# Turtles, "Happy Together"...Creepy or Sweet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930 "2011-08-24T18:15:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/61 "2011-08-25T17:32:42Z")
I thought of it at the time as a little bit of a joke. Some guys just goofing around to make a patische of a pop song. That was before Flo & Eddie became, well, Flo & Eddie. Which definitely makes it seem more likely to just be a “salute to bad pop songs”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/62 "2011-08-25T19:43:20Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > It is like if you listen to Lola by the Kinks. Nowhere does it exactly say that Lola is a transvestite, but it is still heavily implied. You must have listened to the version without the lyric “I’m a man, and so is Lola.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/63 "2011-08-25T20:42:04Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > You must have listened to the version without the lyric “I’m a man, and so is Lola.” We’ve done this before (debated whether “Lola” leaves it ambiguous). The lyric is actually “I’m glad I’m a man, and so’s Lola,” which could indeed be taken in more than one way. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/64 "2011-08-25T21:07:32Z")
Totally creepy. The guy is not singing in a sweet, cheerful way. It’s a subversion of a bubblegum love song. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/65 "2011-08-25T22:43:33Z")
If any mention of ‘you make me happy’/‘complete’/‘we were meant to be together’ makes a song ‘creepy,’ then is ANY love song not creepy? Any romantic book or movie? Anyone in love? – It only became creepy when they turned it into a Golden Grahams jingle. Fucking General Mills. Keep your predatory ‘drop of honey’ away from me, you twisted freaks!! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/66 "2011-08-26T13:19:09Z")
Read the lyrics to the Turtle’s song [Eleanor](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/turtles/eleanor_20242050.html). They seem to specialize in “happy, pop songs” that are very vaguely creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/67 "2011-08-26T13:59:59Z")
WHo knew the Turtles ditty would be a rorchach test… Is the girl singer in the SOS band song stalking the guy when she says. “here’s my number and a dime… you can call me anytime…” Or is she being a hussy like my mom implied… TO me its so obvious its a teenage crush song… Geez i think all the PSA episodes on Stalking has fucked all of us up… BTW nobody better say anything bad about “Midnight Confessions” by the Grass Roots… will fight then… ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/68 "2011-08-26T14:45:37Z")
Mindless bubblegum pap about puppy love. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930/69 "2011-08-26T17:01:32Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Read the lyrics to the Turtle’s song [Eleanor](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/turtles/eleanor_20242050.html). > > They seem to specialize in “happy, pop songs” that are very vaguely creepy. “Elenore” (not “Eleanor”) was taken from the satirical _Battle of the Bands_ album, a concept album in which the Turtles adopted a different band persona for each track. They did a psychedelic song as the Atomic Enchilada; a country song as the Quad City Ramblers, a surf song as the Cross Fires–their actual pre-Turtles identity–etc. “Elenore” was credited to the band’s real names (Howie, Mark, Johny, Jim & Al), and was written as a direct _parody_ of “Happy Together” in response to record company pressure to repeat their biggest hit. (“Elenore” was actually written by the Turtles; “Happy Together” had been the work of an outside songwriting team.) “Elenore” works pretty well as a genuine sappy pop song, with only the infamous “You’re my pride and joy etcetera” line giving the game away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turtles-happy-together-creepy-or-sweet/593930.md?page=3)