annoying tune substitution

Today I discovered – I have no idea why or how – that the words to “Pinball Wizard” can be sung to the tune of “Wabash Cannonball”. Now I can’t get it out of my head.

Here, maybe this will help ya…
Everyone sing along now!

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

[sub]ahhh! now that’s stuck in my head[/sub]

You can also do “Amazing Grace” to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island theme song.

It’s a good song to start singing to yourself in a quiet voice if you think a meeting has gone on too long. They stare, they laugh, they bleed from the ears, then leave the room.

And I’ve heard that the Gilligan’s Island theme can be sung to the tune of Stairway to Heaven. Certainly “…and they’re here on Gilligan’s Island” matches “…and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.”

i think gilligan’s island must be the all-purpose tune, since you can also sing any emily dickinson poem to it (or so i’ve heard. the one i know by heart “a bird came down the walk” works.) maybe the pentameter has something to do with it? i’m not smart enough to try to come up with a theory about that, though.

[sadistic bastard mode]
It’s a small world afterall
It’s a small world afterall
It’s a small world afterall
It’s a small, small world
[/sadistic bastard mode]

There, that should drive any other tune out of your head BWAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAA

My favorite is Emily Dickinson done to “The Yellow Rose of Texas”.

I can’t read any of her poetry anymore.

A radio station here in Oz was doing this kind of thing a little while ago… apparently the Autralian national anthem can be sung to the tune of, among other songs…

  • House of the Rising Sun
  • The Gilligan’s Isle theme song
  • Amazing Grace

hums in head nope, Stairway doesn’t work…

I know someone who once sang the first part of the periodic table to the tune of the chorus of “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” - that works really well, but makes you look kinda geeky.

Hey, I’m a chemistry major, leave me alone! :smiley: