Elusive retro workout track

July 12, 2005 12:50 AM

Another "name that obscure song without audio assistance" question: I would love to have a song identified that I heard twice in the gym last year.

I didn't hear it well enough to identify any of the lyrics, but I think that part of the chorus was something like "No fun, No fun." It had a male vocal, a great bassline, and it had a retro (80s) new wave sound reminiscent of Gary Numan.

I have searched using Google and I know it's not any of the results there: Iggy Pop, The Sex Pistols, Alice Cooper, Vitalic, or Julia Fordham... obviously. I have also searched endless lists of relatively current music in a multitude of genres on Amazon.

I feel like I must be missing something very obvious. Any ideas?

Thank you.

posted by nobodyyouknow to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

any more lyric help? even best guesses would be helpful.
posted by geckoinpdx at 1:28 AM on July 12, 2005

I'm pretty darned sure you aren't thinking of the middle eight section of "Turning Japanese", by the Vapors, which goes "no sex, no drugs, no wine, no women/no fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it's dark". It's new wave, all right, but not much like Gary Numan.
posted by litlnemo at 1:30 AM on July 12, 2005

Best answer: Great bass line, kinda retro sound: Cake - 'No Phone'?
posted by lazywhinerkid at 2:07 AM on July 12, 2005

My money's also on No Phone by Cake.
posted by jmcmurry at 4:45 AM on July 12, 2005

Audio Assist. Don't know your tune,since none of us heard the song in the gym , however, one may check out 20-30 seconds of any suspected melody for confirmation by using Itunes and going to the Music Store , searching :No Phone or Turning Japanese, or whatever... listen and match it with your gym song .
Itune is a free download. This should work with most of the music managers that have a store.
posted by Agamenticus at 6:00 AM on July 12, 2005

Is it possible the song you are thinking of is No Fun by the Stooges? lyrics, clips. My money is also on No Phone, but I thought of this first.
posted by jessamyn at 6:12 AM on July 12, 2005

Is it possible the song you are thinking of is No Fun by the Stooges? lyrics, clips.

If they DO play the Stooges at your gym, let me know what gym it is and in what city and I will move there within 36 hours.
posted by scratch at 6:23 AM on July 12, 2005

Response by poster: Good ID lazywhinerkid and the additional corroborators. Thank you very, very much. Some small part of me can relax about one thing today.
posted by nobodyyouknow at 7:35 AM on July 12, 2005

Well, that's far from '80s, so it certainly threw me for a loop. ;)
posted by litlnemo at 2:42 PM on July 12, 2005