We were playing a little game at work today. Joe Cocker came on singing “You are so Beautiful” and I sang
“You are so adequate” and “You are so acceptable”
and called it love songs for people who have lowered their standards.
Then the guys pitched in and we got
“And I.e-I will always …like you”
" You make me so…semi happy. It’s okay you came into my life"
“You’re the one that I got,…ooo ooo ooo honey”
I thought you clever dopers might like to play.
Any ideas???
Ben Harper has a song called “Less,” that has as the chorus, “If you’re happy with nothing, you’ll be happy with me.”
More in line with what you’re asking, whenever I sing along to Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” I always substitute “stand” for “love.”
Not quite what you’re looking for but Weird Al does it best.
“Here I am! Rock you like a mild breeze!”
“We’ll live quite a long time, knowing together that we did it all for the admiration of like.”
“Oh I would do many things for love, but I won’t do that or that or that other thing, that’s icky.”
Real lyrics from Paul Simon (“I Know What I Know”):
“She looked me over
And I guess she thought
I was all right
All right in a sort of a limited way
For an off night”
Jimmy Buffett said it all:
Why dont we get drunk and screw?
I just bought a water bed, its filled up for me and you
They say you are a snuff queen
Honey I dont think thats true
So, why dont we get drunk and screw?
the Boss
You ain’t a beauty, but hey, you’re alright
How about “Hey, Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)” by Blessid Union of Souls?
The singer is talking about a girl who (he thinks) lowered her standards for him.
I’ve always gotten a kick out of Gin Blossoms’ ‘‘Hey Jealousy’’
**Hey do you think it’d be all right
If I could just crash here tonight
You can see I’m in no shape for drivin’
And anyways, I’ve got no place to go
And you know, it might not be that bad
You were the best I’ve ever had…
<snip>
And you can trust me not to think
And not to sleep around
And if you don’t expect too much from me,
You might not be let down…**
Most halfhearted love song ever. Extra points go to the lead singer for the way he sings the lyrics as if they’re kind of an afterthought.
Tom Lehrer’s “She’s My Girl” seems to fit the bill:
But, oh well, what the hell, she’s my girl
And I love her.
You really need to hear the exhausted, kinda halfway pissed-off way he sings it.
Related question, if I may:
Where can I find the lyrics to the song (by Kenny Rogers?) that have the partial words:
Something’s got a hold on me
It’s cheap, but it ain’t free
Love, or something like it, 's got a hold on me.
Sort of related: Everybody Plays The Fool
How can you help it, when the music starts to playin’
and your ability to reason just slips away…
Explains a lot, it does.
Ooo, ooo, I love this game! (Or, if you will…this game is OK, and I will participate because I have nothing better to do…)
More real songs about settling:
“Love the One You’re With”, Crosby Stills and Nash
“Better Man”, Pearl Jam
“Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” Meatloaf
New classics:
“I believe in makeovers…since you came along…you ugly thing…”
“You are sometimes on my mind…”
“I would walk one thousand steps, but I might not walk a thousand more…”
“And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, but you’ll have to do”
There’s always Shawn Mullins’ “Beautiful Wreck” (YouTube link):
"You put your keys in the car but it wouldn’t drive
With your hands on the wheel lookin’ barely alive
I’m still sitting here waiting on the passenger side
For you to make up your mind
And at the dark end of this bar, what a beautiful wreck you are"
Z’s “Doomed to Be Together”:
If great minds think alike and fools seldom differ
then baby you and I are doomed to be together
oh yeah
How about a *true * classic?
*My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you’re my favourite work of art
Is your figure less than greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart? *
Um…Google that last line and add the word lyrics. Or you might have tried Kenny Rogers Lyrics.
You can find almost any popular lyrics on the net. The down side is it’s often unofficial and not always 100% accurate.
That’s the spirit. Lyric changes to classic love songs is how the game goes, although the other songs have been interesting.
Rubbing sticks and stones together won’t start a fire unless you’re a Boy Scout
but the thought of playing Scrabble with you is sort of interesting
Paper airplanes in flight – afternoon distraction.
Like a vision she was laying there
tattered blue jeans, kinda greasy hair
She woke up and took me by the hand
we played parcheesi in my Chevy Van
And that’s alright with me.
Snuff Queen? What is a snuff queen? Does she kill people? Or indulge in chewing tobacco?