mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Wanted to turn you all on to a pretty cool site I discovered called SongFacts.com. Lots of in-depth trivia about your favorites, including this 10,000-word tome on The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” (That’s “Teenage Wasteland” to you and me.)
For instance, did you know that the name “Baba O’Riley” originates from two of the song’s influences; Meher Baba, the Iranian-Indian spiritual leader and Terry Riley, the American minimalist composer? (That would explain that rhythmic synth progression that runs through much of the song.)
Another interesting dip into the Web site brings up some cool factoids on “La Bamba.” Turns out, Ritchie Valens couldn’t speak Spanish yet this was his biggest hit!
I especially like the extensive, interactive element of the site, where users get to add their own two cents. Check it out now (the funk soul brother).
I discovered The Beatles’ River Rhine Tapes (they’re kind of alternate recordings from the filming of Let It Be) on the blogs recently, and I LOVE “Her Majesty.” I wanted to know more about it so I googled it, and I went to songfacts.com for the first time! This was last night, and now you blog about it.
I must say, though, that I learned more on the wikipedia entry on “Her Majesty” than on songfacts. “Her Majesty” is the shortest Beatles song ever, at 23 seconds. (My River Rhine version is about a minute longer.) Now YOU know!
posted by katie on 8-16-2007 at 7:34 am
Apparently the Gypsey Kings can’t speak Spanish either.
posted by DrewB on 8-16-2007 at 2:19 pm
I finally know what “two trailer park girls go ’round the outside” means. My quest is ended. Thank you, Mental Floss, for showing me the way of the world! (And how to waste even more time at work).
posted by Rebekah on 8-16-2007 at 2:32 pm
youre welcome rebekah! now tell the world what that lyric means, would you please????!
posted by David on 8-16-2007 at 2:46 pm
Ha! Barry Manilow didn’t write the song “I Write the Songs”, Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys did! Fun-E.
posted by Johnny Cat on 8-16-2007 at 4:47 pm
I’m SUCH a huge fan of Songfacts, I’ve always loved knowing the stories behind the songs. (Does anyone else miss VH1’s Storytellers? You know, one of the shows they played before they only played reality TV shows?)
My only beef is they never have the songs I want when I want them….
On a sidenote, this site led me to my other music favorite, Covers Project. You can search by band or song, and it lists all versions of the song or all covers of a certain band by other artists. (Cover songs are my guilty pleasure…)
posted by Lyssa on 8-16-2007 at 9:03 pm
Thanks for the kind words about Songfacts. We put a lot of work into the site and do our best to make it a valuable resource - I’m glad I’m not the only one who wondered where the “two trailer park girls” came from.
One of the best parts of the gig is speaking with the songwriters, who tend to be incredibly interesting people. Some of the full transcripts are online at www.songfacts.com/interviews. Be sure to check out how Paul Williams wrote the Love Boat theme.
posted by Carl on 8-18-2007 at 10:33 am
Sorry, I mangled the link. It should read:
www.songfacts.com/interviews.html
posted by Carl on 8-18-2007 at 12:44 pm
I love SongFacts.com. I’ve been a fan of it for years. This, and their sister site, ArtistFacts.com.
As you may probably be able to discover from the title, this is about musical artists, rather than songs.
posted by Anne on 8-18-2007 at 10:03 pm