For the past 21 years, across the limitless expanse of the North Pacific, a
lonely whale has been singing, calling for a response. There has been none, and there never will.
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posted by Cobalt
on Feb 6, 2010 -
88 comments
We're mostly pretty familiar, I guess, with the ol'
rum pa pum pum of the
Little Drummer Boy. He shows up every Christmas,
marching drum slung round his waist,
rat-a-tat-tatting for the Son of God, thanks to that familiar song about him. A catchy little tune it is, too... heck,
David Bowie and Bing Crosby think so! Let's keep in mind, though, that back when a certain Holy Infant made his first grand appearance at a stable back in Bethlehem, any little drummer boy that might've serenaded him wouldn't have been playing any
paradiddles or ratamacues. Nah, he'd have been laying down beats more like
this, or
this, or (from actual
boys),
this. I think the baby Jesus would've dug the groove, too. Merry Christmas, y'all!
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Dec 24, 2009 -
32 comments
Fiddle, accordion, and a singing drummer. Seven minutes and fifty seven seconds of Gypsy music from Ukraine, live in Budapest. The real thing. Totally wailing. Kickass.
Técső Banda at Kertem.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Oct 10, 2009 -
23 comments
Behind them on the stage, a giant watermelon. In their hands, little tiny guitars, which they play like mosquitoes on speed. They scat, they dance, they get halfway through the alphabet. Their percussionist has the coolest little drum kit ever, but that doesn't stop him from playing the stage floor and the walls. Who are they? Why,
The Five Racketeers, of course! And who's that lady who storms the stage for a little shimmy at the end of the clip? Well, that's Eunice Wilson, and she stuck around to do
another number with the fellows. You want more, right? OK! Then let's head down to the
All-Colored Vaudeville Show, for some serious oooold-school entertainment.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jun 16, 2009 -
21 comments
It's
Eurovision week, everyone! The last of the semi-finals was last night, and the twenty-five entries are now set for this Saturday's extravaganza in Moscow, the most
expensive and flashy yet. After last year's
controversy over votes motivated by regional politics and entries that detracted from the, er, dignity of the event, the
Eurovision voting mechanism has changed.
Western countries in particular have brought in the heavy musical muscle, with
Andrew Lloyd Webber writing the UK song, the amazing
Patricia Kaas singing for France, and
Dita von Teese performing on stage with the German entry.
You can't vote from outside of Europe, and you might struggle to watch the contest live from outside Europe. But you can have your very own Mefi Eurovision experience right here! Get some snacks and lots of booze, settle in, view the twenty-five entries here, and decide for yourselves. (MLYT warning)
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posted by Grrlscout
on May 15, 2009 -
106 comments
The
foot bone connected to the ankle bone, the
ankle bone connected to the leg bone, the
leg bone connected to the knee bone, the
knee bone connected to the thigh bone, the
thigh bone connected to the hip bone, the
hip bone connected to the back bone, the
back bone connected to the shoulder bone, the
shoulder bone connected to the neck bone, the
neck bone connected to the head bone, now
hear the word of the lord...
and be sure to check the hover-overs for link details on all this bony business,
posted by flapjax at midnite
on May 2, 2009 -
24 comments
It's the commons, our right of birth
And to you who would own everything all around the Earth
Our future is your downfall, when we cut this ball and chain
You who'd sacrifice the public good for your private gain
posted by finite
on Oct 3, 2008 -
11 comments
"So, that’s my long and winding history of a little postcard from the Upper West Side of Manhattan!" Suzanne Vega
writes about writing the hit song
Tom's Diner, coping with its numerous remixes, and its part in the birth of the MP3 music compression format.
posted by Blazecock Pileon
on Sep 24, 2008 -
34 comments
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the iconic American folk song
The Wabash Cannonball was written as a tribute to an actual train, but in fact, in an interesting case of life-imitates-art, the actual train name was inspired by the song. The Lake Erie, Wabash, and St. Louis Railroad Company was formed in 1852, but there was no train called the “Cannonball” when the song was first sung late in the 19th century. There
have been
many,
many,
many wonderful versions through the years, but I think
Roy Acuff pretty much
owns it, wouldn't you say?
[NOTE: See hoverovers for link descriptions] [more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jun 7, 2008 -
20 comments
Sometimes, when you've had your fill of people basking in the golden light of their self-righteous indignation, you just wanna hear a song about somebody telling those holier-than-thou-ers where to get off. Something like, say,
Harper Valley PTA.
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posted by flapjax at midnite
on Apr 24, 2008 -
39 comments
The best-known version of that joyful ode to getting smashed,
Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee, would surely be the
Jerry Lee Lewis rendition, and Memphis rockabilly singer
Johnny Burnette recorded a
hopping little version of the tune as well. But the song was written and
originally recorded by
Stick (aka "Sticks") McGhee, who adapted it from a chant he learned during his stint in the Army. And yes, "spo-dee-o-dee" was a substitute for
another word, which, though fine for the Army, wasn't exactly radio friendly. Stick wrote a few other tunes in celebration of the alcoholic beverage, including
"Six To Eight" and "Jungle Juice". And as has been pointed out
previously, the song title was likely the inspiration for the alcoholic concoction known as the "
spodi". Drink up!
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Apr 13, 2008 -
8 comments
Written in 1967 by Bob Dylan, it was originally
quiet, lowkey... and vaguely menacing. But when Jimi Hendrix
redefined it the following year, even
Dylan knew that the song had changed forever.
Since then, it's been
covered (
over and over again),
praised almost as often,
analyzed,
referenced, and, of course,
found to be encoded in the minds of Cylons.
Originally released 40 years ago, erm, yesterday: All Along the Watchtower.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher
on Dec 28, 2007 -
41 comments
