Snapshots #388: Songs About Roads, Streets, Avenues etc.

This is Mike Skinner. Mike's looking rather sad because he's lost his camera. Still, he seemed like the ideal person to introduce today's answers... twelve songs about Streets... whatever we might call them.

Oh, and in case you were wondering why Clint Eastwood appeared here yesterday... well, he was The Man With No Name. And I'm sure you all remember what Bono told us? 

12. Three merry old souls.

A rock n roll standard, originally recorded by... 

The King Cole Trio - Route 66

11. Clint was always talking to them.

Clint talked to the Trees.

Trees - Road

10. Furious & Cannon look for their other halves.

Fast & Furious + Cannon & Ball...

Fastball - The Way

9. Don't look at that streaker! He's not Abel.

Ray Stevens advised "Don't look, Ethel!" Abel's brother was Cain.

Ethel Cain - Thoroughfare

8. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

That's a blessing, that is.

The Blessing - Highway 5

7. Pottery, embroidery, macrame.

Three examples of craftwork.

Kraftwerk - Autobahn

(All 23 minutes of it, just for George.)

6. Confused prats retested.

"Prats retested" was an anagram.

Peter Sarstedt - Boulevard 

5. He say yes!

"He say yes!"

The Man from Delmonte - Drive Drive Drive

4. Fancy playing badminton, Osborn? Mixed doubles?

"Badminton, Osborn" was a mixed up anagram of...

Tom Robinson Band - 2-4-6-8 Motorway

3. Mariah Carey loves to break the rules... but she causes twice the commotion!

MC is a rebel, but gets in double the trouble.

Rebel MC & Double Trouble - Street Tuff

2. Hercules, Colorado, Stag.

Three types of beetle.

The Beatles - Penny Lane

Other roads were available, including long and winding ones... but the Beatles were here for the lane today.

1. Dawn rises over the Yellow River.

Tony Orlando was in Dawn. Christie sang Yellow River.

Tony Christie - Avenues and Alleyways

The road leads back to Snapshots next Saturday...

Saturday Snapshots #152: The Answers

If your Basic Instinct on a Sunday is to check the answers to Saturday Snapshots, then let no Stone go unturned (or, erm, uncrossed). Here they are...



10. Pestered tarts refuse to reveal their location.

"Pestered tarts" is an unfortunate anagram for Peter Sarstedt.

With your carefully designed topless swimsuit

You get an even suntan on your back... and on your legs

Peter Sarstedt - Where Do You Got To, My Lovely?

9. Vincent is on the ball... hoping they believe our kung fu lie.

Vincent Van... er Goey... with Zoe Ball? Yeah, that was a bit of a stretch.

Zoey Van Goey - You Told The Drunks I Knew Karate

8. Dressing gown's child worn by son of King.

A robe's son...?

Stephen King's son is called Joe Hill.

Paul Robeson - Joe Hill

What a voice.

7. A White Russian is prescribed to make you better.

A White Russian, as any Lebowski fan will know, is a mixture of milk and alcohol.

Doctors may prescribe one to make you feel good.

Dr. Feelgood - Milk & Alcohol

6. Scummy bunch pay tribute to the ones above.

Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood

(See what I did there?)

5. Berkley square singer reaches Peake... then returns to the womb.

A nightingale sang in Berkley Square, obviously. Alongside Maxine Peak.

Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From

4. Released after providing sustenance for Clangers.

The Clangers were fed by The Soup Dragon.

The Soup Dragons - I'm Free

3. I don't answer to Roland, Stinging T.

Roland is not my name. (It's Rolston, if you must know.)

Stinging T is an anagram.

The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name

2. A right lowdown uni 3. Breaststroke ditty.

"A right lowdown uni" is an anagram. 3 = III.

Loudon Wainwright III - The Swimming Song

1. Nut does Walker.

Marc Almond sings a Scott Walker song. And does a top job of it.



You may Totally Recall that Saturday Snapshots will be back next week.

January #3 - 2017 Claims Its First Casualty?

The other day I put the cloud on random and up came an old album track by Peter Sarstedt. I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd write a post about it. One quick google search later and I discovered something the news had failed to inform me (and by the news, I guess I mean facebook and the blogosphere, since that's where I get most of my news these days, distrusting many of the conventional media outlets): Peter Sarstedt passed away on January 8th 2017.

Sarstedt is most remembered for his classic 1969 Number One, Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? with its hilariously bohemian lyrics and faux-European accent.

Your name it is heard in high places
You know the Aga Khan
He sent you a racehorse for Chistmas
And you keep it just for fun, for a laugh haha
 
They say that when you get married
It'll be to a millionaire
But they don't realize where you came from
And I wonder if they really care, or give a damn

I always loved this song, despite or more likely because of it's rather pretentious lyrical wordplay, though it's been much parodied over the years, most notably by Flight of the Conchords on the hilarious Rambling Through The Avenues of Time. Although it was Sarstedt's biggest hit, the follow-up, Frozen Orange Juice also went Top Ten. He released 15 albums in total in a career spanning more than 50 years, and though I only own a couple of his records, I'd say there's much to appreciate beyond the two famous songs. The track that popped up on my cloud, for example, from his 1975 album Tall Tree is definitely worth 3 minutes of your time...

I belong to this society
I'm an employee
No one knows my name
I am called consumer and concern*
I am 23
And I'm an employee

No video on youtube, so here's the link: Peter Sarstedt - Employee.

(I transcribed the lyrics myself as they don't exist online. Not sure about the word "concern"... but I can't make out what else it might be.)

After writing this post, I made the mistake of google-searching PS obits. The first I came across described Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? as the worst pop song ever written. And this is why I write this blog, to fly in the face of fashion, as Julian Cope once sang. To irk the musos. Because musos and critics often refuse to allow humour any place in pop music. They think it should be deathly serious and that anything even remotely fun or funny destroys the art. Well, you know what? I think pop music should be fun. That's not to say it can't tackle serious issues too, but I often go to music as an escape from real world horrors. I go to pop when I want to smile. Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? always puts a smile on my face. Thanks for that, Mr. Sarstedt. Great 'tache too.