Fantastic Song

[Vulture]

Does it improve with age?

Tarquin, I'm one of the oldest and the answer's No.

[Roger Kettle]

It's not just noise, it's pretentious twaddle as well.

What he said. Nothing like throwing in a few quotes from Jesus to get the old feet tapping.

[The Peepmaster]

Let he who costs the first Beau Peep book, laugh last!

[Mince]

What was wrong with The Wombles?

There's nothing wrong with them. They're great.

(I've correctly capitalised the name.)

You mean the name of the programme.

Mike Batt was/is one of the genius songwriters of these times.

I can't agree more. I actually did not know he wrote Bright Eyes, even though I know and love the song and absolutely adore the film.

[Mince]

It's not just noise, it's pretentious twaddle as well.

What he said. Nothing like throwing in a few quotes from Jesus to get the old feet tapping.

The song was nominated for a Grammy Award and is listed in the The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.

As for Gilbert's "and eating snow flakes as opposed to those flakes", what is he on about? Cornflakes? Flakes of skin?

And as for "hands up those who do hands up those who don't I see well in that case", I'd comment on them if I hadn't actually fallen asleep by that point.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Well there you go then - you don't get any chance to fall asleep during your Grammy Award winning song. So, what number did it come in on the 'The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born' list, and just how many kindergartens were surveyed for that one?

[Mince]

Well there you go then - you don't get any chance to fall asleep during your Grammy Award winning song.

I didn't say it won. I said it was nominated. The band did not win until a few years later with another song. And is that how you like your songs? You want them to give you a chance to fall asleep.

So, what number did it come in on the 'The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born' list

About 400.

So, what number did it come in on the 'The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born' list, and just how many kindergartens were surveyed for that one?

Nice straw man. I'm sure Gilbert was in the top 500 when you were in kindergarten, and I'm sure Johnny Ray and Frankie Laine wrote songs to fall asleep to at that time. Kindergartens are needed if only so we don't spend eternity listening to Gilbert.

[Roger Kettle]

As always with these things, we get back to the old cliche about personal taste. Actually, Mince, there were parts of your song that I quite liked but I simply couldn't get past the laughable lyrics. I hate when pseudo-religious tosh is stuck into pop songs in an attempt to lend some seriousness. Maybe it's all meant to be tongue in cheek but, if so, I don't get the joke either.

[Mince]

Actually, Mince, there were parts of your song that I quite liked

It grows on you with repeated listening, even the loud parts.

but I simply couldn't get past the laughable lyrics.

I guess my mistake was presenting a video in which the lyrics are written down, rather than the performance video.

In the performance video your focus is less on the words, which I must say sound pretentious even with the explanation (that we are judged when we die on who we are or what we do and not on what we have done before or would do after if we had not died).

So here it is (and you have to double click and go to YouTube):

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mdRd3k4CIAg


I first heard the song through this stupid video that features two clearly bored teenagers with too much time on their hands. I found the video funny and the song annoyingly loud, but at 1:00 in the song, when the chorus comes in, I was actually listening to the song and liking it.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HBRChmQtM-w

[Mince]

I am not a fan of the band and have none of their albums. As I said, I got into that one song through that silly video.

Not all their songs are loud, such as this one which I would like more if it did not have the double superlative "most loneliest", which really irritates me.

(Again you need to double click and go to YouTube.)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YS6VA96yLJg

[Mince]

I hate when pseudo-religious tosh is stuck into pop songs in an attempt to lend some seriousness.

Oooh, you've got me going now!

I would say the same about Gilbert's cliched "When I'm drinking my Bonaparte Shandy Eating more than enough apple pies Will I glance at my screen and see real human beings starve to death Right in front of my eyes".

I got into that song on this site. The first listening left me distinctly unimpressed, but by the third, I had to admit I liked it.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

I hate when pseudo-religious tosh is stuck into pop songs in an attempt to lend some seriousness.

Oooh, you've got me going now!

I would say the same about Gilbert's cliched "When I'm drinking my Bonaparte Shandy Eating more than enough apple pies Will I glance at my screen and see real human beings starve to death Right in front of my eyes".

I got into that song on this site. The first listening left me distinctly unimpressed, but by the third, I had to admit I liked it.

I don't see nuthin' pseudo-religious about them lyrics what you quoted from Gilbert, but I is now seeing why you dislike 'em so much.

By the way, Gilbert has had at least four Grammy nominations, including three for one song alone (again, naturally).   

[Mince]

Has he won any of the nominations?

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Like he's bothered! 

[Mince]

Naturally he's not.