Two musical questions

[rachelmanija]

1. What are the instruments playing in this song before the vocals come in? An organ? And... a piano? Chimes? Glockenspiel?

2. Please name a few songs with unusual subjects. Ideally, not pure novelty songs like "Mommy Got Run Over By A Reindeer."

Comments

[sovay]

Fred Small, a little-known folk singer/protest singer

The Peace Dragon, cheerfully consuming nuclear submarine sandwiches and neutron bars: "Digesting deadly weapons seems a peaceful thing to do."

[sovay]

Early Dresden Dolls

"Mandy Goes to Med School": portrait of the artist as a back-alley abortionist.

[gool_duck]

HaDag Nahash, Bella Belissima https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDrtwA6q87Y
There's a translation to English of the song in the info.
It's about a woman who protected a terrorist who stabbed two boys from the mob that attacked him after, and she prevented them from killing him.


Friends, Friend Crush https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfamBoa_zYQ
About falling for someone in a non-romantic way.

[taelle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz_i7jBiyS4 - this song, When We're Together, by Rialto, is about a stalker - dunno how unusual it is.

[oracne]

Rammstein's cover of "Barbie Girl" is...interesting.

[nonethefewer]

!!!!!!!!!

*tracks down* *consumes*

In return, try "Iron Man", by Black Sabbath, covered by The Cardigans.

Unusual song topics

[ducened]

The first one that sprang to mind was Sting's "Tomorrow We'll See" about a transvestite prostitute.
Brad Paisley's "Harvey Bodine" points out the "'till death do us part" clause & modern medicine make for interesting legal ramifications. "Online" is about a guy in his parents' basement and the internet.
The entire score for Sondheim's Assassins.
Annnnd this is probably too novelty, but I simply adore Moosebutter's (does the name give you a hint?) Four Shadow's Blankets and Pie.

[oracne]

Thanks! Have you tried Opium Jukebox? Their Black Sabbath covers are very fun.

[nonethefewer]

I am now required to track this down.

(In return, the weirdest thing I've experienced: "Black Hole Sun", by Soundgarden, covered by Moog Cookbook. I can't describe it at all.)

[juushika]

Seconding the hell out of Die Eier von Satan.

[juushika]

Maneater by the Blue Eyes Blondes is all cishet failed romance on the surface, but actually about cannibalism—as a result of cishet failed romance. Link.

Beast by Nico Vega is about, uh, America? and capitalism? mostly about America. Link.

[sophia_sol]

Songs with unusual subjects - hmmm, the only one I'm really coming up with is From Dover To Calais (by Finest Kind) which is a shanty for a hovercraft.

idk, I listen to a lot of folk music and a lot of musicals, so my bar for what's "unusual" is probably in a weird place. Going through my music collection I keep on going like "okay this feels like it ought to be unusual but I know multiple other songs on the same theme so obviously it's not"

[twistedchick]

I hear a harpsichord in that song.

[ellen_fremedon]

The Weakerthans' "Tournament of Hearts" is a love song, but it is told entirely through an extended metaphor about curling.

[stranger]

The opening of the song could include a harpsichord, but my first impression is that it sounds like a hammer dulcimer or similar instrument. With background chords from an orchestra or group that includes muted brass instruments.

[nonethefewer]

"Start Wearing Purple", Gogol Bordello [video] -- it's about wearing purple.

"Fighting Trousers", Professor Elemental [video] -- it's chap hop. Video required.

"Cup Of Brown Joy", Professor Elemental [video] -- tea! TEA!

"Dalai Lama", Rammstein [video] -- a reinterpretation by a German industrial metal band of the poem Der Erlkönig (1778) by Goethe.

"Southbound Pachyderm", Primus [video] -- I... I don't know.

"I Wanna Rule The World", 10cc [video] -- I've lost track at this point.

The MAD Magazine Mystery Record -- about having a bad day, a few times.

"Cover Of The Rolling Stone (live version)", Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show [video] -- they want to be on the cover of the Rolling Stone!

"Virus", Deltron 3030 [video] -- hacker boasting about wanting to hack into everything. Contains the line: "Trash your whole computer system / And revert you to papyrus"

"Be The Hero", OSI [video] -- "he can high five / in a skydive / he's a hero from coast to coast yeah"

GO TO BED, SELF

[rosefox]

Oh oh oh, and like everything by Dream Theater. "Forsaken" is about a man being seduced by a vampire. "Pull Me Under" is grimdark epic fantasy, approximately. They did a great weird series of songs based on the 12 steps (didn't finish all 12 because they broke up with their drummer, who was writing the songs as part of his recovery). They did an entire album that's about... it's about a... well, there's a murder and reincarnation and one entire song is a newspaper article, sort of, and... look, it's prog rock, just roll with it.

Of possible professional interest are their songs "Panic Attack" (anxiety), "Misunderstood" (the depressed end of mood cycling), "Constant Motion" (the manic end of mood cycling), "The Test That Stumped Them All" (hallucinations), and "War Inside My Head" (military PTSD).

[rachelmanija]

Thank you for all these recs!

There's a teeny subgenre of songs about military PTSD. Richard Thompson and Bruce Springsteen each have two of them. I know there's more I'm forgetting.

[rosefox]

MAD! Yes! Mad Twists Rock 'n' Roll had songs about dandruff, selling nuclear secrets, and going to jail for throwing a high school basketball game.

[nonethefewer]

Niiice. This one was a record insert in a magazine, and it had 8 different endings. I can't vouch for usefulness of any of the endings, but I still get it stuck in my head sometimes.

[rosefox]

nonethefewer and I have been IMing each other all evening, coming up with more. :) We both own a lot of VERY weird music, to the point where I'm not even sure what counts as "unusual" because this is just what I listen to all the time. I mean, I haven't even gotten into British comedy. Start with everything ever done by Neil Innes (aka Sir Robin's minstrel--he wrote all, or nearly all, of the music Monty Python performed) and/or the Bonzo Dog Band and/or the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, like "Urban Spaceman" and "Can Blue Men Sing the Whites" and "Humanoid Boogie" ("Motorbike heart beats flutter to the stutter of the humanoid heart-throb sobbin' out a ticker tape tune by the light of the moon"). Then move on to Tim Minchin.

[kore]

I've always thought Big Muddy was about that, too, altho it's equally about the futility of war and stupidity of officers. http://www.lyricsmania.com/waist_deep_in_the_big_muddy_lyrics_pete_seeger.html I'm totally almost sure Steve Earle has one, or covered one, but I can't remember argh.

Oh yeah, Rooster is about that specifically https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0FAosDi4XA (Army green was no safe bet)

[pauraque]

Oh, Fred Small, that's a great rec here! Years ago a friend gave me a mix tape (dating myself here) with "Larry the Polar Bear" on it, and I became an instant fan.

[kore]

I LOVE MURDER BALLADS SFM ....ahem. I mean, they are quite entertaining!

[rachelmanija]

Steve Earle's "Johnny Come Lately" isn't specifically about PTSD, but the last verse is one hell of a gut-punch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVaPwdgezWI

His "Ellis Unit One" is about PTSD from watching executions in a prison - talk about an unusual subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1G3k4iF094