Carl

Aditya from Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the winner of a clean and comfortable Songfacts T-shirt . Here are the answers: What former Beatle appeared in a Madonna movie? - George Harrison. He was in Shanghai Surprise. A lot of people guessed Ringo. What popular singer from the '60s and '70s converted to Islam and stopped recording secular music? - Cat Stevens What magazine has used rappers Nelly, Ludacris, Outkast and Ja Rule as guest photographers? - Playboy This was a tough one. Most guesses were Vibe, Source, Jet or Spin. What band has a mascot named Eddie? - Iron Maiden Who made a surprise appearance at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards and asked, "Heard Any Good Jokes Lately"? - Paul Reubens, better known as Pee Wee Herman What musician appeared on the first episode of <i>Sesame Street</i>? - Luther Vandross He was with a group called Listen My Brother. What song that Marilyn Manson covered did he say was "More depressing and offensive than anything I've ever written." - "Suicide Is Painless" (theme from M.A.S.H.) What is the best-selling single by a female group? - "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls Most guesses for this were songs by Destiny's Child, The Bangles, The Go-Gos, and TLC. Who was the first rapper or rap group to earn a gold record? - Kurtis Blow ("The Breaks") Just about everyone guessed Run-DMC. A few people guessed The Sugarhill Gang, Will Smith or The Beastie Boys. Frank is the only one who got this right. What band is being sued by fans after leaving the stage at a concert this summer after playing for just 17 minutes? - Limp Bizkit The show was in Chicago, and the crowd turned hostile in response to derogatory comments from lead singer Fred Durst. Tiebreaker: How many pumpkins did the Songfacts staff buy for Halloween? - 1, but we had plenty of gourds. Some people thought we bought hundreds of pumpkins. Thanks to everyone who took the quiz, and be sure to take the new one here.

I saw them at a show opening for Johnny Lang. For most of their set, the guitar was over-driven and the whole mix sounded off. After their set, I found out why - one member of the band was sick, so they were reduced to a 3-piece that night. I didn't hear their best stuff, but lots of people have told me they're great.

We haven't heard from Brad in a while, but he was our #1 contributor. As far as I know, Brad was an oldies DJ or involved in oldies radio in some way. He had this massive knowledge of songs, and when Songfacts went online, he finally had a place to unload it. He's had computer issues that have kept him away from time to time, but we hope he gets a chance to come back to the site and check in on the boards. Brad, if you're out there, phone home.

Eggplant, everything you say is true and pretty much makes sense. Simply by entering the list, the songs have a good chance of staying there for most of the day. It's a completely computer-driven process. What's great about the list is that new users can get an idea of what the site is about by checking out the songs. How many times do you go to a website and leave because you have no idea what it does?

As far as I can tell, that song is a commentary on how people will like the tune to a song without actually listening to the words - "It doesn't matter what I say, as long as I sing with inflection." When he sings "The Hook brings you back," he is actually singing the hook of the song. It must get frustrating for a musician to write all these heartfelt lyrics only to have most people ignore them. As Kurt Cobain said - "He's the one who likes all our pretty songs... but he knows not what it means."

In October, Songfacts averaged over 70,000 hits per day. A lot of traffic comes from The Yahoo! Pick we received last year, and we get a fair amount from other sites that have been kind enough to link to us. Our biggest daily hit total was Sept 23, when we were the Cool Site Of The Day. We got 182,000 hits that day. Thanks to everyone who visits and to everyone who helps out by getting us links and spreading the word.

Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was definitely a biggie. They used all kinds of camera tricks to get cheesy effects that looked good at the time. Another was "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by pre-freak Michael Jackson. When I asked Colin Hay about the videos by Men At Work, he told me that in England and Australia, videos were big long before Americans jumped on the trend. That's why MTV played all those European bands when they started up. Carl

I love what Q does with music in movies. Traditional thinking is to match the music to the mood of the scene - sad scene, sad song, etc. This works very well most of the time, but kind of tells the viewer how to feel - in a horror movie you always know when you're supposed to be scared because of the music. Quentin turns this on its head by using something that might not seem appropriate, but in some warped way, makes sense. I loved the music in Kill Bill. The "Bang Bang" part was brilliant. Another reason I love his movies - Quentin knows his music. He's willing to use lots of different styles and throw in artists who are not popular or trendy. Great use of The Dramatics in Jackie Brown! Carl

Someone sent us the German lyrics, so if you check the Songfacts lyrics, there should be both English and German.

Could you tell us more about Street Teams? I know they are a huge part of marketing bands. Do they get paid? Free tickets? Meet the band? Just wondering what the motivation is. I do know that record companies worship them. Thanks, Carl

Good question, and great subject line. When many websites go up, they immediately throw up banner ads, pop ups, and whatever else is the new annoying ad form of the moment. There has to be a better way. Our plan is to find a sponsor with a product relevant to music fans and give them some space on the site with a link. I don't think anyone would object as long as it was clearly labeled as a sponsor. We keep our costs down by doing most of the work ourselves. Unfortunately, this leaves us little time for sales presentations and marketing. If anyone has sales experience and can convince a great company that they should sponsor Songfacts, let us know - we offer a good commission. Any ideas or thoughts on this are welcome. Everyone wants to get paid to do something they love. We might get there someday, but it's not awful doing something you love for free. Thanks, Carl

Here are a few ways to win a clean and comfortable Songfacts T-shirt: Win the Mighty Songfacts Trivia Quiz Help us set up an interview with a prominent songwriter. Win a Nobel prize of any kind. There are other ways, and they usually involve a combination of contributing to Songfacts, coming up with a great idea for the site, and asking nicely. Carl

We did great interviews recently with Rupert Holmes and Eddie Schwartz. Eddie gave us Songfacts for 2 famous songs he wrote - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and "Don't Shed A Tear." Rupert told us all about "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" as well as "Timothy" and "You Got It All." Check out the Songfacts on them when you get a chance. Carl

I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to hold any of this against me... It's "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles. Some of my friends loved the movie Can't Buy Me Love so much, they had a theme party where you were encouraged to dress up like your favorite character from the film. As we discussed the cultural significance of Patrick Dempsey over our favorite beverages, I kept spouting interesting tidbits about the song - like how it was one of the 5 Beatles songs to hold the top 5 chart positions at once, and how it was a rare song that started with the chorus. After enjoying more of my favorite beverages and ripping off my sleaves to complete the Patrick Dempsey look, I started thinking about putting this song information into some kind of database. So I put Filemaker on my Powerbook 2400 and started entering in song information. Of course, the first song had to be the one that gave me the idea in the first place. I was a disc jockey, and the database was a wonderful show prep device, allowing me to access song information without digging through magazines and reference guides. Listeners loved hearing about the songs, so I put the database on line so anyone could enjoy it and contribute. A lot of people did, and we have Patrick Dempsey to thank. Carl

Congratulations to Karli from Sydney, Australia. She wins a clean and comfortable Songfacts t-shirt. Here are the answers: Who has written hit songs for The Bangles, Sinead O'Connor and Chaka Khan? - Prince "Manic Monday," "Nothing Compares 2 U," "I Feel For You." Who is the best-selling rapper of all time? - Eminem What was the first Motown song to win a Grammy? - "Cloud Nine" by The Temptations (1969) Who were the first married couple to guest star on The Simpsons? (at least one was a musician) - Paul and Linda McCartney Sonny and Cher was a popular guess. At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, who did Chris Rock say was like "Mediocre Green Day?" - Good Charlotte What band played to the largest crowd ever for a single-act performance, meaning they were the only band that played that night? - Led Zeppelin. They played to over 76,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit on May 6, 1977. What song contains the line, "You catch a pearl and ride the dragon's wings?" - "Heat Of The Moment" by Asia What band had a lead singer named "Jello?" - The Dead Kennedys - Jello Biafra What musician has acted in movies with Sean Connery, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Liotta, and Samuel L. Jackson? - Busta Rhymes Finding Forrester, Halloween, Ressurection, Higher Learning, Narc, Shaft Who was the first British woman to have a #1 album in the UK? - Kate Bush - Never For Ever Tiebreaker: How many fish in the Songfacts aquarium are named after musicians? - 0, but one is named after a taxi driver we met. Thanks to everyone who took the quiz, and be sure to take the new one here.

On Sept. 23, Songfacts was the Cool Site of the Day. Their website picks an interesting site every day and has their users rate the site from 1-10. Songfacts got the best score of all the sites in September: http://www.coolsiteoftheday.com/cgi-bin/stillcool.pl?month=09&year=2003 When we started Songfacts, we figured it would be useful to disc jockeys and some hard-core music fans. Over the last few years, we've found out that many people enjoy learning and talking about songs, and it's very exciting to score so high among sites picked for their overall coolness. Thanks to you all for contributing to Songfacts and making it so darn cool. Carl

That's almost exactly right. There is a counter associated with each song that counts how many times it gets hit each day, week, and ever. The random feature works a little differently. It figures out how many songs are in the database, generates a random number, and picks a song assigned to that number. It's a good thing we have some very smart people working on this site.

We're going to put the previous quiz anwers into a forum from now on. This will allow anyone to discuss it, and creates a way to archive them. If you have ideas for questions, please send Sara or me a private message.

Gerald from Stockton, CA wins a clean and comfortable Songfacts T-shirt for his efforts. Here are the answers: What popular group was once known as Feedback? - U2 What is the last song John Lennon sang at a concert? - "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" He performed it at Elton John's Madison Square Garden show in 1974. What song became a hit when it was used in the TV show Family Ties? - "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and The Beaters I think Nick and Mallory got hot and heavy to it in that PG-rated kind of ABC sitcom way. Among bands with at least one set of twins, which has sold the most albums worldwide? - The Bee Gees Nelson was the most popular guess. Milli Vanilli was wrong for too many reasons to detail here. The Olsen Twins was a great guess, but wrong. What baseball player who is still playing recently released an album? - Bernie Williams of the New York Yankees He's lost a step in center field, but his music career is showing promise. Apparently he's a pretty good guitarist. Who are the only 2 singers in both the Rock and Country Hall of Fame? - Elvis and Johnny Cash This question was posted before Johnny Cash died, and we'll take this opportunity to say that he stayed true to himself, his fans, and his music. That's a full life. Good guesses for this one included Hank Williams, Chet Atkins and Willie Nelson. What still-active band has a name that means "A tendency to fade from sight"? - Evanescence Blur, although and excellent guess, was wrong. What was the last comedy song to hit #1 in the US? - Disco Duck by Rick Dees and his cast of idiots Dees is a Los Angeles disc jockey who is still going strong. He had this hit in 1976 and still occasionally makes fun of it on his show. Dees was host of the TV show Solid Gold in 1984. We don't count "Macarena" as comedy, but give a few of you credit for trying. What pop singer had a role in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding? - Joey Fatone from 'N Sync What is the only US #1 hit released by an artist who was not signed to a record label? - "Stay" by Lisa Loeb It became a hit when it was used in the movie Reality Bites Tiebreaker: How many miles did Sara run in August? - 56. Many of them fast. Thanks to everyone who took the quiz, and be sure to take the new one here.

No, not the fish (I haven't seen the movie so don't tell me if they found him), this is a showcase in Boston the weekend of Sept 5th. Lots of emerging bands will be there to show their stuff. The Songfacts staff will see as many as we can and let you know if any stand out. For more info, their website is: http://www.nemoboston.com/ Carl

I don't write songs, but have talked to many people who do in order to get information for Songfacts. One thing I've learned is that great songs often happen when you're not looking for them. You can go to the Berklee School of Music, take some philosophy classes, learn about phrasing, and still have nothing interesting to write about. Then you could have your emotions mangled by a girl and write something brilliant. Janis Ian summed it up best when she told us - "You can teach the craft, not the inspiration." Carl

I can't think of any obvious influences on any of those 6 bands. I've noticed that singers like David Bowie tend to claim obscure influences, meaning they weren't the first to make that kind of noise, but the first to make it famous. If Kurt could speak he might list bands like Mudhoney as an influence, and Thom Yorke probably listened to some stuff most people have never heard of. Those 6 might be as original as you can get, although I might add Eminem to that list. Carl

If the 4 Beatles were still alive, I think they would have gotten back for at least one reunion by now. I still remember that clip of Howard Cosell asking Lennon if The Beatles would ever reunite, and Lennon answering "You never know." It is clear now that they had great respect for each other and may have found a way to put aside their differences. As for reunions, I'm still amazed that groups insist on using original names even after losing key members. What do Robbie Kreiger and Ray Manzarek have to gain by touring and calling themselves The Doors? They may sell some more tickets, but they're losing lots more in lawsuits and damage to their legacy. Some cases are cut and dry - I don't think anyone is buying that Axl and friends is really Guns 'n' Roses - but others are tricky. Lynyrd Skynyd has only a few original members, but they get points for using the brother of their fallen lead singer as frontman. In my opinion, it is best to tour under a different name. Page and Plant are Page and Plant, not Led Zeppelin, and I respect them more for it. When a member gets martyred, the fans usually want the band to die as well. The remaining members of Blind Melon found this out when they tried to keep going without Shannon Hoon. Carl

Listening to the radio (especially modern rock radio) can definitely make you lose your faith in new music. Think about how many bands simply faded away over the last few years. I agree that many of the best bands are not getting exposure, and that's a shame. Some of the new artists on my IPod include The Coral, Damien Rice, and Maroon 5. There are some good local bands in the Northeast US as well, but their live shows are usually much better than their CDs. ::

I can't imagine these types of programs going away, because there's really nothing illegal about providing a means to share information. When all the legislation fails to destroy Kazaa, I wouldn't be surprised if the record companies start putting files up that damage computers when they are downloaded. This would result in some weird lawsuits, but I know at least one senator thinks it is a good idea. Hopefully, it won't come to this. Carl