Did you know?

You can sing Amazing Grace to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club Song? Go ahead, try it.
Get the tune in your head.....

now sing along....

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see!

(thanks to Garrison Keillor)

You can also sing almost every Emily Dickinson poem to the tune of the theme song from Gilligan's Island. Try it:

There's a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons--
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes--

or...

I heard a Fly buzz--when I died--
The Stillness in the Room
Was like the Stillness in the Air--
Between the Heaves of Storm--

WONDERFUL!

Did you know? The tune of the theme to "Twin Peaks" is the Beastie Boys' "Girls" slowed down? I don't remember where I heard that...possibly here!

Who was it that sang the Gilligans Island lyrics to Stairway to heaven? Well, it works.

Get an old album of "The Music Man." Speed up "Good Night My Sweetheart" and discover that it's "76 Trombones."

Who's been messing with my song?

Weird Al Yankovich put the words to the Brady Bunch theme song to the tune of Safety Dance on one of his albums.

The "Pennsilvania Polka"is the Army's "First Call" Set to a polka beat. First Call is what soldiers first hear in the AM, not "reveille" as most think.Also, it is the "Call to the Post" one hears at the race track.

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Zymurgist

Is it just me or are "Ferry 'cross the Mersey" and "Venus in Blue Jeans" the exact same song? It's been quite a while since I've heard either, but I seem to recall the chorussssesses's'ses' (sorry) are identical tune wise.

Oh, and did you know "My Sweet Lord" is really "He's So Fine?" Kidding! Anyone who thinks that is smoking crack!

Ever notice the eerie similarities between the "Banana Splits" theme song and Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldiers?" They have the exact same refrain:

Banana Splits: Tra la la, tra luh-la-la, tra la la, la luh-la laaaaaa

Buffalo Soldiers: Hy yi yi, hy yuh-yi yi, hy yi yi, yi yuh-yi yiiiii


The question is...who ripped off who?

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Tim
"My hovercraft is full of eels."

I remember hearing Captain and Tenille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" sung to the tune of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart". I forget who did it though.

You can also rap the lyrics to "Ice Ice Baby" to Beck's "Where It's At," but only in certain places in the song.

Oh, and I'm not sure who did this one, but about 8 years ago, a really popular bit on a national radio station we used to get around here was "Green Haze," meaning someone sang the lyrics of the theme song of Green Acres to the tune of "Purple Haze."

I thought the Simpsons theme was practically the same as the Jetsons theme.

A few years ago, the local news, instead of playing the usual "news" music, played the Jetsons theme. Went perfectly with the flying logo graphics.

My siblings and I have always been amused by this one:

In one of the hymns sung in the church we occasionally go to, the line "You alone are the Holy One" is sung using the same notes and rhythm as Blondie singing "The tide is high but I'm holding on"

One of the funniest things I ever heard was the bluegrass version of a couple of songs from Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. Does
anybody remember who did it? I want to say the Austin Lounge Lizards but I'm not sure.

Has anyone else noticed that Amazing Grace not only works with the tune of the Mickey Mouse theme, but also fits perfectly into the Gilligan's Island theme?

(Probably wouldn't have noticed if Drain Bead hadn't mentioned Gilligan's Island in the second message, thanks, DB.)



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'They couldn't hit an Elephant from this dist...!'

Last words of General John Sedgwick

Amazing Grace also works sung to the Eagles' "Peaceful Easy Feeling." Did that one at mass once....

Oh, and did you know "My Sweet Lord" is really "He's So Fine?" Kidding! Anyone who thinks that is smoking crack!

Uh, I hope you're not kidding. George Harrison was in fact sued by the publishers of "He's So Fine" and was found to have "unconciously plagiarized" it.

I thought the Simpsons theme was practically the same as the Jetsons theme.

Hmmmm....I don't hear it. They sound totally different to me. Maybe small similarities in arrangement.

and a long-standing favorite is to sing Robert Frost's poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening to the tune of "Hernando's Hideaway" from PAJAMA GAME.

Emily Dickinson's poems also work quite well to "The Yellow Rose Of Texas":

Because I would not stop for death
He kindly stopped for meeee
The carriage held but just ourselves
And immortalityyyyyyy.

PLD - the point is if he wasnt a Beatle he would not have been sued - think about it - as evidenced by this thread, how many songs sound alike and no one gets sued...

TennHippie - I own ( a gift ) of bluegrass versions of Beatles songs - great stuff

PLD - the point is if he wasnt a Beatle he would not have been sued - think about it - as evidenced by this thread, how many songs sound alike and no one gets sued...

I disagree with that--these songs don't "sound alike." They have the same rhythmic cadence to their words, but that's no surprise--they're all working within a popular idiom. They don't have the same melodies, same chord progressions, same harmonies, or anything else.

That's like saying all poems in iambic pentameter sound alike.

PLD

I disagree with that--these songs don't "sound alike." They have the same rhythmic cadence to their words, but that's no surprise--they're all working within a popular idiom. They don't have the same melodies, same chord progressions, same harmonies, or anything else.

That's like saying all poems in iambic pentameter sound alike.

Do you keep a dictionary by your computer in an attempt to make us all THINK you know what you're talking about, or are you just tone deaf?

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"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

Yeah, that whole big story about Phil being a musician and all, that was all planned in order to sound knowledgeable in this thread. Wonder how he knew about it so far in advance...

Does anybody have a clue what anyone is talking about anymore?

I still have my ears on singing "Amazing Grace"

Smile all...

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"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

Thanks, Howdy...that was my (sarcastic) point.

BTW, did anyone ever hear the Pet Shop Boys version of "Where the Streets have no Name" where they merged it with the song that goes:

"You're just too good to be true,
can't keep my eyes off of you..."

(I'm blanking on the name.)
Hilarious, though.

TennHippie:

bluegrass versions of a couple of songs from Ping Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon

IIRC, it was a bluegrass outfit called Slick Nickel. I caught them once at a campground in Columbia, MO. They were great!

Does anyone but me remeber the group Big Daddy which does do-wop /50'ish versions of now popular songs?

Do you keep a dictionary by your computer in an attempt to make us all THINK you
know what you're talking about, or are you just tone deaf?

Yeah, I guess the fact that I play the guitar and the bass, and have recordings issued on a small record label, and have been in bands that opened for national acts . . . well, I guess that precludes me from knowing what I'm talking about musically, here.

OK, let's try again. Look at the actual rhythmic cadence to "The Mickey Mouse Club" and "Amazing Grace." In this forum, I can't use anything more sophisticated than "da" for an unstressed syllable" and "DA" for a stressed syllable.

MMC: DA da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA
"Who's the lea der of the club that's made for you and me?"

AG: da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA
"A ma zing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me."

You'll notice that the rhythmic stresses are exactly opposite, although there are the same number of syllables. (Almost. The "A" an "Amazing" is actually a pickup note; the "maz" syllable falls where "Who's" does to make the cadence line up correctly.)

They're also in different time signatures. The first phrase of "MMC" takes 2 quick 4/4 bars; the first phrase of "AG" takes 8 slow 3/4 bars.

The songs have nowhere near the same chord progression. The only thing that makes them sound alike is the fact that they have the same number of syllables, so you can fit one into the other. "Amazing Grace" also can be fit into "House of the Rising Sun."

"My Sweet Lord" and "He's So Fine," on the other hand, have an identical melody and near-identical chord progression, and the phrasing and syllables are the same, too. They sound alike, because they are alike, and Harrison admitted he probably unconciously copied the song.

So please, Lew, musical wizard, tell me again how I don't know what I'm talking about.

APB999 wrote:

Emily Dickenson's poems also work quite well to the Yellow Rose of Texas.

:::Splort!:::: That should be the way to liven up High School English classes.

Shirley -

In my high school English class, we did! Sang all the ones we were required to read. Tacher actually thought it was pretty funny. I think we also tried them to the "Gilligan's" theme, but it didn't work as well...

PLD

My original point about your vocabulary was a general one, referencing most every post I have read from you. I have a vast vocab myself, I find most people ( including me) are put off when it's used unnecessarily.

However: This particular thread seemed to be a fun reference to simple melody, cadence, etc. Not a lesson in music theory. I also, have several years of formal music study, come from a family of musicians and married a man who, in our youth, was in a band, wrote music, has his own claims to fame, etc. (until Viet Nam came along).

Thank you for the music lesson...I am STILL having fun; wearing my Mickey ears and singing Amazing Grace!



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"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

I have a Big Daddy CD of the entire Sgt. Pepper's album done in the various rock & roll styles of the 50s and early 60s.

The Sgt Pepper's theme is doo wop.

"Little Help from from my friends" sounds like a Nat King Cole ballad.

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis.

"Getting Better all the Time" - Doo wop.

"Fixing a Hole" - Sounds like "The Wanderers"

"She's Leaving Home" - Harry Belafante, I think.

"Mr. Kite" sounds a little like "Pallisades Park".

"Within you, without you" is rendered as a beat poem.

"When I'm 64" - Fats Domino?

"Lovely Rita" - Rockabilly?

"Good Morning" - Acapela doo wop

"Reprise" - Haven't got a clue.

"A Day in the Life" - Buddy Holly. This is the best of the bunch: "I saw the Photograph-a-a-a-a-aph". And of course it ends in a plane crash instead of the big piano chord.

Sorry, Lew, but it sounded to me like you were trying to say I am either stupid trying to sound smart, or don't know anything about music, or both. I think my response to someone saying these songs all "sounded alike but noone get sues" was legitimate--these songs don't sound alike, they coincidentally share meter and number of syllables. Instead of addressing the point, you insulted me. Oh well.

As far as Pink Floyd done Bluegrass, you're probably thinking of Leftover Salmon. I've heard them do "Brain Damage" (from Dark Side), as well as a great attempt at combining "Free Bird", "Rocky Top", and "Hotel California" (I think).

Austin Lounge Lizards may also have done it; it sounds like them. My favorite tune of theirs is "Teenage Immigrant Welfare Mothers on Drugs".

The Asylum St. Spankers do a great jug-band rendition of Prince's "1999", and I've heard their singer Christina do a similar take on "Darling Nikki".

By the way, why is it that I can remember every damn word to the theme from Green Acres theme song, despite having not seen an episode in 15 years, but I can't remember the Gross Anatomy I studied this morning? Sheesh.

Dr. J

"What nerve innervates the teres minor muscle?" "I don't know, but Greeeeen Acres is the place to be. . ."

PLD
I could continue to beat this to death, but I can't imagine why...I continue to be sorry that you were insulted...This was supposed to be a mundane, pointless, fun thread, can we move on?

PapaBear and Charlie Tan
Thanks for the tip on Big Daddy..we're anxious to check them out..sounds like fun stuff.

Shirley
Way back when...My senior year HS teacher taught a large portion of her poetry lessons based on song lyrics of the time..lots of Simon & Garfunkle, Beatles, etc. You're right! We all loved her class and actually listened!!

Lew

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"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

The "Amazing Grace" portion of the thread set me off for a whole weekend of seeing what songs would also fit the bill. I came up with three where it goes perfectly:

Doggie in the Window
Old MacDonald
Greensleeves

and several where the cadence and rhythm worked, but the words didn't fit into the complete melody:

Battle Hymn of the Republic
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
The "Internationale" (a bit of a stretch in the second line)


I had more fun with this than I should probably admit to



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Cave Diem! Carpe Canem!

[matt_mcl]

BTW, did anyone ever hear the Pet Shop Boys version of "Where the Streets have no Name" where they merged it with the song that goes:

"You're just too good to be true,
can't keep my eyes off of you..."

That track, entitled "Where The Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", appears, entre autres, on the album Discography. It is a mix of "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 and "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", whose artist I can't find. The lyricist credit is not Tennant/Lowe (the Pet Shop Boys), but rather "Hewson/Evans/Mullen/Clayton/Gaudio/Crewe". So it's not of the type in question, since they come right out and *say* it's a recasting of an earlier tune (in fact, two earlier tunes).

[Persephone]

My two year old daughter just figured out, on her own, that the ABC song and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" are the same tune. Guess what? Her 32 year old mother never realized it. Can you say DUH?

[torq]

Big Daddy rules! I like their covers of "Dancing in the Dark", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore", and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" much better than the originals.

[PillowPhat]

you can make a rap from the books of the bible....
"genesis exodus leviticus numbers, deuteronomy..." etc.

i remember going to some camp when i was 12 where we had to memorize all the books of the bible and that's how i did it.




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www.pillowphat.com

[David]

The Austin Lounge Lizards do "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" on their live album, Lizard Vision.

[rokket88]

BTW, did anyone ever hear the Pet Shop Boys version of "Where the Streets have no Name" where they merged it with the song that goes:
"You're just too good to be true,
can't keep my eyes off of you..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That track, entitled "Where The Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", appears, entre autres, on the album Discography. It is a mix of "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 and "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", whose artist I can't find. The lyricist credit is not Tennant/Lowe (the Pet Shop Boys), but rather "Hewson/Evans/Mullen/Clayton/Gaudio/Crewe". So it's not of the type in question, since they come right out and *say* it's a recasting of an earlier tune (in fact, two earlier tunes).

_____

the song in question was co-written by bob crewe who was a prolific and successful songwriter in the 60's. oddly enough, he is now chiefly remembered for his song 'music to watch girls by' which began as a jingle for pepsi before becoming a smash hit. i haven't tried singing 'amazing grace' to the tune of 'music to..' yet, but then again i'm still on my first beer.

the famous version of 'i can't...' is by frankie valli, although many other people had success with it. vicki (sp) comes to mind. brrrr! i think i'll have that second beer now

[Astroglide]

Carl Berry way back on 07-18-99 09:25 PM said:

First Call is what soldiers first hear in the AM, not "reveille" as most think.

Wrong.

"Drill, First Call" is the 7th call after "Reveille". There is an "Assembly of Trumpeters for Reveille" before "Reveille", but it is never heard in non-ceremonial military life.

Please see:
http://www.usarc.army.mil/84th/1bde/...BugleCalls.HTM
or
http://abonline.monroe.army.mil/bugle/completelist.asp
or
http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/22-5/appe.htm

[Lissa]

The music from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and the ABC song was actually written by Beethoven.

Sounds like an UL, but I heard it last week on NPR, so I assume it to be reliable.

[David]

It wasn't Beethoven, it was Mozart.

[MrKnowItAll]

Cristi, I have to confess (33 year old, here) that I never realized that either.

Get that kid some music lessons! She's got a great ear!