# What do you call these songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302 "2004-01-13T20:48:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/1 "2004-01-13T20:48:20Z")
Yuppie rap? Frat boy rap? Novelty rap? R.E.M.- It’s the end of the world (six o’clock, tv hour, don’t get caught in foreign towers) Blues Traveler- Hook (suck it in, suck it in if your rin tin tin or anne boleyn) Billy Joel- We didn’t start the fire (pope paul, malcolm x, british politician sex) Barenaked Ladies- One Week (like kurosawa i make mad films, okay i don’t make films, but if i did they’d have a samurai) INXS- Mediate (the number eight, a white black state, a gentle trait) What do you call these type songs and what ones do you have to add? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/2 "2004-01-13T22:36:19Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > R.E.M.- It’s the end of the world > (six o’clock, tv hour, don’t get caught in foreign towers) > > Barenaked Ladies- One Week > (like kurosawa i make mad films, okay i don’t make films, but if i did they’d have a samurai) > > INXS- Mediate > (the number eight, a white black state, a gentle trait) The REM and INXS were generall stuck under the “alternative” or “college” rubric. “One Week” was I think just considered “pop.” > [@](#): > > Blues Traveler- Hook > (suck it in, suck it in if your rin tin tin or anne boleyn) > > Billy Joel- We didn’t start the fire > (pope paul, malcolm x, british politician sex) These would be properly called “crap.” ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/3 "2004-01-14T00:49:57Z")
This is definitely for CS. A mod should be along shortly. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/4 "2004-01-14T01:58:27Z")
You forgot _Life is a Rock (but the radio rolled me)_. ---
**Author:** ![nvestigator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@nvestigator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nvestigator)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/5 "2004-01-14T17:02:10Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > You forgot _Life is a Rock (but the radio rolled me)_. Ahh, my favorite song by Reunion. (_Bebe Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles singers…_) Of course, it’s the only song I know by Reunion, so even if I hated it, it’d still be my favorite song by them. Tracey Ullman covered it as well. On a side note, _It’s The End of The World As We Know It_ was also covered in 1997, by Great Big Sea, a jovial celtic-alternative group from Newfoundland. Without remarking on the quality of these songs, I’ve always placed them in the category of “pop rap” or “talk pop.” ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/6 "2004-01-14T18:58:41Z")
> [@nvestigator](#): > > On a side note, _It’s The End of The World As We Know It_ was also covered in 1997, by Great Big Sea, a jovial celtic-alternative group from Newfoundland. Haha, a little off-topic but I worked in a local museum gift shop where we had to play music all the time… however, we were only allowed to listen to music we sold. Great Big Sea was frequently on, and once as I sang along to their version of It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (gosh, that’s annoying to capitalise!), one of my coworkers who was a couple of years older than me (she would have been about 22, in 2000) was amazed that I knew all the words. Me: Yeah, I think it’s my favourite REM song. Her: Oh, they played it too? I was amazed by this. Anyway, as far as that particular song goes, I’d just call it ROCK MUSIC. I’m all about generic labels. Besides, it IS sung rather than rapped - it’s just mostly sung on all one note. I find most rap to sound more like talking or shouting. Likewise with We Didn’t Start The Fire. It has a melody as well. Sorta. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/7 "2004-01-14T19:13:26Z")
They’re all OK except for Mr Joel’s effort. I’m pretty sure he listened to _Subterranean Homesick Blues_ over and over one night and then transcribed his word salad without editing. Look at some of the crap rhymes: Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon, back again Eichmann, “Stranger in a Strange Land” Castro, Edsel is a no go Ther are more but these are unforgivable enough. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/8 "2004-01-15T05:57:20Z")
I have been trying, for a long time, to find the line between rap/hiphop and the Rolling Stones’ _Shattered._ In my own head, it’s a big river. Others may see only a creek. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/9 "2004-01-15T06:56:58Z")
I’d call it college music. The ultimate “college” song being “Freshmen” by the Verve Pipe ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/10 "2004-01-15T13:43:16Z")
Can’t forget _Walk This Way_ by **Aerosmith** , which, IIRC, was influenced by jump blues and scat singing. No, not _that_ scat… ---
**Author:** ![Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lathe_of_Heaven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/11 "2004-01-15T16:57:02Z")
Similar songs were called “patter songs” in the days of Gilbert & Sullivan. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/12 "2004-01-15T17:26:35Z")
> [@An Arky](#): > > Can’t forget _Walk This Way_ by **Aerosmith** , which, IIRC, was influenced by jump blues and scat singing. No, not _that_ scat… Not that this really answers the question, nor am I trying to, but I think Aerosmith, with Walk This Way, essentially gave birth to the current rock/rap music that’s so popular today, i.e. Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, et al. Pioneers they are, yes indeedy! ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/13 "2004-01-15T23:17:23Z")
I wouldn’t say Hook or it’s the end of the world as we know it are rap songs. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/14 "2004-01-15T23:28:43Z")
Shattered, Walk this Way, and even Life is a Rock all trace their roots back to the talking blues. As does rap, of course. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/15 "2004-01-17T15:15:54Z")
London Paris New York Munich, everybody talk about pop music. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/16 "2004-01-17T19:45:00Z")
How about Murray Head’s popular version of “One Night in Bangkok”? \*Bangkok – Oriental setting And the city don’t know that the city is getting The creme de la creme of the chess world in a Show with everything but Yul Brynner … \* ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/17 "2004-01-17T20:09:28Z")
> [@](#): > > The ultimate “college” song being “Freshmen” by the Verve Pipe And if I hear that stupid thing ONE more time… Anyway, after taking my meds ;), I’d say none of those songs are rap. They’re constructed like rock songs in every way except for the singing; I don’t think they have any hallmark elements of rap. One Week in particular has a very normal pop-song chorus. I think **yellowval** is right if he/she is talking about the Aerosmith/Run DMC version of Walk This Way. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/18 "2004-01-18T02:06:39Z")
[Give Peace a Chance](http://www.bluesforpeace.com/lyrics/give-peace-chance.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/19 "2004-01-18T04:58:48Z")
There’s also Sheryl Crow’s _Na-Na Song_. _World War XIV, my first Sony Beatles wrote the Nike song and called it macaroni Billy Jean Burger King chauvinist pig pen U.S. Army only wants a few straight men_ ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302/20 "2004-01-18T05:08:07Z")
> [@Wumpus](#): > > Shattered, Walk this Way, and even Life is a Rock all trace their roots back to the talking blues. As does rap, of course. I agree with the first sentence, but I thought rap developed more or less independantly. According to a thread about rap somewhere on this board (I can’t find it while they’re still reindexing the boards), the original purpose of the MC (rapper) was to get the crowd at a dance club worked up and excited while promoting the DJs next event. If so, it has more in common geneologically with routines warming up a crowd, carnival barking, and sales patter than talking blues. I’m curious if htere really is a connection, or if you’re just assuming that there is. As for what to call that type of music, I call it “rap-influeced rock [or pop]”. Unless it predates rap, in which case, I supose I’d call it “rock [or pop] that sounds like it was rap influenced even though it actually predates rap”. No one knows what the talking blues are, so it wouldn’t do any good to call it “talking blues-influenced rock”, even if that’s what it is. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-these-songs/224302.md?page=2)