We Built This City [On Rock an' Roll]

Agreed, but "Knee Deep In the Hoopla" was the name of the record.

Now that I think about it, "We Built This City" just might be the ULTIMATE corporate rock song.

It is indeed, if only because of the band's infamous gambit of sending it to radio stations with a blank spot where the DJ spiel goes (near the bridge), so each town's "rockinest" DJ could insert his own name and the station's call letters into the song.

• 1) Pompous, self-congradulatory lyrics by the withered husk of an overrated also-ran burnout hippee band who used...
  
• 2) The most overcooked, lowest common denominator "new wave" (cough cough) productuion that was
  
• 3) Inexpertly done by someone who obviously didn't give a shit and didn't warn the band that
  
• 4) The song was monotonously played and repetitively arranged in a way that doesn't cover up
  
• 5) the hopelessly cheesy guitar work or
  
• 6) the vacuous synth/keyb or
  
• 7) the lobotomized drumming or
  
• 8) the lackluster singing or
  
• 9) the dreadful lyrics (yes, I mentioned the lyrics already, but there is such a thing as bad lyrics and pompous lyrics. I already dealt with the pomposity of the lyrics, now I deal with the overall badness of the lyrics.) But the four worst things about this godawful song are
  
• 10) That they actually kept recording even after any sane person would've realized that it deserved to be deleted.
  
• 11) That they actually put in on the album even after any sane person would've realized that it didn't even deserve to be an obscure B-side.
  
• 12) That they actually put plugged it as a single even after any sane person would've realized that it didn't even deserve to be on the radio at all. and absolutely worst of all....
  
• 13) That it actually became a fluke smash hit and will forever be immortalized on every Sounds of the 80s Compilation until the end of time. Probably between a track by Toto and a track by REO Speedwagon.
  

Almost got kicked out before the show started for no real reason other than the fact that we were nearly 20 years younger than the next youngest person.

So basically it sucked but it was f'n hillarious. They were tight on sarah and we built this city - almost like they've been playing it for 30 years.

not reccomended

The M.W.U.A. (I can't remember exactly, If I'm wrong someone else might be able to give me the correct union) features stickers with the southern cross flag and 'We Built This City!' down the bottom.

Also, some of you will be pleased to know this song got voted the worst song ever.

Contrary to what's listed above, I'm pretty sure the lyric goes "Marconi plays the mamba listen to the radio".

I dunno, it's just always crossed my mind.

Very grudging respect for that one. But who remembers the part in the video where the guy made up like the Lincoln Memorial stands up and pumps his fist and mime-shouts along to the chorus?

just think, a slight change in cultural history and the quintessential prepunk anthem would have been "marconi on!"

just the idea of going to a minor key and deciding that the line was 'Ma Coley plays the mamba' .. i need an oral history of this

I thought it was 'Marconi plays the mamba' (because it's followed by 'listen to the radio)? Though I guess that doesn't really make much more sense. Is there a person called Ma Coley?

I got a bunch of hoopla stuck to my shoe.

Also, a mamba is a snake.

The use of this song in the dead animal montage of Fall of the House of Usher was fantastic.

yeah i thought it was marconi!

it's Marconi. but it still doesn't make sense

Especially because he's playing a mamba.

a mamba can be an instrument, you can shake it and then emit a piercing yell when it bites the shit out of you

one of the all time great bullshit lines in pop history

xp That's metal

Thomas: Bernie didn’t say “mambo,” he said “mamba,” which is a snake. Marconi created the radio. Maybe Bernie meant to say “mambo.” Maybe it means: If you don’t like this music, some really angry snakes are gonna come out of the speakers. (...)

At one point I did start to sing “mambo,” to try and be more grammatically correct, and after a while I thought, “Fuck it,” and went back to “mamba.”

who knows what kinda weird shit marconi was into

people love to hate this song but I don't mind it. it's Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now that I hate

what's going on with the timing in the chorus? why does the second part of the refrain seem to slam into the first in a hilariously awkward way?

ultimately the song doesn't really hang together but it's trying its best and you have to respect that

Marconi played your mama
listen to the radio

Stuck a feather in his cap and called it marconi played the mamba

It's no "White Rabbit."

what's going on with the timing in the chorus? why does the second part of the refrain seem to slam into the first in a hilariously awkward way?

I might not be thinking of the same thing

at the time it was very punk

Police got the chokehold

we built this city, here's your invoice

https://dangerousminds.net/content/uploads/images/made/content/uploads/images/slicksynth1_465_471_int.jpg

Grace don't give two forks

Starship - We Built This City vs Jefferson Airplane - Planes

a popist and a malpropist

*mala

Speaking of punk, this reminds me of one of my favorite Creem moments. This guy otm. Kinda NSFW.

Speaking Of Boy Howdy!

https://gifer.com/en/BkdU

https://gifer.com/en/BkdU

what's going on with the timing in the chorus? why does the second part of the refrain seem to slam into the first in a hilariously awkward way?

This is the most clever bit in the song! They knew that it would be redundant to say the entire phrase "We built this city" four times in a row, so the third time they just say "built this city", but they sing "built" on the offbeat before the one where they usually sing "we", which keeps the chorus rolling nicely.

...before the one beat, that is.