Songs that Mention Photography

Woops nevermind, I was thinking of **Freeze Frame ** which was mentioned in the OP. :slight_smile:

Barenaked Ladies - “Night Photographs”

At night I like to photograph, producing camera images
And I don’t have a flash
But my little notebook records the subjects at hand.

Filter - Take a picture

Marc Jordan - I’m A Camera

Cat Power - Taking People

If I was a photographer,
Picture taking,
Beautiful people,
I guess I’d make a mistake,
'Cause I’d probably take a,
Picture of you.

“Then She Appeared” – XTC

Then she appeared, apple venus on a half-open shell
Then she appeared, the first photograph on Fox Talbot’s gel…

I don’t know if it counts, because actually about NOT taking pictures, but I’ll add it anyway:

3 x 5, John Mayer

Didn’t have a camera by my side this time,
Hoping I would see the world through both my eyes,

No more 3 x 5s.

Travis - Walking Around in the Sun
I was walking around in the sun
taking pictures of everyone

music by “Little” Jack Little, lyrics by Joe Young, 1932

Comedienne Rose Marie recorded this song at the age of 8. It’s on several CDs.

*(chorus)
Take a picture of the moon above in May or June
Then you can make love morning, night and noon
By the light of that same old moon
*

[ REMAINDER OF LYRICS DELETED BY MODERATOR ]

F-stop Blues – Jack Johnson:

The Camera Eye by Rush describes New York and London as seen through the eyes of a photographer.

Grim-faced and forbidding
Their faces closed tight
An angular mass of New Yorkers
Pacing in rhythm, race the oncoming night
They chase through the streets of Manhattan
Head-first humanity
Pause at a light
Then flow through the streets of the city
.
.
.
I feel the sense of possibilities
I feel the wrench of hard realities
The focus is sharp in the city

Elvis Costello’s “I’m Not Angry” has some metaphorical photography:
I’ve got this camera click, click, clickin’ in my head (Angry)

A page full o’ posts and no one thought of Kodachrome? (Paul Simon)

Gives us the nice bright colors
Gives us the green of summer
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take photographs
O Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away.

Dammit. Of course I didn’t see it; it was buried in the OP.

REM “Camera” Reckoning

If I’m to be your camera,
Then who will be your film?"

Belle And Sebastian’s “Photo Jenny”

Seventeen by Ladytron is all about photography. At least one of their other songs, Evil, also mentions taking photographs. Oh, and TKO by Le Tigre has a line suggesting to “Take a photo”.

astro and Beware, you’ve both been around long enough to know better.

You may NOT quote an entire song lyrics. A verse, a couple of lines, that’s fine as long as the artist/composer is attributed. But the Straight Dope Message Board is overly sensitive about reproduction of copyrighted material, and we do not allow full song lyrics.

Although this is addressed to two members who posted inappropriately, I suggest that everyone take heed. Please note that this is first in the list of Forum Rules

Hoo-boy! My first moderatorial admonition. I don’t know whether to feel honored or abashed.

Dexter, I at least hope ASCAP has you on the payroll. Otherwise, I’m afraid that defending non-hit songs from the pre-WW2 era against copyright infringement is pretty much its own reward.

Easter Parade by Irving Berlin:

On the Avenue, Fifth Avenue,
The photographers will snap us
And you’ll find that you’re in the rotogravure.

This is probably the only song, pop or otherwise, which contains the word rotogravure. :smiley: