Thursday, September 06, 2007

Terrible Twos

All of the ballyhoo surrounding the start of classes made me lose sight of my blogoversiary. I have been using the internet tubes to spread my gravitas since September 1, 2005. For two years, we have shared triumphs and tragedies. Together, we have started the complicated work of building a massive media empire for GayProf.

I am sure glad that we get to spend this special time together. It's such a good feeling, a very good feeling. The feeling you know that we're friends. And I'll be back, when the day is new. And I'll have more ideas for you. And you'll have things you'll want to talk about. I will too. It’s such a good feeling.

Normally when we hit a milestone at CoG, I encourage my readers to consume liquor (usually quite heavily). I still do (Are you drinking enough, son?). This time around, some sort of prize seemed in order. I already did a fairly recent quiz, though, about things you could know about me from the blog. So I had to think.

Last night, as I was driving home from work, I was listening to Neko Case. As I sang along mindlessly with the lyrics to “Favorite,” I suddenly stopped and asked myself, “Did I just sing ‘Last Night I dreamt that I hit a deer with my car’?” Given that I am often wrong about lyrics, I Googled them. Indeed, Neko Case does sing about cervidaicide. Huh.

It reminded me how we often ignore the lyrics to songs we enjoy. Lyrics, in my mind, are critically important to enjoying the music. I consider myself a more attentive listener than other people I know, but I still often fumble things. Sometimes vital words to songs just pass through our ears over and over again without us noticing. Indeed, I have often hid lyrics to songs within many entries on CoG. To date, only three people have ever noticed (or cared enough to comment on it).

In some instances, not paying attention to a song’s lyrics can really miss the point. Billie Holiday, for instance, used to complain that people would request her anti-lynching song “Strange Fruit” by asking for “that sexy song about black bodies swinging.” She was not impressed.

This thought-train reminded me of a meme that Rebekah posted a few weeks ago. She listed the opening lyrics to several songs and asked her readers to give the correct corresponding artist/title. At most, people could guess maybe one or two each. Thus, I decided it would be an ideally arcane means to give out a prize.

Here are the [adapted] rules for the meme:

    1) Put your mp3 player or music player on your computer on random.
    2)Post the first four lines from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song (Skip repeat artists).
    3) Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.

Add your guesses to the comments section. The first person to guess them all (which is highly unlikely) will win a prize. The more likely outcome is that I will send it to the person who has the most songs right by the next time I write an entry. This means even an individual with just one right answer could potentially be one of life’s winners (if everybody else refuses to participate or really gets things wrong).

What will you win? Well, it will be similar in theme and content to the prize modeled by CoG’s official glamour model, VUBOQ:



Remember: The eye of Hera is upon you. Looking lyrics up on Google or any other search engine is cheating. CoG operates on an honor code and GayProf doesn’t tolerate academic dishonesty.

Do you hear what I hear? If so, name that song and artist:

    1. So Your Girlfriend Wants to be a Popstar
    And Beat the Charts Outta Me
    She Wants to Move a Million Units, Man
    Probably Just to Prove She Can

    2. Starry nights, city lights coming down over me
    Skyscrapers and stargazers in my head
    Are we we are, are we we are the waiting unknown
    This dirty town was burning down in my dreams

    3.Home for Sale
    That’s Much Too Large
    Too Many Rooms
    Big Ol’ Empty Yard



    4. Quiero Bailar, Quiero Sentirme Hermosa
    Quiero Cantar, Ver el Amanecer
    Quiero Sentir sólo Tu Dulce Boca
    Y Bailar, Quiero Sentirme Bien


    5. In My Solitude
    You Haunt Me
    With Dreadful Ease
    Of Days Gone By

    6. I Get Really Sick and Tired of Boys Up in My Face
    Pick-Up Lines Like "What's your sign?" Won't Get You Anyplace
    When Me and All My Girls Go Walking Down the Street
    It Seems We Can't Go Anywhere Without a Car that Goes "Beep-Beep"

    7. Give Your Heart to the One
    Who Gave Her Heart to You
    If You Must Play the Game
    Play it Fair (Play it Fair)

    8. How Do I Look?
    How Do I Look?
    Woke Up This Morning, It’s a Brighter Day
    I Looked in the Mirror, Saw a New Face

    9. I Wasted My Tears
    When I Cried Over You
    I Should’ve Known
    You Would Never Be True

    10. The Tide is High, But I am Holding On
    I am Going to be Your Number One
    I am not the Kind of Girl Who Gives Up Just like That
    Oh No!

    11. You Know, There are Two Sides to Every Story
    See, I Don’t Know Why
    You are Cryin’ Like a Bitch
    Talkin' Shit Like a Snitch



    12. You Say You See What's Under Me
    That the Gloss has Washed Away
    But You're the One Whose Color's Gone
    From Love to Dirty Grey


    13. Funny Cause for Awhile
    Walked Around with a Smile
    But Deep Inside, I Could Hear
    Voices Telling Me "This Ain't Right"


    14. I Wish You Could Swim
    Like the Dolphins
    Like Dolphins can Swim
    Though Nothing
    Will Keep Us Together


    15. But She had to Go and Lose it at the Astor
    She Didn't Take Her Mother's Good Advice.
    Now There Aren't So Many Girls Today Who Have One
    And She'd Never Let it Go for Any Price



    16. Sweet Dreams are Made of This
    Who am I to Disagree?
    Travel the World and the Seven Seas
    Everybody's Looking for Something

    17. I’m Coming Out
    I’m Coming
    I’m Coming Out
    I’m Coming Out

    18. I Won’t Let You Down
    I Will Not Give You Up
    Gotta Have Some Faith in the Sound
    It’s the One Good Thing That I’ve Got

    19. Non, rien de rien
    Non, je ne regrette rien
    Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait, ni le mal
    Tout ça m'est bien égal

    20. See My Days are Cold Without You
    But I'm Hurtin’ While I’m with You
    And Though My Heart Can't Take No More
    I Keep on Running Back to You


***Bonus:***
All the World's Waiting for You,
And the Power You Possess.
In Your Satin Tights,
Fighting for Your Rights

27 comments:

tornwordo said...

I'm sorry but I can't play this game. I don't listen to lyrics. I listen to melodies. Most of the music I listen to is recorded in other languages that I don't understand anyway. Good luck to someone! And happy blogiversary.

vuboq said...

Happy two year anniversary. I am so bad at stuff like this. I only recognized 3 songs, and I can't remember the titles. But here's some guess:

#16. "Sweet Dreams [Are Made of This]" - Eurythmics

#17. um "I'm Coming Out" maybe ...

I know #10, but can't think of the title. I always call it "The Tide is High" in my brain. I'm sure that's wrong.

and the ***bonus*** could possibly be "The Wonder Woman Theme"?

I have no idea who the artists are (except for #16). I feel stupid.

Clio Bluestocking said...

#6 = Pink! "Respect" ("This is my rap song.")

#10 = Blondie. "The Tide is High" (Darth Vader was in the video for that one.)

#16 = Annie Lennox when she was part of the Eurythmics. "Sweet Dreams."

#17 = A Disco Diva who's name I can't remember. "I'm Coming Out" (although I always heard it as "I'm coming up").

#19 = Edith Piaf. "Je ne regrette rien"

Happy Blogiversary! Many many more!

Earl Cootie said...

2 - "Vincent" by Don McLean or McClain or whatever, that American Pie guy
10 - "The Tide is High" by Blondie
16 - "Sweet Dreams (blah blah blah blah)" by Eurythmics
17 - "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross

Oh, and I recognized #19 after reading clio bluestocking's comment

pacalaga said...

Happy blogiversary!
Alas, I recognized #10 but didn't know the name or the artist. (Blondie, really?)
16. Sweet Dreams, Eurythmics
19. Edith Piaf, Je ne regrette rien

If you could sing them to me, I might do better.

dpaste said...

People have already guessed way more than I would have gotten right. VUBOQ got all the ones I would have gotten, but I do know the artists. 17 is Diana Ross, and 10 is Blondie.

We all know the Wonder Woman song, but do any of us know the artist?

Anonymous said...

This game is making me feel my age!
Piaf, Billie Holliday,Blondie and Diana Ross are so yesterday, but they are the ONLY ones I recognize.I guess GERITOL should be on my shopping list. Damn!

Anonymous said...

I only recognized:

#10 - Blondie, "Tide is High"
#16 - Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)"
#17 - Gorillaz, "DARE" (I know those lyrics are in that song, but it's probably not the only one)

Not a single Smiths/Morrissey song? Bah!

Marlan said...

Academic honesty, eh? Ok, on first glance, i knew 3. #10, Blondie, the Tide Is High, #16, Sweet Dreams, Annie Lennox or Eurythmics, #17, Diana Ross, I'm Coming Out.

Obscurity is thy playlist.

TED said...

I believe #14 is "Heroes" by David Bowie. I knew 10, 16, and 19 as well, but they've already been named.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I played by your rules and these were the only ones I could identify.

2. “Are we the waiting” by Green Day – my favorite song off a great album.

5. “Solitude” by Duke Ellington, but so many people have recorded this song, it could be Billie, Ella, Dinah, Insert Black Jazz Singer Name Here . . . if I have to guess, it’ll be Billie since you have mentioned her in the past.

10. “The Tide is High” by Blondie, but of course!
16. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics – ahhhh, my youth. So far away.
17. “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross. Cliché, but still a classic.
18. “Faith” by George Michael

19. "Non, je ne regrette rien” by Edith Piaf, although this too could be any number of chanteuses, but I’m assuming you’re going with the classic. (I still love Ute Lemper, Anne Sofie von Otter and the great Teresa Stratas’ versions.)

***Bonus:*** “Theme from Wonder Woman”!, but of course. No bloody clue who sings it. Some poor out of work actor’s I would assume.

Fun game. And now I will Google the lyrics to see who the hell the rest are.

Anonymous said...

Well, I can only identify the Edith Piaf and the Wonder Woman theme song - because you're quoted it before. I'm afraid my knowledge of modern music (ie, anything after 1945) is somewhat limited.

Anyway, happy birthday to the blog! May the future be filled with gravitas, but you know, in a good way.

r said...

Here goes:
# 1 It’s an 80’s band, with a female singer, and I can’t remember who it is
# 4 Is it a famous Tango? I have no idea who the performer is, but it sounds familiar to me
# 5 Solitude by Billie Holiday. I love this song
# 6 Get the Party Started by Pink (maybe?)
# 10 The Tide is High by Blondie
# 11 starts like an Etta James song, but the third and fourth line… I don’t know
# 16 Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics
# 17 I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross
# 18 Freedom by George Michael

dykewife said...

i only knew 2. #10 is blondie and #26 is eurythmics. the rest i'm clueless about, though i suppose i could cheat and use google, but i won't.

Anonymous said...

I know 14, but don't want a prize.

Tree of Knowledge said...

What do we get for recognizing Mr. Rogers's theme song in the main part of the post?

Marius said...

I certainly enjoy music, and I think the lyrics can convey powerful messages or increase the quality of an otherwise mediocre song. However, I usually just focus on the combinations of notes, changes in keys, rhytym, and so on. In other words, I don't like to use my cortex when I'm listening to music. I guess that's just me. I started listening to reggaeton. Half the time, I don't know what their saying, and I don't really want to know. But some of it sounds ok and it's great to dance to (especially if you're dancing with a hot Latin guy). :)

Oh, and happy blogiversary!

Tenured Radical said...

I am so old. I only got the ones everyone else got .

My iPod is currently full of meditation CD's, so hte first four lines are things like:

Get comfortable.
Get very comfortable.
Imagine your body filling up with light.
There's nothing inside but light.

Happy blogoversary, sweetie.

TR

Anonymous said...

I'm totally copying your game and putting it on my blog. Here are my guesses:

1. Pretenders, Popstar
2. Green Day, We are the Waiting
5. Billie Holiday, Solitude
6. Pink, (don't remember the name)
7. Don't know, but strikes me as an old jazz standard.
9. Dolly Parton, Wasted my Tears
10. Blondie, Tide is High
16. Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams
17. Diana Ross, I'm Coming Out
20. Ashanti, Foolish

Anonymous said...

Ooh, couple of additional guesses:

14. Captain and Tenille?, Love Will Keep Us Together

18. George Michael, Freedom

theindigolemon said...

1. "Popstar," by the Pretenders

12. "Kiss you Off," by the Scissor Sisters

And I don't see that anyone's gotten twelve yet! Go me!

Steven said...

I recall thinking how hard it was to understand the lyrics from songs of the '70's and '80's. The songs of those days were also more like ballads, lasting at least 3 minutes. Today, music has often very repetitive lyrics and very short in length. I caught a few of your lyrics posted. I want to say the Spanish was from Ricky Martin. His album, "A Medio Vivir" is good.

Artistic Soul said...

Fun fun game! I'm amazed to see we have similar tastes in music...

#1 – The Pretenders, Popstar
#2 - Green Day, Are We the Waiting
#6 - Pink, Respect
#10 - Blondie, The Tide is High
#11 - Frankee, FURB
#12 – Scissor Sisters, Kiss You Off
#14 - David Bowie, Heroes
#16 - The Eurthymics - Sweet Dreams
#17 - Diana Ross, Coming Out
#18 - George Michael, Freedom 90

That's the best I can do. :) Now I'll read other folks' responses.

Anonymous said...

Isn't the Wonder Woman theme song sung by Carol Medina?

Doug said...

Happy Blogoversarry! Two years in the blogosphere is quite an accomplishment. Not many make it this long.

As a possible alternative to guessing the lyrics, would I win the prize if I offer myself as your M&M-feeding slave for a day? A week? ;)

I hope your second week of work is going smoothly with appropriate amounts of amusement, interaction, intelligence, and challenge.

GayProf said...

Artistic Soul is one of life's winners.

For the rest, get to listening:

Pretenders “Popstar”
1. So Your Girlfriend Wants to be a Popstar
And Beat the Charts Outta Me
She Wants to Move a Million Units, Man
Probably Just to Prove She Can

Green Day’s “Are We the Waiting”
2. Starry nights, city lights coming down over me
Skyscrapers and stargazers in my head
Are we we are, are we we are the waiting unknown
This dirty town was burning down in my dreams

Dwight Yoakam’s “Home for Sale”
3.Home for Sale
That’s Much Too Large
Too Many Rooms
Big Ol’ Empty Yard

Ely Guerra’s “Quiereme Mucho”
4. Quiero Bailar, Quiero Sentirme Hermosa
Quiero Cantar, Ver el Amanecer
Quiero Sentir sólo Tu Dulce Boca
Y Bailar, Quiero Sentirme Bien

Billie Holiday’s “Solitude”
5. In My Solitude
You Haunt Me
With Dreadful Ease
Of Days Gone By

P!nk’s “Respect”
6. I Get Really Sick and Tired of Boys Up in My Face

Pick-Up Lines Like "What's your sign?" Won't Get You Anyplace
When Me and All My Girls Go Walking Down the Street
It Seems We Can't Go Anywhere Without a Car that Goes "Beep-Beep"

LaVern Baker’s “Play it Fair”
7. Give Your Heart to the One
Who Gave Her Heart to You
If You Must Play the Game
Play it Fair (Play it Fair)

RuPaul’s “Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous”
8. How Do I Look?
How Do I Look?
Woke Up This Morning, It’s a Brighter Day
I Looked in the Mirror, Saw a New Face

Dolly Parton’s “I Wasted My Tears”
9. I Wasted My Tears
When I Cried Over You
I Should’ve Known
You Would Never Be True

Blondie’s “The Tide is High”
10. The Tide is High, But I am Holding On
I am Going to be Your Number One
I am not the Kind of Girl Who Gives Up Just like That
Oh No!

Frankee’s “FURB”
11. You Know, There are Two Sides to Every Story
See, I Don’t Know Why
You are Cryin’ Like a Bitch
Talkin' Shit Like a Snitch

Scissor Sister’s “Kiss You Off”
12. You Say You See What's Under Me
That the Gloss has Washed Away
But You're the One Whose Color's Gone
From Love to Dirty Grey

Jennifer Lopez’s “I’m Gonna Be Alright”
13. Funny Cause for Awhile
Walked Around with a Smile
But Deep Inside, I Could Hear
Voices Telling Me "This Ain't Right"

David Bowie’s “Heroes”
14. I Wish You Could Swim
Like the Dolphins
Like Dolphins can Swim
Though Nothing
Will Keep Us Together

Pearl Bailey’s “She Had to Go and Lose it at the Astor”
15. But She had to Go and Lose it at the Astor
She Didn't Take Her Mother's Good Advice.
Now There Aren't So Many Girls Today Who Have One
And She'd Never Let it Go for Any Price

Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
16. Sweet Dreams are Made of This
Who am I to Disagree?
Travel the World and the Seven Seas
Everybody's Looking for Something

Diana Ross “I’m Coming Out”
17. I’m Coming Out
I’m Coming
I’m Coming Out
I’m Coming Out

George Michael’s “Freedom ’90"
18. I Won’t Let You Down
I Will Not Give You Up
Gotta Have Some Faith in the Sound
It’s the One Good Thing That I’ve Got

Edit Piaf’s “Non Je Ne Regrette Rien”
19. Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait, ni le mal
Tout ça m'est bien égal

Ashanti’s “Foolish”
20. See My Days are Cold Without You
But I'm Hurtin’ While I’m with You
And Though My Heart Can't Take No More
I Keep on Running Back to You

Artistic Soul said...

Oooo...I should have got JLO!!! The rest were out of my league alas. I did post this over at my blog too. So fun!