# Actual Names of Some Well-Known 'Cliché' Songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178 "2014-04-02T16:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/1 "2014-04-02T16:31:11Z")
I don’t know what the rest of you call them. But I personally call them “Cliché Songs”. Songs that invariably get associated with an ethnic group, a place or perhaps an event. I know there is this Irish jig music that they often play. When I learned to play the recorder as a child, I had the song in my recorder lesson book. It is apparently called “Irish Washerwoman”. Makes sense, I suppose. But there is so much more. There is that melody they often associate with the circus. I can’t recreate it here, but I’m sure you all know it. Then there is that snake charmer, Middle Eastern-type, melody. And there is that song that, in the U.S. at least, we always associate with strippers. (I once learned via the Benny Hill show that they apparently use an entirely different melody in the UK. Who knew that?) Anyways, what are the actual names of these well-known melodies? And please include any I have omitted here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/2 "2014-04-02T16:39:21Z")
I can provide one of them: the stripper number is called “[The Stripper](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjtrUuyAFjA&feature=kp)” by David Rose. And another one I’d like to ask about: it’s usually heard in cartoons, especially Warner Bros. I think, and it’s associated with factories and mechanical movements. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/3 "2014-04-02T16:43:25Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > And another one I’d like to ask about: it’s usually heard in cartoons, especially Warner Bros. I think, and it’s associated with factories and mechanical movements. [“Powerhouse,”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerhouse_%28instrumental%29) I believe. One of the things I learned here. That piece of music that has a typewriter and its bell used as an instrument is called, hold on to your hat, [“The Typewriter.”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Typewriter) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/4 "2014-04-02T16:47:32Z")
Answered my own question by using Google: it’s called [Powerhouse](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9-7uLg-DZU), and it was apparently written by Raymond Scott for Warner Brothers cartoons. The familiar part starts at :30. eta: again, need to type faster. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/5 "2014-04-02T16:54:59Z")
The “Looney Tunes Theme” is properly titled “[The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n73lXCzJUZ4)” ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/6 "2014-04-02T16:58:20Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > There is that melody they often associate with the circus. I can’t recreate it here, but I’m sure you all know it. Then there is that snake charmer, Middle Eastern-type, melody. [Entry of the Gladiators](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5csNO3oMrQ) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/7 "2014-04-02T17:03:37Z")
The “[oriental riff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_riff)” isn’t a song with a proper name, but it’s been used in a lot of songs with names…and the riff has a name. (man that was a hard sentence to write and I still messed it up) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/8 "2014-04-02T17:10:00Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > [Entry of the Gladiators](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5csNO3oMrQ) don’t think that’s the one he’s talking about. It isn’t at all “Middle Eastern, snake-charmer”. But March of the Gladiators does fit well into this thread. It’s Circus Music, often used to introduce clowns. I’m sure the gladiators would have been pleased. Another good fit for the thread is **Gaudeamus Igitur** , which is the cliché music used when the camera is showing establishing scenes of some Ivy League or British university. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/9 "2014-04-02T17:15:35Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > don’t think that’s the one he’s talking about. It isn’t at all “Middle Eastern, snake-charmer”. But March of the Gladiators does fit well into this thread. It’s Circus Music, often used to introduce clowns. I’m sure the gladiators would have been pleased. I quoted 3 sentences and you missed 2 of them? ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/10 "2014-04-02T17:38:14Z")
The classic two “chicken” tunes are [Chicken Reel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzwJgGb2pvY) and [Turkey in the Straw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_OOWX6sPzU). ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/11 "2014-04-02T17:39:01Z")
The tune that is always hummed to the porn lyrics “Bow chicka bow wow” (or some variant thereof) is from the song “Love Muscle”, written by an old high school friend of mine. It’s on the album/CD “Sex-O-Rama Vol. 2”. Available wherever fine porn music is sold. ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/12 "2014-04-02T17:43:34Z")
The classic snake charmer song is called “[The Streets of Cairo, or the Poor Little Country Maid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_Cairo,_or_the_Poor_Little_Country_Maid)”. Young boys may know it as “There’s a place in France…”. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/13 "2014-04-02T17:50:34Z")
> [@bleach](#): > > The classic snake charmer song is called “[The Streets of Cairo, or the Poor Little Country Maid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_Cairo,_or_the_Poor_Little_Country_Maid)”. Young boys may know it as “There’s a place in France…”. Or “There’s a Place on Mars.” ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/14 "2014-04-02T17:50:52Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > The tune that is always hummed to the porn lyrics “Bow chicka bow wow” (or some variant thereof) is from the song “Love Muscle”, written by an old high school friend of mine. It’s on the album/CD “Sex-O-Rama Vol. 2”. Available wherever fine porn music is sold. [Brown Chicken, Brown Cow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzQ4qdlhurc) by Trace Adkins. 🙂 I think another example of a well-known cliché song is that old sixties (fifties?) song that plays every time there’s a flashback to some characters childhood. I can’t think of the name of it, though - you’d definitely recognize it when you heard it, though. I think they played it in the episode of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” where the school was haunted by the students from the past. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/15 "2014-04-02T17:52:04Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I quoted 3 sentences and you missed 2 of them? Nope. read it fast and missed the “then there’s” part. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/16 "2014-04-02T18:02:12Z")
> [@bleach](#): > > The classic snake charmer song is called “[The Streets of Cairo, or the Poor Little Country Maid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_Cairo,_or_the_Poor_Little_Country_Maid)”. Young boys may know it as “There’s a place in France…”. I think we’re going to see this situation come up more than once in this thread: that’s _exactly_ the original song. That’s the title given to it by the first person who thought to write it down and get it copyrighted and published. The Wikipedia entry suggests “Streets of Cairo” is partly derived from two much older songs. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I think another example of a well-known cliché song is that old sixties (fifties?) song that plays every time there’s a flashback to some characters childhood. I can’t think of the name of it, though - you’d definitely recognize it when you heard it, though. I think they played it in the episode of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” where the school was haunted by the students from the past. [“Theme from ‘A Summer Place.’”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_from_A_Summer_Place) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/17 "2014-04-02T19:02:45Z")
“Waking up to a beautiful, sunny morning,” or, “Running through a lovely meadow,” music is from Rossini’s “[William Tell Overture](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoBE69wdSkQ).” It’s called, “The Call to the Cows,” and it’s at 6:10. The last time I heard it was in a Hershey bar commercial as the ants at a picnic are making off with HBs, and SMILING ABOUT IT! The little bastards. The piece right after this is immediately recognizable (starts at 8:45), and if you don’t yell the correct phrase when it starts, you must turn in your Little Orphan Annie Decoder Pin at once. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/18 "2014-04-02T19:15:30Z")
It is amazing to me to see the use of player pianos in those youtube videos. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/19 "2014-04-02T19:19:42Z")
Does anyone know the origin of the “stealth” theme (dun…dun…dun…dun… duuuhhhhhhhh, dun-dun-dun-dun)? Certainly one of the most widely used examples of the OP’s quest. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178/20 "2014-04-02T19:26:06Z")
The Pink Panther theme? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-names-of-some-well-known-cliche-songs/685178.md?page=2)