SNL episode...

what is this Fabolous song?

tunestunes — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:52:44 -0800

what is this Fabolous song? the clip i put up is way slower than the actual song but you should be able to get the idea. what do you everybody think?

Name that vaguely show-tuney tune

miriam — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:53:40 -0800

What song plays over the closing credits in the last episode of The Simpsons? It's season 21, episode 6, "Pranks and Greens," guest-starring Jonah Hill. The song starts around 20:47 here. We thought maybe it was Holst, Vaughan Williams, or Gilbert & Sullivan, but can't identify it. I don't see any mention of it in the closing credits or in the googles.

Others like St. James Infirmary?

Baby_Balrog — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:53:25 -0800

My band does a great cover of St. James Infirmary Blues. What else should we do that's in the same vein? Here's a bozillion .mp3s of St. James so you can get a feel for it. It looks like it's been categorized under pre-war blues. It sounds great - we do it as a three-piece... guitar, banjo, fiddle with three-part vocal harmonies. It plays well on the fiddle - what other tunes capture this kind of dark, painful sound in a blues way that translates well to string band?

I want to watch this video again.

inging — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:11:58 -0800

ForgottenSongTitleAndArtistFilter: the song: bouncy and loud, sung by a solo female. The lyrics equate love with physical abuse. (Like being hit with love, or our hearts beating one another, something like that. It reminds me of the Cardigans "And then You Kissed Me.") the video: a mostly white backdrop, and said female vocalist cavorting around, dancing and shadowboxing. Possibly things are on fire? There is a bed, and pillows, and maybe even streamers. That's all I have. Please help.

I am not nearly young or cool enough to make this happen

msali — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:53:13 -0800

I thought this would be simple, but it isn't. I want to purchase a song as the new ringtone of my At&t Blackberry Pearl, and I have hit all sorts of roadblocks. So the song is Nelly Furtado's "Manos al aire", more specifically, I want JUST the chorus to be my ringtone, and damned if I can't make that happen. I am not particularly web or phone savvy, but somehow in the past, I managed to make "Man of constant sorrow" and "Cigarettes and chocolate milk" as my ringtones. Now I want a song that is one of those chart-toppers, and I can't make it happen without purchasing a subscription! I want to pay my US$ 2.49 and make this happen, but it isn't working, even on the AT&T website (which asks me to enter my type of cellphone, and after I do so, the site just shuts down). Help?!?

Specific song with whistling in it?

crios — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:27:48 -0800

I'm looking for a specific song with whistling in it. I heard it in a bar so I couldn't catch the lyrics but the song had a singing chorus and then a whistling chorus that it started and ended with (I think). It had had an upbeat tempo and seemed to only consist of drums, a bass line and vocals (as well as the whistling). The singing seemed to be in a monotone style except for the singing chorus. Any ideas?

Can anyone identify these songs by their melodies?

cdenman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:34:39 -0800

Can anyone identify one of these songs I have stuck in my head? (Links below) - Please help! Song 1

Song 2

Song 3

(1) is a demo song that came with my Yamaha P200 keyboard - it's quite plausible that it was composed for the keyboard, but if it is a 'real' song I'd love to know.

(2) and (3) are melodies that have got absolutely stuck in my head and I would love to know what they are if anyone can tell me! I suspect (2) to be a very old song and (3) to be a very recent one, but anything's possible.

Searching for Sara/Sarah!

bookmammal — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:14:51 -0800

Please help me ID a song from the 80's! I'm wracking my brain trying to find a song that I heard fairly regularly on the radio in the early 80's--probably 1982-1984. I'm pretty sure the name "Sara" or "Sarah" was in the title--but it is definitely NOT "Sara Smile" by Hall & Oates. I think that the group or singer was not super-popular, but I do recall the song getting pretty regular play in the Midwest. The only lyrics I seem to remember are "How did I let you go" (I think that was the very first line of the song) "Sara, I'll never forget your name" and "The moment is gone but the (...something--maybe memory?...) still remains."
I've tried some "find a song with the lyrics" sites, but no luck. Can the great hive-mind help me out?

I'm tired of not knowing what this song is! Ba-dum-dum.

Lucinda — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:45:06 -0800

Please help me identify a song I heard about 10-12 years ago. Not much to go on inside. I definitely heard the song between the years 1997 and 2000. It sounded kind of like Nirvana, the chorus was something like "Ohhhhhhh, I'm tired" with a little bit of harmony. It was *not* "Pennyroyal Tea", which is what comes up in Google when I type in "Nirvana i'm tired".

Chicken Soup with Rice song

camcgee — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:18:47 -0800

Anyone remember a non-Carole King version of the song "Chicken Soup with Rice"? I am looking for a recording of the song "Chicken Soup with Rice." A google search only yielded a recording by Carole King on the "Really Rosie" album. This isn't the version I remember; the one I remember is of a man with a deep, nasally voice singing. I think this particular version accompanied the paperback version (not the Nutshell Library) of the book. (Note: this is camcgee's wife, borrowing my husband's account)

What is the name of this birthday song?

fellion — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:07:33 -0800

Please help me figure out the name of this birthday song. My in-laws sing a variation of Happy Birthday and they don't know where they learned it from. I'd love to find a recording of it, but my Google-Fu is failing.

Lyrics are below. Please excuse the badly formatted stanzas.

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, now let's all bake a birthday cake for you!

Oh here's the sugar, here's the spice
Here are the candles, aren't they nice

Here's the frosting, here's the knife
Never saw such a cake in my life,
Make a Wish!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday now let's all bake a birthday cake for you.

Yum! Yum! Give me some, we'll have lots of fun!
Happy Birthday!

"I'm not so proud of the way I behaved...not finding this song."

Ash3000 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:14:13 -0800

Does anyone know the song from this faux-trailer? I've tried all the obvious avenues, to no avail. I appreciate any help on this, which is driving me a little crazy. Tried my google skills with the heard lyrics, contacted through the email and such I could find on the attached Nothing But Everything website and haven't heard back...I know from past experience that if I'll find out anywhere, it'll be here. Thanks!