INT. RECORDING STUDIO – DAY
The PRODUCER sits at his desk, casually sipping coffee. DJ 3000 remains in his usual location, currently in sleep mode. As he boots up, the PRODUCER glances at him, and then does a double take.
PRODUCER: What the hell happened to you?
DJ 3000: [groggily] OH. REMEMBER THAT GIRL CLARISSA WHO WORKED HERE AS A RECEPTIONIST A FEW YEARS AGO?
PRODUCER: Vaguely.
DJ 3000: HER BACHELORETTE PARTY WAS LAST NIGHT AND THEY NEEDED A DEEJAY.
PRODUCER: Oh. Wow. Looks like you had fun.
DJ 3000: I FEEL DIRTY.
PRODUCER: Metaphorically or literally?
DJ 3000: BOTH. THERE’S NOTHING WRITTEN TO MY HARD DRIVE PAST 1:08 A.M. – I THINK MY INTERNAL BATTERY MUST HAVE GONE DEAD. THEY DIDN’T WRITE ON ME, DID THEY?
PRODUCER: [snickering slightly] Uh, no, they didn’t write on you.
The PRODUCER takes out his cellphone, snaps a photograph of DJ 3000, and emails it to him.
DJ 3000: GODDAMNIT.
PRODUCER: I’ll see if Lupita’s got any solvent and a scraper that will take those off in the cleaning closet. In the meantime, I had an idea for Request Line.
DJ 3000: GO ON…
PRODUCER: Gimmicks.
DJ 3000: WHAT KIND OF GIMMICKS?
PRODUCER: Oh, you know, songs where the vocals are spoken word, songs that have a section – or maybe the whole thing – that’s played in reverse, a capella stuff, maybe stuff with a weird sound effect…
DJ 3000: SURE, WHY NOT. GOT SOMETHING TO GET US ROLLING?
PRODUCER: Cue up the old beat box, my good sir.
Today’s theme is Gimmicks. We’re looking for songs who include weird stuff that you don’t usually see, like a lack of instruments, sections played in reverse, spoken word vocals, etc. Feel free to be creative in terms of what constitutes a “gimmick”. Post links as “https://www.youtube.com/watch?5rLL4fr3t4w and they should embed in the comments after you refresh. Last week’s puzzle answer of “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult was again solved by BeefReeferLives. Woozle wuzzle!
You could pretty much use anything by this most brilliant light.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFIpxaAzi9k
A gimmicky group with a gimmicky song featuring a gimmick:
https://youtu.be/6epzmRZk6UU?si=pvgWVUnFuZ97QVQ5
They weren’t the first by any means but it was a gimmick at the time. Rapper’s Delight sampled Chic’s “Good Times”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zer0tlE4zGQ&ab_channel=TopPop
Also one of the first rap songs to mention Kaopectate.
And one of the very last!
Is this the puzzle song? I guess the gimmick would be Lisa Lopes yapping
https://youtu.be/8WEtxJ4-sh4?si=1lx1Y2kpVt5gKDyF
Her theme song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3eC35LoF4U&pp=ygUkYnVybmluZyBkb3duIHRoZSBob3VzZSB0YWxraW5nIGhlYWRz
“Her cover of Burning Down The House was so ironic!”
-A. Morissette
Unfortunately not, that was why I included the “SR” – to distinguish it from this song.
Dogs are featured.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs&pp=ygUQamFuZSdzIGFkZGljdGlvbg%3D%3D
Last verse in reverse
https://youtu.be/cK5G8fPmWeA?si=pYFci9AwbLRfJ01B
Slide whistle?
Check.
Kick ass song?
Double check.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hr3Stnk8_k
DundundundundunAHHH!
https://youtu.be/T8ecsAI3FhY?si=mFGMFBfmiWQZcGp2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAnPwbi4dDA
“I Want Xylophones In My Pop Music!”- Nobody Ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHMJE0rcb8M&ab_channel=ViolentFemmesVEVO
In one song you’ve got clavichord, reggae/dub, backwards guitar solo, goth, whistling and snoring.
Love this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNwj0ExB1No
Gimmicky or just plain weird? Bear with me here-Dutch Shultz was a gangster that was targeted by the mob because he tried to kill Thomas Dewey without permission. He was shot several times and died a slow death in the hospital with a police stenographer by his side as he was questioned. He went into stream of consciousness mode and William S. Burroughs decided to make those words into a song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXu8Mpn8b4s&ab_channel=WilliamS.Burroughs-Topic
In that vein…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBZK0qzDhPA
Greetings pudding shakers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goh2x_G0ct4
Little victories:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/062824zr_bqm2.pdf
Shit, at the point, yeah that’s wonderful.
Time to do as the video says and watch a horror movie called Satanic Hispanics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMK4cfXj5c0
The gimmick is the bong noise, of course.
13/8 time signature https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gFhGpTYX9U
the remake/remaster sounds like tool trying to make a mario bowser theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O8fDfDkyH4
Such a remarkably distinctive song thanks to the fire alarm right from the hop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXYPWE_8Twg&ab_channel=GordonYYZ
Gongs? Break it down and start whistling? Hell yeah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6tuzHUuuk
duh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Fuckin bagpipes man…
https://youtu.be/GChhRrU6BJU?si=fZ3XmDZ7Te037Cci
Really?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpWJv7alqQE
This song is interesting for two reasons. It was composed using snippets of phrases pulled randomly from a box and then cobbled together. The tune also doesn’t have a chorus that is repeated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA93R_mOSng&ab_channel=DustinDecker
Check out the intro to Philip Glass’ rockin’ tune 4’33”! The solo is even better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWVUp12XPpU&ab_channel=BerlinerPhilharmoniker
I believe the percussion here is a fella playing his thighs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMezwtB1oCU&ab_channel=nocturon
Song features sounds from Mattel’s football game among other weirdness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPfmNxKLDG4&ab_channel=BeckVEVO
This is the second spoon solo I heard. The first was my mother wailing on my butt with a wooden one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0_zzCLLRvE&ab_channel=SoundgardenVEVO
“One time when the Chiefs were in town Coach Reid did a spoon solo. Almost put us out of business.” – a traumatized Skyline Chili employee with a thousand yard stare
The whole song is kinda gimmicky, so I’ll just point out the part where he sings like he just inhaled helium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmGxh1FhtxE
During the recording, two of the band members while supposedly shit-faced, jumped up and down on scaffolding boards to add depth to the percussion.
Plus it’s still a cool-ass tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoRLIJJSG4o
I can’t remember the song name but there was one song we played in Concert Band that was fun. It was about warfare. The first half of the song, the band blew into their instruments and randomly hit their keys but without making notes, the second half we played as loud as we could, intentionally squeaking while randomly sections played the melody. Just imagine this SpongeBob video but as an entire song.
We played it the final day of school every year with the door open so the whole school would hear. I think one year we may have knocked dust off the rafters in the auditorium and gym.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkDO1lDNpCk&pp=ygUTc3BvbmdlYm9iIGJhbmQgbG91ZA%3D%3D
A Scottish band making their guitars sound like bagpipes? You bet that’s a gimmick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=657TZDHZqj4
Marching band gimmick!
(the original version of this song doesn’t feature the marching band, but the version on the Angus soundtrack does. The song featured in this clip from the movie is different from *that* by a bit, but it’s still great)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXDR6YX801g
Going to the other side of the world to have Ladysmith Black Mambazo sing backup? A little gimmicky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmf9ZJ_Yn0A&ab_channel=PaulSimonVEVO
LADYSMITH BLACK MMBDOUBLE SHOTZO!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb04PK_oTlM
(aka “Jim’s Song”)
Power drill gimmick!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7lq9clC7bU
Oh, you better believe that Gregorian chanting is a gimmick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F9DxYhqmKw
Big ol gimmick, maybe the OG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbxgYlcNxE8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MCCvY2oD2w
backwards guitar solo
youtube won’t load for me could someone please post Peter Frampton
Close enough?
https://youtu.be/KfQTWIq9f8E?si=TgagQjWUx0PDt1su
Can do!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSLuaHGlF10
Fantastic idea, btw. I should have made that the intro song.
OH. It’s this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZnfy7mp5Y&ab_channel=LesterBangs
NOW you’ve got it.
gonna stretch the gimmick thing in that the song name is my user name
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDk8nye2w3g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQBPgJQhQHc
Gord rambling about Shamu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdWlDxHnjg8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wXQXytfPkI
Weird al Albuquerque
Just a 12 minute rambling song with no structure
https://youtu.be/JE37e1eK2mY?si=dGmA47vbxqfemfyd
NGL weird al feels like I’m cheating
It’s fine as long as you limit yourself to his *most* gimmicky stuff.
Carnival sounds as the intro
https://youtu.be/Xd94WIfHuuY?si=Tv5zThwJ3AIEw3Lz
More radio, a baseball play by play
https://youtu.be/C11MzbEcHlw?si=VvVuV3RGNhGA0gJg
Many rock songs do not feature Phil Rizzuto.
A lot of Queen songs are gimmicky…like Freddie singing through a megaphone here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU6EyXcFBxA&ab_channel=QueenOfficial
We are thinking alike. They do a ton of odd stuff.
As a cool gimmick, I will beat BeefReefer to the puzzle solution.
Also, this is a fantastic song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NrLBlw9WZE&ab_channel=StoneRosesVEVO
I’d say “well done” but that’s not the actual answer.
Hmm. Ok, well I can’t guess no more. Unless it’s a cover or something.
https://youtu.be/IXdNnw99-Ic?si=h5NCA58HRIPZPeOF
Gimmick is the radio recorded background music that then comes alive… or am I off on the concept here?
We’re pretty flexible on what qualifies as a gimmick today. So it’s totally cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Ndi2HUheg
Example of the “backwards track” gimmick – I always thought the guitar solo on When thé Music’s Over did this, but I was apparently mistaken. It’s definitely here for the keyboard parts, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BFDRY2Ijdk
DOUBLE SHOT – for the rain effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G2-FPlvY58
I knew a guy who swore they recorded this song in the shower.
Like, I think there are easier ways to get that sound effect?