# First reaction:  "The band  played on."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 23, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505 "2016-10-23T18:39:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/41 "2016-10-25T23:17:09Z")

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> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> The Randy Shilts book about the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

Likewise

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/42 "2016-10-26T01:52:56Z")

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I had forgotten about Ball of Confusion! Awesome song.

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**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/43 "2016-10-26T01:54:30Z")

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I’m also going with “Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde, and…”

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**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/44 "2016-10-26T03:32:59Z")

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He married the girl with the strawberry curl and the band was like, whatever.

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/45 "2016-10-26T05:45:19Z")

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Titanic for me, too.

So, errr, what is the original meaning then?

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**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/46 "2016-10-26T10:50:04Z")

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The book about the beginning of the AIDS crisis.

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/47 "2016-10-26T12:26:34Z")

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Miriam singing the song in “Strangers On A Train”, shortly before running into Bruno Anthony.

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-reaction-the-band-played-on/769505/48 "2016-10-26T14:42:16Z")

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“…But his brain was so loaded it nearly exploded  
The poor girl would shake with alarm…”

Song first, then the Randy Shilts book. My father used to sing the song on occasion, accompanying himself on the uke.

> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> Historical, too. They played “Closer to thee, my God”. Empty futile fucking gesture if there ever was any.

Closer, but no cigarer. I think you mean “Nearer, My God, To Thee”. Which is perfectly appropriate as long as the god in question is Poseidon.

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