🎙 Vocalization gimmick songs 🗣
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 :: Tagged under: arts culture pablolife. ⏰ 9 minutes.
The song for this post is, really, any of them here.
Last few posts have been Heavy Introspection, here's one for funzies. I listen more to the music and tones in songs than the lyrics, but there are songs where I love vocalization gimmicks. Something that requires a ton of practice to pull off. Here are a few; note that here my lack of expertise in hip-hop will be very apparent, they do amazing wild shit there but I just haven't listened to enough of it.
I challenge you to hit play, then follow along with the lyrics (right below the video, expand the dialog by tapping the triangle). Hit play again, try to sing along to it. Tell me how it goes 😛
Weird Al, Hardware Store.
This one doesn't hit until its B Section, with the "They've got…" section.
Lyrics
Nothin' ever (ever) happens in this town Feelin' low down (down), not a lot to do around here I thought that I would go right out of my mind Until a friend told me the news He said, "Hey, you know that vacant lot Right beside the gas station? Well, somebody bought it And on that spot they're gonna build a shop Where we can go buy bolts and screws" Since then I've been walking on air (air) I can barely brush my teeth or comb my hair 'Cause I'm so excited and I really don't care I've been waiting since last June For this day to finally arrive I'm so happy (happy) now just to be alive 'Cause any minute now I'm gonna be inside Well, I hope they open soon I can't wait, (no I) I can't wait (oh when) When are they gonna open up that door? I'm goin' (yes I'm) goin', I'm a-goin' to the Goin' to the (hard) ware I'm goin', really goin' to the Goin' (hard) I'm goin' to the (hard) oh yes, I'm goin' to the Hardware store In my sleeping bag I camped out overnight Right in front of the store, then as soon as it was light out I pressed my nose right up against the glass You know, I had to be first in line Gonna get me a flashlight and a broom Want a pair of pliers for every single room of my house See those hacksaws? Very, very soon One of them will be all mine Guys with nametags walking down the aisles Rows of garden hoses that go on for miles and miles Brand new socket wrenches in a plethora of styles All arranged alphabetically And they're doing a promotional stunt There's a great big purple sign out front That says every 27th customer Will get a ball peen hammer free I can't wait, (no I) I can't wait (oh when) When are they gonna open up that door? I'm goin' (yes I'm) goin', I'm a-goin' to the Goin' to the (hard) ware I'm goin', really goin' to the Goin' (hard) I'm goin' to the (hard) oh yes, I'm goin' to the Hardware store I'm goin' (yes I'm) goin', I'm a-goin' to the Goin' to the (hard) ware I'm goin', really goin' to the Goin' (hard) I'm goin' to the (hard) oh yes, I'm goin' to the Hardware store They've got allen wrenches, gerbil feeders, toilet seats, electric heaters Trash compactors, juice extractor, shower rods and water meters Walkie-talkies, copper wires safety goggles, radial tires BB pellets, rubber mallets, fans and dehumidifiers Picture hangers, paper cutters, waffle irons, window shutters Paint removers, window louvres, masking tape and plastic gutters Kitchen faucets, folding tables, weather stripping, jumper cables Hooks and tackle, grout and spackle, power foggers, spoons and ladles Pesticides for fumigation, high-performance lubrication Metal roofing, water proofing, multi-purpose insulation Air compressors, brass connectors, wrecking chisels, smoke detectors Tire guages, hamster cages, thermostats and bug deflectors Trailer hitch demagnetizers, automatic circumcisers Tennis rackets, angle brackets, Duracells and Energizers Soffit panels, circuit brakers, vacuum cleaners, coffee makers Calculators, generators, matching salt and pepper shakers I can't wait, (no I) I can't wait (oh when) When are they gonna open the door? I'm goin' (yes I'm) goin', I'm a-goin' to the Goin' to the (hard) ware I'm goin', really goin' to the Goin' (hard) I'm goin' to the (hard) oh yes, I'm goin' to the Hardware store I'm goin' (yes I'm) goin', I'm a-goin' to the Goin' to the (hard) ware I'm goin', really goin' to the Goin' (hard) I'm goin' to the (hard) oh yes, I'm goin' to the Hardware store I'm goin' (yes I'm) goin', I'm a-goin' to the Goin' to the (hard) ware I'm goin', really goin' to the Goin' (hard) I'm goin' to the (hard) oh yes, I'm goin' to the Hardware store
Primus, Tommy the Cat.
I have a whole blog post in me on how Primus was one of the only things that got through to me as a jaded, depressed teenager in the early aughts. We were too young for grunge, so a lot of disaffected men of this time burrowed into Weird Loner identity (see the romantic leads of Garden State, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or Napoleon Dynamite).
While Primus's aesthetics are, uh, crass, there was actual virtuosity underneath it. The bass lines in tunes like Tommy the Cat or My Name is Mud slap (literally!) and I always dug the lyrics to this; I suppose my brain is broken because it's like poetry to me.
Lyrics
Well, I remember as it were a meal ago... Said Tommy the Cat as he reeled back to clear whatever foreign matter, May have nestled its way into his mighty throat. Many a fat alley rat had met its demise while staring point blank down, The cavernous barrel of this awesome prowling machine. Truly a wonder of nature this urban predator. Tommy the cat had many a story to tell But it was a rare occasion such as this that he did... "She came slidin' down the alleyway like butter drippin' off a hot biscuit. The aroma, the mean scent, was enough to arouse suspicion in even the, Oldest of Tigers that hung around the hot spot in those days. The sight was beyond belief. Many a head snapped for double - even triple - takes as this vivacious, Feline made her her way into the delta of the alleyway, Where the most virile of the young tabbies were known to hang out. They hung in droves. Such a multitude of masculinity could only be Found in one place... And that was O'Malley's Alley... The air was thick with cat calls (no pun intended), But not even a muscle in her neck did, twitch as she sauntered straight into the heart of the alleyway. She knew what she wanted... She was lookin' for that stud bull. She was looking for that THE cat. And that was me. Tommy the Cat is my name. And I say unto thee... 'Say baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby do you wanna lay down by my side? Ah baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby?...Say baby?' (Break) 'Say baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby do you wanna lay down by my side? Ah baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby?...Say baby?' 'Say baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby do you wanna lay down by my side? Ah baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say babababay?' 'Say baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby do you wanna lay down by my side? Ah baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby?...Say baby?'" 'Say baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby do you wanna lay down by my side? Ah baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby?...Say baby?'" 'Say baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby do you wanna lay down by my side? Ah baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby?...Say baby?'" 'Say baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby do you wanna lay down by my side? Ah baby do you wanna lay down with me? Say baby?... Say babyyyyyy!!!!???"
Steve Goodman, The Auctioneer.
My dad introduced me to Steve Goodman, and when I think about his work, I think it's a good model for what I'm after on the accordion: he plays a very eclectic mix of songs, some original and many covers, a mix of historical and contemporary, and they're all fun to listen to and sing along to.
Lyrics
Now there was a boy in Arkansas And he wouldn't listen to his ma When she told him that he ought to go to school He'd sneak away in the afternoon, And he'd take a little walk and pretty soon You'd find him at the local auction barn He'd stand and listen carefully Then pretty soon he began to see How the auctioneer could talk so rapidly He said, "Oh my it's do or die I've got to learn that auction cry Gotta make my mark and be an auctioneer" 25 dollar 30 now 30 dollar 30 dollar 30 dollar 30 dollar give me a hollar 30 dollar Who will bid it at a 35 dollar bid? 35 dollar 35 35 make it 35 and a 35 make it 35 and a 35 Who will bid it at a 35 dollar bid? Now time went on and he didn't rest And everybody saw that he didn't jest He practiced calling bids every night and day His daddy'd find him out behind the barn, He'd be workin up an awful storm He tried to imitate the auctioneer And dad said "Son we can't stand To have a mediocre man, Selling things at auction using our good name. Now I'll send you off to the auction school And then you'll be nobody's fool And you can take your place among the best" 35 dollar 40 now 40 dollar 40 dollar 40 dollar 40 dollar give me a hollar 40 dollar Who will bid it at at a 40 dollar bid? 40 dollar 45 45 will you make it 45 give me 45 and a 45 Who will bid it at a 45 dollar bid? From that boy that went to school There grew a man who played it cool And he came home a full fledged auctioneer See the people come from miles around What to hear him make that rhythmic sound That filled their hearts with such a happy cheer Then his fame reached out from shore to shore And he had all that he could do and more He had to buy a plane to get around Well he was the best in all the land And everybody gave that sucker a hand And he was the best hillybilly auctioneer 45 dollar 50 now 50 dollar 50 dollar 50 dollar 50 dollar give me a hollar 50 dollar Who will bid it at a 50 dollar bill? 50 dollar 55 55 make it 55 and a 55 make it 55 and I sold that hog for a 50 dollar bid
Randy Rogel, The Nations of the World.
I can actually sing this one from memory. I learned it after my HS Drama teacher Kerri Rambow suggested it as a vocal warmup.
Lyrics
United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama Haiti, Jamaica, Peru, Republic Dominican, Cuba, Carribean Greenland, El Salvador too. Puerto Rico, Columbia, Venezuela Honduras, Guyana, and still, Guatemala, Bolivia, then Argentina And Ecuador, Chile, Brazil. Costa Rica, Belize, Nicaragua, Bermuda Bahamas, Tobago, San Juan, Paraguay, Uruguay, Surinam And French Guiana, Barbados, and Guam. Norway, and Sweden, and Iceland, and Finland And Germany now one piece, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia Italy, Turkey, and Greece. Poland, Romania, Scotland, Albania Ireland, Russia, Oman, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia Hungary, Cyprus, Iraq, and Iran. There's Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan Both Yemens, Kuwait, and Bahrain, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Portugal France, England, Denmark, and Spain. India, Pakistan, Burma, Afghanistan Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan, Kampuchea, Malaysia, then Bangladesh (Asia) And China, Korea, Japan. Mongolia, Laos, and Tibet, Indonesia The Philippine Islands, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, New Guinea, Sumatra, New Zealand Then Borneo, and Vietnam. Tunisia, Morocco, Uganda, Angola Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Swaziland, Gambia Guinea, Algeria, Ghana. Burundi, Lesotho, and Malawi, Togo The Spanish Sahara is gone, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Liberia Egypt, Benin, and Gabon. Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya, and Mali Sierra Leone, and Algiers, Dahomey, Namibia, Senegal, Libya Cameroon, Congo, Zaire. Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar Rwanda, Mahore, and Cayman, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Yugoslavia… Crete, Mauritania Then Transylviania, Monaco, Liechtenstein Malta, and Palestine, Fiji, Australia, Sudan.
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