# Most dated (and obscure) tech reference in song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 30, 2022, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774 "2022-11-30T04:18:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/21 "2022-11-30T16:11:46Z")
Wasn’t the cost of a phone at the time of the song already quarter? And that he ended the song with you can keep the dime just because it sounded better? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/22 "2022-11-30T16:15:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > This whole song (_Operator_ by Jim Croce in 1972) is about pretty dated tech even when it came out. I was thinking of this song for this thread, as well. The concept of getting help from an operator to place a call, as well as the “you can keep the dime” reference to a pay phone, are, at best, anachronistic now, if not completely lost on younger listeners. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/23 "2022-11-30T16:16:22Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Wasn’t the cost of a phone at the time of the song already quarter? And that he ended the song with you can keep the dime just because it sounded better? Good question. I suspect the whole USA didn’t switch from dimes to quarters overnight. I can recall feeding a dime into a payphone to call home at least a time or three, and in 1972 I was 13 turning 14 and of course not yet driving. So there’s a rather narrow window of years where I’d be old enough to be out in retail public on my own without adult oversight, but dimes were still in use if by 1972 quarters were the going price. I was living in SoCal, which was / is a rather expensive area overall, so likely to be one of the earlier areas to switch from dimes to quarters. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/24 "2022-11-30T16:20:01Z")
_In My Merry Oldsmobile_ ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/25 "2022-11-30T16:21:45Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > And that he ended the song with you can keep the dime just because it sounded better? I suspect that this may have been the case, especially as it rhymed with “thank you for your time” (and slant-rhymes with “you’ve been so much more than kind”). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/26 "2022-11-30T16:27:01Z")
Ok, now that brings up an (evil) tangent: words that rhyme or mostly rhyme with “quarter”. Sounds like a category on _Jeopardy_ that will get played last and only in desperation. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/27 "2022-11-30T16:27:20Z")
_Sylvia’s Mother_ has a similar pay phone reference: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/z9vRBPtXK5w/maxresdefault.jpg "Sylvia's Mother") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vRBPtXK5w) > And the operator says 40 cents more > For the next three minutes ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/28 "2022-11-30T16:32:17Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Wasn’t the cost of a phone at the time of the song already quarter? And that he ended the song with you can keep the dime just because it sounded better? Definitely a dime. From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payphone#United_States): > On average, payphone calls generally cost 5¢ into the 1950s and 10¢ until the mid-1980s. Rates standardized at 25¢ during the mid-1980s to early 1990s. The Bell System was required to apply for increases through state [public service commissions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_utilities_commission). Therefore, the actual increases took effect at different times in different locations ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/29 "2022-11-30T16:52:14Z")
Do you want dated? Do you want fairly obscure? I give you “Foreign Object” by The Mountain Goats. > Whipped like a dog, down on the cards > Square in the spotlight sweating real hard > All soaked in blood like a newborn babe > Sharp thing hidden in my hand shaped like an **astrolabe** > **[Astrolabe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrolabe)** > > An astrolabe (Greek: ἀστρολάβος astrolábos, 'star-taker'; Arabic: ٱلأَسْطُرلاب al-Asṭurlāb; Persian: ستاره‌یاب Setāreyāb) is an astronomical instrument dating to ancient times. It serves as a star chart and physical model of visible heavenly bodies. Its various functions also make it an elaborate inclinometer and an analog calculation device capable of working out several kinds of problems in astronomy. In its simplest form it is a metal disc with a pattern of wires, cutouts, and perforations tha... ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/30 "2022-11-30T16:56:34Z")
I still use the phrase _dropped a dime_ on someone, even though it’s as ridiculous as telling people to _dial_ xxx-xxx-xxxx. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/31 "2022-11-30T16:57:51Z")
Whenever I think of obsolete tech in songs, I think of “2-Way Freak” by Three6 Mafia. Here’s the lyrics but I’ll spoiler the link as the words are NSFW (written lyrics, not a video). > **Summary** > > [This text will be hidden](https://genius.com/Three-6-mafia-2-way-freak-lyrics) The song is about getting a ton of pages from women on their two-way pagers (different from a regular pager), but also the women scrolling through their pagers to see who they’ve been in communication with. Two-way pagers were expensive (much more than a conventional one-way pager) and I don’t think they were very widely used. [Here’s an article with more info on two-ways.](https://debugger.medium.com/two-way-pager-is-it-possible-a1928ce32eb5) It says they were introduced in 1995 and Motorola discontinued theirs in 2001. But they are still used for doctors! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/32 "2022-11-30T16:59:57Z")
There’s also [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LZEHGbQBYbg/maxresdefault.jpg "Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By The Light (Lyrics HD)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZEHGbQBYbg) Which includes a reference to a “deuce” meaning a particular year and model of car from 40+ years ago then and 90 years ago now. If you weren’t a car nut then you’d probably have no idea what they were talking about. With bonus points for apparently being one of those often misheard lyrics where various folks’ ideas of what they’re singing are all over the map. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/33 "2022-11-30T17:02:16Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Do you want dated? Do you want fairly obscure? > > I give you “Foreign Object” by The Mountain Goats. > > > … > > Sharp thing hidden in my hand shaped like an **astrolabe** You win. We’re done here. The rest of us don’t stand a chance of topping that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/34 "2022-11-30T18:50:29Z")
eh forget it ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/35 "2022-11-30T18:57:59Z")
Another pager one is Crazy in Love by Beyonce (got me hopin’ you’ll page me right now") released in 2003, although pagers were on the way out by then. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/36 "2022-11-30T19:07:04Z")
In the song [I Don’t Like Mondays](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6I9qVsXnSQ) by The Boomtown Rats is this verse: > The Telex machine is kept so clean > And it types to a waiting world And there’s [Pocket Calculator](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZiTr4hwHXI&t=56s) by Kraftwerk. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/37 "2022-11-30T19:15:23Z")
“Video Killed the Radio Star” is now a song about _two_ obsolete music formats. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/38 "2022-11-30T20:03:31Z")
Huh? I still watch music videos on YouTube and listen to songs in my car on the radio. And I wish I still had my vinyl record collection. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/39 "2022-11-30T20:06:09Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G4QYJG8AxSw/hqdefault.jpg "Answering Machine - The Replacements") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4QYJG8AxSw) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/40 "2022-11-30T20:55:23Z")
A few: “Telephone Line” - ELO “Little Deuce Coupe” - Jan And Dean “Kodachrome” - Paul Simon [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774.md?page=3)