What Songs Would You Retire?

[nyadrn]

Should "American Pie" be put out to pasture? Has John Lennon's "Imagine" been imagined one too many times? What songs would you retire?

If I hear that song one more time!
I was at a restaurant recently when "Cats In The Cradle," a mid-'70s song by Harry Chapin, came on. It's the one about a dad too busy for his son, and ends with the son growing up to be too busy for his dad. Anyway, the thought hit me, "Do I really ever have to hear this song again?" It's a well-crafted tune, but please: can't we just retire it?!

And so a show is born. On this edition of All Songs Considered, "Hallelujah! The Songs We Should Retire."

http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/10/10/556692186/hallelujah-the-songs-we-should-retire?utm_...

[nyadrn]

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retiredtraveler wrote:

Everything by Barry Manilow

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Barry is going to be pretty upset when he hears this. He is busy right now.  

He is with "Lola, she is a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She can merengue and do the cha-cha
while she tries to be a star........ get ready for it......... 

At the Copa (copa) Copacabana
(copacabana)
The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the Copa (copa) Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa ...
They fell in love (copa)
(copacabana)

Read more: Barry Manilow - Copacabana Lyrics | MetroLyrics

[retiredtraveler]

"....He is with "Lola, she is a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She can merengue and do the cha-cha
while she tries to be a star........ get ready for it......... ".

I'm going to shut down my PC. It's infected with the most stupid song I've ever heard next to Tiptoe through the Tulips (Tiny Tim).  It needs a file purge and rest.................

BTW: Blinded by the Light needs to be purged too. Ok, I'm going to now listen the The Planets, by Holst.

[Winter2025VA]

@retiredtraveler , I hope you will stop by again 🙃

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@retiredtraveler wrote:

"....He is with "Lola, she is a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She can merengue and do the cha-cha
while she tries to be a star........ get ready for it......... ".

I'm going to shut down my PC. It's infected with the most stupid song I've ever heard next to Tiptoe through the Tulips (Tiny Tim).  It needs a file purge and rest.................

BTW: Blinded by the Light needs to be purged too. Ok, I'm going to now listen the The Planets, by Holst.

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[nyadrn]

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retiredtraveler wrote:

"....He is with "Lola, she is a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She can merengue and do the cha-cha
while she tries to be a star........ get ready for it......... ".

I'm going to shut down my PC. It's infected with the most stupid song I've ever heard next to Tiptoe through the Tulips (Tiny Tim).  It needs a file purge and rest.................

BTW: Blinded by the Light needs to be purged too. Ok, I'm going to now listen the The Planets, by Holst.

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What.  No kudos?  

I had forgotten Tiptoe.  You are probably right about that one but Blinded by the Light?   Hmmmmm

Havd you forgotten They're Coming to take you away?

 https://youtu.be/xyXCkjMBK70

[smetro]

Yeah, "Tiptoe was stupid...still think for sheer stupidity a line like "I left my cake out in the rain..." etc. from MacArthur Park is the dumbest by far, however.  Just sayin'!

[MaVolta]

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@nyadrn wrote: 

I had forgotten Tiptoe.  You are probably right about that one but Blinded by the Light?   Hmmmmm

Havd you forgotten They're Coming to take you away?

 https://youtu.be/xyXCkjMBK70

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Tiptoe deserves to be buried and forgotten! I believe it's been retired, and I hope no one ever tries to revive it!

I do remember They're Coming to Take Me Away (ha ha). It was retired, with good reason, for being politically incorrect, of course.

The songs that usually tire me are show tunes. I'm not a big fan of either film or Broadway musicals to begin with, so I don't care for most of the music that goes along with them. There are a few exceptions (Memory from Cats is one), but they can canister most of them for my part!

On the other hand, I would never consider retiring a Beatles song, or songs like Imagine by John Lennon. In fact, I think Imagine is as appropriate for today's world as it was when it was written.

[wmslc1961]

How is They're Coming to Take Me Away (ha ha),  politically incorrect? It's just a song!

[MaVolta]

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@wmslc1961 wrote:

How is They're Coming to Take Me Away (ha ha),  politically incorrect? It's just a song!

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It was heavily criticized for making light of mental illness, and many stations quit playing it for that reason.

[MaVolta]

80's disco

[SarahGH]

@MaVolta - I like show tunes; at least for the older shows where you can actually remember the music & lyrics years later! Like "To Dream the Impossible Dream", from "Man of La Mancha".

[bgsdaughter]

I agree! they just don't write them like they used to! That's what makes a great song a standard. You can appreciate the music and lyrics.

[MaVolta]

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@SarahGH wrote:

@MaVolta - I like show tunes; at least for the older shows where you can actually remember the music & lyrics years later! Like "To Dream the Impossible Dream", from "Man of La Mancha".

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@SarahGH - Yes, Man of La Mancha is another exception for me. I especially like I Don Quixote, as well as The Impossible Dream and Little Bird Little Bird.

Man of La Mancha and Cats are my two favorites from the musicals genre. There were musical tours that came through here many years ago, so I was able to see both of them. 

As you mentioned in your earlier post, people naturally gravitate to the music they like, and avoid what they do not. There are some modern tunes that I hear while out shopping that I have come to enjoy, and others that I hope never to hear again!

[smetro]

OMG!  "Man of La Mancha" (which I like) made me think of "MacArthur Park" - stupidest song, ever...!

[Epster]

Pretty much anything by Coldplay. They just bore me to tears. I don't know why.

[patrickk964312]

not the original singer!

[nyadrn]

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patrickk964312 wrote:
not the original singer!

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Not what original  singer?   What are you responding to?

[pr9908]

Frank's version or Donna's?

[nyadrn]

This is probably on several lists and is another of my nominees

Wreckx-N-Effect* - Rump Shaker

[MaVolta]

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@nyadrn wrote:

This is probably on several lists and is another of my nominees

Wreckx-N-Effect* - Rump Shaker

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I don't know that one, but safe to say, I won't venture to find out!

[MaVolta]

I can do without another - Macarena.

[SarahGH]

@MaVolta - I like show tunes; at least for the older shows where you can actually remember the music & lyrics years later! Like "To Dream the Impossible Dream", from "Man of La Mancha".

[bgsdaughter]

Did you know "blinded by the light" was written by Bruce Springsteen?

[ls1873]

"Human  Behavior"  by  Bjork  only  because  it  is  the  worst  song  I  ever  heard.  Lousy  vocals  along  with  a  lousy  rhythm  and  melody.

[nyadrn]

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@ls1873 wrote:

"Human  Behavior"  by  Bjork  only  because  it  is  the  worst  song  I  ever  heard.  Lousy  vocals  along  with  a  lousy  rhythm  and  melody.

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Wow this is a great topic !  You all are making me laugh. 😀

[nyadrn]

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@nyadrn wrote:

Should "American Pie" be put out to pasture? Has John Lennon's "Imagine" been imagined one too many times? What songs would you retire?

If I hear that song one more time!
I was at a restaurant recently when "Cats In The Cradle," a mid-'70s song by Harry Chapin, came on. It's the one about a dad too busy for his son, and ends with the son growing up to be too busy for his dad. Anyway, the thought hit me, "Do I really ever have to hear this song again?" It's a well-crafted tune, but please: can't we just retire it?!

>>

OK. I enjoy NPR but this is kind of a dumb topic imho.  Maybe they should just ask what songs are over played but isn't that the whole idea of songs.  Unless of course you mean like in commercials.  But anyway, what's your take?

[smetro]

There is this Farm Fresh (a grocery store for those who don't have this chain in their area) where every time, I swear EVERY time I walked in the store they were playing "American Pie" throughout the store...uncanny...!  Got my American Pie fix forever from that experience!

[SarahGH]

This reminds me of the scene in "Sex and The City", where Miranda is upset that Carrie is going to Paris to be with her Russian artist boyfriend, giving Carrie all the reasons she "shouldn't" go. Carrie says, "Just say it, you don't like him!" Miranda responds, "Fine, I don't like him!" And Carrie ends the conversation with, "Then don't you go to Paris with him."

If people don't like "old" songs of any era, then they can just not listen to them, and avoid stations that tend to play songs of that era/genre! They don't need to "retire" songs they personally don't like, or think are passe, because the rest of us might like them! God knows, My car & home radios are tuned to classical music stations, which almost by definition play "old" music .. and that's exactly why some of us listen to them .. specifically!

I happen to like hearing some of those meaningful songs of past years once in a while, and sometimes I wonder why we don't hear more of them .. because they not only have meaningful lyrics, but remind us of important times in our lives. Would I want to hear any song very frequently .. NO .. and that includes new & popular ones.

[PattyDiane]

The only song that comes to mind for me is "The Battle of New Orleans".  When I was in high school I got a part time job at a Woolworths store that was just opening in our neighborhood.  It was at the height of this song's popularity and they had it blasting all over the store.  I think that must have been the only record in the department.  To this day I want to throw something at the sound of it.  Luckily that doesn't happen often these days.