Sunday, 15 September 2024

Snapshots #361: A Top Ten Existential Question Songs


Above are a series of self-portraits taken by Austrian philosopher and photographer (although he gave them both up to become a shepherd in later life), Ludwig Wittgenstein. On pondering the great unanswerable philosophical questions, Wittgenstein came up with the best answer I've ever heard when he said, "I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves."

And with that in mind, here are some more big questions to ponder...

10. Pee Wee zeroes in on the answer.

Pee Wee zeroes...

Weezer - Why Bother?

9. When the still sea conspires an armour, and her sullen and aborted currents breed tiny monsters, true sailing is dead!

Those are the 6th Form Poetry opening lyrics of Horse Latitudes by The Doors. But I'm sure you all knew that...

Horse Latitudes - What Is More Than Life? 

8. They're new, but they've been around long enough to be considered outstanding.

Classix Nouveau - Is It A Dream?

7. More than half of Genesis were pretty good.

The first half in particular...

Gene - Why Was I Born?

6. A dreamer, in the Caribbean.  

Freddie was one of the Dreamers. Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean.

Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé - How Can I Go On?

5. We're all going together, on the bus.

Coach Party - What's The Point In Life?

4. What connects Christopher Cross, Utopia, Octopus and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine? 

Each one contains a TOP. Add them together and you have...

Four Tops - What Is A Man?

3. Furtive canine inquiry. 

Snoop Doggy Dogg - Who Am I?

2. Oz, Raleigh, Pidgeon.

One Frank (Oz) and two Walters...

The Frank & Walters - How Can I Exist?

1. By...! What Cat's In The Cradle is about.


By George! Cats In The Cradle was about Harry's son.

George Harrison - What Is Life?

Thanks for playing. I'll be back with more existential questions for you to ponder tomorrow. 'Will Snapshots return next Saturday?' won't be one of them...


8 comments:

  1. Much to ponder there. I do my best thinking lying down so I will use this as an excuse to go back to bed until lunchtime.

    Here's another one to think about (skip the first 15 seconds of nonsense):
    https://youtu.be/p4yQGNWbWBY?si=nRG6WKsnqaPi4AHa

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  2. Isn’t the Gene song technically called “Why I Was Born” and is more of a statement than a question (it’s a lovely song tho)

    Steve

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    1. Pedants are always welcome here.

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    2. That’s why I stay :)

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    3. If pedantry is actively encouraged I will point out that Freddie was not "one of the Dreamers". The Dreamers were the rest of the band and a couple of them still tour under that name. See also Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.

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    4. In a sense though, we're all dreamers.

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  3. I was really taken with the 2016 video of Harrison's 1971 classic; tho' when she's dancing and cartwheeling through the San Fransisco National Cemetery I did raise an eyebrow.

    JM

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