# Older songs with outdated references **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959 "2015-10-28T13:07:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/1 "2015-10-28T13:07:40Z")
The other day, an old rap song came on my playlist called “Just Buggin’” by Whistle. I was very familiar with the song back in the day, but I hadn’t heard it in a long time. I chuckled to myself when I heard the line, “When I speak, people diss E.F. Hutton.” I remember the [E.F. Hutton commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqgFlr5xG80) well and understood the reference. But it occurred to me that there are lots of people out there who are adults now who wouldn’t know what it meant. Anyway, I’m just wondering what some other examples are of musical nods to businesses, slogans, people or pop culture that a younger person hearing it today might not get. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/2 "2015-10-28T13:13:28Z")
[Muddy Waters - “Tiger In Your Tank”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpPHvCX4Qos) ---
**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**Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/3 "2015-10-28T13:21:06Z")
One that comes to mind is “Touch Me” by the Doors. The song ends with four notes and the band singing the words “Stronger than Dirt.” At the time the song came out, that was the [Ajax Laundry Detergent jingle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFZK5VkQes4); I suppose you could call it an early example of sampling. Ajax is still around, and they still use the slogan, but the jingle has been long since discarded and I doubt many younger people get the reference. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/4 "2015-10-28T14:19:11Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I suppose you could call it an early example of sampling. _Sampling_ is when you digitally record (sample) a sound. Sampling wasn’t invented in the sixties, it was invented around the start of the 80s, so the Doors never sampled anyone. What you’re talking about is called _quoting_. (There were precursors to sampling done with analog tape, but true sampling is digital.) ---
**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:** [October 28, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/5 "2015-10-28T14:43:02Z")
I wonder if kids know what Beyonce means when she sings “got me hoping you’ll page me right now” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/6 "2015-10-28T15:01:46Z")
In the Old 97s song “Big Brown Eyes” there is a line “And I’m calling Time and Temperature just for some company”. ---
**Author:** ![Lafayette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/47e85d/32.png) [@Lafayette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lafayette)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/7 "2015-10-28T15:09:17Z")
Basically the entirety of Jim Croce’s “Operator”… ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/8 "2015-10-28T15:17:21Z")
The Five Americans’ biggest hit _ **Western Union** _ (one of them used to post here - was that **aha**?) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/9 "2015-10-28T15:18:55Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I wonder if kids know what Beyonce means when she sings “got me hoping you’ll page me right now” If you’re going to go there, Sir Mix-A-Lot did [a whole song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Og1DuMu3k) on the topic. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/10 "2015-10-28T15:23:24Z")
Oh - Memphis Minnie’s _ **Ice Man** _. Although you’re not going to run into Memphis Minnie by accident - you probably wouldn’t be tripped up by a reference to an ice man if you knew you were listening to blues from the 30’s. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/11 "2015-10-28T15:30:30Z")
Spinto Band’s “Oh Mandy” has the line “Show me a rerun on the WB” Despite their brief revival on MTV, Shawn Colvin’s line “Equal parts Butthead and Peter Pan” sounded dated the moment “New Thing Now” was released. Which reminds me now of Sneaker Pimp’s “Post Modern Sleeze”: “She must be a Thelma or Louise…” ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/12 "2015-10-28T15:30:46Z")
OutKast’s _Hey Ya!_, dating from way back in 2003, includes the line “shake it like a Polaroid picture.” The OneStep cameras and film are apparently still available, but I don’t know why. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/13 "2015-10-28T15:45:40Z")
> [@Lafayette](#): > > Basically the entirety of Jim Croce’s “Operator”… A Jim Stafford song, “[A Real Good Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFZKwhk0Tjw),” is about some guy, new in town, who enters a **phone booth** and uses a\*\* dime\*\* to make a **phone call**. At one point he **lets his fingers do the walking**. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/14 "2015-10-28T15:48:44Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > OutKast’s _Hey Ya!_, dating from way back in 2003, includes the line “shake it like a Polaroid picture.” The OneStep cameras and film are apparently still available, but I don’t know why. And the world never did get it through its collective thick skull that shaking a Polaroid picture never did make it develop any faster. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/15 "2015-10-28T15:52:22Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > And the world never did get it through its collective thick skull that shaking a Polaroid picture never did make it develop any faster. 😛 Oh, c’mon. Shaking a Polaroid picture is at least as effective as pushing an elevator button multiple times. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/16 "2015-10-28T15:54:45Z")
“I Do the Rock” by Tim Curry. Sample line: “Carter, Begin and Sadat/Brezhnev, Deng and Castro/Every day negotiate us/Closer to disastro…” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/17 "2015-10-28T16:14:53Z")
I think this has been mentioned here, but how long did it take most of us to decipher “gee our old LaSalle ran great” from the theme song on _All in the Family_? Put another dime in the jukebox, baby. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/18 "2015-10-28T16:33:47Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I > Put another dime in the jukebox, baby. [Loan me a dime](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuYeXvLp9qc) - I need to call my old times. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/19 "2015-10-28T16:36:13Z")
Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” presents the singer as a dummy for not knowing what a slide rule is for. But today, even brilliant students at CalTech probably don’t know what a slide rule is for (and even those that do wouldn’t know how to use one)! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959/20 "2015-10-28T17:27:49Z")
I once heard Billy Joel claim that [We Didn’t Start the Fire](https://www.google.com/search?as_q=&as_epq=We+Didn%27t+Start+the+Fire&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=) is used to teach 20th century history. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-songs-with-outdated-references/735959.md?page=2)