SONGS WHERE/SONGS THAT/SONGS WITH/SONGS IN WHICH

I mean Michael Jackson sings, but if Rockwell is singing, it's of the Henry Hill variety

*Higgins

Isaac Hayes talks for over 8 minutes in his version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" but the whole song is 19 minutes long

I think it has to be ALL talking to qualify. Hayes feels like the progenitor of a lot of this stuff but feel like he always breaks into singing at some point?

i always wished there were songs like the songs by The Manhattans where there's a spoken word intro, but unlikely the Manhattans, it just never ends, like you always think it's going to give way to a beautiful harmonized R&B chorus, but the spoken words get more and more drawn out, and 8 minutes in, the narrator says, alright, I'm bout to give it to you, and the song just ends.

SO ARE THERE?

Parklife!

88 Lines About 44 Women

I withdraw this (just revisited) - it's rhythmic/rhymed verse, or whatever

Does "Institutionalized" fit, or the sung chorus disqualifies it?

88 Lines About 44 Women

I withdraw this (just revisited) - it's rhythmic/rhymed verse, or whatever

Yeah, great tune though! I think sung chorus means OUT. By the rules I made up 4 minutes ago.

R.E.M. - Belong / (The non-Patti Smith parts of) E-bow the Letter

Another Waits song is "9th and Hennepin".
"Coney Island" by Van Morrison.
"Three" by the Cure and "Hot Rox Avec Lying Sweet Talk" by the Loud Family both feature spoken word buried deep under music.

...also "The Jeweller" by John Cale.

John Prine's "Lake Marie" doesn't count because the chorus is sung, but it's such a great song I wanted to mention it anyway.

Another John Prine with spoken verses and sung chorus is “Jesus The Missing Years.” And another Tom Waits is “Frank’s Wild Years.”

lol weird this is the 2nd time I've come across "88 Lines About 44 Women" tonight. The first was in a comment left by the song's writer on an article about the Butthole Surfers' "Pepper," in which he claimed that Gibby Haynes cited the song as an inspiration: https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/butthole-surfers-pepper-hit-song/#comment-5522363564

xp and yet another John Prine song like that is "When I get to Heaven," although it rhymes which might be another disqualifying factor.

Songs with a lyric that suggests/evokes the album title, without directly providing the source for it

Another example of this: the Indigo Girls LP Nomads Indians Saints takes its title from the song “World Falls”:

I wish I was a nomad
An Indian or a saint

Songs where the song title is boldly announced as the first word of the lyrics, like Help!

Yesterday

Pixies, Hey

Good ones. I should have said word(s) – I didn’t mean only one-word titles. I Shot the Sheriff would count.

In that case, Gouge Away.

Ramones are the kings of this:
Now I wanna sniff some glue
I don’t wannna walk around with you
Etc

danzig - mother

R.E.M. - Stand, Nightswimming

Pavement - Two States

there are like four thousand of these, arguably rates its own thread if people are feeling it

I think the key it has to be "boldly announced" (however you judge that), and not merely the first word/line of the lyrics...

Yeah that should help to narrow it down. Help! does feel like the classic example. Maybe I’ll start a standalone thread tomorrow.

Weezer - "El Scorcho"

Night Boat To Cairo

Try (Just a little bit harder)

and Cry Baby is another Janis one

Stand! Sly & the Family Stone.

Tears for Fears - Shout
Otis Redding - Down in the Valley

B-52s must have some of these but I am not adequately familiar with their oeuvre

oh Police - Roxanne

Bowie "Fame"
Hendrix "Purple Haze" is boldly announced but it is less striking b/c preceded by the riff which is far more iconic than the vocals

ok gonna stop now. this category is too big i think

I was reminded of this great Allo Darlin song when I thought of "El Scorcho" yesterday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3iFqhReoic

Got me thinking if there are other songs that embed a piece of another song inside themselves? Not just a lyrical. Thinking this may be more common in rap, such as:

Big Boi - "Shutterbug" (Soul 2 Soul's "Back to Life")

songs that have audible sound effects of people urinating included at some point

Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Gin and Juice"

Got me thinking if there are other songs that embed a piece of another song inside themselves? Not just a lyrical.

Jonathan Richman breaks into "Sister Ray" for a bit in his song about the Velvet Underground.

Hadn’t heard that one. Thought of another. Bowie’s “Young Americans” has that bit of the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” (“I heard the news today oh boy”).

Moxy Fruvous' "The Drinking Song" incorporates an entire chorus of "Goodnight Irene."

Songs sung from the point of view of someone dead and buried:
"Feed the Tree" - Belly
"Heliotrope" - Robyn Hitchcock
"Long Black Veil" - Lefty Frizzell/Johnny Cash/The Band/etc.

songs that have audible sound effects of people urinating included at some point

songs that embed a piece of another song inside themselves

the obvious answer: madonna “deeper and deeper”

embedded: "Give Peace a Chance" in Yes's "Seen All Good People"

urination fx are def in some song with a "night club bathroom break" section. i'm thinking Eminem is responsible... maybe "Shake That"?

"Piss on Your Grave" by the Coup

make you feeeeel allllright

ya yaaaaa yaaaa