Could it be because they like the friggin’ song? Nah, that can’t be it…
Because Elton John is worth bashing. I don’t give a fuck who he is, I am a young heathen and grew up hating his fucking music for how many times I had it shoved down my throat by every goddamn feelgood yuppie dreaming of yesteryear and promising themselves that they didn’t sell out, they bought in. I am fully willing to admit that Elton John may more may not be a genius, but on the other hand FUCK ELTON JOHN!
Erek
I attempted to insert a [sic] somewhere in the quote, but failed to decide upon the best place for it.
It’s good that someone can bring such clarity and finality to a debate. After struggling with the complexity offered up by this thread, I was just pleased to see it all placed in the proper perspective, and summed up so well.
BTW: I thought the Wish You Were Here rendition was pretty good. Not as good as the real thing mind you, but good nonetheless.
Well the thread struck me as pretty fucking dumb considering whoever did the rendition of Wish You Were Here, most likely didn’t do it without the say so of Roger Waters. Aren’t copyrights good for 50 years before they see public domain? And, I think Elton John sucks and felt that this would be a nice time to say so.
Erek
(Tiny Dancer is a good song though)
If you’re referring to the song Stevie Wonder did, ‘Loves in Need of Love today’, that was off his ‘Songs in The Key Of Life’ album that came out roughly in '74. Unless you’re referring to another verse he added, I can’t remember exactly from friday if he did or didn’t. I know the last verse was sung by someone from Take 6, who had a hell of a voice and added a lot to the rendition.
I’m not sure what the situation is in this case, but I don’t think they needed the permission of Roger Waters. One rarely has to have the permission of the artist to cover a song.
If you’re doing it live, the artist is compensated via the venue’s ASCAP/BMI fees. If you want to put the song on an album, you obtain permission through the Harry Fox Agency. Neither situation involves the consent–or even, necessarily, the knowledge, of the artist.
It may be different because this was a television broadcast; I don’t know. Maybe someone more schooled in entertainment law can come set us straight.
Dr. J
[…heaving a deep and heavy sigh… …girding loins for battle… …lovingly placing Book of Reason aside so as not to waste its precious contents on a swine…]
mswas
Luckily, this isn’t a chat board. This will be here long enough for you to go find someone who can read it to you. According to Lao-Tsu (he’s one of those guys from history, wrote a little book called The Art of War), every battle is either won or lost before it begins. And you’ve lost. You’ve lost because you’re a muttonheaded numbskull, a helpless dolt, a brain-paralyzed imbecile who wouldn’t know the sound of beautiful music from the smell of a rotten fart.
Your ignorance shines so bright that you could spawn a solar system. Your understanding of music is so minuscule that it would pass through the Super-Kamiokande detector. Your opinion is so worthless that I’ve forgotten what it is. I’m gonna have to plow back through your glurge and dig all of it up, a feat akin to disengaging a shit-clog from a crack house toilet.
Lessee…
No, Elton John is worth admiring. You’re worth bashing. But not in any significant sense. More along the lines of popping bubble wrap. You’re like the Chihuahua that everybody wants to step on to shut its fucking impotent yap. You’re like a burning bag of turds on someone’s porch — they don’t want to deal with it, but circumstances force them to.
He’s the guy who raises tens of millions of dollars for AIDS charities. He’s a knight in her majesty’s honorable court. He’s an accomplished musician, classically trained, who has delighted millions upon millions of faithful listeners for several decades. He produces works of art that span the full range of music theory. He’s a superstar who earned his way to the top through hard work, diligent effort, and great sacrifice.
That you don’t give a fuck who he is is no reflection on him, but on yourself. It simply means that you’re an ass pimple. A hemorrhoid. A cum stain.
See, that’s what’s wrong with the Attention Deficit generation. You think you’re supposed to eat everything. You’ve never produced any actual music, just three minute spans of harsh, cacophonous, discordant noise. And even then, you have to have a computer do it for you. God forbid you should strum a real guitar or bang a real drum.
You shouldn’t try to eat the music. What you’re supposed to do is something that would feel really weird to you if you ever tried it, kinda like Neo felt when he opened his eyes for the first time. To hear music, you have to shut the fuck up for a few minutes and stifle those urges to blather moronic epithets at men who are so much greater than you are that exponents are too feeble to render the difference between you.
No, you don’t hate his music for being shoved down your throat any more than you hate ice-cream or freedom or anything else people wasted their time providing to you. You hate his music because you’re an insatiable spoiled brat, a pusillanimous dickwad.
Your bewildering incomprehension of context oozes from your vacuous post like puss from a running sore. What the fuck do you imagine you know about such a glorious era when students could actually read and write? When young people committed time and resources to making a difference in the world? When segregation of minorities, an indiscriminate war machine, and social injustice were being fought against in the streets?
You myopic clod of coprolite. While you play with your navel lint and surf the Internet to find new ways to masturbate, your predecessors are lying in graves at the parking lot of Kent State, where they died in puddles of their own blood, giving their lives for causes you cannot even fathom.
So, maybe he is, maybe he ain’t. I guess you want recognition for that brave disclosure. You discredit a man who spends his whole adult life entertaining and helping people, but think it means something when you begrugingly spit out some capricious, vacillating nod of contemptuous approval in his general direction.
Well, do us all a favor. Get completely the hell off our side. Admit nothing. Go back to occupying yourself with mindless and wasteful activity. Go eat a book.
Spare us your fantasies.
Sun-Tsu. But what’s the point? You wouldn’t have known the difference.
What, so now you can’t listen to the original anymore? Was it that traumatizing? I recommend professional help. Or changing the channel when you hear something you don’t like.
Revtim, you’re an ass.
Beside the point.
Beside the point.
And I recommend you undilate your sphincter and pull that ten-foot thornpole out of your rectum.
You never heard the expression “It’s the thought that counts”?
I’m glad to see I wasn’t the only one that enjoyed that.
One of my biggest problems with their version on the show is that the new verse replaced the most beautful lyrics in the song:
I learned a long time ago that if you’re going to do things your own way, you have to be able to do them damn well.
Neil Young did “Imagine” at this show. The lyrics to that song ask people to imagine what it would be like if there were no heaven or hell, no religion, no countries. Yet this is a time in which people are turning to religion for strengh and to patriotism for unity. So why didn’t Neil re-write the lyrics to send that message? Because he knows he couldn’t write better lyrics than Lennon’s, and because he knows that the song has meaning to a lot of people that transcends the words.
Similarly, “The Star-Spangled Banner” means a lot to people well beyond “There’s a lot of stuff blowing up, but they haven’t hit the flag yet.” You can bet that if someone came out and sang it with all-new lyrics–even if those lyrics expressed a heartfelt and appropriate sentiment–people would be pissed.
So it is with “Wish You Were Here”. It’s a beautiful song that didn’t need a re-write to make more meaningful, but they re-wrote it anyway.
Dr. J
PS: I saw the Goo Goo Dolls open for the Reverend Horton Heat at Bogart’s back in 1995. They were OK.
Well, you got me in the crushing grip of logic there SPOOFE, I surrender. Please continue to get upset over bad cover songs as if that fucking means something to the original.
it’s just a song,
get over it,
get a life.
Strictly as a minor hijack, but Libertarian’s rant was a thing of beauty and a joy to read.
Wow.
I’ve read the art of war so yes, I did know who wrote it. Nice non-sequitur though. You have my kudos.
**
Forgot your Ritalin again? I’ll remind you. Elton John sucks. I am still chuckling over the correlation of not liking Elton John and being unaware of the Art of War.
**
Wow, colorfully creative. He still sucks.
He’s the guy who raises tens of millions of dollars for AIDS charities. He’s a knight in her majesty’s honorable court. He’s an accomplished musician, classically trained, who has delighted millions upon millions of faithful listeners for several decades. He produces works of art that span the full range of music theory. He’s a superstar who earned his way to the top through hard work, diligent effort, and great sacrifice.
That you don’t give a fuck who he is is no reflection on him, but on yourself. It simply means that you’re an ass pimple. A hemorrhoid. A cum stain.
**
[/quote]
Wow, again, colorful and creative. I am glad you have found an idol worthy of putting aside your golden calf. Congratulations. Like I said, he’s in all probability a genius. He’s in all likelihood a great, guy, a saint even. I think his music sucks. Though, speaking of ignorance have you ever heard of Jochem Paap, Cevin Key, or Simon Posford? There are some musical geniuses for you. I’ve at least heard of Elton John.
See, that’s what’s wrong with the Attention Deficit generation. You think you’re supposed to eat everything. You’ve never produced any actual music, just three minute spans of harsh, cacophonous, discordant noise. And even then, you have to have a computer do it for you. God forbid you should strum a real guitar or bang a real drum.
You shouldn’t try to eat the music. What you’re supposed to do is something that would feel really weird to you if you ever tried it, kinda like Neo felt when he opened his eyes for the first time. To hear music, you have to shut the fuck up for a few minutes and stifle those urges to blather moronic epithets at men who are so much greater than you are that exponents are too feeble to render the difference between you.
No, you don’t hate his music for being shoved down your throat any more than you hate ice-cream or freedom or anything else people wasted their time providing to you. You hate his music because you’re an insatiable spoiled brat, a pusillanimous dickwad.
**
[/quote]
<sniff>
That was beautiful
</sniff>
I’m checking…nope Elton John still sucks. Again, ignorance raises it’s head. If you think you just press a button on a computer then that’s pretty ignorant. If you think Elton John doesn’t use the exact same software that the modern bands use, then you are ignorant as well. If you think modern bands can’t play instruments very well, again you are ignorant. In fact As far as ADHD goes, wasn’t it you that couldn’t remember what you were responding to?
Your bewildering incomprehension of context oozes from your vacuous post like puss from a running sore. What the fuck do you imagine you know about such a glorious era when students could actually read and write? When young people committed time and resources to making a difference in the world? When segregation of minorities, an indiscriminate war machine, and social injustice were being fought against in the streets?
You myopic clod of coprolite. While you play with your navel lint and surf the Internet to find new ways to masturbate, your predecessors are lying in graves at the parking lot of Kent State, where they died in puddles of their own blood, giving their lives for causes you cannot even fathom.
**
[/quote]
Yeah I couldn’t possibly fathom the cause. By not liking Elton John I have proven that I care nothing for free speech or the cessation of an unjust war. Yes, all that could be gleaned from my dislike of Elton John.
So, maybe he is, maybe he ain’t. I guess you want recognition for that brave disclosure. You discredit a man who spends his whole adult life entertaining and helping people, but think it means something when you begrugingly spit out some capricious, vacillating nod of contemptuous approval in his general direction.
Well, do us all a favor. Get completely the hell off our side. Admit nothing. Go back to occupying yourself with mindless and wasteful activity. Go eat a book.
**
[/quote]
Mmm…mmm good.
You gleaned tons of info about me from my dislike of Elton John, from an Ignorance of music and social events to not having heard of Lao Tzu, I mean Sun Tzu.
I have gleaned something about you. That you turned 80 on your 40th birthday. When you were out there protesting and feeling your oats during the fire of your youth, did you ever think you’d be a crotchety old man when you were only middle aged?
I mean, when you were listening to Elton John as a young man did you look back and think, “Wow Elton John is great, but compared to Slim Whitman he’s just a hack who makes a lot of noise!”
Erek
But it was on eeeveeerrryyyy channel! 
For the record, I thought it sucked as well. I wasn’t really watching it, but turned around when I heard the opening notes. Then, about a second later, I realized it wasn’t anyone from Pink Floyd. Then I realized that whoever it was was about as qualified to sing Pink Floyd as I am. Then I realized that he was playing with the lyrics and it wasn’t going to get any better. At that point, I turned back to the computer.
Yep, it sucked alright.
You’re old and crotchety too huh?
Erek
If it got more money to people who needed it, who cares what the motives of the people donating was?
You’d probably know more than I would. grins I’m not a serious fan of Stevie Wonder and know only of his songs that I’ve heard on the radio over the years.
More of a Nine Inch Nails fan myself.
Where was Rage Against the Machine? Wonder why they weren’t asked to perform, heh.
somewhat~damaged