# Song ID - "Checking It Out"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-checking-it-out/125313>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 23, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-checking-it-out/125313 "2002-08-23T23:44:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-checking-it-out/125313/1 "2002-08-23T23:44:28Z")

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I’ve heard a song on the local college radio station\* a couple of times but I don’t know who it’s by.

It sounds like The Donnas and it’s about going to a party and checking out guys. The chorus is a repeat of the phrase, “Check, check, checking it out.” and there’s some lyric reference to a little sister.

I check The Donna’s lyrics page and couldn’t find it. Can anyone help out?

Whistlepig

- I can’t call the station and ask who it is because there is no one there. The college doesn’t have anyone doing radioin the summer, they just put 100 discs in the changer and let it go. (This is a low wattage, 5 mile radius station).  
At least once a summer, a disc gets stuck and for 2-3 days all you hear is the “wang, wang, wang” of a second of music repeating.

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**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-checking-it-out/125313/2 "2002-08-24T03:36:58Z")

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Disclaimer: I don’t know the Donna’s. (Also my MagLite puts out more wattage than your ‘wang, wang, wang’ station 🙂

I’ll venture a WAG here. Could this song you’re hearing be a remix/cover of Talking Heads songs?

> [@](#):
>
> I’m checking them out  
> I’m checking them out  
> I got it figured out  
> I got it figured out

Talking Heads, “Cities”

and from the chorus of Stay Up Late:

[quote]

Here we go (all night long)  
Sister, sister (all night long)  
In the playpen…woo…(all night long)  
Little baby goes, ha! (all night long)  
I know you want to leave me…  
[/quote[

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**Author:** ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-checking-it-out/125313/3 "2002-08-24T22:27:51Z")

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Nope.

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-checking-it-out/125313/4 "2002-08-25T10:19:14Z")

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Phish- Cities??  
I’m checkin’ ‘em out  
I’m checkin’ 'em out  
I’ve got it figured out  
I’ve got it figured out

There’s some good points - some bad points  
But it all works out - I’m just a little freaked out

Find your city -  
Find yourself a city to live in  
I will find a city -  
Find yourself a city to live in

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**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-checking-it-out/125313/5 "2002-08-25T10:32:06Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Joey P \*  
> \*\*Phish- Cities??  
> \*\*

Phish covers Cities?! You’ll see (above) that I suggested that song. Thanks for suggesting it yourself, Joey P.

My favorite line:

“Look over there! A Dry Ice factory! Good place to get some thinking done!”