# Songs identifiable from two or three words

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 4, 2010, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435 "2010-11-04T09:25:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/41 "2010-11-04T16:59:35Z")

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> [@cjepson](#):
>
> I am he

Although if we can skip to the chorus, we get the more recognizable “I am the…”

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**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/42 "2010-11-04T17:02:20Z")

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> [@Telemark](#):
>
> “Hello lamppost” - how many times does that combination appear elsewhere?

The OP did specifically ask for the _first_ two or three words of the song, however… so in this instance, that would be “Slow down, you”.

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**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/43 "2010-11-04T17:10:45Z")

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Sister Christian

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**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/44 "2010-11-04T17:38:24Z")

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> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I got sunshine. . .

My first thought was “in my stomach, like I just rocked my baby to sleep.”

I figure you were probably going for “on a cloudy day.” though.

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**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/45 "2010-11-04T17:40:56Z")

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Tequila !

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**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/46 "2010-11-04T17:43:42Z")

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Exit light

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**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/47 "2010-11-04T17:44:46Z")

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Wipeout!

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**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/48 "2010-11-04T18:00:44Z")

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> [@Aspidistra](#):
>
> I presume we’re discounting songs which start with the chorus or title? 'Cos that’s kind of cheating…

Well, since the OP included **Hey Jude** ,\* I\* didn’t presume that.

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**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/49 "2010-11-04T18:11:50Z")

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O Canada!

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/50 "2010-11-04T18:13:32Z")

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There’s something happenin’. . .  
How many roads. . .  
We three kings. . .

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/51 "2010-11-04T18:22:43Z")

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Say, say , say

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**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/52 "2010-11-04T18:28:44Z")

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The rangers had…

Southern Man…

That’s great, It…

Purple haze…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/53 "2010-11-04T19:15:40Z")

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> [@Aspidistra](#):
>
> The Missisippi Delta
> 
> Some say Love
> 
> Mama, just killed
> 
> Young teacher
> 
> Just a castaway
> 
> (I don’t know this "truckin’ one either…)

I think this thread is probably a pretty good test of old-fogeyism. I can get only one of the above (and I’ll give you one guess which one it is)… I’m assuming that the rest are too recent for me. Several other posts have left me similarly befuddled.

(Oh yeah, and I got “Truckin’” in a millisecond.)

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/54 "2010-11-04T19:24:12Z")

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> [@cjepson](#):
>
> I think this thread is probably a pretty good test of old-fogeyism. I can get only one of the above (and I’ll give you one guess which one it is)… I’m assuming that the rest are too recent for me.

Or just not a fan of The Police.

Speaking of which,

Roxanne…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [November 4, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/55 "2010-11-04T19:24:54Z")

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Changes turn and

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [November 4, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/56 "2010-11-04T19:27:28Z")

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They say we’re

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/57 "2010-11-04T19:28:53Z")

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Trinidad…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/58 "2010-11-04T19:29:20Z")

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Pompatus

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/59 "2010-11-04T19:31:49Z")

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> [@Gyrate](#):
>
> I was going to go with “I was born an original sinner…”

> [@Aspidistra](#):
>
> And I was thinking “I was born one morning when the sun didn’t shine…”

So was I the only one who went to “I was born…In the USA”?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-identifiable-from-two-or-three-words/559435/60 "2010-11-04T20:00:44Z")

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I think we can assume these are ‘can guess from just a couple words, even when being quoted spoken or in text’, as in most cases, being sung or played would make them terribly obvious.

> [@cjepson](#):
>
> Hot town, summer

This one really only needs ‘Hot town’, I think.

Took me embarrassingly long to get ‘I am he’, though…mostly because I initially dismissed it as a type. \>\_\<

A couple more…

Young man! There’s…  
Young girl, get…

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