# Obvious things about a creative work you realize after the millionth time (OPEN SPOILERS POSSIBLE) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117 "2009-07-24T13:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 187
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3723 "2020-07-28T12:13:58Z")
interesting… ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3724 "2020-07-30T22:30:31Z")
“Wooden Ships” By Crosby stills and Nash,is a song that came out about 52 years ago and that I’ve been listening to for 52 years. And it wasn’t until about five years ago that I finally realized that it was a song about a post nuclear holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3725 "2020-07-30T22:53:43Z")
I first heard the Jefferson Airplane version (I think Crosby/Kantner/Slick wrote it). With male and female voices, it was clear that it was a dialogue between two people who meet after an apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3726 "2020-07-30T22:58:31Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > “Wooden Ships” By Crosby stills and Nash,is a song that came out about 52 years ago and that I’ve been listening to for 52 years. > > And it wasn’t until about five years ago that I finally realized that it was a song about a post nuclear holocaust. It’s also about two soldiers from the opposing armies meeting. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3727 "2020-08-31T20:57:40Z")
The “Eighties-est song” sent me down the rabbit hole of watching the video for “Take on Me”, and then the [literal video](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2mphk0), a parody with the original lyrics replaced with a literal description of what’s happening in the video. And that made me realize some details I hadn’t noticed before. Namely, when the Bad Guys are pursuing the heroes down the corridor armed with a pipe wrench, they still have their motorcycle helmets on, while the hero has removed his after the race. That would give the Bad Guys a distinct advantage when the hero reveals his own pipe wrench and they fight after the woman escapes back to the real world (Pipe wrench fight!). I’m not sure if the director intended that detail, or if putting helmets on the Bad Guys was just an artistic choice, but I’m guessing the latter. Still, it’s something I never thought about before. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3728 "2020-08-31T21:39:48Z")
Have you seen the _[Family Guy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWErfaJjfE4)_ version? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3729 "2020-09-01T02:31:18Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > his own pipe wrench I show the original video to my art class every semester, but then I have to show them the literal version so they know why I can’t resist singing “I’m gonna kick some ass with my own pipe wrench…” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3730 "2020-09-01T06:12:16Z")
> [@Hilarious literal video of Total Eclipse of the Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hilarious-literal-video-of-total-eclipse-of-the-heart/498699/59): > > So, after reviewing this thread, I forwarded a link to the Take on Me video to my drummer-the-record-producer - he is producing a few tracks on A-Ha’s latest CD (for U.S. Dopers, A-Ha continue to do quite well outside the U.S., regularly selling out large venues - at least that is what I was told by my friend; does this sound right Euro-Dopers?) His reply to me? They hadn’t seen it. Well done, Dopers - fighting a band’s ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3731 "2020-09-04T03:38:27Z")
TBBT Season 2 Episode 22. Listen carefully to Leonard’s ringtone, [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxgSEnJ7anI): Isn’t that the exact sequence of notes that was driving Sheldon crazy as an earworm several seasons later? (I don’t know what episode, and I don’t remember what he finally remembered it was) Is that a very deep joke, or some writer’s subconscious, or what? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3732 "2020-09-04T05:24:09Z")
No. I thought the ringtone some generic one that’s all over the place? Here’s the earworm. [The Big Bang Theory - He Got A Tuba - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5r909ThKS8) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3733 "2020-09-04T07:06:34Z")
Not just Europe, and not just 11 years ago - an a-ha concert was the last one I attended before lockdown, it was a sold-out stadium. It was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3734 "2020-09-08T05:23:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Have you seen the _[Family Guy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWErfaJjfE4)_ version? You have to check out the Steamed Hams version. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Iol3Xydcn4I/maxresdefault.jpg "steamed hams but it's take on me") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iol3Xydcn4I) ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3735 "2020-09-08T22:58:54Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > There’s a bar here called The Office (been here long before the TV show), supposedly so that harried husbands can call home and say they have to stay a bit longer at… well, you know. Reminds me of the Davis CA video game arcade: The Library. Hey, Mom. Can I go to The Library? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3736 "2020-09-29T14:13:43Z")
Movies\* = MOVEies 🤦‍♂️ \*words are a creative invention so yes I’m counting this as a creative work for the purposes of this thread… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3737 "2020-09-29T16:52:09Z")
“Movies” was a shortening of the original “moving pictures.” The changeover was very quick. Movies as a term wasn’t used much before 1910 but was the dominant word by 1920, long enough ago to forget the original. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3738 "2020-09-29T18:21:50Z")
Ironically the word “Cinema” is based on a word that means the same thing. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3739 "2020-09-29T18:36:09Z")
If were counting words as creative works then here’s another one. The words “hood” in American English and “bonnet” in British English mean the same thing when referring to part of a car. But I only recently realized that they have pretty similar meanings, if not quite the same, when referring to clothing as well. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3740 "2020-09-29T19:56:27Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > “Movies” was a shortening of the original “moving pictures.” The changeover was very quick. Movies as a term wasn’t used much before 1910 but was the dominant word by 1920, Wow. I never knew that, had always imagined the term catching on several decades later. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3741 "2020-09-29T20:31:23Z")
And they’re “flicks” because they flicker. Or at least, used to. And “footage” was a measure of how long the film strip was, in feet. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3742 "2020-09-29T22:25:40Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > If were counting words as creative works then here’s another one. The words “hood” in American English and “bonnet” in British English mean the same thing when referring to part of a car. But I only recently realized that they have pretty similar meanings, if not quite the same, when referring to clothing as well. And now I’ve realized the connection, as well. I separately knew that “hood” and “bonnet” were synonyms for the car part, and that they were similar articles of clothing, but it’s only now that you point it out that I realize the connection between the car part and the article of clothing - they’re both the cover for the engine, in the same manner as they’re both covers for the head. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=186) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=188)