# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/81 "2022-12-03T00:16:08Z")
Ah. I lightly perused the thread but did not read it that carefully. That’s a 10-3. should check my eyes for pinholes… ---
**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:** [December 3, 2022, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/82 "2022-12-03T00:16:50Z")
And is there some rule that whenever someone says “I’m surprised no one mentioned X”, X actually will have been mentioned in that thread, that at least two people simulpost a correction? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/83 "2022-12-03T00:24:26Z")
Does a roller-skate key count as tech? “Oh, I’ve got a brand-new pair of roller skates; you’ve got a brand-new key. I think that we should get together and try them out, you see” ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/84 "2022-12-03T00:49:41Z")
Yes, but that wasn’t actually about roller skating 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/85 "2022-12-03T00:57:48Z")
Mind… blown ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/86 "2022-12-03T02:20:25Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Is there some rule that whenever someone says “I’m surprised no one mentioned X”, X actually will have been mentioned in that thread? Is there some reason why anyone feels compelled to say “I’m surprised no one has mentioned X” when they have a golden opportunity to mention it themselves? ---
**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 3, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/87 "2022-12-03T14:08:58Z")
This seems like a golden opportunity to mention that old song with the girl with the brand new pair of roller skates and the boy with a brand new key. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/88 "2022-12-03T17:44:19Z")
The John Cale song ‘Archimedes’ claims to feature the sound of an Archimedes Screw. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1XAkDO2nEMg/maxresdefault.jpg "John Cale - Archimedes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XAkDO2nEMg) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/89 "2022-12-03T19:36:58Z")
Probably. The rule might even be named after me. An opportunity, perhaps. Let’s keep it in perspective. That’s a 10-3. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/90 "2022-12-03T20:53:59Z")
Beatles - “Honey Pie” _You became a legend on the silver screen._ ---
**Author:** ![WhyKickAMooCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc29f/32.png) [@WhyKickAMooCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyKickAMooCow)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/91 "2022-12-05T11:56:19Z")
Another reference to pagers in the 1988 Song “Fuck Tha Police” by NWA: Fuckin with me ‘cause I’m a teenager With a little bit of gold and a pager Searchin’ my car, lookin’ for the product Thinkin’ every nigga is sellin’ narcotics ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/92 "2022-12-05T12:03:25Z")
**Nobody Home** by Pink Floyd; _I got thirteen channels of shit on the TV to choose from_ The lyric is meant to imply that Pink is drowning in luxury, but within just a few years of that album coming out, having access to _only_ thirteen channels would have been downright plebian. ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/93 "2022-12-05T12:28:19Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VRfS10Ae46o/hqdefault.jpg "Paul Evans - Hello, This Is Joannie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRfS10Ae46o) TheTelephone Answering Machine Song. My favourite. And I don’t care what _you_ think… ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/94 "2022-12-05T12:52:31Z")
There are several songs that reference a hurdy-gurdy, perhaps the best-known being Donovan’s. Early versions of the hurdy-gurdy were thought to have been developed prior to the 11th century. OTOH, they are still occasionally used in recorded and live music and you can still buy one, so they may not make the cut. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/95 "2022-12-06T20:50:26Z")
What do you call a strong canary cranking a music box? A sturdy birdie with a hurdy-gurdy. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2022, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/96 "2022-12-06T22:25:19Z")
> I always laugh at this one. It shows an obscure text message functionality in Excel. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/97 "2022-12-07T17:08:40Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Is there some rule that whenever someone says “I’m surprised no one mentioned X”, X actually will have been mentioned in that thread? I have proposed this months, if not years ago. It seems to be a natural law. Actually, Aug of ‘21. You were in the thread a few posts later, too! > [@In every thread about xxxx, someone always posts yyyy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/128): > > Related to this, in any type of IMHO thread where one is asked to name a favorite/best/worst/etc XXXX, someone will chime in with “I CAN’T BELIEVE NOBODY MENTIONED [YYYY]!!!”, where YYYY had, in fact, already been mentioned, possibility multiple times, and often in the OP itself. (Actually, that’s a bit of a forced formulation of the law to follow the OP’s structure in the subject line. It’s more that whenever a poster starts a sentence with “I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned” or “I can’t bel… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/98 "2022-12-07T17:25:32Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Is there some rule that whenever someone says “I’m surprised no one mentioned X”, X actually will have been mentioned in that thread? I’m surprised that no one has ever proposed a rule like this. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/99 "2022-12-07T17:53:21Z")
Commander Cody’s “Hot Rod Lincoln” has a bunch of old auto tech terms… Overdrive? Very few people anymore who would know what that is, let alone driven with it. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774/100 "2022-12-07T18:01:52Z")
And then The Boss complained about having 57 channels, and nothing on. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YAlDbP4tdqc/maxresdefault.jpg "Bruce Springsteen - 57 Channels (And Nothin' On) (Official HD Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAlDbP4tdqc) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-dated-and-obscure-tech-reference-in-song/975774.md?page=6)