RationalWiki: The Musical

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I am offended

@Spud, I take exception to Spock's rendition of "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" being classified as 'not crapola', but to each their own. Is not Captain Kirk's rendition of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"[1] of equal quality? Bongolian (talk) 20:25, 28 February 2024 (UTC)

@Bongolian Well, I'm glad you don't seem to think anything else I've added is "crapola". (Apart, perhaps, from Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon". I can't imagine what your problem was with that, especially since you let his "Witchcraft" stay.) Spock's "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" is definitely silly. But it's supposed to be silly. It's also a bit of a grower. On the other hand, Kirk's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is just awful. And it stops being "so bad, it's funny" after a few seconds. To see if he got better over the years, I just listened to his cover of Pulp's "Common People"[2] and wish I hadn't! Spud (talk) 15:39, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

At least that Shatner Pulp cover had Joe Jackson to help carry it. :)

There are less silly songs that reference fantasy like Tolkien (e.g. Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On")[3]

Of course, if you want your high fantasy mixed with a little bit of that over-the-top / cheesy je nais se quoi, IMHO nothing beats the "power metal" genre's obsession with epic fantasy (particularly the European Helloween-inspired branch of this genre.) For instance, the power metal band Blind Guardian wrote an entire album based on Tolkien's The Silmarillion.[4] As with most "subgenre" type stuff like this, "your mileage may vary" considerably on whether or not you think it is awesome or crap. BobJohnson (talk) 18:16, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Yes, if one accepts Kirk's hamminess as a strength, then it's a classic. There's a radio station that once had an annual "Sore Throat Special" that would play failed attempts by actors not known for their singing abilities who made records. Both Kirk and Spock were always featured. Yeah, I don't like Sinatra — too much schmaltz. Astrud Gilberto's cover version of Fly Me to the Moon is superior in my view.[5] Bongolian (talk) 18:24, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Spinal Tap's Stonehenge

@Bongolian I don't mind, I'm just curious. Why did you change the version of "Stonehenge" I've posted a few months ago? GeeJayK^{Where all evil dwells} _{Where every lie is true} 14:48, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

I think it was because the YouTube video that you had put up was only showing audio when I looked at it.[6] Bongolian (talk) 17:10, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

Eastwood

@Spud, Is the idea of Clint Eastwood singing as bad as it sounds? I hesitate to listen. I imagine its down around Shatner's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Bongolian (talk) 16:38, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

@Bongolian Funnily enough, no. It's not that bad. He's a better singer than Captain Kirk. (Not that that's saying much.) Spud (talk) 16:54, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Controversial themes

For a matter of comparison, "Angel of Death" was possibly my most controversial contribution to this page, but I've been thinking about adding songs about suicide and child abuse too for a while, though I'm not sure I should. My rule of thumb since I created my first account on a Wiki when I was in middle school, almost 20 years ago, was "if you're not sure, don't add it". What do you guys think? GeeJayK^{Where all evil dwells} _{Where every lie is true} 13:27, 17 June 2024 (UTC)

@GeeJayK I think you gave yourself some very good advice 20 or so years ago. I really think adding songs about those topics would be a bad idea. In fact, how are songs about hurting children even allowed on YouTube? Oh, wait! I guess Suzanne Vega's "Luka" would count. Spud (talk) 14:09, 17 June 2024 (UTC)

Yep, I won't add them. Regarding your question, they are often released by mainstream labels (see for instance Korn's "Falling Away from Me", so YouTube tends to allow them despite the controversial lyrics. GeeJayK^{Where all evil dwells} _{Where every lie is true} 14:15, 17 June 2024 (UTC)

Just because there is a song about an article that doesn't mean it should be here. GeeJayK^{Where all evil dwells} _{Where every lie is true} 14:20, 17 June 2024 (UTC)

I added "Rape Me" by Nirvana, so I don't see why heavy topics can't be approached. Though one for "suicide" would need to be very particular so I would suggest discussions before adding any songs for that. Plutocow (talk) 00:00, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

I am still offended

Duran Duran is crapola (pop rock). Bongolian (talk) 15:42, 1 July 2024 (UTC)