Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Names, Names, Names Plus More

 

I’m sorry for not responding to your great comments but I have been a bit crippled up. Hopefully, I can write better and not fall asleep right in the middle of writing things..which I have been doing. Don't you love my Harley?

I have always been fascinated by songs where the singers can drop famous names in their songs at a rapid rate. It seems almost like tongue twisters, some more so than others. I truly have no idea how they can sing it plus remember it all. Here the 3 songs plus 1 that came into my head and which I always loved.

1. VOGUE BY MADONNA-1990

I do like Madonna even though she is looking a bit more like an old whore with way too much plastic surgeries or is that Botox or whatever other crap these famous nuts are doing to themselves. This song came out at one of the heights of her career. She constructed this song after noticing the dance style called voguing...I thought the dance style came from the song not the other way around. I just loved all the names she dropped and was able to state exactly what the stars were about, now I’m off to vogue...

2. WE DIDN’T STOP THE FIRE BY BILLY JOEL-1989

When I heard this song I was just gobsmacked at how many events and famous people Billy Joel named in this song and with so much passion. He mentions all the events that occurred between the time he was born and the date he created this song.pretty cool, eh?

3.  ONE WEEK BY THE BARE-NAKED LADIES-1998

I love this iconic Canadian band that many people might know as the singers to the opening of the TV show "Big Bang Theory”. This song was written by by Ed Robertson who sings the incredibly fast lyrics of famous events and names in this song which also includes the singing vocals of Stephen Page who was part of this band for many of it famous songs. 

4. THE TCHAIKOVSKY SONG AND OTHER RUSSIANS SUNG BY DANNY KAYE 1941

This was actually the first song that came into my head because Kaye just excels at these tongue twisting songs that make my eyes wide open at how well he can pronounce all these famous Russian names. Kaye was in his element when he sang this song for the theatre production of “ Lady in the Dark.” With the music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Ira Gershwin.


Can you think of any songs like these?

5 comments:

  1. Hi, Birgit!

    I'm sorry to learn that your crippling pain prevented you from replying to comments. I know how much of a challenge chronic pain can be. Thanks for posting a picture of my buddy Harley. I clicked to enlarge and got the urge to hug and smooch that rascal. I hope his coat no longer smells of skunk.

    I enjoyed the theme of this week's song post. Madonna was indeed at the height of her popularity and influence when she released "Vogue." The video was heavily requested and played frequently on the MTV station where I worked at the time. It's a great, ultra-sophisticated dance number.

    Billy Joel's video for "We Didn't Start The Fire" was another viewer fave that was played often on our channel. The flames shooting up behind Billy made it one of the most memorable videos of MTV's golden years. Billy Joel and Shady were born the same year, 1949, and therefore I well remember the 118 people and events spanning 40 years that he references in the song. I'll bet few young people today realize how big a star Johnny Ray was in the 50s.

    "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies is new to my eyes and ears this morning. I enjoy this busy, lyric-loaded type of song. This one includes a reference to Hitchcock's Vertigo. BNL's "One Week" sounds a lot like, and was clearly inspired by, the 1974 hit single "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion, a record that remains in my personal collection.

    When it comes to negotiating rapid-fire lyrics and tongue twisters, Danny Kaye has to be the most brilliant of all. "Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians)" is also new to me, but I suspect that's because it is a song from... (gulp)... a Broadway musical.

    So, I'm sticking with the song I mentioned, "Life Is A Rock" by Reunion, a "pseudo" group that was merely lead vocalist Joey Levine backed by studio session musicians. Joey, who earned the nickname King of Bubblegum Pop, was also the lead singer for several other real and fake groups that scored chart hits including the Third Rail, Ohio Express, Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus and Banana Splits.

    I hope you are feeling better today, dear friend BB. Have a wonderful day and I'll be waiting for you tamale in the balcony-- "At The Movies!"

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    1. I'm glad I have introduced you to the bare-naked Ladies. I think you may like them. I listened to that song...not my fav but glad I listened.

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  2. Good choices. I especially like We Didn't Start the Fire. Sorry to hear you're crippled up:(

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  3. Sorry to read you have been in pain, dear. Harley is adorable looking, though. Such a cute boy.

    What fabulous examples you gave for these name inspired films. The only one I was familiar with was Billy Joel's famous song. I had never seen the video before, but it was stunning, especially the images behind him with the fire burning in the chorus.

    Danny Kaye was definitely good in that tongue twister. Hope you are better soon, dear.

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