# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/41 "2022-11-30T21:51:00Z")
“Jukebox Hero” by Foreigner should be updated to “TikTok Hero” or “iTunes Hero” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/42 "2022-11-30T22:10:15Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > 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. Isn’t a “deuce” just a two-door car? A category which still includes most sports cars. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/43 "2022-11-30T22:12:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t a “deuce” just a two-door car? A category which still includes most sports cars. I didn’t realize that until now. That makes the term deuce coupe redundant, right? ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/44 "2022-11-30T22:20:22Z")
In the song **Girl All The Bad Guys Want** by **Bowling For Soup** there are the lines _Her name is Nona, she’s a rocker with a nose ring_ _She wears a **two way** but I’m not quite sure-what that means_ TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/45 "2022-11-30T22:21:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t a “deuce” just a two-door car? No; it refers to the 2 in 1932: > **[What Is a Deuce Coupe? Plus Significant Deuce Coupe Gallery!](https://www.motortrend.com/features/what-is-a-deuce-coupe/)** > > The flathead V-8 deuce coupe helped pull America out of the Great Depression and gave birth to the hot rodding movement. Not sure I’d call that a “technology”, in any case. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/46 "2022-11-30T22:23:10Z")
Carmelita by Warren Zevon has a couple I hear Mariachi static on my radio And the tubes they glow in the dark and Well, I pawned my Smith Corona ---
**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, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/47 "2022-11-30T22:32:04Z")
[Telephone Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MahswYBewb0) by Meri Wilson. [Car Phone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF-iAV9YOqY&t=11s). It’s a parody of [Convoy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd5ZLJWQmss), which itself refers to a dated tech reference (C.B. radios). Quite a few songs were written about Pac Man and Space Invaders in the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/48 "2022-11-30T22:32:29Z")
Virtuality by Rush (1996ish) is about AOL style chat rooms, and the people you meet. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/49 "2022-11-30T22:41:11Z")
And Deuce coupes are still a thing. Can’t go wrong with a hot rodded 32 Ford. (Though fiberglass has taken over from original tin.) You can still buy everything you need to make one. And I’ve been to car shows with nothing but 32 Fords. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/50 "2022-11-30T22:54:09Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Can’t go wrong with a hot rodded 32 Ford. Unless you get T-boned by an SUV. Or rear-ended. Or rear-end one. Or it rains. Or… ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/51 "2022-11-30T23:16:34Z")
Another dated telephone technology, “Party Line” by the Kinks. I don’t think that any party lines still exist. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OGMgWdtpdTQ/maxresdefault.jpg "The Kinks - Party Line (HQ)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGMgWdtpdTQ) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/52 "2022-12-01T00:05:28Z")
_Two broken Tigers on fire in the night…_ Al Stewart, **Road To Moscow** Nobody uses Tigers these days! ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/53 "2022-12-01T00:12:03Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > 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** > [@LSLGuy](#): > > You win. We’re done here. The rest of us don’t stand a chance of topping that. 😉 “Rubbing sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite” Starland Vocal Band, “Afternoon Delight” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/54 "2022-12-01T00:21:35Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > _Sylvia’s Mother_ has a similar pay phone reference: The band Maroon 5 released a song called “Payphone” in 2012, at which point payphones were already pretty much obsolete. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LNArCBr6rrs/maxresdefault.jpg "Payphone - Maroon 5 ft. Wiz Khalifa (Lyrics) 🎵") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNArCBr6rrs) Apparently that was a deliberate choice on the part of the songwriter, like if you’re calling someone from a payphone in 2012 things must be really bad, you’ve lost your cell phone and are away from home. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/55 "2022-12-01T01:59:58Z")
Being a vehicle not sure it counts as ‘tech’ rarther than just plain old ‘technology’ [maybe I should be saying it as vee-hickle?] The epically good Stranglers song [Peaches](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuT5KUA7iaY) mentions ‘Here comes the charabanc’, which was once a large people-mover horse wagon with bus-style seating, which later got used as one early name for motor buses. Maybe it was still a word in whatever dialect Hugh Cornwall speaks, but otherwise its either a late 19th or early 20th century reference. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/56 "2022-12-01T02:09:41Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > things must be really bad, you’ve lost your cell phone and are away from home. Another decade or so and “away from home” will make no difference if you have lost your cellphone. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/57 "2022-12-01T02:41:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t a “deuce” just a two-door car? Nope. 1932 Ford. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/58 "2022-12-01T03:07:13Z")
I don’t think many women these days notify their boyfriends that it’s all over, using this technology. _Western Union man_ _Bad news in his hand_ _Knocking at my door_ _Selling me the score_ _Fifteen cents a word to read_ _A telegram I didn’t need_ _Says she doesn’t care no more_ _Think I’ll throw it on the floor_ - “Western Union” by The Five Americans Blows your mind, it does. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2022, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/59 "2022-12-01T03:23:23Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > “Rubbing sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite” I posted _“This Wheel’s On Fire”_ but deleted it. I also hate that song. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/60 "2022-12-01T03:34:27Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > “Rubbing sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite” > > Starland Vocal Band, “Afternoon Delight” 😉 I bow to your superior music-fu. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774.md?page=4)