Playback, January 29

FrankC · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:27 am

poman wrote:

I forgot to write down the question, but it was something like...

They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul" is a song about a __________:

1. Radio
2. Kite
3. Toy Car
4. Nightlight
5. Stuffed Animal

A: (Nightlight)

God help me, but that was one of three questions I actually knew the answer to. As usual with Playback I just push the buttons that Sidave and Botnst tell me too. My Nerdy Sons turned me on to They Might be Giants years ago.

BGTUNA · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:21 am

tarheelinlax wrote:

Wow. I didn't get a chance to play, but I am a huge TMBG fan and had no idea what that song is about. I didn't think many of their songs were about anything in particular.

Christina/HEELAX

I think this quote pretty much says it all!

tchoiniere · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:16 pm

FrankC wrote:

poman wrote:

I forgot to write down the question, but it was something like...

They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul" is a song about a __________:

1. Radio
2. Kite
3. Toy Car
4. Nightlight
5. Stuffed Animal

A: (Nightlight)

God help me, but that was one of three questions I actually knew the answer to. As usual with Playback I just push the buttons that Sidave and Botnst tell me too. My Nerdy Sons turned me on to They Might be Giants years ago.

Would have gotten that right on a wild guess.

spotes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:27 pm **Posts:** 1558

tarheelinlax wrote:

poman wrote:

I forgot to write down the question, but it was something like...

They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul" is a song about a __________:

1. Radio
2. Kite
3. Toy Car
4. Nightlight
5. Stuffed Animal

A: (Nightlight)

Wow. I didn't get a chance to play, but I am a huge TMBG fan and had no idea what that song is about. I didn't think many of their songs were about anything in particular.

Christina/HEELAX

How could you be a huge TNBG fan and not know this song backwards and forwards?
It was off the album Flood for crying out loud with "Istanbul", "Particle Man", etc.
And it features one of the greatest pop lyrics in the history of music:

"There's a picture opposite me
of my primitive ancestry,
which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck-free.
And though I respect that a lot,
I'd be fired if that were my job,
after killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts."

This album sold over 10 million copies, if memory serves, so I don't know if this song counts as obscure or not...

But I'm afraid that it's time to admit that clark may have been accurate in his assessment...

clark · **Joined:** Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:28 pm **Posts:** 273

spotes wrote:

But I'm afraid that it's time to admit that clark may have been accurate in his assessment...

Hmmm, I knew it!! And we're just hitting the tip of the iceberg...

BTW, there were two They Might Be Giants questions and no Weird Al questions. Where's the justice?

tarheelinlax · **Posted:** Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:08 pm

spotes wrote:

tarheelinlax wrote:

poman wrote:

I forgot to write down the question, but it was something like...

They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul" is a song about a __________:

1. Radio
2. Kite
3. Toy Car
4. Nightlight
5. Stuffed Animal

A: (Nightlight)

Wow. I didn't get a chance to play, but I am a huge TMBG fan and had no idea what that song is about. I didn't think many of their songs were about anything in particular.

Christina/HEELAX

How could you be a huge TMBG fan and not know this song backwards and forwards?

I *do* know the song lyrics backwards and forwards and I didn't say I didn't know the song. I said I didn't know what the song was about. I just thought the lyrics were a lot of nonsense. Now that I really re-read the lyrics, I can see it being about a nightlight once I know that, but it's awfully abstract. And the dial-a-song version has a lot fewer references to light and nightlight.

I was just trying to make the point that this wasn't anything obvious to someone who even knew the song in question. The answer is still correct, but that was a tough one!

Christina/HEELAX

spotes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:27 pm **Posts:** 1558

tarheelinlax wrote:

I *do* know the song lyrics backwards and forwards and I didn't say I didn't know the song. I said I didn't know what the song was about. I just thought the lyrics were a lot of nonsense. Now that I really re-read the lyrics, I can see it being about a nightlight once I know that, but it's awfully abstract. And the dial-a-song version has a lot fewer references to light and nightlight.

I was just trying to make the point that this wasn't anything obvious to someone who even knew the song in question. The answer is still correct, but that was a tough one!

Christina/HEELAX

By "nonsense" I can only assume that you mean borderline genius. :mrgreen:

Hmmm...maybe Flansburgh and Linnell share a special nerd brain wavelength with me or something because I remember picking up on the night light thing the first time that I heard the song; which was immediately followed up by me wondering "who in the hell writes a song about being a night light?"

It sure is catchy, though.
Ah...the ol' TMBG Dial-a-Song...
are they still doing that shtick?

spotes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:27 pm **Posts:** 1558

clark wrote:

spotes wrote:

But I'm afraid that it's time to admit that clark may have been accurate in his assessment...

Hmmm, I knew it!! And we're just hitting the tip of the iceberg...

BTW, there were two They Might Be Giants questions and no Weird Al questions. Where's the justice?

Maybe they don't consider accordionists nerdy enough. Perhaps that also explains the dearth of questions about Myron Floren. (I can only assume that the loud typing sound I'm hearing is coming from folks reading this under the age of 60 who are googling "Myron Floren" right now...

)
My only hope is that we get a similar category when I'm in Ohio later this year so that I might actually be of assistance instead of taking everyone down a primrose path with some answer like, say, oh, I don't know, "Tommy Dorsey" or something...
NTN bat rastards

FrankC · **Posted:** Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:36 am

spotes wrote:

clark wrote:

spotes wrote:

But I'm afraid that it's time to admit that clark may have been accurate in his assessment...

Hmmm, I knew it!! And we're just hitting the tip of the iceberg...

BTW, there were two They Might Be Giants questions and no Weird Al questions. Where's the justice?

Maybe they don't consider accordionists nerdy enough. Perhaps that also explains the dearth of questions about Myron Floren. (I can only assume that the loud typing sound I'm hearing is coming from folks reading this under the age of 60 who are googling "Myron Floren" right now...

)
My only hope is that we get a similar category when I'm in Ohio later this year so that I might actually be of assistance instead of taking everyone down a primrose path with some answer like, say, oh, I don't know, "Tommy Dorsey" or something...

My mother told me she dated Myron Floren before she met my father..
NTN bat rastards

poman · **Joined:** Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:05 pm **Posts:** 1513

spotes wrote:

This album sold over 10 million copies, if memory serves, so I don't know if this song counts as obscure or not...

A little sensational journalism memory there? :lol:

The album has gone platinum, but They Might Be Giants haven't sold 10 million albums over their entire career, let alone for a single album.

spotes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:27 pm **Posts:** 1558

poman wrote:

spotes wrote:

This album sold over 10 million copies, if memory serves, so I don't know if this song counts as obscure or not...

A little sensational journalism memory there? :lol:

The album has gone platinum, but They Might Be Giants haven't sold 10 million albums over their entire career, let alone for a single album.

Dadgummit! You're right.
That should be "1 million copies" not 10.
Maybe they're looking for a new PR manager...

New Scaratings

Playback, January 29

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