Mysteries In Song

[CK]

Just thinking about the number of songs that have oddities in them that either make no sense, pose odd questions, or mention things not traditionally discussed in song. For example, I'd have a fair guess that Toto's "Africa" is one of the only songs to refer to Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti; likewise with Flock of Seagulls "I Ran" - I can't think of too many songs that discuss the Aurora Borealis effect.

One that has often intrigued me - exactly where is John Lennon talking about, in "Nobody Told Me", with a "little yellow island, to the north of Katmandu"? I've scanned an atlas (busy night obviously) and can't work out what he is talking about.

Any other grand mysteries of song that can be solved, or other unique discussion points like curious weather effects?

[JAS]

CK...that line about Kathmandu instantly reminded me of a famous poem "The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God"

http://monologues.co.uk/Serious_Note/Gr ... ow_God.htm

No idea if there's a connection though...does the Lennon one definitely say island???

Regards
JAS

[silicone skyline]

Has anyone actually defined the meaning behind Don McLean's American Pie?

I was always intrigued by Richard Marx's Hazard as well.

[Pseudo]

Has anyone actually defined the meaning behind Don McLean's American Pie?

The song is about the death of Buddy Holly, "the day the music died". This is common knowledge. Or did you mean specifically what the "bye bye miss American Pie" lyric refers to?

(edit) if you meant what all the various references in the song are, then the answer might be no. See here, if you have faith in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_p ... rpretation

[Kahuna]

What about Steve Miller? What is "the Pompatus of Love"?

[dedja]

Anything James Reyne sung ... couldn't understand a word.

Manfred Mann's Blinded By the Light.

[Pseudo]

Just thinking about the number of songs that have oddities in them that either make no sense, pose odd questions, or mention things not traditionally discussed in song. For example, I'd have a fair guess that Toto's "Africa" is one of the only songs to refer to Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti; likewise with Flock of Seagulls "I Ran" - I can't think of too many songs that discuss the Aurora Borealis effect.

Barry Humphries (as Dame Edna) thought that "womb" was an unusual lyric, judging by his (her) song in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball:

"To think there's people in this room
Who wish they'd sprung out of my womb *
That's what my public means to me.
* - That's not a word you often hear in a song, is it darlings?"

A few years later The The offered the following, demonstrating that wombs sometimes do get a mention in popular music:

"Take me by the hand and walk me to the end of the pier
Run your fingers through my hair and tell me what I want to hear
Well lies become truth in this face of fading youth
From my scrotum to your womb, your cradle to my tomb"

Frankly I think scrotums appear in songs less frequently than wombs...

[Hondo]

Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly" has always been a favourite partly because of the cryptic lyrics. I have no idea what the song is about?

tongue tied and twisted just an earth bound misfit, I ..

I was watching "classic albums" on VHI when it did Paul Simon's "Graceland". On one song (can't remember which) he started by writing down meaningless phrases just to get the rythym and rhyming sorted. Problem being, he got so attached to those non-sensical lyrics that they stuck. Whenever he tried to put normal sentences in he felt the song lost something.

Roxette's "The Look" is the same scenario. Meaningless words just put together for the sake of the tune.

So CK, maybe some of the obscure lyrics like John Lennon's little island was were never intended to make any sense but they just sounded neat?

[Dirko]

Ita - Cold Chisel

How any one could write a song about Ita Buttrose and wanting to tap her is beyond me....

Ita's tongue never touches her lips
She could always be my godmother
And though the desk-top hides her hips
My imagination's strong
She's the sweetest thing I've ever seen
I'd like to take her out to dinner
But when I think about the places I've been
I'd probably hold my fork all wrong

[southee]

My all time favorite song "Under the Milkyway" by The Church....still bugs me today to know what it is all about...

Heard it was about the "dope cafes" in Amsterdam where one was called "Milkyway Cafe"....

I just make my own interpretation on it. Magical song though.....

How about The Beatles song "Tomorrow never knows" on REVOLVER....

Lyrics....."Turn off your mind , relax and float downstream....it is not dying"....

Love that one too!!!!

[CK]

]?

I was always intrigued by Richard Marx's Hazard as well.

This one is apparently about a murder, based broadly on a true story, that Marx read about in the papers. Read something about this one at the time, and subsequently in a music history book.

Manfred Mann's Blinded By the Light.

Quite possibly one of the few songs to discuss "douche" with a straight face. It lost me also, although is one of the better covers of a Springsteen song (*shudders thinking of Natalie Cole tackling "Pink Cadillac")

No idea if there's a connection though...does the Lennon one definitely say island???

Regards
JAS

Yep, which intrigues me - I can't think for the life me where he is talking about, but Hondo may well be right - it just fitted for the song. "Nobody Told Me" is probably one of the better examples of nonsense in song fitted into to rhyme..."Always something cooking, but nothing in the pot" (although knowing Lennon, he may not have been talking about a cooking pot as such)

[gadj1976]

I never understood Turning Japanese by the Vapours - mind you, it was the early 80's when it was released, and I hadn't *ahem* found myself then.

[kingrooster]

Manfred Mann's Blinded By the Light.

On the Bruce Springsteen Storytellers DVD he goes through he whole song line by line to explain it.
An excellent DVD, highly recommended.

[zipzap]

How about The Beatles song "Tomorrow never knows" on REVOLVER....

Lyrics....."Turn off your mind , relax and float downstream....it is not dying"....

I'm pretty sure that was inspired by a book by drug-nut Timothy Leary and is meant to simulate a psychedelic trip or something

[Q.]

Beck. WTF is that guy on?

[zipzap]

Beck. WTF is that guy on?

Dunno. Saw (endured) him at the Sydney V Festival where half the show was performed by puppets
Thank god the Pixies were on next!

[JAS]

No idea if there's a connection though...does the Lennon one definitely say island???

Regards
JAS

Yep, which intrigues me - I can't think for the life me where he is talking about, but Hondo may well be right - it just fitted for the song. "Nobody Told Me" is probably one of the better examples of nonsense in song fitted into to rhyme..."Always something cooking, but nothing in the pot" (although knowing Lennon, he may not have been talking about a cooking pot as such)

Hate to contradict you CK but I've just tried throwing 'Nobody Told Me' +lyrics into Yahoo cos I don't really know the song that well and they all seem to have the line as 'There's a little yellow idol...'

http://www.mp3lyrics.org/j/john-lennon/nobody-told-me/
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/john ... ld_me.html
http://www.mtv.com/lyrics/lennon_john/n ... rics.jhtml

As to why...no idea...maybe he'd been at the wacky backy

Regards
JAS

[CK]

Thanks JAS - that actually solves that little mystery for me now, because I'd taken to looking at any number of atlases with glasses and be freaked if I could find this (now mythical) island

[ORDoubleBlues]

Ventura Highway by America is one that springs to mind.

seasons crying no despair
alligator lizards in the air

[the big bang]

Has anyone actually defined the meaning behind Don McLean's American Pie?

I was always intrigued by Richard Marx's Hazard as well.

i had to do an assignment on this song in year 9 at school.

i got my girlfriend at the time to do it, otherwise i may have been able to shed some light on the problem!

but, from what i can remember reading of "my assignment", it had something to do with moving to/from a town called "Hazard". but thats about all i can remember!