Thursday Night Bar Fight #12: Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Batman!!!
Bad news everybody!
It was brought up at Leaguefest that this blog lacks the single ingredient that makes any enterprise truly Great and Important:
A theme song.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that everything is better when it has a theme song. The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island each had one, and they were actually pretty necessary because they put everything we were about to see into context. Without them, we’d have spent the whole half hour puzzling over what was happening.
Why is that woman so peppy? She’s birthed six children, for Christ sakes, one right after the other! Why doesn’t she go have a nice lie down?
Or:
Why the f**k is that woman wearing a gold lame dress on the beach? And why do those old farts have a suitcase full of cash? Also, that nice gay gentleman in the pressed white shirt – why is he putting vacuum tubes in coconuts?
We didn’t have to ask these questions, because they were all answered by the theme song: Carol Brady didn’t birth all six Brady kids, she was merely a widow who had gone to great lengths to eliminate every trace of her dead husband’s very existence; in fact, she probably killed him. As to the islanders odd quirks, well,the theme song provided a perfectly good explanation for those as well: they were a movie star, millionaires and a professor – that’s why!
Other theme songs work different kinds of wonders.
When you heard the theme song to The Love Boat, you knew before even watching it that it was going to be horrible, cheesy dreck and you’d turn the channel accordingly. The Big Mac theme song let you know exactly what the hell it was you just ate, and Local TV News shows have theme songs that helpfully encourage you to never, ever watch Local TV News. Even presidential campaigns have theme songs. Bush the Elder used Woody Guthrie, Bill Clinton’s picked Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow, and George W.’s chose Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down. Back in late 2007 I was really hoping that Barack Obama was going to choose something cool and retro like Sreamin’ Jay Hawkins’s I Put A Spell on You or Thundercats Are Go! from The Thundercats, but he disappointed me by going with the insipid Yes We Can by Will I Am. (Thanks a lot, Obama!)
Beers, bears, bears and beers, hybrid cars, The Peanuts, Our Lord and Savior – you name it, theme songs are everywhere – almost. Because to my knowledge, there is no politics/culture blog that has it’s own theme song.
Until now.
And therein lies this Thursday Night Bar Fight quandary:
What should the we have be the League’s Theme Song, and why?
As always there are a few ground rules:
1. You may nominate up to three different songs.
2. The winning theme song should in some way describe the League, its mission or its community.
3. You can up- or down-vote any nomination in the threads, either with straight votes or praise/derision. Judges reserve the right to award extra points for good/entertaining reasons for or against a nomination.
4. You have until Saturday to nominate or vote.
I will announce the League’s theme song on Sunday.
Bomus question: Feel free to suggest theme songs for other blogs, because it was just hitting me that not enough of them hate us yet.
Ready? Go!
Note: Special thanks to everyone at Leaguefest, especially Barb, Roger, Angela and Mark, who thought up and crystalized this week’s question over dinner.
Follow Tod on Twitter, view his archive, or email him.
Right off the top of my head i’ll go with See How We Are by X
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADmUT7dCDi8
Why? Well X is just great for one thing. They have a diversity (oops i hope i haven’t already scared the conservatives) of styles and wide mix of influences. I’ll bet Eric could do a good version on his guitar. The song captures some of the craziness, hope, and dreams of America.Report
God that song is great. I was able to get my brother-in-law (who’s a big Springsteen/Dylan/Steve Earle guy) to finally agree with me on something musically when I played him that one.Report
Did you know that Exene Cervenka has a kid with Viggo Mortensen? I found that out recently and it kind of blows my mind…Report
Genetic selection at it’s finest!Report
Great album, and great song. Always loved Fourth of July from that collection.Report
“Free To Be… You And Me” by The New Seekers.
To be interrupted halfway through with The Obedience Song.Report
My Rights Versus Yours, for the title alone?Report
Ooooh, that’s good.
“Jumping someone else’s train” might work for similar reasons.Report
What’s “The Brady Bunch”/”Gilligan’s Island”/”Love Boat”?Report
Go to you room.Report
Mars, The Bringer of War.Report
Plus oneReport
plus +1Report
Travis Tritt, “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares).”Report
Awesome.Report
Having a nice lie down might be related to why she’s birthed six children one right after the other.Report
We have no evidence of that in the record. She could have been in many different positions during conception. Thats nothing more than impermissible speculation and conjecture.Report
Carol Brady? Different positions? You sure got a different message from watching the show than I did.Report
Oh you just know she was a freaky firecracker in the sack. No one that straight-laced & repressed can keep it all in all the time. Why do you think Mike was so eager to marry a woman with 3 annoying girls?Report
Because he knew that it was much more than a hunch that this group should somehow form a family!Report
could just be me but first thing i saw when i read that was the brady bunch was the worst lolita take-off ever.
as i said, could just be me.Report
The Internationale. With everyone singing in a different key.Report
With everyone singing in a different key.
You made the joke work. I was stuck with just saying “The Internationale” which just seemed to me to come across as vaguely petulant.Report
A good theme song requires certain characteristics:
1. It needs to have the ability, no matter how good or bad the song, to get permanently and inextricably stuck in someone’s head the first time they hear it.
2. It needs to have a certain cheesiness factor.
3. It needs to tell the product’s story.
4. Ideally, it should be a bit chilly, perhaps more than a little self-deprecatory.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you a song that The Wife and I heard on vacation 4 years ago, haven’t heard since, but that has also never left our heads in that entire time: “Ici Les Enfoires.”
http://youtu.be/g_sM2wvt9_0
I dare you to watch that video and (1) not think of some sort of version of a League of something, and (2) not be humming the tuning and singing in French for the next 24 hours.
English translation of lyrics is here:
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Ici-les-Enfoires-Here-are-Dumbasses.html
As you can see, self-deprecation is not in short supply in this song.
Bonus: if we have to pay royalties, the money will go to a good cause.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Enfoirés
I would also not be opposed to doing a League podcast parody of the video.Report
i love all of these ideas. this video should autoplay on the home page at all times.
just constant loop of awesomeReport
My first thought was Liam Linch, United States of Whatever.
Then the logo made me think of Well Respected Man.
Then I figured Fugazi’s Waiting Room should be somebody’s theme song.Report
I kind of like the Kinks idea.
We could also use this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-JKWDC6fDs
Goes with the dandy bowler hat look…Report
I definitely see The Kinks working, with the bowler hat and the air of sophistication. Well Respected Man has a great title, The Village Green Preservation Society kind of fits the mood, but Do It Again has maybe the most fitting lyrics:
Standing in the
Middle of nowhere
Wondering how to begin
Lost between tomorrow
And yesterday
Between now and then
And now we’re back
Where we started
Here we go round again
Day after day
I get up and I say
I better do it againReport
just so long as it is NOT this
http://youtu.be/8V2K8HxUlLwReport
How about the theme to the Batman tv show. Nanananananannan, BatmanReport
The League always did remind me a bit of Millwall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coUd-AaLkjQReport
1. Blowin in the Wind because the wind is like the internets.
2. Ride Like the Wind, keeping to my wind theme, because I rather fancy some of you view the league as ordinary gentlemen, and so slightly dangerous.
3. Wild is the Wind, because love of a blog is like loving the wind. Now just bring on the Mandolins.Report
Moderation blues again.
Three links is not too much for a barfight, no?Report
What about A Mighty Wind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVh0Iq_85aw&feature=player_detailpage
and Idiot Wind?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEgRizWQnuI
(quick before Dylan’s company takes it down)Report
There’s always that ditty about beans beans the magical fruit, too.Report
And the bean song goes up to 11.Report
OK, I’ll trade some gold-pooping bacteria for a vote on one of the songs in my comment stuck in moderation.Report
+1 for one of your songs (I don’t know what they are, so I’m going to guess at least one of them is this). Where’s my bacteria?Report
I’ll vote that one up. If we’ve got to be gentlemen, and ordinary ones at that, we deserve a Major General. But I refuse to be one of the girls in a production of the League video, Chris. I get to carry a gun, too. And a sword. And I get to use them.
The bacteria are at the link above, you may go there and collect your payment from the University of Michigan’s website.Report
I considered this or this. For the second one, at least, you could definitely carry a gun.Report
+1 on #2.
My #1 pick.Report
I just recently decided on my recommended super group. I think I am thinking so hard on these that I don’t come up with an answer until everyone else is long gone.
That said, I am going to go out on a limb by saying that I know the perfect theme song to the League. Problem is it is a song that absolutely nobody knows. Indeed it was a bonus track on the British release of an album by Snow Patrol.
The song is Warmer Climate, and all I can say about it is that every time I hear the song I thing of the discussions at the league. It is an introspective aong about philosophy and the meaning of life and the nature and costs of progress. Or maybe it is about none of these.
Listen to it if you can find it.
Warmer Climate by Snow Patrol.Report
Spanish Bombs by the Clash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-qcy0-7ngw
Largely because I think this is a great song to go down with, guns blaring and all.
Won’t Get Fooled Again by the Who:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6-wG5LLqEReport
Though can anyone really argue with this song. I mean haven’t we all been there at one time in our lives or another:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixqbc7X2NQYReport
By virtue of the chorus, this song is ALREADY the LOOG theme song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPaBjtQLCxI&feature=player_detailpageReport
plus it’s funkyReport
for purposes of official entry: SHOW ME YOUR SOUL by Red Hot Chili PeppersReport
Official +1Report
+1Report
Don’t be silly. Carol Brady was a scandalized divorcee who convinced a closeted gay man to marry her so that they might both escape the prudish judgement of their bigoted 1960s neighbors. Carol’s husband (one Mr. Martin) was a violent alcoholic and womanizer, and was very much alive when the show began (Though he’s bludgeoned to death in between seasons 3 and 4 by Greg Brady in an act of justifiable self defense).Report
Oh the show would have been so much more interesting if that was the case…Report
i utterly love this question. not sure i will have a chance to participate as i am recovering from several weeks of delightful ruckus – last night i slept for 11 hours, and the plan for the weekend involves more sleep and a tiny bit of more ruckus.
but even if i don’t get here by Saturday, i will be coming back and appreciating it in retrospect :D.Report
I was thinking Why Can’t We Be Friends, by WarReport
+1.Report
Plus 2Report
Life During Wartime, by The Talking Heads
Mr. Bad Example, by Warren ZevonReport
Champagne super
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3C7DECI0jUReport
No. Absolutely not. Negative 1000.Report
I’ll add another negative 1000. Remember that problem of evil post from a couple weeks ago? Instead of sickle cell anemia, it could have used the existence of Oasis.Report
Aw, the first two records aren’t bad. Derivative to the point of plagiarism, sure, but melodic and well-crafted all the same. And Noel is a pretty funny, level-headed guy; unpretentious, fully aware of his debts and luck and proper place in the scheme of things.
His brother Liam is a total tool though.Report
Obviously.Report
Hah… +1Report
Not exactly an anthem but here’s a piece I’ve come to identify with LoOG.Report
My man!
Love that whole album.Report
“Lack of Communication”, Ratt.Report
Dangit, just seeing the word “Ratt” was enough to get “Round & Round” stuck in my head. It’s insidiously catchy.Report
Round and Round might work as well.Report
Or “The Song That Never Ends”.Report
My nomination is “In Context” by Field Music. Pretty cool video here:
http://youtu.be/DBqx9Tpmj-UReport