Doin' the old meme-sheep shuffle boogie thinggy

[oursin]

From all around:
1. Open up your music player. Hit shuffle.
2. Record the first few lines of the first 20 songs that come up that do not give away the name of the song. Skip instrumentals, but don't skip the embarrassing ones.
3. Make hapless LJ denizens guess the song names and artists. Google is cheating. For musical songs, the name of the musical is acceptable in place of the artist.
4. Least hapless LJ denizen wins admiration.

1. Summer's coming, time to dream the day away: Curved Air, 'Backstreet Love'
2. Ever since we met, you've been playing hard to get: The Essex, 'Don't Fight It Baby'
3. North side, east side [---] wears the crown, he's the king around town: Sweet, 'Little Willy'
4. Did you ever see a man with no heart: The Hollies, 'I'm Alive'
5. I would have given you all of my heart
6. Whenever you're near, I hide my tears
7. I don't want you to be high, I don't want you to be down: The Rolling Stones. 'Backstreet Girl'
8. Let me tell you something about myself: Johnnie Taylor, '(Just wanna) Testify'
9. Baby back, dressed in black, silver buttons all down her back
10. They're out of sorts in Sunderland, and terribly cross in Kent
11. When I see you standing there, the sunlight shining in your hair: Mark Wynter, 'Aladdin's Lamp' [too obscure for YouTube!]
12. Little girl, you look so lonesome: The Drifters, 'Come on over to my place'
13. It'sa one for the money, two for the show
14. You could have a steam train, if you'd just lay down your tracks
15. Breaking rocks in the hot sun
16. Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand
17. This is the last time I walk into this garden, alone without the one I love: Marv Johnson, 'Pick a Rose for My Rose'
18. They told him don't you ever come round here : Michael Jackson, 'Beat It'
19. When I was just a little girl I asked my mother
20. The sun is out, the sky is blue, there's not a cloud to spoil the view

Comments

[chickenfeet]

13 is "Rock around the clock" and that's the limit of my knowledge

[oursin]

No, it's not. Wrong song, wrong artist!

[chickenfeet]

My knowledge is even more limited..

[julian]

Um. Blue Suede Shoes, but I don't know the artist who wrote it. Elvis is famous for singing it, though...

[julian]

Also #10 is Noel Coward but I don't know the title. Sigh.

[aella_irene]

"There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner"

[oursin]

Yup.

[julian]

Ohhh. Thank you!

[tree_and_leaf]

20 is "Raining in My Heart", but I can't remember who sang it - though I've now got it going round and round in my head!

[oursin]

Yes, and the version that came up was Bobby Vee, not the immortal Buddy H, I don't even know how I have that one on my iPod

[tree_and_leaf]

I found a few things I had no idea I had, too!

[forthwritten]

19 is "Que Sera, Sera" - aaaand that's me done.

[oursin]

Yes - in a very strange version by Sly & The Family Stone

[julian]

Blink. I will have to look for that.

[oursin]

I also have a stompin' version by Geno Washington and His Ram Jam Band

[calanthe-b.livejournal.com]

19 is 'Que Sera Sera' - I want to say Vera Lynn but I think that's wrong.
20 is 'Raining in my Heart' - Buddy Holly.
13 I think might be called 'Ready Teddy' or something similar - also recorded by Buddy Holly but not written by him?

[oursin]

19 yes - innumerable versions around, this one was Sly & The Family Stone
20 song yes, the version is actually the Bobby Vee cover
13 I thought everybody would get this one and so far have 2 misfires!

[calanthe-b.livejournal.com]

...actually, now that I have steered away from Buddy Holly, I think it's an Elvis number - I just can't remember the title!

Oh! 'Blue Suede Shoes'!

[oursin]

You are welcome to drink ma likker from an ol' fruit jar!

[eeyorerin]

5. I would have given you all of my heart
"First Cut is the Deepest"

13. It'sa one for the money, two for the show
Jailhouse Rock?

14. You could have a steam train, if you'd just lay down your tracks
"Sledgehammer"

15. Breaking rocks in the hot sun
"I Fought the Law and the Law Won"

16. Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand
"Put a Little Love In Your Heart"

19. When I was just a little girl I asked my mother
"Que Sera Sera"

[eeyorerin]

Ah, 13 is totally wrong; I had two songs by the same artist mixed up. :)

[oursin]

Yes, all correct.
'First Cut' is the PP Arnold version
'Put A Little Love in Your Heart' is Jackie de Shannon (who wrote it, I think)

[kore]

Oh, I love these! I think I flaked out on the one I did myself tho, oops.

8. I keep thinking this is Sympathy for the Devil, but argh, it isn't.
9. Walkin' the Dog
13. Blue Suede Shoes
14. Sledgehammer
15. I Fought The Law
19. Que Sera

....oh dear. As always I am a lot less good at this than I think I am.

[oursin]

Yup.
Rufus Thomas version of 'Walking the Dog'
The Crickets doing 'I Fought the Law'
'Que Sera' as already mentioned above
The others pretty much the canonical versions (though the Elvis BSS was a cover, wasn't it, of an original by Carl Perkins?)

[kore]

Yes! Supposedly Johnny Cash gave him the title, I think. Carl was pretty rockin': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79CJON8fv6c

[jesuswasbatman]

6: "Behind a Painted Smile", the Isley Bros.

[oursin]

Indeed.