Carl

Going down tomorrow morning EST. When we come back up for air, things should look different.

Yeah, I also remember "The Big One." Took years of therapy to recover This one should be a lot better. We've built a sandbox and are testing, and it's going pretty well. A lot of it is Zhivko and me learning setting and features. There will be some bumps, but the conversion process is a lot smoother than last time we tried, and other Fusion boards have made the switch successfully. Getting closer...

Locked and loaded.

Fusion served us well, but it's time to move on to new message board software. Same great posts and people, but new look and different functionality. We expect a few bumps, but we're doing everything we can to make sure as much as possible translates over when we do the move.

Was watching the classic video for "Say Say Say," and realized: This has absolutely nothing to do with the song. No matter how hard I tried to make a connection, there was no way I could link the lyrics to whatever Paul, Michael, LaToya and Linda were doing in the clip. Have a look: Now, I get that many videos don't relate to the song, but usually there is some conceptual thread that could connect the sound and picture in some way. So I ask you, what are some other music videos out there that have absolutely nothing to do with the songs they are supporting?

You can get Private Topics send to your email, but I don't think you can get post notification sent. Sorry about that.

What are some songs that contain heartbeats, real or simulated? Examples: "Speak To Me" and "Eclipse" from Pink Floyd "Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News "Heartbeat Song" by Kelly Clarkson

Taylor Swift has applied for trademarks to several phrases related to her album 1989, including: "Party Like It's 1989," "This Sick Beat" "Cause We Never Go Out Of Style." "Nice to meet you. Where you been?" "Could show you incredible things" The reporting on this story is exceptionally lazy and sheep-like, implying that she is trying to cravenly capitalize anything she can, and making quips about how you'll need her permission to put "This Sick Beat" on a saddle. Some of the stories mention that she couldn't trademark "Shake It Off," because it was owned by "A diet company." Well, there is a company that has the phrase trademarked for "meal replacement and dietary supplement drinks," but just after the song was released, another company applied to trademark the phrase for anything merch-related, including journals, calendars, decals and clothing. They did the same for these phrases: "Cheaters Gonna Cheat" "Players Gonna Play" So really, this is a case of Swift trying to protect herself from a trademark troll. Can't blame her for wanting to ensure that her own lyrics don't show up on a bathrobe somebody decides to sell. The other thing nobody mentions is that these are trademark applications - nothing has been granted and it will take a long time before any action is taken. Here's how Rolling Stone covered it, which is typical: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/taylor-swift-trademarks-this-sick-beat-and-other-1989-phrases-20150128

Dire Straits "Walk of Life" covers two in one shot: "Be Bop a Lula baby What'd I Say"

Nice job Phil. This was fun (even though my team suffered an embarrassing playoff loss). Thanks for putting it together Kevin.

"Text Me Merry Christmas" - Straight No Chaser. Veronica Mars is the female voice.

This is a good idea. Let me see if we can round up enough songs for that category.

OK, here it is compiled on the main site: Before You Die Albums

Almost ready to post our interview with Verdine White. Discovered this gem along the way:

We all know movies with twist endings: The Crying Game, The Sixth Sense... But every now and then a song comes along that drops a bombshell at the end. Two examples: 1) "Two Lovers" by Mary Wells - we learn at the end that the two lovers are, in fact, one person. 2) "Love Vigilantes" by New Order - a war story told from the perspective of a soldier returning home, it turns out that he is actually dead. What are some other songs that have these twist endings?

I get the sense that (mostly) British acts like Deep Purple and Yes are at peace with their snubs, since the Rock Hall is an American institution run by an American magazine. It's different if you're from the USA, however. When Greg asked James Pankow of Chicago about not getting in, he let loose: http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/james_pankow_of_chicago/

Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison

Yeah, he could really sing. "Eye Of The Tiger" was definitely Bickler though.

That new song by Taylor Swift. I didn't think it would stick, but it does.

When Roger sent me his Songfacts interview with Gene Simmons, I read it with rapt attention. Simmons always speaks his mind, but this time he fired a flamethrower. He had some particularly strong comments regarding the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which he called a "sham," and when Roger asked if he still gets along with his former bandmates, Gene let loose. "No, I don't get along with anybody who's a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their head and sees themselves as a victim," he explained, before launching into a rant punctuated by remarks about having no sympathy for suicide. We published the story on July 31, and the suicide comments hit a nerve; some blogs and news outlets picked it up, condemning the remarks as insensitive to those with depression. Then Robin Williams died. Suddenly social media channels were filled with discussions about the roots of suicide and what could be done to prevent it. This shined a harsh light on what Simmons said, and on Nikki Sixx' radio show, the Crüeman made a counterpoint from the perspective of a former drug addict. After a group of Australian radio stations banned Kiss music, Simmons offered an apology. Let me state that last part again: Gene Simmons issued and apology. The man who literally spits blood came forward to clarify his remarks. "My intention of speaking in very directly and perhaps politically incorrectly about drug use and alcoholics has been misconstrued as vile commentary on depression," he stated on his Facebook page. It didn't take long for major news outlets to jump on the story: The Rolling Stone headline read "Gene Simmons' Depression and Suicide Comments Anger Nikki Sixx"; The Los Angeles Times put it in the most perspective, pointing out that the comments were made before Williams' death, and that they were just a small portion of a far-reaching interview. Of course, it was not our intention to get Simmons in hot water, and when I read the story I thought his statements about rap music would be what hit the hot button. Like most of our interviews, it's in Q&A format, which removes the filter of editing - we'd rather hear what the subject actually said then get selected quotes wrapped in journalist perspective. Roger's work on the piece is outstanding - his intro is very clever, and he got tremendous insights out of Simmons without ever baiting him. Anyone looking for offensive remarks made by Simmons in the past won't have to do much research (start with his NPR interview a few years back). This just happened to hit a very sensitive nerve at a very sensitive time.

Best line from a press release we've seen all week: After smashing nearly 15,000 watermelons throughout his lifetime, Gallagher has decided to return to his stand-up roots for his final hurrah.

We've interviewed hundreds of songwriters over the years, and to the best of my knowledge they were all still alive and well heading into July, a month when two of our subjects passed away. The interviews are a great snapshot of what these guys were thinking in the months before they passed: 1) Johnny Winter A man of indubitable talent and influence, Johnny was stuck promoting a boxed set when Greg spoke with him earlier this year. He spent the whole interview giving terse retorts to Greg's increasingly desperate queries. There was very little to be gleaned from the piece, but I thought it was a great case study on what could happen to even the best and brightest when they cede control of their careers. Johnny made it clear from the jump that he was speaking with us only out of obligation. When Greg asked for details about the release, he said it was all Sony's idea. "They had control over it. I didn't," said Johnny. I found it disturbing that the great Johnny Winter was reduced to doing interviews against his will. 2) Dick Wagner Not a household name, but a titan of rock guitar and songwriting. He made the notes in Entertainment Weekly's dozier when he died on July 30. When Greg spoke with him, Dick told the inside stories of writing and recording "Only Women Bleed" with Alice Cooper and playing the guitar solos on Aerosmith's version of "Train Kept A Rollin'." He was excited about producing a new artist and recording a song for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At one point, Dick talked about his near-death experiences, which made him appreciate his time on Earth. "I'm just the most lucky guy in the world," he said. "I've been near death several times and I could have been killed on Friday. But here I am."

The "random songfact" didn't make the final cut on the new layout, partly because we didn't know where to put it. There's a good chance it will return - we have heard from a few folks who miss it.

Wow. Putin and Seagal are definitely one of a kind. Too bad one of them is a world leader. And then there's Katey Sagal, who is now a musician:

Yeah, Brad nailed it - and thanks for catching that typo, which we'll fix soon. The forum registrations aren't affected; this is all on the main site.