Snapshots #453: Haberdashery Songs

I wanted a picture of a famous dressmaker holding a camera today - but no luck with Vivienne Westwood or Coco Chanel... so here's a famous Taylor instead.

Songs you might find in a haberdashery shop. Unless you're in the US, where haberdashery doesn't mean sewing supplies and accessories, but means men's clothing instead. Apologies for any confusion.

15. Is rankle a verb? Not quite.

"Rankle a verb" was an anagram.

Lavern Baker - Whipper Snapper

14. Duane... had a strange hobby.

Duane Eddy. Arnold Layne had a strange hobby.

Eddy Arnold - Tennessee Stud

13. Leading Successor.

The lead singer in The Replacements...

Paul Westerberg - Man Without Ties

12. Don't be misled by a grateful nark.

"Grateful nark" was an anagram.

Art Garfunkel - Scissors Cut

11. Hyacinth Bucket and Frasier Crane.

The Snobs - Buckle Shoe Stomp

10. What's new in Mississippi, with Guys?

What's New, Pussycat. Pussycat also sand Mississippi. Guys & Dolls.

Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg - Buttons

Snoop Dogg not pictured because, well, he's Snoop Dogg.

9. By J.R.R. Tolkien, abbreviated.

Tolkien wrote The Silmarillion, which is where these guys got their name.

Marillion - Hooks In You

8. Do and die with Spielberg and Seagal.

Do+die and two Stevens.

Dodie Stevens - Pink Shoelaces

7. Area, region, borough.

The Districts - Velour & Velcro

6. Strabismic cat meets Sex Machine without brakes.

Clarence The Cross-eyed Lion meets Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine.

Clarence Carter - Patches 

...or you could have had...

Clarence Carter - Thread The Needle

5. A famous Stewart (minus 100) encounters Scott and Tara.

Patrick Stewart, minus a C and two Fitzgeralds.

Patrik Fitzgerald - Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart

4. French comedian... alternatively, Han Solo's old pal.

Dawn French... or Lando Calrissian.

Tony Orlando & Dawn - Tie a Yellow Ribbon

3. Parents and siblings, initially.

Mother, Father, Sister, Brother...

MFSB - The Zip

2. They refuse.

They are refuse.

Garbage - Felt

1. Known to use engines and frequent parties.

Search engines and search parties.

The Searchers - Needles And Pins

Snapshots returns next Saturday.

Snapshots Spillover - More Nonsense

More song titles without real words in them, starting with the ones I rejected this weekend for being too obvious...

The Crystals - Da Doo Ron Ron

Manfred Mann - Do Wah Diddy Diddy

The Police - De Do Do Do De Da Da Da

Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans - Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

Trio - Da Da Da

The Beatles - Ob La Di Ob La Da

Small Faces - Sha La La La Lee

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Zabadak

Silver - Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang

The 5.6.7.8s - Woo Hoo

Little Richard - Bama Lama Bama Loo

The Rivingtons - Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow

The Rubettes - Foe-Dee-O-Dee 

Dickey Doo & The Don'ts - Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu                  

Ten Years After - Skoobly Oobly Doobob          

Ernie K-Doe - Te Ta Te Ta Ta                                         

LaVern Baker - Tra La La

Nina Hagen - Wau Wau

And, of course, the ultimate... which always reminds me of Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks...

I fully expect Ernie or George will fill the comments box with info about some of the above not being nonsense at all... but that's just more fun.

Snapshots #375: A Top 15 Songs About A Christmas Carol

Bah! Humbug!

Fifteen tunes dedicated to Ebeneezer Scrooge, and the cast of A Christmas Carol...

15. Himalayan utopias.

The Shangri Las - Past, Present & Future

That'll be the best song you hear today.

14. Mark Strange.

Mark Strange, as I'm sure you're all aware, is the current Primus (the presiding bishop) of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Primus - Bob

This was as close as I could get to a song about Bob Cratchit.

13. Cloned man is an aberration.

"Cloned man" is an excellent anagram.

Don McLean - Marley's Song (Save Yourself)

12. Venus slippers?

Venus Slippers are a type of Orchid.

The Orchids - Mr. Scrooge

11. Shoemakers from Bromley.

Keston Cobbler's Club - Marley

10. Wendy, Etta, Tommy and Sonny get together.

The James Gang - Fred

Fred, as I'm sure you're all aware, was Scrooge's nephew.

9. Exciting times follow the commercials.

After the ads come...

The Ventures - Scrooge

8. Did Yves Saint make shampoo?

Laurent Garnier - Greed

7. Aussie woman known for doing one's drugs.

The Aussie woman would be a Sheila. This week's number one act were known for liking their E.

Sheila E - The Belle Of Saint Mark

Belle, as I'm sure you're all aware, was Scrooge's former fiancée.

6. A watery grave for bloke who upsets middle-class women of a certain age.

Greg Wallace is the scoundrel deserving of being buried in a Lake...

Greg Lake - Humbug

That's the B-side to a rather more well-known Christmas tune.

5. Shirley's Happy pal makes a lovely cake.

The Happy Days spin-off show featured Laverne & Shirley. A baker makes cakes.

Lavern Baker - Tiny Tim

4. Parenthetic Screamers (Mr Agana).

Parenthetic Screamers was an anagram... as was Mr Agana.

Manic Street Preachers - The Ghost Of Christmas

3. A superhero with the powers of Rigby, MacDonald and Winehouse.

Sounds like a job for Amy-Man!

Aimee Mann - Jacob Marley's Chain

2. Poor Cecelia, so befuddled.

"Poor Cecelia" was an anagram...

Alice Cooper - Make That Money (Scrooge's Song)

1. Sounds like Halifax Town.

Halifax Town, as I'm sure you're all aware, are also known as the Shay-Men.

The Shamen - Ebeneezer Good

A great philosopher once wrote: Naughty naughty, very naughty...

And to all, a good night.

More (less-seasonal) Snapshots next Saturday.