Some Lyrics I like (Part I)
You can like a song for a thousand reasons. Often times, it's the melody, the hook. Sometimes it's the rhythm, the beat (the secret to the King of Pop's world-beating hits if you ask me). You like Santana's songs for the way he wanks his guitar. You wince and grab your balls when Jeff Zhang sings like he's got none. But admit it, you like 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' cos of Kylie's diaphanous peek-a-boo top and hotpants.
Occassionally, we get interested about what the singer is going on about in the song. Indeed, knowing what the singer is going on about in the song cannot be taken for granted these days considering that (i) Sinatra-esque enunciation is no longer in fashion and (ii) the range of vocabulary employed in lyric-writing grown beyond Merriam-Webster. I remember recording songs from radio onto tape; playing, pausing and replaying just to figure out that elusive line. It gets harder when the words seem out of context. Which was why I had my doubts when a fellow amateur lyric transcriber insisted that Bon Jovi was really singing 'this old dog, kicked up'. Not all album sleeves contain 'lyrics that have been reprinted with the kind permission of the publisher' so I'm thankful for the internet. My friend has been vindicated. In 'Always', Bon Jovi was truly likening his emotional state to an 'old dog, kicked up'.
Although lyrics are probably better appreciated when considered in their entirety, I have isolated some lines from songs that I think convey the songs' 'essence' or are simply brilliant on their own.
The lyrics aren't supposed to mean that much,
They're just a vehicle for a lovely voice
- Mansun, An Open Letter To The Lyrical Trainspotter
--------------------------------------------------------
A song about interpreting lyrics. Ironical, satirical, maybe just plain fun. And the title? Brilliant. (side note: chorus contains a nice steal of the opening piano riff from the Carpenter's 'Close to You')
But baby I've gotta get through
Crumb by crumb in this big black forest
- Rufus Wainwright, Crumb by Crumb
--------------------------------------------------------
A reference to Hansel & Gretel?
But I'm so impressed
With the kindness in your attitude
- Collective Soul, Smashing Young Man
--------------------------------------------------------
Not so much the words but the way Ed Roland sang it - in a hilarious falsetto
Well I've ruined nearly all of my veins
Sticking that fucking shit into my arms
- The Darkness, Givin' Up
--------------------------------------------------------
The subtlety.
A vampire or a victim
It depends on who's around -
U2, Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
--------------------------------------------------------
How true...
All Elvis Costello songs. The man is a lyrical artist.
And the prize goes to the Bloodhound Gang. The gang's musicianship has largely been overshadowed by their pants-wettingly inventive lyrics on all things carnal. Done in superb retro 80s disco style (complete with killer keyboards and sing-along chorus), I like the lyrics so much I'm compelled to reproduce it from start to finish. Enjoy!
The Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang
-------------------------------------------
Ha-Ha! Well now, we call this the act of mating
But there are several other very important differences
Between human beings and animals that you should know about
I'd appreciate your input
Sweat baby sweat baby sex is a Texas drought
Me and you do the kind of stuff that only Prince would sing about
So put your hands down my pants and I'll bet you'll feel nuts
Yes I'm Siskel, yes I'm Ebert and you're getting two thumbs up
You've had enough of two-hand touch you want it rough you're out of bounds
I want you smothered want you covered like my Waffle House hashbrowns
Come quicker than FedEx never reach an apex just like Coca-Cola stock you are inclined
To make me rise an hour early just like Daylight Savings Time
Do it now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Gettin' horny now
Love the kind you clean up with a mop and bucket
Like the lost catacombs of Egypt only God knows where we stuck it
Hieroglyphics? Let me be Pacific I wanna be down in your South Seas
But I got this notion that the motion of your ocean means "Small Craft Advisory"
So if I capsize on your thighs high tide, B-5 you sunk my battleship
Please turn me on I'm Mister Coffee with an automatic drip
So show me yours I'll show you mine "Tool Time" you'll Lovett just like Lyle
And then we'll do it doggy style so we can both watch "X-Files"
Do it now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Gettin' horny now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Gettin' horny now
Occassionally, we get interested about what the singer is going on about in the song. Indeed, knowing what the singer is going on about in the song cannot be taken for granted these days considering that (i) Sinatra-esque enunciation is no longer in fashion and (ii) the range of vocabulary employed in lyric-writing grown beyond Merriam-Webster. I remember recording songs from radio onto tape; playing, pausing and replaying just to figure out that elusive line. It gets harder when the words seem out of context. Which was why I had my doubts when a fellow amateur lyric transcriber insisted that Bon Jovi was really singing 'this old dog, kicked up'. Not all album sleeves contain 'lyrics that have been reprinted with the kind permission of the publisher' so I'm thankful for the internet. My friend has been vindicated. In 'Always', Bon Jovi was truly likening his emotional state to an 'old dog, kicked up'.
Although lyrics are probably better appreciated when considered in their entirety, I have isolated some lines from songs that I think convey the songs' 'essence' or are simply brilliant on their own.
The lyrics aren't supposed to mean that much,
They're just a vehicle for a lovely voice
- Mansun, An Open Letter To The Lyrical Trainspotter
--------------------------------------------------------
A song about interpreting lyrics. Ironical, satirical, maybe just plain fun. And the title? Brilliant. (side note: chorus contains a nice steal of the opening piano riff from the Carpenter's 'Close to You')
But baby I've gotta get through
Crumb by crumb in this big black forest
- Rufus Wainwright, Crumb by Crumb
--------------------------------------------------------
A reference to Hansel & Gretel?
But I'm so impressed
With the kindness in your attitude
- Collective Soul, Smashing Young Man
--------------------------------------------------------
Not so much the words but the way Ed Roland sang it - in a hilarious falsetto
Well I've ruined nearly all of my veins
Sticking that fucking shit into my arms
- The Darkness, Givin' Up
--------------------------------------------------------
The subtlety.
A vampire or a victim
It depends on who's around -
U2, Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
--------------------------------------------------------
How true...
All Elvis Costello songs. The man is a lyrical artist.
And the prize goes to the Bloodhound Gang. The gang's musicianship has largely been overshadowed by their pants-wettingly inventive lyrics on all things carnal. Done in superb retro 80s disco style (complete with killer keyboards and sing-along chorus), I like the lyrics so much I'm compelled to reproduce it from start to finish. Enjoy!
The Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang
-------------------------------------------
Ha-Ha! Well now, we call this the act of mating
But there are several other very important differences
Between human beings and animals that you should know about
I'd appreciate your input
Sweat baby sweat baby sex is a Texas drought
Me and you do the kind of stuff that only Prince would sing about
So put your hands down my pants and I'll bet you'll feel nuts
Yes I'm Siskel, yes I'm Ebert and you're getting two thumbs up
You've had enough of two-hand touch you want it rough you're out of bounds
I want you smothered want you covered like my Waffle House hashbrowns
Come quicker than FedEx never reach an apex just like Coca-Cola stock you are inclined
To make me rise an hour early just like Daylight Savings Time
Do it now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Gettin' horny now
Love the kind you clean up with a mop and bucket
Like the lost catacombs of Egypt only God knows where we stuck it
Hieroglyphics? Let me be Pacific I wanna be down in your South Seas
But I got this notion that the motion of your ocean means "Small Craft Advisory"
So if I capsize on your thighs high tide, B-5 you sunk my battleship
Please turn me on I'm Mister Coffee with an automatic drip
So show me yours I'll show you mine "Tool Time" you'll Lovett just like Lyle
And then we'll do it doggy style so we can both watch "X-Files"
Do it now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Gettin' horny now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Do it again now
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
Gettin' horny now
posted by musicurr at 5:13 AM
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