Fun Fact Friday #2: SuperWorm

At one of the hospitals where I work, we get a monthly delivery of books to hand out to children on the ward. 

This arrived the other day. 

Nobody wants to go anywhere near it...

They Might Be Giants - Doctor Worm

Trashcan Sinatras - A Worm With A Head

The Clint Boon Experience - Do What You Do (Earworm Song)

Ohio Players - Funky Worm

Porridge Radio - Worms

Little Jimmy Dickens - Hey Worm

Keg - Sate The Worm

Jimmy McGriff - The Worm

Beth Orton - Worms

Guided By Voices - Wormhole

Bluetones - Solomon Bites The Worm

Snapshots #377 - A Top Ten Carry On Songs

We watched the movie Carry On starring Jason Bateman and Elton John over Christmas. It's basically a PG version of Die Hard II. Even worse, there's no sign of Babs, Kenneth, Jim Dale or Sid...

Here are ten Carry On songs... 

10. Disorder in newborns.

Babyshambles - Carry On Up The Morning

9. Superman grew up in a right state.

Superman grew up in Smallville, which is in Kansas...

Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

8. The Beach Boys sang about them three times.

The Beach Boys sang Fun Fun Fun...

Fun. - Carry On

7. Policeman stuck in a freezing watering hole.

Bobby Caldwell - Carry On

6. The oafish blue tutu is quite baffling.

"The oafish blue tutu" was an anagram...

The Beautiful South - Good As Gold (Carry On Regardless)

5. June and July, in the calendar.

J&J. Cale is in the calendar.

JJ Cale - Carry On

4. Woodhill Bay and Kilkenny Bay.

Woodhill Bay and Kilkenny Bay are also known as Portishead Beach.

Portishead - We Carry On

3. Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben.

Otherwise known as...

The Fantastic Four - I'm Gonna Carry On

2. Dr. Julius Strangepork.

Piiiiigs in spaaaaace!!!

Spacehog - Carry On

1. Crime Scene: New York.

CS: NY...

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Carry On

OK, you an carry on about your day now.

Snapshots will carry on next Saturday...

Saturday Snapshots #341: A Top Ten Abba Covers

When I asked if you knew who was pictured below, you resolutely replied, "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do..." 

But Does Your Mother Know the connection...?

10. Smashed up Z-Cars.

Anagram!

The Czars - Angel Eyes

9. When a Snapshot maker's clue is particularly hard to decipher.

A camera makes snapshots. This one might be a bit obscure though...

Camera Obscura - Super Trouper

8. Half Boy, Half Pickett.

Danny Boy meets Wilson Pickett...

Danny Wilson – Knowing Me, Knowing You

7. Get some unanimous okra mixed into your green salad. 

"Unanimous okra" was an anagram for the biggest selling female of all time (depending on which figures you look at).

Nana Mouskouri – I Have A Dream

6. Found in a shoe box.

A shoe box.

Ash - Does Your Mother Know?

5. Bus, Bunch, Blood, Bees... all washed out.

Pale Honey - Lay All Your Love On Me 

4. Obliteration.

Erasure - Take A Chance On Me

3. Keeps Clapton's clothes clean while he's eating. 

Eric Bibb - Dancing Queen

2. DOA Hipster comes apart.

"DOA Hipster" is an anagram...

Portishead - SOS

1. White mites, white eat. 

Blanc is white. Mange is caused by mites, but it also means eat in French.

Blancmange - The Day Before You Came

Indisputably the best Abba cover version ever...

Here are a few I didn't have room for...

Sinead O'Connor - Chiquitita 

The Volebeats - Knowing Me, Knowing You

Bike - My Love, My Life 

Red Kross - Dancing Queen

Information Society - Lay All Your Love On Me

Five Iron Frenzy – Mamma Mia

Richard Thompson – Money, Money, Money

Take A Chance On more Snapshots next Saturday.

Snapshots #265: A Top Ten Fireworks Songs

I remember when we used to spend the day after Bonfire Night running around finding all the half-burnt fireworks from the night before and trying to set them off again. My childhood was a health and safety nightmare.

I'd much rather spend this morning playing you ten songs named after fireworks...

10. Get some more tissue for Marie McDonald.

Lulu was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie. Tissue is another name for flesh.

Flesh For Lulu – Roman Candle

9. House bird for a couple who are Long & Little, and from the Hills. 

Little John and Long John goes to Beverly Hills to meet some Housemartens.

John & Beverly Martyn – Traffic Light Lady

8. Proby bangs the wall.

PJ Proby is a Harvey Wallbanger.

PJ Harvey – Fountain

7. A bit like gnus.

Gnus are like Wildebeest, or Wild Beasts...

Wild Beasts - Catherine Wheel

6. At the heart of all curmudgeons. 

Found in the centre of "all curMUDgeons" is some MUD.

Mud - Rocket

5. Cruise, like 7.

Tom Cruise and a Buffalo, which is a bit like a Gnu or Wildebeest.

Buffalo Tom - Sparklers

4. Named after their “dreary hometown”. 

Portishead – All Mine

The firework in question is a Mine. Go look it up.

3. Never known to gather a handmaid.

Elizabeth Moss stars in The Handmaid's Tale. A Rolling Stone never gathers her.

The Rolling Stones - Jumping Jack Flash

2. Cuddle!

Embrace - Fireworks

1. The Corrs, Janet Jackson, Del Shannon 

All the above sang about Runaways.

There will be ten more bangers for you to identify next weekend.

(I use the word "bangers" to refer to fireworks and, against my better nature, a reference to that extremely unpleasant term that young people use to refer to a good tune. I feel quite ill for doing it, but a joke's a joke.)

My Top Ten Carry On Songs

I was never a fan of the Carry On films, "Great" British comedy institution though they may be. But there are some blinding Carry On songs...



10. Babyshambles - Carry on Up the Morning

One of the better post-Libertines Pete Doherty songs. There aren't that many.

9. Tim McGraw - Carry On

All those people who think modern country music comes with a big wedge of cheese are mostly wrong. In Tim McGraw's case, however... 

8. Half Man Half Biscuit - Carry on Cremating

The song closest to the true spirit of the Carry On movies... at least in Nigel Blackwell's indefatigable Britishness... and his "tribute" to one of the big Carry On stars of olde...

Oh, they’re still cremating Hattie Jacques, I am not surprised
Come on now, let’s face it, she was fat
It usually takes for ever trying to burn the grossly oversized
Who would ever want to look like that?
She had a face that could launch a thousand dredgers
I could never get her on my portable TV

7. Van Morrison - Carry on Regardless

 There's a tiny part of me thinks all post-70s Van Morrison records sound like someone doing a very good impersonation. Of course, I'd never tell Van The Man that... with his reputation!?

(Plus, I think he nicked some guitars from Lady Madonna here. Shh. Let's pretend we didn't notice.)

6. Portishead - We Carry On

 Creepy and disturbing in the way all the best Portishead records are.

5. Spacehog - Carry On

Leeds band Spacehog had more success in the States than back home. Iffypedia tells me they met in a cafe where one of the band members was working as an exterminator.

4. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Carry On

 Timeless. (This is where Fleet Foxes got their mojo.)

3. Kansas - Carry On, Wayward Son

Pompous prog lyrics saved by a glorious chorus and majestic guitars. Glorious, in its way.

2. Fun. - Carry On

Is it me, or does Nate Ruess look like a young (Marky) Mark Wahlberg? He writes far better songs though. And has more conviction.

Why do I like Fun. so much? They do exactly what it says on the tin. 

1. Beautiful South - Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud)

Yes, my Number One Carry On song doesn't feature the words Carry On in its title. Bite me. They're all over the chorus. One of the Beautiful South's most life-affirming songs, with a video to match in which Heato and the gang go for a bike ride in the countryside... with added elephant.

I want my sun-drenched, wind-swept Ingrid Bergman kiss
Not in the next life
I want it in this

Carry on commenting...