I can HEAR you, I just can't PLACE you
December 29, 2015 12:04 AM Subscribe
I've had this song stuck in my head for at least a week, and it's driving me up the wall. The chorus (?) is "can you hear me" repeated 4 times, and the rest of the details are as follows...
Ok, I'm not going to record myself attempting to sing this, so I'm going to try and represent what it sounds like thus:
"can you hear me, can you hear me? cAAAAAn you hear mee? cAaAAn you HEAR ME?"
The singer is male, has that weird screechy/not really singing voice thing going on, like it's creaky and screechy and compressed sounding.
The music that I can remember is very deconstructed instruments, like sounds of dragging something across the guitar strings, maybe a violin being played poorly in the background. This is characteristic of their music, I'm pretty sure. It's that weird punk/folky?/throw the instruments down the stairs genre. I'm thinking I remember the song as starting out less broken-sounding, but it gets weirder as the song goes on.
Maybe late 90s-early 2000s? I either got it from my college radio station (KZUU in Pullman, if that is a lead) or downloaded it from Napster randomly back when (which is obviously not much of a lead).
This is terrible, I feel like it's RIGHT THERE on the edge of my brain. Googling failed me pretty epically, which makes me think this was a pretty niche little band. Please help me, I've been singing it on a loop in my head all through Christmas and I need to listen to it and make it go away.
Ok, I'm not going to record myself attempting to sing this, so I'm going to try and represent what it sounds like thus:
"can you hear me, can you hear me? cAAAAAn you hear mee? cAaAAn you HEAR ME?"
The singer is male, has that weird screechy/not really singing voice thing going on, like it's creaky and screechy and compressed sounding.
The music that I can remember is very deconstructed instruments, like sounds of dragging something across the guitar strings, maybe a violin being played poorly in the background. This is characteristic of their music, I'm pretty sure. It's that weird punk/folky?/throw the instruments down the stairs genre. I'm thinking I remember the song as starting out less broken-sounding, but it gets weirder as the song goes on.
Maybe late 90s-early 2000s? I either got it from my college radio station (KZUU in Pullman, if that is a lead) or downloaded it from Napster randomly back when (which is obviously not much of a lead).
This is terrible, I feel like it's RIGHT THERE on the edge of my brain. Googling failed me pretty epically, which makes me think this was a pretty niche little band. Please help me, I've been singing it on a loop in my head all through Christmas and I need to listen to it and make it go away.
Mike and the Mechanics - Silent Running?
posted by littlesq at 12:07 AM on December 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by littlesq at 12:07 AM on December 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
or the broadway version of one of the songs from The Who's Tommy:
here
posted by leemleem at 12:23 AM on December 29, 2015
here
posted by leemleem at 12:23 AM on December 29, 2015
Mike and the Mechanics - Silent Running?
This was my thought. Great song, but I'm not sure it fits all your criteria.
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:56 AM on December 29, 2015
This was my thought. Great song, but I'm not sure it fits all your criteria.
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:56 AM on December 29, 2015
Silent Running was my first thought, but it doesn't fit the description of the music.
Elvis Costello, High Fidelity? (Though that doesn't much match the music either - maybe a cover version?)
posted by Pink Frost at 1:04 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Elvis Costello, High Fidelity? (Though that doesn't much match the music either - maybe a cover version?)
posted by Pink Frost at 1:04 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Elvis Costello's rerelease of Get Happy in 2002 included a live version of High Fidelity on a bonus disc. Maybe that's the one? It seems to be impossible to find anywhere online.
(Also, I now have this stuck in my head. Considering the only way to get rid of an earworm is by infecting someone else, if this is the right song you should now be cured.)
posted by sively at 2:16 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
(Also, I now have this stuck in my head. Considering the only way to get rid of an earworm is by infecting someone else, if this is the right song you should now be cured.)
posted by sively at 2:16 AM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
"Sailing" by Rod Stewart / The Sutherland Bros has these lyrics, repeated 4 times, in verses 3 and 4. It has been covered by many people also.
posted by rongorongo at 2:56 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by rongorongo at 2:56 AM on December 29, 2015
My thought was High Fidelity as well. Here is a fantastic deconstruction of the song. MAN! I love Elvis Costello!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:17 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:17 AM on December 29, 2015
It wasn't " Can you hear me Major Tom" was it?
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:20 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:20 AM on December 29, 2015
Smashmouth's "Flo" fits the criteria. I think.
posted by Thistledown at 5:54 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by Thistledown at 5:54 AM on December 29, 2015
Long shot: they might be giants did a song called I can hear you, recorded on an Edison wax phonograph cylinder. It is hella scratchy and weird sounding for that reason.
posted by holyrood at 6:22 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by holyrood at 6:22 AM on December 29, 2015
Can You Hear Me by Lee Dorsey is another one that doesn't fit all your criteria but came to mind as a possibility.
posted by whoiam at 8:21 AM on December 29, 2015
posted by whoiam at 8:21 AM on December 29, 2015
Was it possibly Jim Morrison?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IK4nyIO1Hw
posted by atinna at 1:34 PM on December 29, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IK4nyIO1Hw
posted by atinna at 1:34 PM on December 29, 2015
Have you tried singing or whistling it into an app like Soundhound?
posted by Stewriffic at 4:49 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Stewriffic at 4:49 PM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: YOU GUYS I REMEMBERED
It was the Chainsaw Kittens!
posted by zinful at 4:39 PM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
It was the Chainsaw Kittens!
posted by zinful at 4:39 PM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by leemleem at 12:06 AM on December 29, 2015