This has come into being from an idea I got from another thread. What has been the worst song ever heard at a session? Now I don't mean political songs, but things that really don't fit in the tradition, along the lines of Puff the Magic dragon? Horrror stories welcome!
P.
Will, that must have been funny; what got into the guy? I had a little girl play her version of the national anthem on the fiddle once. Everybody did their best to follow with straight faces.
Just curious -these folks singing and playing the US national athem -were they playing them after the Sept 11th attacks? Even if the answere is yes, it is still strange to play or sing at a session. You can always were something with a flag.
I still think Chris Cross's "Ride Like the Wind" was the funniest (and worst), especially since the singer substituted "and I've got such a long way to go, to make it to the border of West Mayo"...
Really? Puff the magic dragon the worst? Hell, I can do better than that! The WORST songs I've ever endured are the self written songs, set to no more than three cords (and usually, the same three cords), that have titles such as 'Unicorn', 'Mermaid', 'Dragon', 'Camelot', or any other mythological creature/place you can imagine. We call these people 'Renny's' (which is short for Renaissance Fair people). Often they find it appropriate to wear kilts and corsets when a band is playing at the pub. Very odd bunch! Still, they are a loyal audience!
For me, Flower of Scotland, comes pretty close to the worst. It's a dirge made all the more offensive by 1) the sight of Scots punching their arms into the air, 2) the fact that it's rarely sung by the sober, 3) that the last, more conciliatory verse is often omitted and 4) its dubious tradition - can a song written in 1967 and which should earn royalties well into the 21st century be classed as traditional?
What, someone sang that at a session, Michael?! That'd be almost as funny as "Big Bottoms" -- "big bottoms, big bottoms, you want mud flaps, my girl's got 'em...big bottoms drive me out of my mind...how can I leave that behind?"
Sorry. Spinal Tap is one of my favorite films ever. A friend of mine worked at Tower Records when it first came out; after a mock-serious interview with the lads on a local radio station, they were inundated by phone calls from people looking for Smell the Glove. "d'you have Spinal Tap's black album?!" She had the hardest time convincing them that there was no such group and it was all a joke.
Did they come there on their concert tour? I heard it was hysterically funny.
Molly Molone has to be up there. Danny Boy is one for the most depressing songs I'd ever heard in my life. The life has been sung out of it a long time ago.
I understand you being tired of songs and tunes. It is quite popular to be indignant when Danny Boy is played or sung. Sometimes I wonder though. Do you all really know what you are talking about? You haven't even scratched the surface of horrible music. At least those pieces tell a story and have a mildly amusing melody. When you hear Gaelic RAP then you will rue the day you decided the Whistling Gypsy Rover was trash and the Flower of Scotland so melancholy in presentation that you wanted to end it then and there. Where is your perspective? ;)
Somebody please fill me in ... "Molly. My Irish Molly. My sweet ????" What the heck is that?
My sweet 'Mo Cushla' Dear. [Mow Koosh-lah] Or, I believe, spelled more properly, Mo Achusla (please, someone verify). It's a term of enderment that means 'the beat of my heart'. And I really hate that song
"A chuisle mo chroí!" (O Beat of My Heart!), you mean, Kevin? "uh kooshla mow khree" I think it's pronounced.
The funny thing about Gaelic Rap would be that one of the meanings of "rap" is, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, a NOUN: Informal The least bit: I don't give a rap about office politics. I don't care a rap what you do. ETYMOLOGY:From obsolete rap, 18th-century Irish counterfeit halfpenny, from Irish Gaelic, alteration (possibly influenced by rap, piece, bit), of ropaire, cutthroat. See rapparee.
You got it Zina! Chroí must certainly mean 'heart'. Though I *think* since the word 'chuisle' implies heartbeat (pulse), then the meaning should translate (roughly). And now that you've posted, I remember the words to My Irish Molly are "My sweet 'A chuisle' dear" not 'Mo chuisle'. My bad!
Now, can I admit that I really do like Danny Boy and that I own a CD where every track features Danny Boy by a different singer? No kidding! Should I seek proffesional help?
Yeah, Mark, i think Kila is a lot of fun (if I'm in the mood). Love the uilleann pipes on the things. I don't own any of their recordings...I really should buy one one of these days, since I'm always telling people about them. ("No, really, it's sort of like Gaelic rap!")
Kevin, I've been told that the older folks will refer to someone as "mo chroí" in a sentence as we might use "you know" or "dude" -- sort of like, "my dear man" in a Lord Peter story by Dorothy Sayers... one of our native speakers would probably be able to best advise here...
"Seasons In The Sun" by Terry Jacks. It didn't fit in or go over too well. Another was "Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me" by Mac Davis. Aye Yi Yi Yi Yi!!! Show me the way to go home.
Okay, it wasn't strictly an Irish session, but I was desparate for a tune...anyway, you know you're in trouble when a bloke with a big hat, a big guitar, a big leather waistcoat and a big pair of boots with big heels starts warbling...
"Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day..."
A musician from a local Contempo Celtic band sang one of his own original songs called "Feline Love Affair" complete with a verse of nothing but mewing.
heeheehee...is that like the verse in The Mermaid where the ship dog sings "woof woof woof woof, woof woof woof woof woof, woof woof woof woof woof woof!"
Worst song every heard
Worst song every heard
This has come into being from an idea I got from another thread. What has been the worst song ever heard at a session? Now I don't mean political songs, but things that really don't fit in the tradition, along the lines of Puff the Magic dragon? Horrror stories welcome!
P.
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by macfion
Re: Worst song every heard
Of course I mean "ever heard", living in Japan too long!
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by macfion
Re: Worst song every heard
Wow, you set the standard pretty high with Puff! I don't think O Danny Boy qualifies, does it?
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by glauber
Re: Worst song every heard
On a personal level? Definitly Danny Boy qualifies! (Can't stand that bloody song!)
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by macfion
Re: Maybe the most out of context song?
Had a bodhran player jump up and belt out the U.S. national anthem at a session once. That was pretty odd, though he did a nice job of it.....heh.
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by Will Harmon
Re: Worst song every heard
Surely the worst song is the longest (and the least worst, the shortest)
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by llig leahcim
Stars'n'Strypes
Will, that must have been funny; what got into the guy? I had a little girl play her version of the national anthem on the fiddle once. Everybody did their best to follow with straight faces.
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by glauber
Re: Worst song every heard
Just curious -these folks singing and playing the US national athem -were they playing them after the Sept 11th attacks? Even if the answere is yes, it is still strange to play or sing at a session. You can always were something with a flag.
# Posted on September 8th 2002 by JMH
Re: Worst song every heard
Well, a child with a fiddle is liable to play whatever melody they're learning that week, from Twinkle Twinkle to whatever.
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by glauber
Re: Worst song every heard
I still think Chris Cross's "Ride Like the Wind" was the funniest (and worst), especially since the singer substituted "and I've got such a long way to go, to make it to the border of West Mayo"...
Zina
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Worst song every heard
Really? Puff the magic dragon the worst? Hell, I can do better than that! The WORST songs I've ever endured are the self written songs, set to no more than three cords (and usually, the same three cords), that have titles such as 'Unicorn', 'Mermaid', 'Dragon', 'Camelot', or any other mythological creature/place you can imagine. We call these people 'Renny's' (which is short for Renaissance Fair people). Often they find it appropriate to wear kilts and corsets when a band is playing at the pub. Very odd bunch! Still, they are a loyal audience!
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Caoimghgin
Re: Worst song every heard
For me, Flower of Scotland, comes pretty close to the worst. It's a dirge made all the more offensive by 1) the sight of Scots punching their arms into the air, 2) the fact that it's rarely sung by the sober, 3) that the last, more conciliatory verse is often omitted and 4) its dubious tradition - can a song written in 1967 and which should earn royalties well into the 21st century be classed as traditional?
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by lukegarry
Re: Worst song every heard
What about Spinal tap's "Break like the wind"
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by llig leahcim
Re: Worst song every heard
What, someone sang that at a session, Michael?! That'd be almost as funny as "Big Bottoms" -- "big bottoms, big bottoms, you want mud flaps, my girl's got 'em...big bottoms drive me out of my mind...how can I leave that behind?"
Sorry. Spinal Tap is one of my favorite films ever. A friend of mine worked at Tower Records when it first came out; after a mock-serious interview with the lads on a local radio station, they were inundated by phone calls from people looking for Smell the Glove. "d'you have Spinal Tap's black album?!" She had the hardest time convincing them that there was no such group and it was all a joke.
Did they come there on their concert tour? I heard it was hysterically funny.
Zina
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Worst song every heard
Molly Molone has to be up there. Danny Boy is one for the most depressing songs I'd ever heard in my life. The life has been sung out of it a long time ago.
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Paul-Kin
Re: Worst song every heard
People,
I understand you being tired of songs and tunes. It is quite popular to be indignant when Danny Boy is played or sung. Sometimes I wonder though. Do you all really know what you are talking about? You haven't even scratched the surface of horrible music. At least those pieces tell a story and have a mildly amusing melody. When you hear Gaelic RAP then you will rue the day you decided the Whistling Gypsy Rover was trash and the Flower of Scotland so melancholy in presentation that you wanted to end it then and there. Where is your perspective? ;)
Somebody please fill me in ... "Molly. My Irish Molly. My sweet ????" What the heck is that?
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Mark Cordova
Re: Worst song every heard
My sweet 'Mo Cushla' Dear. [Mow Koosh-lah] Or, I believe, spelled more properly, Mo Achusla (please, someone verify). It's a term of enderment that means 'the beat of my heart'. And I really hate that song
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Caoimghgin
Mark, I REALLY need to hear a Gaelic Rap song. That would be a hoot!
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Caoimghgin
Re: Worst song every heard
"A chuisle mo chroí!" (O Beat of My Heart!), you mean, Kevin? "uh kooshla mow khree" I think it's pronounced.
The funny thing about Gaelic Rap would be that one of the meanings of "rap" is, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, a NOUN: Informal The least bit: I don't give a rap about office politics. I don't care a rap what you do. ETYMOLOGY:From obsolete rap, 18th-century Irish counterfeit halfpenny, from Irish Gaelic, alteration (possibly influenced by rap, piece, bit), of ropaire, cutthroat. See rapparee.
So there. *grin*
Anyway, take a listen to Kila, those of you who want Gaelic rap -- http://www.kila.ie/www/music/mpeg3/mind02.mp3 is one of the closest, the song Feach, on Mind the Gap. Or http://www.kila.ie/www/music/mpeg3/lemon02.mp3, and listen to Tine Lasta on Lemonade and Buns. Lyrics are at the website. http://www.kila.ie
Zina
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Worst song every heard
Holy Crow! Zina - I would have never believed it!
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Mark Cordova
Re: Worst song every heard
You got it Zina! Chroí must certainly mean 'heart'. Though I *think* since the word 'chuisle' implies heartbeat (pulse), then the meaning should translate (roughly). And now that you've posted, I remember the words to My Irish Molly are "My sweet 'A chuisle' dear" not 'Mo chuisle'. My bad!
Now, can I admit that I really do like Danny Boy and that I own a CD where every track features Danny Boy by a different singer? No kidding! Should I seek proffesional help?
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by Caoimghgin
Re: Worst song every heard
Have you heard Nigel Kennedy play Danny Boy? He plays it right way up the dusty bit, like ten octaves up, like in a dogs hearing range.
It's exquisite
# Posted on September 9th 2002 by llig leahcim
Re: Worst song every heard
Yeah, Mark, i think Kila is a lot of fun (if I'm in the mood). Love the uilleann pipes on the things. I don't own any of their recordings...I really should buy one one of these days, since I'm always telling people about them. ("No, really, it's sort of like Gaelic rap!")
Kevin, I've been told that the older folks will refer to someone as "mo chroí" in a sentence as we might use "you know" or "dude" -- sort of like, "my dear man" in a Lord Peter story by Dorothy Sayers... one of our native speakers would probably be able to best advise here...
Zina
# Posted on September 10th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Worst song every heard
"Seasons In The Sun" by Terry Jacks. It didn't fit in or go over too well. Another was "Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me" by Mac Davis. Aye Yi Yi Yi Yi!!! Show me the way to go home.
# Posted on September 10th 2002 by blowfly
Re: Worst song every heard
Do they have to be irish? How about this for a shocker of a song 'I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotamy'.....Hilarous
# Posted on September 10th 2002 by bb
Re: Worst song every heard
Okay, it wasn't strictly an Irish session, but I was desparate for a tune...anyway, you know you're in trouble when a bloke with a big hat, a big guitar, a big leather waistcoat and a big pair of boots with big heels starts warbling...
"Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day..."
...then you know you're in trouble...
yee-hah etc., Dargs
# Posted on September 14th 2002 by dargs
Re: Worst song every heard
A musician from a local Contempo Celtic band sang one of his own original songs called "Feline Love Affair" complete with a verse of nothing but mewing.
# Posted on September 18th 2002 by whistlemanhimself
Re: Worst song every heard
heeheehee...is that like the verse in The Mermaid where the ship dog sings "woof woof woof woof, woof woof woof woof woof, woof woof woof woof woof woof!"
Zina
# Posted on September 18th 2002 by Zina Lee