No, no songs here. But I sure hate that way of titling songs.
You know what I mean. The “(The) ______ Song” songs, with the being optional. I have never found one song which is titled that way that I’ve liked, and sometimes even finding that a band has a song titled that way can keep me from trying it. (Weezer, I’m looking your way. I don’t care what kind of a song it is, “Sweater Song” is a damn stupid name for a song, and putting an “Undone” in front of it isn’t going to make it any better.)
It’s just that… well, the band might have a reason to call it’s song The Monk Song or The Chair Song or whatever. I don’t care. I think it looks nothing less than idiotic. And I’m not going to take it.
How about Elliot Smith’s quadruple threat from the album “Roman Candle?” No Name #1, No Name #2, and No Name #3, and the surprisingly titled No Name #4.
Better by far than “The Ketchup Song” is “Der Steuer Lied” - “The Tax Song.” It was done by a german comedian and pokes fun at Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who promised (bofore the elections) not to raise taxes or support the US against Iraq. Now that the elections are over (and his party coalition is still in power) he is now in the process of raising taxes on everything, and giving the US permission to overfly Germany and promising to help guard US facilities here.
The remake is funny as hell. It is in German, naturally, and the comedian does a grand job of immitating the chancellor.
What sucks, though, is that the idiot Germans (I am an American) are going to put the comedian into an international music competition. He’ll have to do another song since parodies aren’t allowed and the one he did has already been released. I love the tax song, but I think it is idiotic to put have this clown represent the country.
JFYI: The competition I’m talking about is the Gran Prix de la Chanson de la Eurovision. My wife tells me that ABBA got their first big break there with “Waterloo.” The krauts have been embarassing themselves for years by sending all kinds of crap to the Gran Prix.
Yep, ABBA did indeed get their first big break when they won the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo. Also, this show is just so hilarious to watch. The best part is when some act just really stinks up the place. Did you watch last year and see those Greek guys dressed as robots? I think the song was called S.A.G.A.P.O. (I’m serious. I’m not joking. Stop snickering!) Then there was the year the transsexual from Israel called Dana International won (I’m serious. OK. That’s it. Who laughed?). I think it was 1999. This almost had me convinced the world was coming to an end on Jan. 1st, 2000.
The contest also either started or resurrected the careers of:
Sandie Shaw when she won with Puppet on a String in 1967
Cliff Richard when he came in second with Congratulations in 1968
The New Seekers when they came in second with Beg, Steal or Borrow in 1972
and of course Celine Dion when she won in 1988 for Switzerland with Ne Partez pas sans moi.
Ohh, the Eurovision. Every year, in Eurovision, many of the loser countries are dropped off from the next year and can participate again the year after that.
That means that in Finland, Eurovision is a biannual contest.
I think it was in… 2000. It was the year those two Danish guys won, anyway. Finland could have had Nightwish, a gloriously excellent power metal band with female opera singer. Nightwish were the clear popular favorite. But what happens? The judge panel, composed of 60-year-old farts, chooses some woman in a leather jacket who performed the most forgettable song I have ever heard. Once again, Finland was in the bottom quarter of the contestants. I mean, there’s nothing to say that Nightwish would have done much better (Eurovision’s a pop contest, after all) but at least it would have been different.
And we still haven’t got rid of the judge panel.
Oh well, Finland won’t be participating in 2003. We probably should just do what (IIRC) Italy did and keep out altogether.
