I've been getting into KISS and really enjoying some of the hilarious, over-the-top lyrics... Lick It Up, Love Gun, Let's Put the X in Sex, etc. It occurred to me that they could easily be Spinal Tap songs in the vein of Big Bottom.
I also think some of the hair metal songs of the 80s are over-the-top enough to be Spinal Tap jams as well -- White Snake's Slide It In, Nelson's Fill You Up, etc.
Ted Nugent had a few in the late 70s/80s - "Thunderthighs", "Jailbait", "Penetrator", "My Love Is Like A Tire Iron", "If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em", "The Harder They Come (The Harder I Get)".
_________________ Alan
"This is a true story, except for the parts that didn't happen." - Steven Wright
Fun fact - the writers of This Is Spinal Tap went on tour with Saxon as part of their preparation for the movie, and Derek Smalls got his signature 'one handed bass playing while pointing at the audience with the other hand' move directly from them. A lot of Spinal Tap's onstage antics were exaggerated versions of stuff they saw Saxon doing onstage (along with the more obvious send ups of Jimmy Page, etc). I think you'll like them, Hanzo.
_________________ "They'll bite your finger off given a chance" - Junkie Luv (regarding Zebras)
I can't even bring myself to link some of their other songs. Damn, there's some nasty videos out there.
I can't believe I have never seen them before. I enjoyed watching those videos. Hilarious stuff.
I love Steel Panther. The first time my buddy saw them was when we saw them open for Judas Priest. I'd filled him in on the shtick, so he knew what to expect. What shocked us both was how many people there didn't realize it was a joke.
_________________ Alan
"This is a true story, except for the parts that didn't happen." - Steven Wright
I've been getting into KISS and really enjoying some of the hilarious, over-the-top lyrics... Lick It Up, Love Gun, Let's Put the X in Sex, etc. It occurred to me that they could easily be Spinal Tap songs in the vein of Big Bottom.
I also think some of the hair metal songs of the 80s are over-the-top enough to be Spinal Tap jams as well -- White Snake's Slide It In, Nelson's Fill You Up, etc.
Any others?
Oh, you haven't uncovered KISS's lyrical gem from the 80s, the song that even die-hard KISS fans shake their head at and laugh about, "Burn Bitch Burn."
Once you've heard this 1984 gem from the Animalize album, your life will never be the same.
Written and sung by the romantic poet Gene $immons, here goes:
Well it's out of the fryin' pan and into the fire You bent over, baby, and let me be the driver Just a cut of pink, wouldn't believe me if I told you But this time you bit off more than you can chew
My my, yeah, just listen to this, babe I got nasty habits, it's a fine line, so many girls and so little time When love rears its head, I want to get on your case Ooh baby, want to put my log in your fireplace, maybe baby, you want to get laid
Well it's an act of thrust and anyway you slice it No sticks and stones, no kicks and groans can hide it So why kid yourself, it's so cut and dry Your body's condemned, and figures don't lie
Gonna cover my class, won't sit up and beg Gotta keep my tail between my legs You're cuttin' off your nose to spite your face Ooh babe, gonna put you in your place
So burn bitch burn, oooh - well the heels are stacked now Burn bitch burn, oooh - and there's nothin' you can do Burn bitch burn, oooh - so don't burn your bridges
Burn bitch burn - we're all through, we are all through baby, so just burn
Well the heels are stacked against you Don't burn your bridges, we're all through Hey babe and there's nothin' you can do
Burn bitch burn, oooh - and there's nothin' you can do babe Burn bitch burn, oooh - we're all through Burn bitch burn, oooh - ooh burn, burn my baby Burn bitch burn, oooh - yeah (repeats out)
I think we can all agree that KISS are the undisputed masters of the tastelessly explicit lyric.
Let's not forget that other KISS 'classic' Domino.
There are lots of bands from that era who sound almost exactly like Spinal Tap but don't necessarily sing blatantly about sex - many of them sing songs about the folklore of being in a rock band on the road, or they sing about weird mythological stuff, which are both also features of Spinal Tap songs. The Scorpions sing songs about all three of those topics, as did Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Uriah Heep, UFO, Slayer and pretty much all of those early heavy metal bands when the genre was becoming distinct from the 'hard rock' that had spawned it.
I guess that's the genius of what they did - they perfectly encapsulated every detail of that era. That movie is satirical, but it's worth remembering the anecdote about Eddie Van Halen who - when he saw the movie for the first time in an intoxicated state - was shocked that he'd "never heard of these guys". Their portrayal of that genre and that moment in history was so perfect that people could be tricked into thinking it was an actual documentary if they weren't paying attention or weren't in on the joke.
_________________ "They'll bite your finger off given a chance" - Junkie Luv (regarding Zebras)
"Before I had a baby I didn't care anyway I thought about the back door I didn't know what to say
But once I got a baby I, I tried every way She didn't wanna do it But she did anyway
But baby please don't refuse You know you got nothin' to lose...
So now i've got a baby And we've tried every way You know she wants to do it And she does anyway But baby please don't refuse You know you got nothin' to lose You got nothin' to lose"
This might have been a song Matt Lauer was singing when he got himself in more hot water.
_________________ "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers
If you're a lifelong KISS fan, you have to learn to just laugh and shake your head at the lyrical inanity of some of the songs. But at the same time, I don't they ever aspired to be Bernie Taupin when it came to their lyrics either.
But something like "Burn Bitch Burn" becomes fodder for swipes and satire -- hell, the Pods & Sods Podcast did an entire episode devoted to breaking down and analyzing the lyrics to "Burn Bitch Burn" and it's an absolute riot!
If you're a lifelong KISS fan, you have to learn to just laugh and shake your head at the lyrical inanity of some of the songs. But at the same time, I don't they ever aspired to be Bernie Taupin when it came to their lyrics either.
This is the first time I've seen anyone use Bernie Taupin's lyrics as a standard of excellence. I love many of the songs he wrote with Elton, but they are often inane. And when they're not inane, they're obvious.
Don't forget he wrote the lyrics to this:
Quote:
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
Say you don't know me, or recognize my face Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight We got too many runaways eating up the night
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
Someone's always playing corporation games Who cares they're always changing corporation names We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage They call us irresponsible, write us off the page
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
It's just another Sunday, in a tired old street Well if you got the toco, oh, then we just lost the beat
Who counts the money underneath the bar Who writes the wrecking ball in two wild guitars Don't tell us you need us, 'cause we're just simple fools Looking for America, coming through your schools Yeah
Don't you remember (remember)
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll, oh
We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city
_________________ “Don’t take life too serious. It ain’t nohow permanent.”
If you're a lifelong KISS fan, you have to learn to just laugh and shake your head at the lyrical inanity of some of the songs. But at the same time, I don't they ever aspired to be Bernie Taupin when it came to their lyrics either.
This is the first time I've seen anyone use Bernie Taupin's lyrics as a standard of excellence. I love many of the songs he wrote with Elton, but they are often inane. And when they're not inane, they're obvious.
Don't forget he wrote the lyrics to this:
Quote:
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
Say you don't know me, or recognize my face Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight We got too many runaways eating up the night
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
Someone's always playing corporation games Who cares they're always changing corporation names We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage They call us irresponsible, write us off the page
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
It's just another Sunday, in a tired old street Well if you got the toco, oh, then we just lost the beat
Who counts the money underneath the bar Who writes the wrecking ball in two wild guitars Don't tell us you need us, 'cause we're just simple fools Looking for America, coming through your schools Yeah
Don't you remember (remember)
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll, oh
We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city
I'll give you that one. But Bernie probably made so much $$$ from that one (whether you like it or not, it was a huuuuge hit), he probably doesn't care.
The most Spinal Tap thing anyone ever did - in real life - was KISS' album Music From The Elder, in my opinion.
Everything about it - from it being a 'concept album' that was the narrative to an unmade movie - to the changed-up look of the band members (short-haired Ace and mullet-with-headband Paul, along with slicked-back-haircut Gene), who suddenly resembled New Wave alternate Earth versions of their previous selves.
The whole thing stank of rock'n roll excess, money and hype that'd gone to people's heads. I love that album, of course, but the image change is still one of the most unintentionally hilarious things they ever did...and these guys had essentially shot to fame by being dressed as evil clowns, so becoming sillier was a massive achievement in itself.
_________________ "They'll bite your finger off given a chance" - Junkie Luv (regarding Zebras)
If you're a lifelong KISS fan, you have to learn to just laugh and shake your head at the lyrical inanity of some of the songs. But at the same time, I don't they ever aspired to be Bernie Taupin when it came to their lyrics either.
This is the first time I've seen anyone use Bernie Taupin's lyrics as a standard of excellence. I love many of the songs he wrote with Elton, but they are often inane. And when they're not inane, they're obvious.
Don't forget he wrote the lyrics to this:
Quote:
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
Say you don't know me, or recognize my face Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight We got too many runaways eating up the night
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
Someone's always playing corporation games Who cares they're always changing corporation names We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage They call us irresponsible, write us off the page
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
It's just another Sunday, in a tired old street Well if you got the toco, oh, then we just lost the beat
Who counts the money underneath the bar Who writes the wrecking ball in two wild guitars Don't tell us you need us, 'cause we're just simple fools Looking for America, coming through your schools Yeah
Don't you remember (remember)
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll, oh
We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city We built, we built this city Built this city Built this city
I'll give you that one. But Bernie probably made so much $$$ from that one (whether you like it or not, it was a huuuuge hit), he probably doesn't care.
Oh, yeah, I know it was a huge hit. And even my 21 year old daughters still play it and enjoy it. Doesn't mean the lyrics are good. Same with many of his Elton songs. Great songs, big hits, big profits. Bernie is lucky he clicked with Elton.
_________________ “Don’t take life too serious. It ain’t nohow permanent.”
The most Spinal Tap thing anyone ever did - in real life - was KISS' album Music From The Elder, in my opinion.
Everything about it - from it being a 'concept album' that was the narrative to an unmade movie - to the changed-up look of the band members (short-haired Ace and mullet-with-headband Paul, along with slicked-back-haircut Gene), who suddenly resembled New Wave alternate Earth versions of their previous selves.
The whole thing stank of rock'n roll excess, money and hype that'd gone to people's heads. I love that album, of course, but the image change is still one of the most unintentionally hilarious things they ever did...and these guys had essentially shot to fame by being dressed as evil clowns, so becoming sillier was a massive achievement in itself.
Wow, that is pretty funny. I don't recall ever seeing that look for KISS before. Maybe there was someone new working at Casablanca Records pushing for these New Wave makeovers for their acts at the time?
_________________ “Don’t take life too serious. It ain’t nohow permanent.”
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