Friday, July 14, 2006

25 loved songs

Update: Will put you out of any remaining misery at around 1200 BST today (Monday). 3, 4, 17, 20 still to be identified. Molly leads by a nose from Billy and Betty.

For the weekend, another meme from the ever-fruitful loins of Billy, subsequently picked up by Patroclus and others. Opening lines from 25 randomly (ish) plucked tracks. Name 'em, and the artists. (Two or three of these have opening dialogue, which I've ignored. Some are also cover versions, or have been covered - I'll accept any performer who has actually recorded the song. For one, I'll accept either of two titles.)

1. [In the next world war, in a jackknifed juggernaut] Airbag - Radiohead (Billy)
2. ["Can I have your autograph?" he said to the fat blond actress] New Age - Velvet Underground (Slaminsky)
3. The moment I switch you on, you sing your song, let me know it won't be long
4. I need someone to take some joy in something I do
5. [I know so many people who think they can do it alone] Hang On To Your Ego/I Know There's An Answer - Beach Boys/Frank Black (Geoff) The former title being the one Brian prefers, although they used the latter on Pet Sounds because Mike Love, a twat, didn't like the implied dig at Transcendental Meditation.
6. [Last night I saw Lester Maddox on a TV show with some smartass New York Jew] Rednecks - Randy Newman (Geoff)
7. [Oh the white folks hate the black folks and the black folks hate the white folks] National Brotherhood Week - Tom Lehrer (Will)
8. [If you need some fun, something stereo gum] Radio #1 - Air (Betty)
9. [I can think of younger days when living for my life was everything a man could want to do] How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees/Al Green (Tom L)
10. [I don't have plans and schemes, and I don't have hopes and dreams] Since I Don't Have You - Skyliners, etc (Betty)
11. [I lost my heart under the bridge to that little girl] Down By The Water - PJ Harvey (Billy)
12. [I tried but I could not find a way] Re-Make Re-Model - Roxy Music (Billy)
13. [I can turn a gray sky blue, I can make it rain, whenever I want it to] I Can't Get Next To You - Temptations (Tom L)
14. [Alabama’s gotten me so upset, Tennessee made me lose my rest] Mississippi Goddamn - Nina Simone (PJ)
15. [I’m in love again, been like this before] Love You More - Buzzcocks (Betty)
16. [It isn’t the way that you look and it isn’t the way that you talk] I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten - Dusty Springfield (Molly Bloom)
17. Sad, drunk, and poorly, sleeping really late
18. [Nobody knows what human life is, why we come, why we go] I Will See You In Far Off Places - Morrissey (Ms B)
19. [This place is a fun park tonight, I follow the lights into the town] First Day On A New Planet - Urusei Yatsura (Molly Bloom)
20. There’s a fog upon LA and my friends have lost their way
21. [Down by the docks the talking turned] Come Back - Wah! (Nick Pegg, by e-mail)
22. [Debonair lullabies in melodies revealed in deep despair on lonely nights] When Smokey Sings - ABC (Molly Bloom)
23. [When you see him again, tell him everything you told me] Willing To Wait - Sebadoh (Occasional Poster of Comments)
24. [Though this world's essentially an absurd place to be living in, it doesn't call for total withdrawal] French Disko - Stereolab (Nick Pegg)
25. [Stained, glaucous, glycerine, gold, goat, clover] Word Song - Syd Barrett, RIP (Molly Bloom)

30 comments:

Billy said...

Thank you for your kind words about my loins..., ahem,

1. "Airbag" - Radiohead
is 11. PJ Harvey? "Down by the Water"

epikles said...

i'm thinkin'

9 - how do you mend a broken heart - bee gees
13 - can't get next to you - temptations

Betty said...

8 is Radio #1 by Air.

10. is Since I Don't Have You by some doo-wop group or other.

15. is Love You More by The Buzzcocks.

A few of the others sound horribly familiar, but I'm hopeless at this sort of thing.

Betty said...

... er, this just in. Art Garfunkel did Since I Don't Have You, among probably countless hundreds of others.

It's alright, I'm off, now.

Molly Bloom said...

25. Syd Barret. The Word Song.

Tim F said...

All good stuff so far.

'Since I Don't Have You' was originally by the Skyliners, but Guns N' Roses did a version that was camper than a poodle eating a Battenberg. Art did do it, however.

Betty leads by a short nose from Billy and Tom. Molly looking dangerous in the rear.

patroclus said...

Oh nooooooooooo. There goes my muso credibility *again*.

Although 19 sounds familiar, and 24 sounds like the kind of song i ought to like, and 22 sounds like Morrissey.

Annie said...

2 - New Age, The Velvet Underground

16 - Sounds like 'Wishing' by a Flock of Seagulls, but I have it as It's not the way you look, it's not the way that you smile

Tim F said...

22 isn't Morrissey, Patroclus. 24 you'll definitely know, but probably won't recognise the words. 19 is probably the most obscure, although Peelie championed them.

Annie: Velvets is right. But 16's not Flock of Haircuts.

Occasional Poster of Comments said...

23 - Sebadoh - Willing to Wait

Off one of my very favourite albums.

Now, let's see, I'm sure I know number 7, as well...

Geoff said...

5. Hang on to Your Ego - Beach Boys/Frank Black.

Geoff said...

6. Rednecks - Randy Newman.

Occasional Poster of Comments said...

So number 7 isn't Frank Zappa...

Oh well. That's me done, then.

Anonymous said...

Is 7 "National Brotherhood Week" by Tom Lehrer?

Tim F said...

Sorry, time difference. Was asleep. Geoff pulls into second alongside Tom and Billy. Betty still leads... just.

Tim F said...

12 to go, people: 3, 4, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24.

I thought and 16 and 22 would be snapped up within seconds; and that 12 and 20 would be solved by a certain Arsenal fan.

Molly Bloom said...

I got dragged away to the pub before I finished my answers. Oooh, the agony!

16. Dusty (oooh marvellous) 'Close my eyes and count to 10'

22. ABC - When Smokey Sings.

19. Urusei Yatsura (hope I spelt that right!) First Day on a Brand New Planet.

That's all I can do I'm afraid.

Molly Bloom said...

*Thank you for your kind words about my loins* ??? What have you two been up to?

Tim F said...

Molly shakes out the sleepy dust and pulls into the lead! Spelling is AOK, Molly. As for the loins, Billy's my butcher, didn't you know?

Molly Bloom said...

Up at the crack of dawn, me! That's when the creative thoughts flow! Actually, I'm still drunk.

That sometimes help to clarify things.

Billy a butcher? Does he have a good boning method?

Tim F said...

Molly, I'm shocked. A combination of atrocious puns with something tantamount to sexual harassment of poor Billy. And before the watershed too.

I know you're pissed, but how would you like it if I asked whether you had a nice rack*?

*of lamb

Billy said...

12 is remake/remodel by roxy music.

I'm not a butcher, nor do I play one on TV but I have plenty of contacts in the meat trade. If you're after a nice joint for your sunday lunch I'm your man.

Molly Bloom said...

I didn't say anything at all. Tis your mind that sought out the single entendre.

Rack?

Touche to you my friend. (Accent above the e but I can't be arsed to find one.)

I'm going to stop here because I'm dreadful when I get started.

Anonymous said...

18 - Too easy - I Will See You In Far Off Places - Morrissey - not his best work!

Tim F said...

Ms B cracks what's probably the most recent one on the list, but Molly still has it.

Geoff said...

Number 14's just driving me mad. And I mean mad. I know I've got it and it'll be bloody obvious...

Come on, someone. Put me out of my misery.

Molly Bloom said...

That has been buggin' me too. I think it is someone really famous too. I kept hearing it in my head...tip of tongue and all that.

I think it might be Nina. I keep hearing her voice singing it. I'm not sure though.

Anonymous said...

Obviously it's missing the point, and I would never cheat or anything like that, but of course the answers are just a Google away ...

Anonymous said...

14: mississippi (sp?) goddamm, nina simone

Tim F said...

Richard is of course entirely right. My fault, I should have clarified (as Billy did originally) that Googling is verboten, although, since I've no way of spotting whether you've Googled or not, it's more of a code of honour thing.

Meanwhile, in the back alley behind the Ethics Department, PJ puts Geoff out of his agony like a vet shooting a crocked gelding. Yes, it's Mississippi Goddamn by the late, great, mad-as-hell Nina Simone. But is it too late to topple the mighty Molly?

Admit it, people, this pisses on Big Brother, doesn't it?