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Name That Tune, Game One

Scraps January 4, 2008 92

UPDATE: Longer clips have been added for songs 1, 3, 9, and 13.

Hey folks. This is the first of a planned series of games of Name That Tune. Each of them is also a puzzle. Here’s how this one works:

I have uploaded twenty-one very brief song clips. Most of the songs are famous; none of them are obscure. They are drawn from a variety of styles and decades, from the 1950s to the present. It’s likely that you’ll find a few of them instantly recognizable, while a few others you won’t know at all (but other people will).

There are two parts to this game. The first is guessing the songs themselves. The second part is guessing the puzzle song (clip 21). The first letters of the names of the musicians for songs one through twenty spell a clue to the identity of song 21. (And if song 21 is guessed early, that ought to help nail down the rest of the songs.)

Some songs may go unguessed the first time round. If songs remain unguessed after a day, I’ll upload longer clips.

The Rules (subject to modification in future games):

  • Maximum 3 guesses between updates of the list, to give everyone a chance to play. (Updates will be made in the comments, filling in the spaces with the correct guesses so people can see the puzzle coming together.)
  • Clip 21 may only be guessed once between updates.
  • While I’m not going to be a stickler for spelling and punctuation, you must guess the correct musician and song title to a close approximation.

And here are the song clips:

  1. Clip 1
  2. Clip 2
  3. Clip 3
  4. Clip 4
  5. Clip 5
  6. Clip 6
  7. Clip 7
  8. Clip 8
  9. Clip 9
  10. Clip 10
  11. Clip 11
  12. Clip 12
  13. Clip 13
  14. Clip 14
  15. Clip 15
  16. Clip 16
  17. Clip 17
  18. Clip 18
  19. Clip 19
  20. Clip 20

And the Big Puzzle Clip:
Clip 21

If you’d prefer to download all the clips at once, we have a zip file and an rar file.

I suggest subscribing to the comments on the post (click on “Track Comments”) to more easily follow the progress of the game. Have fun!

TAGS »
POSTED IN » Music, Name That Tune
About the author: Scraps View all posts by
Your name of Scraps has made you an intransigent person, deeply crunchy and prone to glucose intolerance. Never quick to catch a hint or a jest, you are forever decanting liquids upon people's heads in frustration and occasionally crop-dusting their property. You excel at things that no one cares about, such as paper clip separation and the ability to distinguish gauges of model trains at a distance. Your keen attention to detail makes you no fun at parties, but you don't enjoy parties anyway. When left alone you are inclined to lose yourself in the world's deeper questions, such as why triangle-sealing envelopes are more popular than other shapes, and whether the prize at the bottom of the cereal box is lonely before it's discovered. Slow to live and petulant in death, you are the ideal dinner companion for the person who is careless with their utensils. You have a future in fiber analysis and orgone recovery. You are an expert at Roust-the-Hobo and other games of the mind. You are well matched with persons named Serge and Crompton, and you prefer the company of badgers and other woodland creatures. You have no favorite color. Tonight you will dream of not waking up, and in the morning, as ever, you will forget your dreams.

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Name That Tune, Game Forty-Five

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  • MichaelFortes

    #5 sounds like “Angry Chair” by Alice In Chains.
    #8 sounds like “Creep” by TLC.

  • http://elibolin.net Eli

    14 is definitely “Bye Bye Bye”, N'Sync.

    Um, almost definitely?

    (It was my girlfriend who knew it! I swear!)

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    “Angry Chair” is correct (so not “Cryin'”).

    “Show Me Love” is correct (so not “Creep”)/

    Not “Bye Bye Bye”.

    Six songs left (plus the puzzle song):

    1.
    2. Ollie & Jerry, Breakin' (There's No Stopping Us)
    3.
    4. Mr. Mister, Broken Wings
    5. Alice in Chains, Angry Chair
    6. Linda Ronstadt, You're No Good
    7. Four Seasons, Sherry
    8. Robyn, Show Me Love
    9.
    10. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
    11. Dazz Band, Let It Whip
    12. Orleans, Dance With Me
    13.
    14.
    15. Animotion, Obsession
    16.
    17. Temptations, Ball of Confusion
    18. Exciters, Tell Him
    19. Rickie Lee Jones, Chuck E's In Love
    20. Scissor Sisters, Take Your Mama Out

  • http://www.bullz-eye.com DavidMedsker

    #16: Naughty by Nature, “Feel Me Flow”

  • http://www.bastardradio.com Bastard

    The last poster must be right – #5 is Angry Chair by Alice in Chains.
    I didn't see #14 as gotten yet – so my guess is “I Wanna Be Bad” by Willa Ford.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    “Feel Me Flow” and “I Wanna Be Bad” are correct! Only four songs left (plus the puzzle song):

    1.
    2. Ollie & Jerry, Breakin' (There's No Stopping Us)
    3.
    4. Mr. Mister, Broken Wings
    5. Alice in Chains, Angry Chair
    6. Linda Ronstadt, You're No Good
    7. Four Seasons, Sherry
    8. Robyn, Show Me Love
    9.
    10. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
    11. Dazz Band, Let It Whip
    12. Orleans, Dance With Me
    13.
    14. Willa Ford, I Wanna Be Bad
    15. Animotion, Obsession
    16. Naughty by Nature, Feel Me Flow
    17. Temptations, Ball of Confusion
    18. Exciters, Tell Him
    19. Rickie Lee Jones, Chuck E's In Love
    20. Scissor Sisters, Take Your Mama Out

    I'm going to make longer clips for the remaining four.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    Longer clips have been uploaded for the four remaining songs:

    1 – longer clip 1

    3 – longer clip 3

    9 – longer clip 9

    13 – longer clip 13

  • MichaelFortes

    OK, #3 sounds like “Brand New Key” by Melanie.

  • http://blatherwincerepeat.blogspot.com Gary Oxford

    #3 – “England Swings” by Roger Miller

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    “England Swings” is correct.

    “Brand New Key” is not.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    I'm going to be gone for a couple hours. Here's how it looks:

    1.
    2. Ollie & Jerry, Breakin' (There's No Stopping Us)
    3. Roger Miller, England Swings
    4. Mr. Mister, Broken Wings
    5. Alice in Chains, Angry Chair
    6. Linda Ronstadt, You're No Good
    7. Four Seasons, Sherry
    8. Robyn, Show Me Love
    9.
    10. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
    11. Dazz Band, Let It Whip
    12. Orleans, Dance With Me
    13.
    14. Willa Ford, I Wanna Be Bad
    15. Animotion, Obsession
    16. Naughty by Nature, Feel Me Flow
    17. Temptations, Ball of Confusion
    18. Exciters, Tell Him
    19. Rickie Lee Jones, Chuck E's In Love
    20. Scissor Sisters, Take Your Mama Out

    plus the puzzle song still remains.

  • http://www.bastardradio.com Bastard No. 1

    God, I hate you for this. And by “Hate” I mean LOVE!!! This is awesome. But I swear that song #1 has been on the tip of my tongue for hours now – I kept going back to Richard Marx and well, Richard Marx wrote #1 for *NSync – “This I Promise You”

    Don't even ask how a grown man knows this, or how a grown man without children pulled this off his CD rack to listen to it. I won't tell ya.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    Indeed it is “This I Promise You”.

  • http://mostlymodernmedia.wordpress.com Beau

    NORMAL FRIED ON WANTERS?

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    I like “NORMAL FRIED ON WANTERS”, but no, that is not the clue.

  • http://www.bullz-eye.com DavidMedsker

    Normal Freedom Wanters?

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    NORMAL FREEDOM WANTERS is indeed the clue for clip 21.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    Song 9 was a number one pop and r&b hit, by far the biggest hit of its performer's career. The song was written, though, by a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, responsible for many hits, who can be heard playing piano on this clip.

    Song 13 was not a hit single, but is a well known song from a famous album often cited as a proto-punk album. It has been covered by David Bowie, John Cale, and Television Personalities, and features prominently in a cult movie.

  • http://blatherwincerepeat.blogspot.com Gary Oxford

    #9 – “Mother-in-Law” by Ernie K-Doe

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    “Mother-in-Law” is correct (and the songwriter/pianist is Allen Toussaint).

    One to go — plus the puzzle song.

  • http://blatherwincerepeat.blogspot.com Gary Oxford

    #13 – “Pablo Picasso” by the Modern Lovers

    no frickin' clue on #21

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    “Pablo Picasso” it is.

    Looks like I'm going to have to make a longer clip of the puzzle song. Hang on–

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    A longer clip for the Puzzle Song:

    Puzzle Song

    The clue is NORMAL FREEDOM WANTERS.

  • http://www.bastardradio.com Bastard No. 1

    Even with the longer clip and the clue – the puzzle clip is ridiculously difficult. Still have no clue.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    Ach.

    The clue is a reference to a lyric within the song, well known to fans.

    If the clip reminds unguessed by 12:30 PM tomorrow — 48 hours after the game started — I'll post a considerably longer clip and a more explicit clue.

    I'm not sure how many people are following at this point, but I remain — perhaps misguidedly — confident that there are people reading this site who know the song.

  • ripper

    I have no Idea what the remaining songs are. However the clue should read, “normal freedom wanters”. So I'm wondering, is the mystery song by Slave?

  • ripper

    I have no idea what the remaining songs are. However, the clue will read, “normal freedom wanters”. Is the mystery song by Slave?

  • http://elibolin.net ShalimarBojangles

    Well, I'll be hornswaggled.

    The clue looks like it'll read “Normal Freedom Wanters”, but the only song that makes me think of is “We Are Normal” by the Bonzo Dog Band, and Clip 21 certainly doesn't sound like that.

    I be stumped, yo.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    Not Slave.

  • Gavin

    1. General Public, Tenderness
    13. Modern Lovers, Pablo Picasso

  • Gavin

    #21–The Eagles, “Take It to the Limit”?

  • http://blatherwincerepeat.blogspot.com Gary Oxford

    #21 – “The Red Telephone” by Love

  • http://mostlymodernmedia.wordpress.com Beau

    I had never heard this song, but upon digging up the lyrics and a sample at AllMusic, I think Gary has nailed it. Along with half the list. Great work.

  • http://www.bullz-eye.com DavidMedsker

    Just looked up the lyrics. “We are normal and we want our freedom.” Boom shacka lacka lacka lacka. There's your winner.

    Is this on Forever Changes? I need to get that record.

  • http://www.deselbybowen.com/parlando/ Scraps

    Ding ding ding!

    Gary has it: “The Red Telephone” from the great FOREVER CHANGES by Love. “We're All Normal and We Want Our Freedom” was used as the title for the tribute album to Love in 1995.

    the final results:

    1. 'N Sync, This I Promise You
    2. Ollie & Jerry, Breakin' (There's No Stopping Us)
    3. Roger Miller, England Swings
    4. Mr. Mister, Broken Wings
    5. Alice in Chains, Angry Chair
    6. Linda Ronstadt, You're No Good
    7. Four Seasons, Sherry
    8. Robyn, Show Me Love
    9. Ernie K-Doe, Mother-in-Law
    10. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
    11. Dazz Band, Let It Whip
    12. Orleans, Dance With Me
    13. Modern Lovers, Pablo Picasso
    14. Willa Ford, I Wanna Be Bad
    15. Animotion, Obsession
    16. Naughty by Nature, Feel Me Flow
    17. Temptations, Ball of Confusion
    18. Exciters, Tell Him
    19. Rickie Lee Jones, Chuck E's In Love
    20. Scissor Sisters, Take Your Mama Out

    and the puzzle song:
    21. Love, The Red Telephone

    Congratulations, Gary, and thank you for playing, everybody! The game will be back with a new puzzle next Friday at 12:30 PM.

  • http://blatherwincerepeat.blogspot.com Gary Oxford

    Thank you. I'd like to thank Sergey Brin and Larry Page for Google, the AllMusic guide for their David Bowie and John Cale discographies, and all the other fine players who knew songs I would have never gotten in eleventy kajillion years. And most of all, thanks to Scraps, for all the effort in putting together such a fun game.

  • http://www.popdose.com jefito

    Way to go, Gary! Head to our Contact Page and drop me a line with your address — we've got a prize for you.

  • http://www.bastardradio.com Bastard No. 1

    My knowledge of Willa Ford and NSync got you a prize, Gary – at least I'm happy the sh*t in my brain is being put to some good use! :)

  • http://www.bastardradio.com Bastard No. 1

    My knowledge of Willa Ford and NSync got you a prize, Gary – at least I'm happy the sh*t in my brain is being put to some good use! :)

  • http://www.bastardradio.com Bastard No. 1

    My knowledge of Willa Ford and NSync got you a prize, Gary – at least I'm happy the sh*t in my brain is being put to some good use! :)

  • Barbara Evans

    where do you click to answer

  • Annie

    Too hard! Need longer clips- I teach elementary music-anyone have an easier game?

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