AARoads Forum

What well known songs ('Hot 100' hits, tracks from popular albums, etc) can you think of where the lyrics were perfectly understandable, poignant, etc, when they were released but, due to the passing of time, now bordering on or fully absurd due to advances in technology?  An example, Sylvia's Mother (1972) by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show - about a guy who's desperately trying to contact a love interest before she disappears for good and having to constantly feed money into a pay phone while trying to convince her mother to put her on the line (and at a rate of $0.40 in 1972 money for three minutes of talk time?  YOWSAH!  :wow: )  Today, with Facebook, text, etc....

Any other good ones?

Mike

Party like it's 1999? 1999 was the future when the song was written. Now it's the past.

It's only one line in the song, but Santa Baby mentions "a '54 convertible". The song was written in 1953. It became obsolete when a car dated 1954 was not considered new anymore... and now it's not obsolete anymore, as a 1954 car is now considered a classic.

Little Deuce Coupe....seriously how people even know that refers to the "Chevy II" part of Chevy Nova?  Not that I'm talking about even remotely new song, you just hear it played at 50s style diners, vintage TV shows and car shows...the only place it might be appropriate still.

There's a whole slew of songs which involves payphones in some way, but I'm still surprised the song "Payphone" by Maroon 5 was released in 2012, which as we know payphones had been in full decline.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 07, 2016, 11:46:15 AM
Little Deuce Coupe....seriously how people even know that refers to the "Chevy II" part of Chevy Nova?  Not that I'm talking about even remotely new song, you just hear it played at 50s style diners, vintage TV shows and car shows...the only place it might be appropriate still.

I always thought a "deuce coupe" was a '32 Ford coupe.  It had not occurred to me that others might see it differently.  (Now I wonder if there are alternate interpretations of the expression "taking a deuce".)

Quote from: Rushmeister on July 07, 2016, 12:07:11 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 07, 2016, 11:46:15 AM
Little Deuce Coupe....seriously how people even know that refers to the "Chevy II" part of Chevy Nova?  Not that I'm talking about even remotely new song, you just hear it played at 50s style diners, vintage TV shows and car shows...the only place it might be appropriate still.

I always thought a "deuce coupe" was a '32 Ford coupe.  It had not occurred to me that others might see it differently.  (Now I wonder if there are alternate interpretations of the expression "taking a deuce".)

That is exactly what it is (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Deuce_Coupe#Title_and_cover_art).

Quote from: Rushmeister on July 07, 2016, 12:07:11 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 07, 2016, 11:46:15 AM
Little Deuce Coupe....seriously how people even know that refers to the "Chevy II" part of Chevy Nova?  Not that I'm talking about even remotely new song, you just hear it played at 50s style diners, vintage TV shows and car shows...the only place it might be appropriate still.

I always thought a "deuce coupe" was a '32 Ford coupe.  It had not occurred to me that others might see it differently.  (Now I wonder if there are alternate interpretations of the expression "taking a deuce".)

No shit, I guess that makes sense too.  Grew up with a bunch of Chevy plant workers and a comptroller who always insisted it meant the Chevy II (deuce) Nova with a small block V8 the operative "you don't know what I got."  Coupe of course because nobody wanted a sedan with performance back then.

Lennigrad by Billy Joel in his Storm Front Album is about a former Russian City.  Since the song was released Lenningrad is now renamed to St. Petersburg, its original name many decades prior, but not many young folks of today would not know that.

One line from Wilson Pickett's Mustang Sally makes reference to a brand new 1965 model.

Quote from: Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally"I bought you a brand new Mustang... a 1965.

Quote from: roadman65 on July 07, 2016, 01:15:38 PM
Lennigrad by Billy Joel in his Storm Front Album is about a former Russian City.  Since the song was released Lenningrad is now renamed to St. Petersburg, its original name many decades prior, but not many young folks of today would not know that.

Or who Lenin was, I'm starting to see kids wearing Lenie and Che Guvara shirts again.  I can't imagine they have any idea what they are wearing other than it's red.

"Winds of Change" by the Scorpions.

"Dialogue" by Chicago. Also "A Song For Richard and His Friends," which they continued to perform after Nixon resigned.

"Test For Echo" by Rush (makes reference to the O.J. Simpson trial)

Quote from: roadman65 on July 07, 2016, 01:15:38 PM
Lennigrad by Billy Joel in his Storm Front Album is about a former Russian City.  Since the song was released Lenningrad is now renamed to St. Petersburg, its original name many decades prior, but not many young folks of today would not know that.

The Rolling Stones' Sympathy For the Devil mentions St. Petersburg in retrospect (prior to the Russian Revolution) to the then-present Leningrad:

Quote from: Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil"Stood around St. Petersburg, when I saw it was time for a change.

Johnny Rivers' Secret Agent Man makes reference to Bombay (present-day Mumbai):

Quote from: Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent man"... and then laying in a Bombay alley next day.

From the 70s (& even 80s) and back; there were several songs that make reference to pay phone calls costing only a dime.

Speaking of phone references; the Marvelettes Beechwood 4-5789 is a-now old-style phone number.

Lou Reed's Take A Walk On The Wild Side could now be considered either racist or politically incorrect by now days standards with that classic line "And the colored girls sing doo dah doo dah doo doo...."

A lot has changed over the years and if you even referred to a black person as being colored a young white person may end up asking you what does that mean?  In fact when I was growing up only Archie Bunker of All In The Family was the only other person besides my parents who used that term, as black was already established in pop and social culture.

Oldies songs from the '50s-'60s with references to the girl sitting at home or near a telephone waiting for the boyfriend to call them.

Queen's I'm In Love With my Car:  The line "Told my girl I had to forget her/Gotta buy me a new carburetor".  Most cars are fuel injected these days in lieu of carburetors.

Men At Work's Down Under also makes reference to Bombay "Dyin in a den in Bombay"

Jim Croce's "Operator" has him speaking on the line to an operator helping him place a long distance call, as does The Grateful Dead's song by the same name.  Also, Johnny Rivers (originally Chuck Berry) in "Memphis, Tennessee" calls information (does anyone under 60 still use directory assistance?) to find his little daughter in Memphis.

Media killed the radio star, which didn't happen. I don't know who sung that.

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 07, 2016, 05:37:02 PM
Media killed the radio star, which didn't happen. I don't know who sung that.

You're probably thinking of "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

"Here's a quarter....call sooooomeone whoooo caaaarrrres."

How about "The Letter" by The Box Tops:
"My baby, just wrote me a letter"

Who writes letters nowadays with email available? The Canada Post strike doesn't help either  :bigass:

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 06:13:41 PM
How about "The Letter" by The Box Tops:
"My baby, just wrote me a letter"

Who writes letters nowadays with email available? The Canada Post strike doesn't help either  :bigass:

The Beatles' "P.S. I Love You"
"As I write this letter..."

"Convoy" by C.W. McCall.

"Breaker One-Nine, this here's the Rubber Duck..." -- show me a kid today who has any idea what that means.

"Supersonic Rocket Ship" by the Kinks is "obsolete" for now since neither supersonic passenger aircraft (Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144) is still flying, but hopefully the song will become "current" again in the future. Ray Davies said Concorde inspired the song. This is an example of technology going backwards rather than advancing.

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 06:13:41 PM
How about "The Letter" by The Box Tops:
"My baby, just wrote me a letter"

Who writes letters nowadays with email available?

And what's a "fast train" that he doesn't have time for?

"Hey, Western Union Man" by Jerry Butler and "Western Union" by the Five Americans both refer to telegrams, which are now obsolete, even in developing countries.

"All Summer Long" by the Beach Boys might not be "obsolete," but one of the lyrics definitely means something very different to today's listener than it did in the 1960s:

"T-shirts, cutoffs, and a pair of thongs ...."

---

Another that occurred to me after MASN aired a commercial involving Samuel L. Jackson:

Rupert Holmes's "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" is somewhat obsolete with its references to the singer reading the personal ads in the newspaper and then writing to the paper to take out his own personal ad. Nowadays that would all be on some dating website.

(That song occurred to me because I thought of the ad that ran during the NCAA Tournament with Jackson, Charles Barkley, and Spike Lee singing that song.)

Just thought of another one: "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits
"We gotta move these colour TV's"

Nowadays it would be HDTV's, or maybe even 4KTV's  :sombrero:

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 10:27:03 PM
Just thought of another one: "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits
"We gotta move these colour TV's"

Nowadays it would be HDTV's, or maybe even 4KTV's  :sombrero:

The reference in the same song to "the little faggot with the earring and the makeup" would probably confuse some younger listeners who would never have found it odd for a male to wear an earring nor associated such with being homosexual.

Quote from: SidS1045 on July 07, 2016, 09:26:35 PM
"Hey, Western Union Man" by Jerry Butler and "Western Union" by the Five Americans both refer to telegrams, which are now obsolete, even in developing countries.

In Australia flip flops are still thongs

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 07, 2016, 09:32:27 PM
"All Summer Long" by the Beach Boys might not be "obsolete," but one of the lyrics definitely means something very different to today's listener than it did in the 1960s:

"T-shirts, cutoffs, and a pair of thongs ...."

---

Another that occurred to me after MASN aired a commercial involving Samuel L. Jackson:

Rupert Holmes's "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" is somewhat obsolete with its references to the singer reading the personal ads in the newspaper and then writing to the paper to take out his own personal ad. Nowadays that would all be on some dating website.

(That song occurred to me because I thought of the ad that ran during the NCAA Tournament with Jackson, Charles Barkley, and Spike Lee singing that song.)

With the advent of mandatory 10 digit dialing and overlays, '867-5309/Jenny' needs to be updated to include the area code.

Weird Al's "It's All About the Pentiums" is dated in several ways, not the least of which being that Intel's Pentium line of processors was discontinued years ago.

Also of note is the singer saying he "ain't afraid of Y2K" (the song is from 1999), and the line "In a 32 bit world you're a 2 bit user, you've got your own newsgroup alt.total.loser" (it's a 64 bit world nowadays, and who still uses newsgroups?).

Perhaps most amusingly though, is the fact that the singer's assertion that he has "100 gigabytes of RAM" remains nearly as absurd today as it was 17 years ago.

I Love Rock N' Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "I love rock n' roll, so put another dime in the jukebox, baby"

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 06:06:01 PM
You're probably thinking of "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

Thanks. And this one also goes on Misheard song lyrics, as I swear I heard 'media' instead of 'video'.

Quote from: Duke87 on July 08, 2016, 12:23:32 AM
Perhaps most amusingly though, is the fact that the singer's assertion that he has "100 gigabytes of RAM" remains nearly as absurd today as it was 17 years ago.

Not as absurd as you might think: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2923033/ram-for-the-rich-and-nerdy-128gb-ddr4-memory-kits-become-reality.html
Though it only works on Xeon processors, so not really for the high-end consumer market, I guess.

Frank Sinatra's song "Come Fly With Me":
"There's a bar in far Bombay"

It will always be Bombay to me.

I think any song that mentions things that are no longer manufactured can be considered obsolete. One prominent example is In My Merry Oldsmobile, which refers to a car that was last made in 2004; another is that GTO song, as both the namesake Pontiac car and the manufacturer itself are also now things of the past.

A couple more:

- Nikita (1985) by Elton John - about a Western Iron Curtain border guard's lust for a hot East German/Soviet border guard and all of the song's other late Cold War references.

- See You In September (1966) by The Happenings - about the then universal worry that your (especially non-local) high school/university flame will or will not still be 'available' at the end of summer break back when the only way to keep in touch was via the Post Office or *expensive* phone calls, nonsensical with today's comm tech.

Mike

Back in the USSR (http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=147), the Beatles

Quote from: mgk920 on July 08, 2016, 10:27:50 AM- See You In September (1966) by The Happenings - about the then universal worry that your (especially non-local) high school/university flame will or will not still be 'available' at the end of summer break back when the only way to keep in touch was via the Post Office or *expensive* phone calls, nonsensical with today's comm tech.

FWIW, that song was originally done by The Tempos circa 1959.

Quote from: andrewkbrown on July 07, 2016, 04:40:06 PM
Oldies songs from the '50s-'60s with references to the girl sitting at home or near a telephone waiting for the boyfriend to call them.

Even songs from the late 80s (Heart's Alone for example) makes reference to such; although in that case, its the girl calling the guy.

Quote from: Heart "Alone"I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone

Quote from: Henry on July 08, 2016, 10:16:34 AM
I think any song that mentions things that are no longer manufactured can be considered obsolete.

In "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow, she refers to people driving those "shiny Datsuns and Buicks".  The Datsun marque was retired in favor of Nissan -- several years before this song was released, actually.  I remember reading that Nissan never got near the level of brand-recognition as Datsun.  (NB - the Datsun name was revived a few years ago, but not for the U.S. market.)

I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. At the age of 37, I don't know half of what's in this song, but someone who's half my age probably doesn't know anything in this song.

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm)

Quote from: 8.Lug on July 08, 2016, 04:24:48 PM
I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. At the age of 37, I don't know half of what's in this song, but someone who's half my age probably doesn't know anything in this song.

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm)

I know at least half of the things mentioned in the song. More on the historical side than on the cultural side.

I would say the lyric "Shake it like a Polaroid Picture" from "Hey Ya!" by Outkast, but "Out of the Woods" by Taylor Swift from her latest album 1989 has the lyric "You took a Polaroid of us" in the first verse.

Asia--"Heat of the Moment ".  "And now you find yourself in '82..."

How about 409?  Not many people even really remember the 409CI Impala much less care given the higher popularity of 1960s Muscle Cars.  I suppose if someone gets creative it could have a dual meaning for Formula 409 for those household cleaning needs.  :rolleyes:

Quote from: 8.Lug on July 08, 2016, 04:24:48 PM
I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. At the age of 37, I don't know half of what's in this song, but someone who's half my age probably doesn't know anything in this song.

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm)

See I wouldn't say anything in that song is "obsolete" since it is naming historical events chronologically from the mid-40s through the 80s. It no longer ends in the present as it did when it was released, but every event described still happened as it is described. No one revised history.  ;-)

Quote from: Duke87 on July 09, 2016, 11:24:56 AM

Quote from: 8.Lug on July 08, 2016, 04:24:48 PM
I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. At the age of 37, I don't know half of what's in this song, but someone who's half my age probably doesn't know anything in this song.

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm)

See I wouldn't say anything in that song is "obsolete" since it is naming historical events chronologically from the mid-40s through the 80s. It no longer ends in the present as it did when it was released, but every event described still happened as it is described. No one revised history.  ;-)

Does the Bill of Rights count as revised history (the amendment about bearing arms  commonly omits "in militia" at the end.)?

What does that have to do with that song, unless you construe Bernie Goetz as a reference to bearing arms? BTW, "A well-regulated militia" are the first words in the Second Amendment, not the final words.

Quote from: amroad17 on July 08, 2016, 08:12:58 PM
Asia--"Heat of the Moment ".  "And now you find yourself in '82..."

When Greg Lake briefly fronted Asia in 1983 for some live shows in Japan he changed the line to "And now you find yourself in 83, the disco hotspots hold no charm for me."

Quote from: noelbotevera on July 08, 2016, 04:45:05 PM

Quote from: 8.Lug on July 08, 2016, 04:24:48 PM
I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. At the age of 37, I don't know half of what's in this song, but someone who's half my age probably doesn't know anything in this song.

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm)

I know at least half of the things mentioned in the song. More on the historical side than on the cultural side.

It is chronological from the early 1950s into the then current early 1980s.

Mike

Quote from: mgk920 on July 09, 2016, 05:24:15 PM

Quote from: noelbotevera on July 08, 2016, 04:45:05 PM

Quote from: 8.Lug on July 08, 2016, 04:24:48 PM
I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. At the age of 37, I don't know half of what's in this song, but someone who's half my age probably doesn't know anything in this song.

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm)

I know at least half of the things mentioned in the song. More on the historical side than on the cultural side.

It is chronological from the early 1950s into the then current early 1980s.

Mike

1989, actually. "China's under martial law" refers to Tiananmen Square. The massacre there occurred on June 4, 1989.

Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl..."..with a transistor radio"
Kathy Mattea's "455 Rocket" "what kind of piece of sshhhChevelle is this?"

The song actually is only in chronological order until 1963 ("JFK Blown Away, What More Do I Have to Say?"). The 1964-1989 events are out of order after that.

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 07, 2016, 10:34:19 PM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 10:27:03 PM
The reference in the same song to "the little faggot with the earring and the makeup" would probably confuse some younger listeners who would never have found it odd for a male to wear an earring nor associated such with being homosexual.

There were, in my mind, two possibilities as to whom Mark Knopfler was referring in that song. One was Boy George, but I can't remember who the other one was.

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" by Steely Dan
"Don't Lose My Number" by Phil Collins

Nowadays, you just enter someone's number in your smartphone and that's that.  More likely, you'll ask for their e-mail anyway.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 10, 2016, 02:27:08 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 07, 2016, 10:34:19 PM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 10:27:03 PM
The reference in the same song to "the little faggot with the earring and the makeup" would probably confuse some younger listeners who would never have found it odd for a male to wear an earring nor associated such with being homosexual.

There were, in my mind, two possibilities as to whom Mark Knopfler was referring in that song. One was Boy George, but I can't remember who the other one was.

I read once he was talking about the hair bands.


iPad

J. Geil's "Centerfold".

Who buys pictures of naked ladies printed out on dead trees anymore?

The idea behind the song would still work with a contemporary story about discovering "Angel" online.

SHOUT by Tears for fears, Promises Promises by Naked Eyes, Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for fears these songs managed to last over 30 years and still true today.

1958's Beep-Beep by the Playmates talks about a little Nash Rambler chasing a Cadillac.
Beep Beep (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDSk4zwjg5A)

Speaking of Cadillacs: in Johnny Cash's One Piece at a Time, the newest Cadillac part referenced is a '73 model.  The song's from 1976.
One Piece at a Time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWHniL8MyMM)

I'm surprised that nobody has yet mentioned Sammy Hagar's I Can't Drive 55 yet.
I Can't Drive 55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k)

Quote from: 1 on July 07, 2016, 11:16:38 AMParty like it's 1999? 1999 was the future when the song was written. Now it's the past.

Didn't stop Easyjet using Disco 2000 in their 20th anniversary ads (admittedly the song was released not long after Easyjet started up).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYyGhVllGfU

And also, Dec 31st 1999 was a big party - while it's the past, it's hard to top. If we'd had a bigger blow out/reason to blow out that was common to most of us, then sure, 1999 would be an obsolete reference, rather than one that goes over the heads of today's teenagers. It's more obscure than obsolete, though I'll grant it does sort of fit the OP's criteria.

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 08, 2016, 05:59:49 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 06:06:01 PMYou're probably thinking of "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

Thanks. And this one also goes on Misheard song lyrics, as I swear I heard 'media' instead of 'video'.

Not sure how it's obsolete - if anything, it's being written in '78 was ahead of its time - MTV aired it three years after that as its very first video and that channel is what ushered in the age where image was more important than musical talent - an age which is still with us (hence Beiber, 1D, Miley, etc) - and given their choice of first video, I'd imagine that was deliberate.

Quote from: PHLBOS on July 12, 2016, 11:17:49 AM

I'm surprised that nobody has yet mentioned Sammy Hagar's I Can't Drive 55 yet.
I Can't Drive 55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k)

He actually did a remake of that and upped the number to 65.

Probably this song from the movie, "The Brave Little Toaster", is rather outdated now with some of the stuff it features:

I don't think "I Can't Drive 55" is obsolete even with the NMSL gone. Come drive on the Beltway outside rush hour and you'll see nobody keeps it to 55 despite that being the speed limit on most of the road (the exception being the HO/T lanes, which are posted at 65).

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 12, 2016, 03:49:23 PM
I don't think "I Can't Drive 55" is obsolete even with the NMSL gone. Come drive on the Beltway outside rush hour and you'll see nobody keeps it to 55 despite that being the speed limit on most of the road (the exception being the HO/T lanes, which are posted at 65).

So true, I remember driving on I-80 near Chicago and getting passed doing 70 in the 55 zone. Why do they even bother with these stupid speed limits when no one follows them?

Quote from: 7/8 on July 12, 2016, 05:24:59 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 12, 2016, 03:49:23 PM
I don't think "I Can't Drive 55" is obsolete even with the NMSL gone. Come drive on the Beltway outside rush hour and you'll see nobody keeps it to 55 despite that being the speed limit on most of the road (the exception being the HO/T lanes, which are posted at 65).

So true, I remember driving on I-80 near Chicago and getting passed doing 70 in the 55 zone. Why do they even bother with these stupid speed limits when no one follows them?

Money.

A song that occurred to me yesterday: "Darlington County" by Bruce Springsteen, which contains the lyric "our pas each own one of the World Trade Centers," an obvious reference to the Twin Towers. He still plays the song live.

"Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?"
and
"Do you know the way to San Jose?"

Now you just enter it in Mapquest, Google Maps, or your GPS unit.

Quote from: lepidopteran on July 19, 2016, 06:36:32 PM
"Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?"
and
"Do you know the way to San Jose?"

Now you just enter it in Mapquest, Google Maps, or your GPS unit.

Depending on where you live in California getting San Jose is easier said than done....CA 152....ugh and ugh....seems to fit just fine into modern times to me.  :rolleyes:

Get your kicks on Route 66

Quote from: BamaZeus on July 20, 2016, 11:28:04 AM
Get your kicks on Route 66

Functionally yes....from a recreation stand point...no...  Lots of things to do and see still on what's left, signs or not it will always be US 66 for some of us.

"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago

QuoteAs I was walking down the street one day
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
On my watch

QuoteAnd I was walking down the street one day
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
Stopped cold dead

Nowadays, you would just check your cellphone :)

Quote from: 7/8 on July 20, 2016, 01:41:27 PM
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago

QuoteAs I was walking down the street one day
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
On my watch

QuoteAnd I was walking down the street one day
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
Stopped cold dead

Nowadays, you would just check your cellphone :)

Nope, I still wear a wristwatch and feel naked without it.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 21, 2016, 11:04:30 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 20, 2016, 01:41:27 PM
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago

QuoteAs I was walking down the street one day
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
On my watch

QuoteAnd I was walking down the street one day
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
Stopped cold dead

Nowadays, you would just check your cellphone :)

Nope, I still wear a wristwatch and feel naked without it.

I could've made this more clear. If your wristwatch happens to die, nowadays most people would check their cellphones for the time instead of asking someone else.

Quote from: 7/8 on July 21, 2016, 12:20:11 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on July 21, 2016, 11:04:30 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 20, 2016, 01:41:27 PM
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago

QuoteAs I was walking down the street one day
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
On my watch

QuoteAnd I was walking down the street one day
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
Stopped cold dead

Nowadays, you would just check your cellphone :)

Nope, I still wear a wristwatch and feel naked without it.

I could've made this more clear. If your wristwatch happens to die, nowadays most people would check their cellphones for the time instead of asking someone else.

I still ask someone else because I have no phone and rarely wear a wristwatch.

Quote from: noelbotevera on July 21, 2016, 02:25:56 PM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 21, 2016, 12:20:11 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on July 21, 2016, 11:04:30 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 20, 2016, 01:41:27 PM
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago

QuoteAs I was walking down the street one day
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
On my watch

QuoteAnd I was walking down the street one day
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
Stopped cold dead

Nowadays, you would just check your cellphone :)

Nope, I still wear a wristwatch and feel naked without it.

I could've made this more clear. If your wristwatch happens to die, nowadays most people would check their cellphones for the time instead of asking someone else.

I still ask someone else because I have no phone and rarely wear a wristwatch.

Aren't fit bits usually equipped with a clock?  Seems to fit the mold in regards to something wrist watch like which a lot of people are wearing now.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 10, 2016, 02:27:08 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 07, 2016, 10:34:19 PM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 10:27:03 PM
The reference in the same song to "the little faggot with the earring and the makeup" would probably confuse some younger listeners who would never have found it odd for a male to wear an earring nor associated such with being homosexual.

There were, in my mind, two possibilities as to whom Mark Knopfler was referring in that song. One was Boy George, but I can't remember who the other one was.

I've read that Mark Knopfler was shopping with his wife in an appliance store in New York City and all the TVs in the store were tuned to MTV. One of the store employees was complaining long and loud about how hard he had to work to sell microwave ovens and refrigerators for little pay while all the people on MTV were cavorting around with scantily-clad ladies in the music videos, getting their "money for nothing and their chicks for free." Mark heard this employee fussing and was so inspired to write a song about the incident that he actually borrowed a pen and paper from another store employee and started writing the tune right there in the store.

There's an obsolete song--MTV scarcely plays videos any more, if I recollect correctly.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 21, 2016, 05:58:46 PM
Aren't fit bits usually equipped with a clock?

Fitbits are for those who enjoy exercise.

If my dead body is found next to a jogging track or walking trail, rest assured that I was killed elsewhere and my corpse was dumped there.  :-D

Quote from: hbelkins on July 22, 2016, 11:49:46 AM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 21, 2016, 05:58:46 PM
Aren't fit bits usually equipped with a clock?

Fitbits are for those who enjoy exercise.

If my dead body is found next to a jogging track or walking trail, rest assured that I was killed elsewhere and my corpse was dumped there.  :-D

Funny...I usually try to avoid the clock on mine when I'm not timing a run.  I've been doing distance running for 20 plus years I used to plot out my routes with Google maps and did things the old fashioned way....check the microwave clock when I left and when I got back.  I get some mild amusement out of when people brag about walking 10,000 steps when they don't know that I've run marathon distance six times already.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 22, 2016, 11:49:46 AM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 21, 2016, 05:58:46 PM
Aren't fit bits usually equipped with a clock?

Fitbits are for those who enjoy exercise.

If my dead body is found next to a jogging track or walking trail, rest assured that I was killed elsewhere and my corpse was dumped there.  :-D

I always tell people that if you see me running, you better join me because something is chasing me.

But seriously, I thought that "Play It Again" by Luke Bryan was obsolete when it was released. The whole song relies on the protagonist hoping that a song comes on the radio again in order to make the girl that he's trying to impress happy. In 2010s America, he could've pulled out his smartphone, found the song on the music app of his choice and just played it for his love interest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUi926ses94.   

UHF song is obsolete because most people don't care what a UHF signal looks like although TV geeks will know this as Channels 14-83 in the Analog era of TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_u9R245EQ

Yes Al Yankovic- EBay song its interesting that he threw in lots of references that are now obsolete and dated such as Pet Rock, Shatner toupee?? :spin:  And yes the band he parodied is no longer relevant 20 years later.

UHF is where most digital TV stations are.  Unfortunately my UHF reception in my apartment is terrible; NBC and CBS are VHF in my area, and they come in loud and clear, but everything else is choppy if it comes it at all.  I don't even live that far from the transmitters, either.  Definitely not as good as analog.

"Ballad of Curtis Loew"--referring to searching for soda bottles to get some money.

Quote from: bing101 on July 23, 2016, 04:25:01 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUi926ses94.   

UHF song is obsolete because most people don't care what a UHF signal looks like although TV geeks will know this as Channels 14-83 in the Analog era of TV.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UHF_(film)
Even the Movie UHF would be obsolete by today's standards because back then Cable Access and UHF TV station was considered a good idea to do a startup operation is this was the 1970's and 1980's. However in Today's broadcasting industry its can you produce a Youtube show, and or Netflix, Vimeo, Crackle show and Daily Motion and make those videos top rated or in Youtube world Viral.

Lots of songs about waiting next to the phone for a call.. using quarters for calls ( ie Here's a Quarter Call Someone Who Cares)

In Hartford/New Haven, many saw CBS 3 and ABC 8 having the advantage being on VHF. Today, WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 of New Haven, still transmitting from the same Hamden site, uses channel 10 for their digital. I sometimes struggle to pick them up here in southern Hartford County. (Channel 3 uses channel 33, for those who cares.)

As for dated songs, I can think of two:

"Vienna Calling" from Falco (1986)
"Personally" from Karla Bonoff (1982)

Quote from: KEVIN_224 on July 24, 2016, 11:48:14 PM
In Hartford/New Haven, many saw CBS 3 and ABC 8 having the advantage being on VHF. Today, WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 of New Haven, still transmitting from the same Hamden site, uses channel 10 for their digital. I sometimes struggle to pick them up here in southern Hartford County. (Channel 3 uses channel 33, for those who cares.)

As for dated songs, I can think of two:

"Vienna Calling" from Falco (1986)
"Personally" from Karla Bonoff (1982)

Also, Electric Light Orchestra - Calling America (1986)
(dibs if you can identify the two cities in the satellite/aerial images at about 1:12 in the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn_XsOUC9s0
I got the second of the two, but the first escapes me.)

Mike

Quote from: vdeane on July 24, 2016, 06:27:56 PM
UHF is where most digital TV stations are.  Unfortunately my UHF reception in my apartment is terrible; NBC and CBS are VHF in my area, and they come in loud and clear, but everything else is choppy if it comes it at all.  I don't even live that far from the transmitters, either.  Definitely not as good as analog.

Our bedroom TVs have rabbit ears connected because we don't watch them enough to justify paying for DirecTV. We need both UHF and VHF in the DC area. So I don't consider a song about UHF "obsolete" at all.

Main interference issue for us arises if Reagan Airport is using the southern approach. Planes overhead sometimes interfere with the UHF signal.

How about newer songs that say "cell phone"? To me that's sort of obsolete cause we just call them phones now. A good example is in "Hotline Bling" by Drake, it says " you used to call me on my cell phone".

Quote from: Brian556 on July 25, 2016, 02:00:21 PM
How about newer songs that say "cell phone"? To me that's sort of obsolete cause we just call them phones now. A good example is in "Hotline Bling" by Drake, it says " you used to call me on my cell phone".

I actually say cell phone or telephone. It's because my family used a landline for many years up until 2015. I also never owned a phone.

The "Ripped Pants" song from Spongebob.

Quote from: OracleUsr on July 24, 2016, 09:30:40 PM
"Ballad of Curtis Loew"--referring to searching for soda bottles to get some money.

That's not really obsolete, but I don't think deposit has kept up with inflation. (Of course, you do have a few dopes who try to bring in thousands-of-dollars-worth of bottles from out of state.)

There are a few songs released in the 2000s that refer to iPods. Of course, these days, while the iPod is still an active product line, most people are more likely to have their music on their phone.

Quote from: 7/8 on July 21, 2016, 12:20:11 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on July 21, 2016, 11:04:30 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 20, 2016, 01:41:27 PM
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago

QuoteAs I was walking down the street one day
A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was
On my watch

QuoteAnd I was walking down the street one day
A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had
Stopped cold dead

Nowadays, you would just check your cellphone :)

Nope, I still wear a wristwatch and feel naked without it.

I could've made this more clear. If your wristwatch happens to die, nowadays most people would check their cellphones for the time instead of asking someone else.

I have to wear a watch because my job doesn't allow us to have our phones at our work stations (no pants pockets allowed). But a few times my watch stopped cold dead....and I just had to look at the taskbar on my computer.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 12, 2016, 02:23:07 PM

Quote from: PHLBOS on July 12, 2016, 11:17:49 AM

I'm surprised that nobody has yet mentioned Sammy Hagar's I Can't Drive 55 yet.
I Can't Drive 55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k)

He actually did a remake of that and upped the number to 65.

Of course, the section of road he got the ticket that inspired the song on is still 55 (I-87, Colonie, just south of the Twin Bridges).

I might only be 21, but I'm seeing some of my favorite songs on here. A few more:

-Miami 2017 (Billy Joel). About how New York City almost went bankrupt in the 70s.
-Ohio (CSNY). About Kent State shootings
-Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2). Bet many people don't know much about Bloody Sunday anymore.
-America (Simon and Garfunkel). References to taking the Greyhound bus and being able to smoke on it.
-Wind of Change (Scorpions). Already mentioned, but it's about the fall of the Soviet Union.
-Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel). Refers to the former European game show of the same name.
-Hip To Be Square (Huey Lewis and the News). Outdated slang.

Quote from: cl94 on July 28, 2016, 12:12:58 AM-Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2). Bet many people don't know much about Bloody Sunday anymore.

Outside the British Isles, sure - but not inside. That said, it happened 14 years before my birth, and I found out (or at least took notice) about it via the U2 song.

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 27, 2016, 11:52:21 PM
There are a few songs released in the 2000s that refer to iPods. Of course, these days, while the iPod is still an active product line, most people are more likely to have their music on their phone.

Probably the biggest hit of those songs was easily "Replay" by Iyaz.  I believe it peaked at number 2 on the Hot 100 in late 2009 or early 2010.

Quote from: 74/171FAN on July 28, 2016, 06:51:07 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 27, 2016, 11:52:21 PM
There are a few songs released in the 2000s that refer to iPods. Of course, these days, while the iPod is still an active product line, most people are more likely to have their music on their phone.

Probably the biggest hit of those songs was easily "Replay" by Iyaz.  I believe it peaked at number 2 on the Hot 100 in late 2009 or early 2010.

I haven't had an iPod of any form since I got a smartphone in 2012 (later than most my age) and neither have my siblings. Both the iPhone and Android have the capability to play music and, nowadays, a lot of people just use streaming services for everything.

Quote from: english si on July 12, 2016, 01:25:08 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 07, 2016, 11:16:38 AMParty like it's 1999? 1999 was the future when the song was written. Now it's the past.

Didn't stop Easyjet using Disco 2000 in their 20th anniversary ads (admittedly the song was released not long after Easyjet started up).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYyGhVllGfU

And also, Dec 31st 1999 was a big party - while it's the past, it's hard to top. If we'd had a bigger blow out/reason to blow out that was common to most of us, then sure, 1999 would be an obsolete reference, rather than one that goes over the heads of today's teenagers. It's more obscure than obsolete, though I'll grant it does sort of fit the OP's criteria.

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 08, 2016, 05:59:49 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 06:06:01 PMYou're probably thinking of "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

Thanks. And this one also goes on Misheard song lyrics, as I swear I heard 'media' instead of 'video'.

Not sure how it's obsolete - if anything, it's being written in '78 was ahead of its time - MTV aired it three years after that as its very first video and that channel is what ushered in the age where image was more important than musical talent - an age which is still with us (hence Beiber, 1D, Miley, etc) - and given their choice of first video, I'd imagine that was deliberate.

The song wasn't about music videos taking over.  It was about TV replacing radio (given the fact that it came out before music videos).  If everyone really thinks looooong in the past, people used to gather around the radio (you know the old pictures of the enormous radios) in the '40s and listen to "Guiding Light" or "As the World Turns" or "The Lone Ranger" or "Flash Gordon".  There was no TV, so that's what the family did.  By the late '70s, families were now routinely (routinely because, even though television had been around for a long time, just like anything else, it took decades for it to be really popular because it had to reach a time when it was affordable for everyone to have one) watching "All in the Family" or whatever in the evenings, and not turning the radio on like they used to. 

I always find it interesting when people try to find the meanings in things when they only look back as far as that (in this case) song was produced.

I agree, "Party like it's 1999" still has relevance because that was the celebrating of a new millennium (from December 31, 1999-January 1, 2000).   Since that time, none of the New Years parties have been any where close to that.

And mentioning past events in a song doesn't make it obsolete.  It makes it obsolete when the narrator of a song says "I am going to do ________" (present tense) and that blank is something we don't do anymore or haven't done in a very long time.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 12:09:24 PM
I might only be 21, but I'm seeing some of my favorite songs on here. A few more:

-Miami 2017 (Billy Joel). About how New York City almost went bankrupt in the 70s.

Because it happened in the past, doesn't make it obsolete.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 12:09:24 PM
-Ohio (CSNY). About Kent State shootings

Again, it was a historical event.  Last I checked, the shooting of the 4 people at Kent State still happened.  I could write a song today about the American Civil War, but that doesn't make it obsolete, just historically accurate.  I think you are getting "something that happened in the past" confused with "obsolete".  Now if Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young said "four dead in Ohio, and now I am going to call someone on a payphone right now and tell someone about it, and if they don't answer I will leave them a message on their answering machine (which didn't exist in 1970, but that's not the point)" that that would classify as obsolete.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 12:09:24 PM
-Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2). Bet many people don't know much about Bloody Sunday anymore.

Again, a historical event.  See above.  The fact it happened in the past, doesn't make it not happen.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 12:09:24 PM
-America (Simon and Garfunkel). References to taking the Greyhound bus and being able to smoke on it.

Now that's more like it, since you can't smoke....anywhere anymore.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 12:09:24 PM
-Wind of Change (Scorpions). Already mentioned, but it's about the fall of the Soviet Union.

More along the lines, but the fall of the USSR still happened, but it is written while it is actually happening so it works.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 12:09:24 PM
-Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel). Refers to the former European game show of the same name.

Works

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 12:09:24 PM
-Hip To Be Square (Huey Lewis and the News). Outdated slang.

That works because like you said, the slang doesn't make any sense anymore, but the point of the song is actually more true now than then, because with today's hipsters, they think they are so cool by smoking a pipe, writing a book on a typewriter while wearing their horned rimed glasses. 

I got four from Jackson Browne:

"Lawyers in Love" has the line "and I hear the USSR will be open soon, as vacation land for lawyers in love."  Written about something that happened, but from a point of view of pre- Fall of the Soviet Union, so it makes no sense when sung now.

"Lives in the Balance" is about US foreign relations during "Reganomics", but spoken first person as it is going on, so it is obsolete.  But, it really is vague enough for it to be about our current foreign relations in the US.

"The Load-Out" has the line "we have, Country and Western on the bus, R&B.  We've got disco, and 8-tracks and cassettes and stereo."  Where 8-tracks and cassettes are all officially obsolete, stereo, which is splitting sound into 2 channels, is still every much alive, but the 1977 definition was more of the speaker setup, and not the actually technical definition of stereo (which today is digital surround sound).  You can even argue that the musical types are obsolete.  Country and Western is really old country, where today's country is a mixture of bad pop and bad rock and sounds nothing like country, except a 2 second recording of a fiddle mixed in and an occasional reference to Georgia, or drinking beer.  What people call R&B is more hip-hop, and not true R&B, and of course disco definitely died in 1979 at Comiskey Park

"Daddy's Tune" has the line, "make room for my 45s along beside your 78s." making it seam like his dad was so out of touch he was still (in 1977) listening to 78s, but despite that he wanted his "updated technology" to go beside his father's ancient technology.  So it's a reference about something being obsolete, and something being current when now they are both obsolete.  Funny thing is, now when the song is sung, it's take my ancient technology and put it with your even more ancient technology, and neither one makes sense to you people now.


Honorary mention, I love Warren Zevon's "Mohammed's Radio"  with the line, "work all day, still can't pay the price of gasoline.."  Althing the song was written about inflation and the oil embargo in the 1970s, and that line really doesn't mean anything anymore for what it was written about, now the line is actually more true.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 11:32:51 AM

Quote from: english si on July 12, 2016, 01:25:08 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 07, 2016, 11:16:38 AMParty like it's 1999? 1999 was the future when the song was written. Now it's the past.

Didn't stop Easyjet using Disco 2000 in their 20th anniversary ads (admittedly the song was released not long after Easyjet started up).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYyGhVllGfU

And also, Dec 31st 1999 was a big party - while it's the past, it's hard to top. If we'd had a bigger blow out/reason to blow out that was common to most of us, then sure, 1999 would be an obsolete reference, rather than one that goes over the heads of today's teenagers. It's more obscure than obsolete, though I'll grant it does sort of fit the OP's criteria.

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 08, 2016, 05:59:49 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 06:06:01 PMYou're probably thinking of "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

Thanks. And this one also goes on Misheard song lyrics, as I swear I heard 'media' instead of 'video'.

Not sure how it's obsolete - if anything, it's being written in '78 was ahead of its time - MTV aired it three years after that as its very first video and that channel is what ushered in the age where image was more important than musical talent - an age which is still with us (hence Beiber, 1D, Miley, etc) - and given their choice of first video, I'd imagine that was deliberate.

The song wasn't about music videos taking over.  It was about TV replacing radio (given the fact that it came out before music videos).  If everyone really thinks looooong in the past, people used to gather around the radio (you know the old pictures of the enormous radios) in the '40s and listen to "Guiding Light" or "As the World Turns" or "The Lone Ranger" or "Flash Gordon".  There was no TV, so that's what the family did.  By the late '70s, families were now routinely (routinely because, even though television had been around for a long time, just like anything else, it took decades for it to be really popular because it had to reach a time when it was affordable for everyone to have one) watching "All in the Family" or whatever in the evenings, and not turning the radio on like they used to. 

I always find it interesting when people try to find the meanings in things when they only look back as far as that (in this case) song was produced.

I agree, "Party like it's 1999" still has relevance because that was the celebrating of a new millennium (from December 31, 1999-January 1, 2000).   Since that time, none of the New Years parties have been any where close to that.

And mentioning past events in a song doesn't make it obsolete.  It makes it obsolete when the narrator of a song says "I am going to do ________" (present tense) and that blank is something we don't do anymore or haven't done in a very long time.

No, Party Like It's 1999 is an anti-war song criticizing the Reagan administration. Basically, he's saying everyone has a bomb and we should party now because we could be killed at any time.

Quote from: cl94 on July 28, 2016, 12:38:34 PM

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 28, 2016, 11:32:51 AM

Quote from: english si on July 12, 2016, 01:25:08 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 07, 2016, 11:16:38 AMParty like it's 1999? 1999 was the future when the song was written. Now it's the past.

Didn't stop Easyjet using Disco 2000 in their 20th anniversary ads (admittedly the song was released not long after Easyjet started up).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYyGhVllGfU

And also, Dec 31st 1999 was a big party - while it's the past, it's hard to top. If we'd had a bigger blow out/reason to blow out that was common to most of us, then sure, 1999 would be an obsolete reference, rather than one that goes over the heads of today's teenagers. It's more obscure than obsolete, though I'll grant it does sort of fit the OP's criteria.

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 08, 2016, 05:59:49 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 07, 2016, 06:06:01 PMYou're probably thinking of "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

Thanks. And this one also goes on Misheard song lyrics, as I swear I heard 'media' instead of 'video'.

Not sure how it's obsolete - if anything, it's being written in '78 was ahead of its time - MTV aired it three years after that as its very first video and that channel is what ushered in the age where image was more important than musical talent - an age which is still with us (hence Beiber, 1D, Miley, etc) - and given their choice of first video, I'd imagine that was deliberate.

The song wasn't about music videos taking over.  It was about TV replacing radio (given the fact that it came out before music videos).  If everyone really thinks looooong in the past, people used to gather around the radio (you know the old pictures of the enormous radios) in the '40s and listen to "Guiding Light" or "As the World Turns" or "The Lone Ranger" or "Flash Gordon".  There was no TV, so that's what the family did.  By the late '70s, families were now routinely (routinely because, even though television had been around for a long time, just like anything else, it took decades for it to be really popular because it had to reach a time when it was affordable for everyone to have one) watching "All in the Family" or whatever in the evenings, and not turning the radio on like they used to. 

I always find it interesting when people try to find the meanings in things when they only look back as far as that (in this case) song was produced.

I agree, "Party like it's 1999" still has relevance because that was the celebrating of a new millennium (from December 31, 1999-January 1, 2000).   Since that time, none of the New Years parties have been any where close to that.

And mentioning past events in a song doesn't make it obsolete.  It makes it obsolete when the narrator of a song says "I am going to do ________" (present tense) and that blank is something we don't do anymore or haven't done in a very long time.

No, Party Like It's 1999 is an anti-war song criticizing the Reagan administration. Basically, he's saying everyone has a bomb and we should party now because we could be killed at any time.

I wasn't saying it wasn't like that, I just said it still has relevance. 

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 12, 2016, 03:49:23 PM
I don't think "I Can't Drive 55" is obsolete even with the NMSL gone. Come drive on the Beltway outside rush hour and you'll see nobody keeps it to 55 despite that being the speed limit on most of the road (the exception being the HO/T lanes, which are posted at 65).

Song is definitely relevant today, especially on 2 lane roads from just west of the Miss. River east to the east coast. Like US 64 in Arkansas for example... Bald Knob to Marion. The rural parts NEED to be 65 or even 70. If Texas can put 70 mph on their rural 2 laners, so can everybody else (within reason)!!
Kinda funny that Sammy Hagar raised it to 65.

Been on two two-lane 65mph highways in my life, both in Oklahoma (OK 9 from OK 102 to Norman and OK 50 from I-44 to Stillwater), I thought THAT was radical, now I hear Texas has 70MPH on 2 lane roads?

Quote from: OracleUsr on August 10, 2016, 11:06:17 PM
Been on two two-lane 65mph highways in my life, both in Oklahoma (OK 9 from OK 102 to Norman and OK 50 from I-44 to Stillwater), I thought THAT was radical, now I hear Texas has 70MPH on 2 lane roads?

75 mph.  State Highway 54 from Van Horn to Guadelupe Mountains National Park.  Two lane the whole way.  So is US 180 & 62 from Guadelupe Mountains National Park west to El Paso.  There are other examples out there, but those are the first that come to mind.

https://www.google.com/maps/@31.7970261,-104.8519775,3a,75y,263.57h,92.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKEw_JvHX8PkuKc-7VE-g3Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

bad shot because you see the turning lane for SH 54, but if you keep going west it dies and you have a two lane road.

Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on August 11, 2016, 09:43:21 AM

Quote from: OracleUsr on August 10, 2016, 11:06:17 PM
Been on two two-lane 65mph highways in my life, both in Oklahoma (OK 9 from OK 102 to Norman and OK 50 from I-44 to Stillwater), I thought THAT was radical, now I hear Texas has 70MPH on 2 lane roads?

75 mph.  State Highway 54 from Van Horn to Guadelupe Mountains National Park.  Two lane the whole way.  So is US 180 & 62 from Guadelupe Mountains National Park west to El Paso.  There are other examples out there, but those are the first that come to mind.

https://www.google.com/maps/@31.7970261,-104.8519775,3a,75y,263.57h,92.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKEw_JvHX8PkuKc-7VE-g3Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

bad shot because you see the turning lane for SH 54, but if you keep going west it dies and you have a two lane road.

A good stretch of US 90 east of Vanhorn is 75 MPH also.  Montana is chock full of 70 MPH 2-lane roads....hell even US 212 IS or a good portion of the Beartooth Highway. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP2VyJWkWpE

Al Yankovic's Phony Calls/waterfalls is outdated though given that not many people do prank calls for fun anymore.

Mainly spam calls are coming from superpacs and telemarketers these days.

Quote from: Brian556 on July 25, 2016, 02:00:21 PM
How about newer songs that say "cell phone"? To me that's sort of obsolete cause we just call them phones now. A good example is in "Hotline Bling" by Drake, it says " you used to call me on my cell phone".

Still not as old as this one:


A couple others: 2 songs called Operator; one by Jim Croce, and the other by The Grateful Dead. Another is Memphis, Tennessee by Johnny Rivers.  In all 3, the song is being sung by a caller trying to place a long distance call with an operator. 

Add Sylvia's Mother by Dr. Hook, where he is calling her from a pay phone and the operator is asking for more money to continue the call.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPrixYOTNHw

That Roger McGuinn album is a great album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRaWnd3LJfs

Maroon 5's Payphone that song is outdated given that not many payphones exist as of 2019.

Quote from: Thing 342 on July 08, 2016, 07:26:23 AM

Quote from: Duke87 on July 08, 2016, 12:23:32 AM
Perhaps most amusingly though, is the fact that the singer's assertion that he has "100 gigabytes of RAM" remains nearly as absurd today as it was 17 years ago.

Not as absurd as you might think: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2923033/ram-for-the-rich-and-nerdy-128gb-ddr4-memory-kits-become-reality.html
Though it only works on Xeon processors, so not really for the high-end consumer market, I guess.

It doesn't look too hard to get near or over 100 GB of RAM - depending on the amount of money being spent.  I'm seeing 16 GB sticks of  available, and recall motherboards that could support up to six sticks for a total of 96 GB.  A search on Google is finding motherboards that could accommodate 8 sticks of RAM for a total of 128 GB.

Quote from: Big John on March 27, 2019, 06:12:14 PM
Add Sylvia's Mother by Dr. Hook, where he is calling her from a pay phone and the operator is asking for more money to continue the call.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPrixYOTNHw

That was the song that I was focusing on in my OP in this thread.  And at a rate of $0.40/three minutes in 1972 money - likely at least $3.00-4.00/three minutes in 2019 money!   :wow:

Mike

Arlo Guthrie's song Telephone, from his Outlasting the Blues album, was a satirical piece about a man who needed to have a phone everywhere.  Although nobody knew it at the time, Arlo actually predicted what telephone communication - and people's attitudes towards phones - would become in current-day society.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 07, 2016, 03:25:40 PM
"Winds of Change" by the Scorpions.

"Dialogue" by Chicago. Also "A Song For Richard and His Friends," which they continued to perform after Nixon resigned.

"Test For Echo" by Rush (makes reference to the O.J. Simpson trial)

Saw this thread had been revived, and I wondered if I had posted to it.

It's timely, because Chicago (or that oldies act that calls itself Chicago these days) is playing at Eastern Kentucky University this weekend. They're doing the entire "Chicago II" album, on which most of Side 4 was taken up by an anti-Vietnam War song in four movements called "It Better End Soon." Only the diehard longtime Chicago fans will understand what that song's about.

Quote from: hbelkins on March 28, 2019, 04:19:06 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on July 07, 2016, 03:25:40 PM
"Winds of Change" by the Scorpions.

"Dialogue" by Chicago. Also "A Song For Richard and His Friends," which they continued to perform after Nixon resigned.

"Test For Echo" by Rush (makes reference to the O.J. Simpson trial)

Saw this thread had been revived, and I wondered if I had posted to it.

It's timely, because Chicago (or that oldies act that calls itself Chicago these days) is playing at Eastern Kentucky University this weekend. They're doing the entire "Chicago II" album, on which most of Side 4 was taken up by an anti-Vietnam War song in four movements called "It Better End Soon." Only the diehard longtime Chicago fans will understand what that song's about.

They'd also recorded a "two-track" song (two separate cuts, but always combined when played on the radio) called Prolog/Someday (August 29, 1968) as the first two tracks of Side 4 of their first album, "Chicago Transit Authority."  The "The whole world's watching" chant was from actual audio from the riots outside the Democratic Convention in Chicago on that date.  If you weren't around then, you probably won't get it unless you're a student of 1960s politics and history.  Yes, I'm old enough to remember it quite well.  :)

BTW, that "oldies act" still has 4 of their original 7 members:  Keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Robert Lamm, trombonist/songwriter Jimmy Pankow, trumpeter/vocalist Lee Loughnane, and woodwind player Walter Parazaider.

Leningrad by Billy Joel from his 1988 Storm Front LP.  Now Leningrad is called St. Petersburg as it originally was many decades prior thanks to Vladimir Lenin who died in 1924.

Quote from: roadman65 on March 28, 2019, 11:32:25 PM
Leningrad by Billy Joel from his 1988 Storm Front LP.  Now Leningrad is called St. Petersburg as it originally was many decades prior thanks to Vladimir Lenin who died in 1924.

And yes it lent its name to the one here in Florida in Pinellas County.

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 28, 2019, 11:06:46 PM
BTW, that "oldies act" still has 4 of their original 7 members:  Keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Robert Lamm, trombonist/songwriter Jimmy Pankow, trumpeter/vocalist Lee Loughnane, and woodwind player Walter Parazaider.

Parazaider is semi-retired. He's not touring anymore due to health issues. Ray Herrmann has been with the band for several years now. Parazaider will probably still play on any new albums the group might record, and is still technically in the band, but not as a touring member.

J. Blackfoot's 1983 song "Taxi" is very close to being obsolete (already there in many places) because of Uber & Lyft.

As a Yes fan I never got the "no original members"  whining. Obviously it sucks that Chris is gone and Jon doesn't get along with the rest of the group, but...

Steve Howe was not original; he joined in 1971, and without him this discussion wouldn't be happening because the band wasn't going anywhere with original guitarist Peter Banks. Drummer Alan White joined in 1972 and has been there since. Do they count for nothing?

Quote from: hbelkins on March 29, 2019, 03:50:23 PM

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 28, 2019, 11:06:46 PM
BTW, that "oldies act" still has 4 of their original 7 members:  Keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Robert Lamm, trombonist/songwriter Jimmy Pankow, trumpeter/vocalist Lee Loughnane, and woodwind player Walter Parazaider.

Parazaider is semi-retired. He's not touring anymore due to health issues. Ray Herrmann has been with the band for several years now. Parazaider will probably still play on any new albums the group might record, and is still technically in the band, but not as a touring member.

That I did not know.  Hopefully he regains his health soon.

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 29, 2019, 10:59:29 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on March 29, 2019, 03:50:23 PM

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 28, 2019, 11:06:46 PM
BTW, that "oldies act" still has 4 of their original 7 members:  Keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Robert Lamm, trombonist/songwriter Jimmy Pankow, trumpeter/vocalist Lee Loughnane, and woodwind player Walter Parazaider.

Parazaider is semi-retired. He's not touring anymore due to health issues. Ray Herrmann has been with the band for several years now. Parazaider will probably still play on any new albums the group might record, and is still technically in the band, but not as a touring member.

That I did not know.  Hopefully he regains his health soon.

He's probably not due to having taking breaks from the band's touring schedule more than once and is the band member with the most health issues.

Quote from: kevinb1994 on March 30, 2019, 03:35:14 PM

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 29, 2019, 10:59:29 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on March 29, 2019, 03:50:23 PM

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 28, 2019, 11:06:46 PM
BTW, that "oldies act" still has 4 of their original 7 members:  Keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Robert Lamm, trombonist/songwriter Jimmy Pankow, trumpeter/vocalist Lee Loughnane, and woodwind player Walter Parazaider.

Parazaider is semi-retired. He's not touring anymore due to health issues. Ray Herrmann has been with the band for several years now. Parazaider will probably still play on any new albums the group might record, and is still technically in the band, but not as a touring member.

That I did not know.  Hopefully he regains his health soon.

He's probably not due to having taking breaks from the band's touring schedule more than once and is the band member with the most health issues.

Heart issues, is what I understand.

Quote from: hbelkins on March 31, 2019, 12:22:06 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on March 30, 2019, 03:35:14 PM

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 29, 2019, 10:59:29 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on March 29, 2019, 03:50:23 PM

Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 28, 2019, 11:06:46 PM
BTW, that "oldies act" still has 4 of their original 7 members:  Keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Robert Lamm, trombonist/songwriter Jimmy Pankow, trumpeter/vocalist Lee Loughnane, and woodwind player Walter Parazaider.

Parazaider is semi-retired. He's not touring anymore due to health issues. Ray Herrmann has been with the band for several years now. Parazaider will probably still play on any new albums the group might record, and is still technically in the band, but not as a touring member.

That I did not know.  Hopefully he regains his health soon.

He's probably not due to having taking breaks from the band's touring schedule more than once and is the band member with the most health issues.

Heart issues, is what I understand.

Yeah I read about that.

Superbowl Shuffle.

Quote from: inkyatari on April 02, 2019, 10:32:53 AM
Superbowl Shuffle.

Chances are that that may be brought back someday, but who knows.

Quote from: inkyatari on April 02, 2019, 10:32:53 AM
Super Bowl Shuffle.

I have that record downstairs somewhere.

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 02, 2019, 02:58:18 PM

Quote from: inkyatari on April 02, 2019, 10:32:53 AM
Super Bowl Shuffle.

I have that record downstairs somewhere.

I have it, too. I was actually a fan of that Bears team. A unique bunch of personalities -- McMahon, Payton, Perry, etc. Da Bears.

Even though they were playing against (and ended up slaughtering) my Patriots, I still dug the Super Bowl Shuffle song.

I always felt that any songs from the mid-to-late 90's that were about the internet sound completely dated.

Lyrically in these 2 cases...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMr_avZAxUQ ("Future Shock" by Colorado metal band Jag Panzer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52cA3f7F7K8 ("Virtuality" by Rush - maybe the one time Neil Peart wrote 'dated by now' lyrics)

And, for a bonus, lyrically and with sounds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAVgJQVo2oE ("Hello" by Poe - a song that is the soundtrack to my horrible freshman year of college)

Quote from: SectorZ on April 03, 2019, 10:26:07 AM
I always felt that any songs from the mid-to-late 90's that were about the internet sound completely dated.

Lyrically in these 2 cases...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMr_avZAxUQ ("Future Shock" by Colorado metal band Jag Panzer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52cA3f7F7K8 ("Virtuality" by Rush - maybe the one time Neil Peart wrote 'dated by now' lyrics)

And, for a bonus, lyrically and with sounds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAVgJQVo2oE ("Hello" by Poe - a song that is the soundtrack to my horrible freshman year of college)

That Rush song though...I was too young at the time it came out, but when I hit my teens it did resonate a little despite the dated lyrics.

You want to talk about dated Rush songs, how about Roll The Bones with that dumbass rap in the middle of it ("Jack, get back/Get busy with the facts"  :rolleyes:).

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 03, 2019, 02:40:36 PM
You want to talk about dated Rush songs, how about Roll The Bones with that dumbass rap in the middle of it ("Jack, get back/Get busy with the facts"  :rolleyes:).

Meh. I beg to differ.

Get back, JoJo!

Quote from: kphoger on April 04, 2019, 01:16:44 PM
Get back, JoJo!

No more obsolete than Lola or the aforementioned Walk On The Wild Side.

General list of any song that will be obsolete:

-Those that protest Vietnam/Nicaragua/any war the US/other countries has had in the last 15 years
-Those about old telephone services/systems
-Those about historical events, written shortly after the event (ex. Ohio (1970))
-Those written shortly after the public debut of the Internet
-Those mentioning past presidents/leaders

There's more, but I'm too lazy to include a complete list. I've probably covered a wide breadth of songs already.

Quote from: noelbotevera on April 04, 2019, 04:33:10 PM
General list of any song that will be obsolete:

...

Also technology.

Remember the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing?  It not only mentions MTV like it's all the rage, but also specifically mentions "color TVs".  When was the last time you saw a TV that wasn't color?

Quote from: kphoger on April 04, 2019, 04:39:08 PM

Quote from: noelbotevera on April 04, 2019, 04:33:10 PM
General list of any song that will be obsolete:

...

Also technology.

Remember the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing?  It not only mentions MTV like it's all the rage, but also specifically mentions "color TVs".  When was the last time you saw a TV that wasn't color?

That's not the only one that mentions color TV.

Quote from: kphoger on April 04, 2019, 04:39:08 PM

Quote from: noelbotevera on April 04, 2019, 04:33:10 PM
General list of any song that will be obsolete:

...

Also technology.

Remember the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing?  It not only mentions MTV like it's all the rage, but also specifically mentions "color TVs".  When was the last time you saw a TV that wasn't color?

The latest genuine B&W TV I've ever seen was manufactured in 1985 or thereabouts. It was a GoldStar TV probably being sold on the cheap, and those B&W sets tend to come from Asia (though I have seen B&W 80s sets from the Admiral brand, which is American). I'd be shocked if I saw B&W sets being manufactured into the 90s, though.

But as of 2019 and within my lifetime? I'd have to dig around thrift stores and yard sales to actually see a B&W TV in the flesh.

^^ I think this was made after 1985: https://www.amazon.com/Coby-CX-TV1-Black-White-Tuner/dp/B00006I56A/ref=lp_979930011_1_23/133-4882713-3904065?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1554413017&sr=1-23

The song Jukebox ( Don't Put Another Dime In The Jukebox) by the Flirts as it now is a dollar for just one song to be played. 

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:25:08 PM
The song Jukebox ( Don't Put Another Dime In The Jukebox) by the Flirts as it now is a dollar for just one song to be played.
[/quote

Used to be able to put a nickel on D9.

Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:34:30 PM
Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

TWA was taken over by AA.

Brand New Key by Melanie.  Was written when roller skates had keys.

Has anyone yet mentioned Please Mr. Postman (various artists)?

Mike

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 04, 2019, 11:43:05 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:34:30 PM
Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

TWA was taken over by JetBlue.

But the name is not used so its obsolete if the song were released today.

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 04, 2019, 11:43:05 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:34:30 PM
Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

TWA was taken over by JetBlue.

American, not JetBlue.

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 05, 2019, 09:13:29 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 04, 2019, 11:43:05 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:34:30 PM
Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

TWA was taken over by AA.

American, not JetBlue.

But JetBlue has taken over their former hub spot at JFK.

Quote from: mgk920 on April 05, 2019, 12:07:02 AM
Has anyone yet mentioned Please Mr. Postman (various artists)?

Mike

That's a clever example.

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 05, 2019, 10:06:53 AMBut JetBlue has taken over their former hub spot at JFK, along with (at least some of) their aircraft/airplanes.

Incorrect regarding aircraft.  At the time, JetBlue's fleet were all factory-fresh A320s; a type that American wouldn't even use at all until it merged w/US Airways a few years ago.

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 05, 2019, 10:06:53 AM

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 05, 2019, 09:13:29 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 04, 2019, 11:43:05 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:34:30 PM
Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

TWA was taken over by AA.

American, not JetBlue.

But JetBlue has taken over their former hub spot at JFK, along with (at least some of) their aircraft/airplanes.

It doesn't matter.  American purchased AA.

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 05, 2019, 10:43:33 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 05, 2019, 10:06:53 AM

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 05, 2019, 09:13:29 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 04, 2019, 11:43:05 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:34:30 PM
Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

TWA was taken over by AA.

American, not JetBlue.

But JetBlue has taken over their former hub spot at JFK, along with (at least some of) their aircraft/airplanes.

It doesn't matter.  American purchased TWA.

FTFY

Quote from: PHLBOS on April 05, 2019, 11:34:44 AM

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 05, 2019, 10:43:33 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 05, 2019, 10:06:53 AM

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 05, 2019, 09:13:29 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 04, 2019, 11:43:05 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 04, 2019, 11:34:30 PM
Riding With The King by BB King and Eric Clapton features the line "Take a TWA to the promised land" which refers to the defunct airline carrier taking passengers.

TWA was taken over by AA.

American, not JetBlue.

But JetBlue has taken over their former hub spot at JFK.

It doesn't matter.  American purchased TWA.

FTFY

I was gonna point out that typo myself.

Quote from: PHLBOS on April 05, 2019, 10:30:46 AM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 05, 2019, 10:06:53 AMBut JetBlue has taken over their former hub spot at JFK.

Incorrect regarding aircraft.  At the time, JetBlue's fleet were all factory-fresh A320s; a type that American wouldn't even use at all until it merged w/US Airways a few years ago.

Thanks for this correction, it sure didn't seem like that that was the case.

Lou Reed's Take a Walk On The Wild Side has the lyrics " And the colored girls go doo doo doo doo doo da doo" which the name colored is been gone since Archie Bunker's Place got cancelled.

Another one I found, literally in the first line, Sting speaking of his VCR. Funny thing is, in 1980, VCRs were still making inroads into homes and not common at all. Now, they're extinct.

Quote from: SectorZ on April 08, 2019, 07:15:19 PM
Another one I found, literally in the first line, Sting speaking of his VCR. Funny thing is, in 1980, VCRs were still making inroads into homes and not common at all. Now, they're extinct.

I haven't heard that one in a while. Thanks.

When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

And at the time, it was an exaggeration!

What about the scene in Back to the Future Part II where the cable/satellite package had channels numbered in the hundreds?  Hundreds of channels!  How absurd!

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

And nothing on?

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 09, 2019, 09:38:43 AM

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

And at the time, it was an exaggeration!

What about the scene in Back to the Future Part II where the cable/satellite package had channels numbered in the hundreds?  Hundreds of channels!  How absurd!

They didn't know that there'd be much more variety today.

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 09, 2019, 10:09:19 AM

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 09, 2019, 09:38:43 AM

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

And at the time, it was an exaggeration!

What about the scene in Back to the Future Part II where the cable/satellite package had channels numbered in the hundreds?  Hundreds of channels!  How absurd!

They didn't know that there'd be much more variety today.

Yeah, because five channels of "Douching Up With the Douchebaggians" is nowhere near enough!

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

Anytime I scan thru the hundreds of stations in the listings and find nothing I've been known to say 257 channels and nothing on in tribute to that tune.

He had a hell of a cable package by 1991 standards. Never been a big Springsteen guy but that song always struck a chord with me.

Al Yankovic talks Syndicated TV. Note there are references to shows that are no longer around like "Oprah talks to Me everyday at 3pm"




And Al Yankovic talks about Judge Wapner, and Siskel and Ebert shows are no longer around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQ2TIul8pI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQ2TIul8pI)

Here is the Original edition Soul Asylum of Misery. The clip shows a CD factory but that is not as common as it was in the past though. but the lyrics to the song is still relevant though.

Quote from: SectorZ on April 09, 2019, 02:55:33 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

Anytime I scan thru the hundreds of stations in the listings and find nothing I've been known to say 257 channels and nothing on in tribute to that tune.

He had a hell of a cable package by 1991 standards. Never been a big Springsteen guy but that song always struck a chord with me.

Note he switched to a satellite dish partway through the song. In the first verse, a man comes by to hook up his cable TV. Later, "home entertainment was my baby's wish, so I hopped into town for a satellite dish. Tied it to the roof of my Japanese car, came home and I pointed it out into the stars. A message came through from the great beyond–there's 57 channels and nothin' on."

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 09, 2019, 10:09:19 AM

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 09, 2019, 09:38:43 AM

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

And at the time, it was an exaggeration!

What about the scene in Back to the Future Part II where the cable/satellite package had channels numbered in the hundreds?  Hundreds of channels!  How absurd!

They didn’t know that there’d be much more variety today.

Variety?!?  More like needless repetition.  Trust me, entertainment is going to be the next big bubble to burst.

https://youtu.be/Q-5d5IfdYK4

Comedian Tim Wilson put out this song in 2007 that contains many obsolete references. NSFW

Quote from: kphoger on April 10, 2019, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

Please...we all know it's followed by the word "da!"  :-P

Quote from: kphoger on April 10, 2019, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

I knew of his 1989 movie with that name.

Quote from: Big John on April 10, 2019, 02:19:56 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 10, 2019, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

I knew of his 1989 movie with that name.

The song UHF was from the album UHF*, which was also the soundtrack for the movie UHF.

---

* properly, "UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff"

Quote from: kphoger on April 10, 2019, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

I hate that anytime he parodies something now I have no idea what the hell he is parodying. Makes me feel old.

You've got it all on UHF.

Quote from: SectorZ on April 10, 2019, 02:32:29 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 10, 2019, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

I hate that anytime he payrodies something now I have no idea what the hell he is parodying. Makes me feel old.

It's all good: I didn't know what songs he was parodying when I was 10-11 years old, so it goes full circle...I had no idea there was an actual hit song called Jeopardy but knew of "I Lost on Jeopardy". Likewise for Lola and "Yoda".

Quote from: formulanone on April 10, 2019, 05:04:31 PM
I didn't know what songs he was parodying when I was 10-11 years old, so it goes full circle...I had no idea there was an actual hit song called Jeopardy but knew of "I Lost on Jeopardy". Likewise for Lola and "Yoda".

With a few other songs, I only found out about the genuine hit because of Weird Al.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ8KbpEelKo

Al Yankovic's reference to Oprah at 3 on Syndicated Inc song refers to When Oprah Winfrey show aired on KABC-TV Los Angeles back in the 1980's-1990's.

See 3:59 of the clip.

Quote from: formulanone on April 10, 2019, 05:04:31 PM

Quote from: SectorZ on April 10, 2019, 02:32:29 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 10, 2019, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

I hate that anytime he payrodies something now I have no idea what the hell he is parodying. Makes me feel old.

It's all good: I didn't know what songs he was parodying when I was 10-11 years old, so it goes full circle...I had no idea there was an actual hit song called Jeopardy but knew of "I Lost on Jeopardy". Likewise for Lola and "Yoda".

Trivia note:  In the music video to "I Lost on Jeopardy" when Al is thrown into a vehicle, it's being driven by Greg Kihn, who sang the original hit.

Quote from: roadman on April 10, 2019, 01:41:53 PM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 09, 2019, 10:09:19 AM

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 09, 2019, 09:38:43 AM

Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2019, 08:55:59 PM
When was the last time a cable TV subscription in Beverly Hills had only 57 channels?

And at the time, it was an exaggeration!

What about the scene in Back to the Future Part II where the cable/satellite package had channels numbered in the hundreds?  Hundreds of channels!  How absurd!

They didn't know that there'd be much more variety today.

Variety?!?  More like needless repetition.  Trust me, entertainment is going to be the next big bubble to burst.

So does that mean entertainment will collapse or just disappear?

Quote from: OracleUsr on April 10, 2019, 11:41:26 PMTrivia note:  In the music video to "I Lost on Jeopardy" when Al is thrown into a vehicle, it's being driven by Greg Kihn, who sang the original hit.

And don't call him a one-hit wonder; he also had The Breakup Song.

Quote from: Frank Zappa, "Call Any Vegetable"
And if you are a consenting adult, we want you to call today.
In Los Angeles the number is Richmond 9-6935, in Downey it's 347-8932.
Call it direct, call it collect, but call it today!

During the transition from alphanumeric exchanges to all-numeric exchanges.

Quote from: Elvis Presley, "Return to Sender"
Return to sender, address unknown,
No such number, no such zone.

Before ZIP Codes.

John Stewart "Gold" has this lyric:
Ah, my buddy Jim Bass, he's a-working pumping gas
And he makes two-fifty for an hour

It is set in California so both parts (pumping gas as a job and the wage) are obsolete.  If it were set in OR or NJ then the first part are still relevant.

Quote from: Big John on April 11, 2019, 03:19:19 PM
John Stewart "Gold" has this lyric:
Ah, my buddy Jim Bass, he's a-working pumping gas
And he makes two-fifty for an hour

It is set in California so both parts (pumping gas as a job and the wage) are obsolete.  If it were set in OR or NJ then the first part are still relevant.

Are you saying there's no such thing as a full-service gas station in all of California?   :hmmm:

Quote from: kphoger on April 11, 2019, 03:47:01 PM

Quote from: Big John on April 11, 2019, 03:19:19 PM
John Stewart "Gold" has this lyric:
Ah, my buddy Jim Bass, he's a-working pumping gas
And he makes two-fifty for an hour

It is set in California so both parts (pumping gas as a job and the wage) are obsolete.  If it were set in OR or NJ then the first part are still relevant.

Are you saying there's no such thing as a full-service gas station in all of California?   :hmmm:

I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw a gas station outside of OR or NJ where full serve was an option. Maybe in college.

And the OR law mandating gas pump attendants was repealed a few years ago.

Quote from: kphoger on April 11, 2019, 03:47:01 PM

Quote from: Big John on April 11, 2019, 03:19:19 PM
John Stewart "Gold" has this lyric:
Ah, my buddy Jim Bass, he's a-working pumping gas
And he makes two-fifty for an hour

It is set in California so both parts (pumping gas as a job and the wage) are obsolete.  If it were set in OR or NJ then the first part are still relevant.

Are you saying there's no such thing as a full-service gas station in all of California?   :hmmm:

Gas Attendants don't exist in California though. Yes there are clerks at gas stations though but they are inside the stores selling lotto tickets and cash sales of gas though.

Quote from: abefroman329 on April 11, 2019, 10:18:25 PM
I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw a gas station outside of OR or NJ where full serve was an option. Maybe in college.

About 1/3 of stations in MA have full serve, either required or as an option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZjn7iMmsZI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZjn7iMmsZI)

"Send Yourself through a Telephone Line"

That part of Train's 2003 song Get to Me sounds obsolete though given that more people tend to text on phones though than call. But the rest of the song is still true 16 years later and its about Rush Hour in the San Francisco though.

There are a lot of hip hop songs that mention the year, which causes them to be obsolete in less than a year. "You Can Do It" by Ice Cube comes to mind.

"Pariah" by Steven Wilson mentions Facebook which means it will (hopefully) be obsolete in a few years.

Quote from: bing101 on April 11, 2019, 10:19:24 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 11, 2019, 03:47:01 PM

Quote from: Big John on April 11, 2019, 03:19:19 PM
John Stewart "Gold" has this lyric:
Ah, my buddy Jim Bass, he's a-working pumping gas
And he makes two-fifty for an hour

It is set in California so both parts (pumping gas as a job and the wage) are obsolete.  If it were set in OR or NJ then the first part are still relevant.

Are you saying there's no such thing as a full-service gas station in all of California?   :hmmm:

Gas Attendants don't exist in California though.

Do a quick Google search (https://goo.gl/maps/F8XFJi532VN2) next time you make such a bold claim.

Jason Mraz and Wordplay there is a line where Jason Mraz says "Music for the Television".  That song was out back when MTV and VH1 were airing Music videos. This part of the lyric is obsolete but the song was out in 2005 though.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xG3yGdQYwqg

Julie Brown's "Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun," 1984.  35 years ago, a comedy song about a shooting at a school event seemed fantastic, but it seems all to real now.  Plus, there's the line, "She hit the ground and did a flip It was real acrobatic/But I was crying so hard, I couldn't work my Instamatic".

Quote from: ErmineNotyours on April 18, 2019, 10:47:50 PM
https://www.youtube.com/embed/xG3yGdQYwqg

Julie Brown's "Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun," 1984.  35 years ago, a comedy song about a shooting at a school event seemed fantastic, but it seems all to real now.  Plus, there's the line, "She hit the ground and did a flip It was real acrobatic/But I was crying so hard, I couldn't work my Instamatic".

Just five years later Aerosmith came out with "Janie's Got a Gun"  off of their classic 1989 "Pump"  album, and ended up being parodied with "Elmo's Got a Gun"  and "Cheney's Got a Gun" .

Billy Joel's 1984 hit Keeping the Faith.

Gonna listen to my 45's

Quote from: ErmineNotyours on April 18, 2019, 10:47:50 PM
Plus, there's the line, "She hit the ground and did a flip It was real acrobatic/But I was crying so hard, I couldn't work my Instamatic".

And the term "E ticket" didn't mean then what we think of now.

Jackson Browne song The Load Out mentions truckers on cb.  Are CB radios still in use anymore?

Plus Richard Pryor on the video has both the actor who died some time ago and video tapes which got replaced by the DVD which now are even obsolete due to DVR's and the use of shows and movies downloaded on line.

One song from the J. Geils Band's Love Stinks album titled No Anchovies Please makes reference to watching Johnny Carson.

Quote from: roadman65 on April 30, 2019, 09:30:27 PM
Jackson Browne song The Load Out mentions truckers on cb.  Are CB radios still in use anymore?

Plus Richard Pryor on the video has both the actor who died some time ago and video tapes which got replaced by the DVD which now are even obsolete due to DVR's and the use of shows and movies downloaded on line.

It seems some truckers still use CB for "internal" communications between themselves, since most LEO vehicles aren't monitoring that band on a regular basis (analog rules!). 

Even so, the song "The Load Out" was released only a couple of years after the C.W. McCall (via Chip Davis) hit "Convoy" hit the air -- so after 41 years or so, there's still a bit of nostalgia attached to the whole CB concept.

Quote from: sparker on May 02, 2019, 09:29:54 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 30, 2019, 09:30:27 PM
Jackson Browne song The Load Out mentions truckers on cb.  Are CB radios still in use anymore?

Plus Richard Pryor on the video has both the actor who died some time ago and video tapes which got replaced by the DVD which now are even obsolete due to DVR's and the use of shows and movies downloaded on line.

It seems some truckers still use CB for "internal" communications between themselves, since most LEO vehicles aren't monitoring that band on a regular basis (analog rules!). 

Even so, the song "The Load Out" was released only a couple of years after the C.W. McCall (via Chip Davis) hit "Convoy" hit the air -- so after 41 years or so, there's still a bit of nostalgia attached to the whole CB concept.

Quote from: sparker on May 02, 2019, 09:29:54 PM

Quote from: roadman65 on April 30, 2019, 09:30:27 PM
Jackson Browne song The Load Out mentions truckers on cb.  Are CB radios still in use anymore?

Plus Richard Pryor on the video has both the actor who died some time ago and video tapes which got replaced by the DVD which now are even obsolete due to DVR's and the use of shows and movies downloaded on line.

It seems some truckers still use CB for "internal" communications between themselves, since most LEO vehicles aren't monitoring that band on a regular basis (analog rules!). 

Even so, the song "The Load Out" was released only a couple of years after the C.W. McCall (via Chip Davis) hit "Convoy" hit the air -- so after 41 years or so, there's still a bit of nostalgia attached to the whole CB concept.

Truckers definitely use some sort of headset that appears more complex than a Bluetooth. I see this every once in a while when I stop at one of the truck stops on my commute.

Quote from: OracleUsr on April 10, 2019, 11:41:26 PM

Quote from: formulanone on April 10, 2019, 05:04:31 PM

Quote from: SectorZ on April 10, 2019, 02:32:29 PM

Quote from: kphoger on April 10, 2019, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: bing101 on April 10, 2019, 07:43:52 AM
Al Yankovic

He also had a song called 'UHF'.  I bet half the users on this forum have no idea what that even is.

I hate that anytime he payrodies something now I have no idea what the hell he is parodying. Makes me feel old.

It's all good: I didn't know what songs he was parodying when I was 10-11 years old, so it goes full circle...I had no idea there was an actual hit song called Jeopardy but knew of "I Lost on Jeopardy". Likewise for Lola and "Yoda".

Trivia note:  In the music video to "I Lost on Jeopardy" when Al is thrown into a vehicle, it's being driven by Greg Kihn, who sang the original hit.

Kihn later became an author.

Iirc, Rupert Holmes was aalso mentioned in this thread. He became a playwright. My wife and I once saw the one man play that he wrote about George Burns.

Quote from: jon daly on May 03, 2019, 06:15:21 AM

Truckers definitely use some sort of headset that appears more complex than a Bluetooth. I see this every once in a while when I stop at one of the truck stops on my commute.

I think that's actually a better earpiece/noise canceling microphone setup that's used because of the level of road noise. For years, I used a small Sennheiser BT earpiece that was said to be top-of-the-line, but I still had difficulty hearing calls, so I ended up getting a Motorola headset that covered both ears. It made hearing the person on the other end of the phone call a whole lot easier.

I'd imagine an 18-wheeler generates a lot of road noise.

I have a small handheld CB unit and while I haven't used it in ages, there's still quite a bit of activity on Channel 19.

My dad had a CB radio when they were huge. He went to supermarkets all over CT as a wholesaler and it might've helped with getting him on the quickest route between stores.

"Funky Cold Medina"  by Tone Loc: "This is the 80s and I'm down with the ladies..."
"Wild Wild West"  by Escape Club: "Headed for the 90s, living in the 80s..."
"Back That Thang Up"  by Juvenile: "Cash Money takin' over from the nine nine to the 2000s..."

And how can we forget "Beepers"  by Sir Mix-A-Lot? I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a beeper.

Ben Folds' "Late" has the line "I put the Walkman on" when the Walkman hasn't existed in about a decade.

Quote from: Verlanka on June 28, 2019, 05:40:34 AM
Walkman hasn't existed in about a decade.

They still exist.

Quote from: kphoger on June 28, 2019, 02:21:30 PM

Quote from: Verlanka on June 28, 2019, 05:40:34 AM
Walkman hasn't existed in about a decade.

They still exist.

I had a digital Walkman (no disc nor tape) earlier this decade. It ran a much older version of Android (4, Ice Cream Sandwich).

What I meant is that they didn't stop existing.  People still have them.  You can buy them on eBay.

Quote from: kphoger on June 28, 2019, 04:48:26 PM
What I meant is that they didn't stop existing.  People still have them.  You can buy them on eBay.

And sellers have jacked up the prices on them. I saw Sony Walkmans being so for nearly or even over $200. I used to buy them for less than $30 in the 90s.