But
― Mark G, Saturday, 23 July 2022 14:17 (one year ago) link
It's gonna take money
Neanderthal otm. And ONly isn’t nearly as awkward as SANta moniCA bouleVARD, and that thing was a huge hit.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 22 July 2022 22:06 (yesterday) link
Thought of this thread today when I overheard “burning up his fuse out HERE A-lone”
― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Saturday, 23 July 2022 20:04 (one year ago) link
the original, James Ray version!
You know, I never knew the Harrison version was a cover until the original was used in Last Night in Soho
― jaymc, Saturday, 23 July 2022 20:21 (one year ago) link
oh really? still haven't seen that.
― We were clothed, except for Caan, who was naked. Don't know why. (Neanderthal), Saturday, 23 July 2022 21:33 (one year ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Sunday, 24 July 2022 00:01 (one year ago) link
SANta moniCA bouleVARD
As a kid, I used to sing about a "couple of bards"
― Vinnie, Sunday, 24 July 2022 00:40 (one year ago) link
It had to be six words, because the original song title is six words long. You can't joke about a song being seven words long when the song title is six words long. "Got My Mind Set On You" - "This Song's Just Six Words Long" - you read those two titles back to back, you have the punchline already. The joke has landed before you even hear the song.
― aegis philbin (crüt), Sunday, 24 July 2022 01:13 (one year ago) link
It's not titled This Song's Just Six Syllables Long. If that were the title, that would be a real conundrum. He sings "this song's just six words long." I think where everybody is getting confused is that Al sings "apostrophe s" as "uzz", which, while not accepted as standard in Al's birthplace of Lynwood, California, is plentiful in his mother's native Kentucky.
― peace, man, Sunday, 24 July 2022 02:03 (one year ago) link
The Santa Monica Boulevard thing is kind of cool
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Sunday, 24 July 2022 05:52 (one year ago) link
And also the next line is "I sometimes cry", not "and sometimes Y".
I remember knowing that "Got My Mind" was a cover, which prompted me to pop open Google Books and see if contemporary reviews pointed it out. Which drew me to this issue of Billboard from July 1962 that actually mentions the original song, in a little boxout about James Ray's album:https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mhcEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PT21&dq=%22james%20ray%22%20%22got%20my%20mind%20set%20on%20you%22&pg=PT21#v=onepage&q=%22james%20ray%22%20%22got%20my%20mind%20set%20on%20you%22&f=false
It gets four stars. "Ray enjoyed action a few months back with a single, "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", and here's his first LP, including that hit side, plus a number of other creditable performances. These include tunes of varying backgrounds - "St. James Infirmary," Come Rain or Come Shine," and a fine, down-home effort, "The Old Man and the Mule." A solid rocker, "I've Got My Mind Set on You," can also grab good play. Producer and conductor of the date is Hutch David and he's done a good job."
So, it's a solid rocker. And according to Billboard it's actually eight words long, because it's "I Have Got My Mind Set On You". The top stereo LP that week was the soundtrack to West Side Story, and at #10 was also West Side Story, but a recording of the original cast. The rest of the chart is dominated with soundtracks. I'm surprised that Joan Baez and Peter, Paul, and Mary coexisted with Chubby Checker, Dave Brubeck, and Roy Orbison, but they did.
― Ashley Pomeroy, Sunday, 24 July 2022 19:23 (one year ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Monday, 25 July 2022 00:01 (one year ago) link
I didn’t vote, but this song pisses me off, and the George Harrison record pisses me off too. First of all, the original non-hit tune is 10x better than Harrison’s pointless cover. And then Yankovic, a guy who fashions himself as a nerd, can’t even count to 7. This whole whole episode is embarrassing for all concerned.
― Josefa, Monday, 25 July 2022 00:31 (one year ago) link
You guys are all wrong. The song is just Five words long.
― F'kin Magnetometers, how do they work? (President Keyes), Monday, 25 July 2022 01:13 (one year ago) link
https://ibb.co/xjQQVj9
― The 25 Best Songs Ever Ranked In Order (Deflatormouse), Monday, 25 July 2022 01:44 (one year ago) link
This is really all George Harrison’s fault for leaving out a whole verse of the song, which threw the door wide open for the master parodist Yankovitz to pounce
― Josefa, Monday, 25 July 2022 02:04 (one year ago) link
As the poster who brought this up in the first place, I have this to say:
This song is just Yanni/Laurel
― your marshmallows may vary (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, 25 July 2022 02:24 (one year ago) link
the people have spoken. Billy Joel is being located
― We were clothed, except for Caan, who was naked. Don't know why. (Neanderthal), Monday, 25 July 2022 02:32 (one year ago) link
It's "couple o' vargs" like the shithead from burzum.
― billstevejim, Monday, 25 July 2022 20:54 (one year ago) link
Since George's definitive version is a cover, this means (I think) all but one of the parodies on Even Worse were of cover versions.
Guessing Bad/Fat entailed an expensive royalty payout? The others were La Bamba, I Think We're Alone Now, and Mony Mony.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 26 July 2022 16:22 (one year ago) link
a big check for Tommy James
― aegis philbin (crüt), Tuesday, 26 July 2022 16:49 (one year ago) link
has anybody checked on Billy Joel
― the manwich horror (Neanderthal), Thursday, 1 June 2023 17:06 (ten months ago) link
this shit still bothers me I really think Weird Al should not have made this song
― frogbs, Thursday, 1 June 2023 17:16 (ten months ago) link
stain on his legacy
― INDEPENDENTS DAY BY STEVEN SPILBERG (President Keyes), Thursday, 1 June 2023 17:20 (ten months ago) link
Guessing Bad/Fat entailed an expensive royalty payout?I thought Al’s thing was to approach the artist for their blessing as a courtesy, but not to pay royalties (as his parodies qualify as fair use).
― Day 1 fan (morrisp), Thursday, 1 June 2023 17:57 (ten months ago) link
He needs permission from the artist so he can get credited (and collect the royalties from) for his new lyrics.
― Christine Green Leafy Dragon Indigo, Thursday, 1 June 2023 18:41 (ten months ago) link
Like as an ASCAP/BMI thing?
― Day 1 fan (morrisp), Thursday, 1 June 2023 19:04 (ten months ago) link
Sounds like he works out a royalty arrangement with the artist so he won't get sued
― INDEPENDENTS DAY BY STEVEN SPILBERG (President Keyes), Thursday, 1 June 2023 19:31 (ten months ago) link
Part of his agreement with a songwriter whose work he is parodying would involve coming up with a share split, which might not be a split at all (100% to the original writers) if they don't want to give up anything, and he still wants to record his version.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 1 June 2023 20:12 (ten months ago) link
"I gotta fill time" is funny u guys are nuts
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Thursday, 1 June 2023 20:53 (ten months ago) link
this is the only thing that makes me actually like that godawful song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIVBdb0G4A
― frogbs, Thursday, 1 June 2023 21:28 (ten months ago) link
wait ... what is a godawful song?
― budo jeru, Thursday, 1 June 2023 21:34 (ten months ago) link