One
(Little trivia before I start: "One" was actually written by Harry Nilsson, the same man who brought us "put the lime in the coconut." He's more well-known for the songs he wrote rather than his performances of them, and at one point the Beatles named him as their favorite musical artist. Three Dog Night, whose band name is taken from an Aboriginal custom of sleeping with a certain number of dogs depending on how cold it is, performed the most famous version of the song.)
I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.
Ahh yes, the one-liner. To most it's just a tidbit of witty humor, but it can also be an exciting style of songs.
I believe you can tell a band is great when they've constructed a flawless song out of repeating one solitary line.
My first experience with this phenomenon was "There Goes My Gun" by the Pixies. Black Francis repeats the line "there goes my gun" over and over again, seperating the verses with even simpler lines... first "looka me" and then "friend or foe."
It's remarkable in it's simplicity, yet you leave the song feeling like you've listened to more than you actually have... in denial that the lyrics consisted almost entirely of the one line "there goes my gun." The first time I listened to it, I found myself trying to remember the other lines; he couldn't possibly have just said the title's name throughout the whole song.
Yet he did, and it worked.
Another great one-liner is "Baby Yeah," by Pavement. Stephen Malkmus starts it off by soothingly singing "Baby, baby, baby... yeah." The song gradually becomes louder and more energetic as he continues to repeat the line, and with each repitition it feels like he's saying something completely new. At the song's conclusion he breaks the habit and spouts off one verse, but it's too little too late to tarnish this song's status as a one-liner.
One of my favorite one-liners is "Chases" by Mclusky. Mclusky is, or was :( noteworthy for their incorporation of sarcastic humor into their songs, and this one is no exception. Jon Chapple shouts the hilarious line "Don't go fuckin' in the barn... because the barn's on fire." As good a reason for refraining from barn-fuckin' as I've ever heard. He's able to keep the song interesting by adjusting his voice... eventually his singing becomes tired as he's out-of-breath, and then he brings it back to an urgent cry.
Sometimes using only a few lines comes across as being lyrically lazy. But nevertheless, it's a testament to the band that they can work within such strict boundaries and still produce an irresistable musical experience.
If you've got a favorite one-liner, go ahead and post it as a comment, I'd be interested in checking it out.
Song that won't disappoint: "Good Morning Captain" by Slint.
Why? It provides a consistently groovy beat throughout the entire song, the lyrics, based off a short story by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, are perfectly eerie, and the desperate cries at the end put the finishing touches on a math rock masterpiece.
I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.
Ahh yes, the one-liner. To most it's just a tidbit of witty humor, but it can also be an exciting style of songs.
I believe you can tell a band is great when they've constructed a flawless song out of repeating one solitary line.
My first experience with this phenomenon was "There Goes My Gun" by the Pixies. Black Francis repeats the line "there goes my gun" over and over again, seperating the verses with even simpler lines... first "looka me" and then "friend or foe."
It's remarkable in it's simplicity, yet you leave the song feeling like you've listened to more than you actually have... in denial that the lyrics consisted almost entirely of the one line "there goes my gun." The first time I listened to it, I found myself trying to remember the other lines; he couldn't possibly have just said the title's name throughout the whole song.
Yet he did, and it worked.
Another great one-liner is "Baby Yeah," by Pavement. Stephen Malkmus starts it off by soothingly singing "Baby, baby, baby... yeah." The song gradually becomes louder and more energetic as he continues to repeat the line, and with each repitition it feels like he's saying something completely new. At the song's conclusion he breaks the habit and spouts off one verse, but it's too little too late to tarnish this song's status as a one-liner.
One of my favorite one-liners is "Chases" by Mclusky. Mclusky is, or was :( noteworthy for their incorporation of sarcastic humor into their songs, and this one is no exception. Jon Chapple shouts the hilarious line "Don't go fuckin' in the barn... because the barn's on fire." As good a reason for refraining from barn-fuckin' as I've ever heard. He's able to keep the song interesting by adjusting his voice... eventually his singing becomes tired as he's out-of-breath, and then he brings it back to an urgent cry.
Sometimes using only a few lines comes across as being lyrically lazy. But nevertheless, it's a testament to the band that they can work within such strict boundaries and still produce an irresistable musical experience.
If you've got a favorite one-liner, go ahead and post it as a comment, I'd be interested in checking it out.
Song that won't disappoint: "Good Morning Captain" by Slint.
Why? It provides a consistently groovy beat throughout the entire song, the lyrics, based off a short story by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, are perfectly eerie, and the desperate cries at the end put the finishing touches on a math rock masterpiece.
posted by tightropewalker | 9:59 PM
2 Comments:
I've always liked "Rockafeller Skank" by Fatboy Slim pretty well. Although, I guess the only other song I know by him, "Weapon of Choice" is pretty one-line too.
I also LOVE Float on by Modest Mouse. They kind of makes a half-assed stab at verses, but you can pretty much tell they're in it for the "alright, already, we'll all float on."
all right, i'll knock on an oldie...
the Beatles, Why don't we do it in the road?
to me, it's a classic...
oh, and as a side note, arguments can be made that pretty much all church music are one liners, coincidence?
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