Blog Songs
May 10, 2004
Having followed a number of weblogs for half a decade now, it's an appropriate time for me to reflect on the cultural impact they've had outside of our insular corner of the Internet. No, there's no sitcom about bloggers or any major musicals based on the lives of our breed of geeks, but there is one type of expression that weblogs have embraced for years that hasn't been properly documented.
Blog songs. There are a lot of really entertaining songs by, for, and about bloggers, and some of them are even deliberately entertaining.
Most recently, Jay Smooth fielded the first credible attempt at weblog hip-hop, a dis track entitled "I Know Why The Unicorn Cries". A solid beat, some compelling rhymes ("next time you post about me, watch your trackback"): this is blog music at its best.
But what about blog music at its most? For sheer prolific insanity, nobody can beat Nikolai Nolan. For this year's Weblog Awards, Nikolai trotted out one of his signature parodies with a take on Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body" entitled "Win a Bloggie". There's even a fan-made (or rather, Dan-made) video for the song.
That's mortifying entertaining enough, but Nikolai has a deep catalog. Like Destiny's Child? Well, how 'bout "Designer" instead of "Survivor"? Haven't quite consigned Sisqo to the heap of one-hit-wonderdom? Well, you'll have no need for Dru Hill's erstwhile lead singer once you've heard "Blog Song".
Going back a little further in pop history? Try "We Didn't Start the Weblogs", in which Nikolai does his best Billy Joel impression. Uncanny.
Nikolai hasn't cornered the market on weblog songs, of course. Victor Lams has a song called, appropriately enough, "My Weblog". Naturally, there's an MP3 version if the lyrics alone aren't sufficient.
There are some slightly more nuanced entries in the Blogging Hot 100 charts, though. Steven Frank's "Ben & Mena" is downright touching. Although I have to admit that after finding out he's responsible for the song, I'll never look at his more famous creative endeavor, Transmit, the same way again.
Some weblog songs are even supposed to be touching. Joi commissioned "Your Own Dot Org" from Shannon last year, and though I understand Mena's reticence about talking about the song too much, it's a great song in its own right, separate from the blog-related content. (Which is similar to "blog-related program activities")
There's even songs about ancillary or related disciplines. OK/Cancel rocked "We Got It", the world's first HCI Rap. It sounds a little bit like a Kid 'N Play outtake, but hey, that's not an insult in my musical world.
And there's lots of other music made by bloggers, with some of the songs being extraordinarily geeky, so it's kind of a fine line what constitutes a blog song and what merely falls under the category Leonard calls "script rock".
Got any favorite blog tunes? Which ones did I miss?
6:18 AM
10 TrackBacks
My plan is almost complete. There are a few sites I'm always saying, "Gosh, I wish they would link to me!" (or at least, I used to, before I got all emo) and Anil Dash is one of them. Now... Read More
This has got to be the down right geekiest thing I've ever heard. I love it! (Via Anil.)... Read More
I will be with my fun children the rest of the day so while I am away play in these Read More
Ok. Wir bloggen hier jeden Tag zum Thema Musik und lassen dabei keine Gelegenheit aus, zu erw � hnen, dass unsere Leser doch auch Musik machen sollen und das das was ganz tolles ist. Nat � rlich haben wir dabei � bersehen, dass man nat � rlich auch Mwe... Read More
Jay over at HipHopMusic.com has posted a hilarious blog dis hiphop track. From the rhyme: we keep it tight, featured site up at movable type I fill suckaz all over the blogosphere with dread walk mean streets these geeks fear... Read More
Some random links to stuff i've enjoyed lately: Songs about blogs - Anil Dash compiles a bunch of songs people have written about blogs. Eurovision Song Contest - get to know all the acts ahead of Sunday night's final Cold... Read More
Anil Dash has an interesting post on blog songs. My favorite is the American Pie inspired the day that blogging died. Fairvue Central's site seems down, so I haven't got a chance to sample the songs there. I wonder if... Read More
"Having followed a number of weblogs for half a decade now, it's an appropriate time for me to reflect on the cultural impact they've had outside of our insular corner of the Internet. No, there's no sitcom about bloggers or... Read More
We as bloggers have come a very, very long way! I mean, we don't have any blogging sitcoms yet (we do however have a Blog reality show however) but I wouldn't be suprised if someone did create one! So no... Read More
We as bloggers have come a very, very long way! I mean, we don't have any blogging sitcoms yet (we do however have a Blog reality show however) but I wouldn't be suprised if someone did create one! So no... Read More
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- Earlier: Decency's starting in the crib
- Next: Portalization
Ahem.
Like a lot of mac users, Evhead is rocking now. Not exactly songs about blogging, but songs by a blogging person about geek things like the web. A blogger garnered some national attention over his remix. Brad Sucks is a one man music machine (that also blogs), as is the master turntablist Victor.
Brad: Overruled. Midi files don't count, you gotta have an MP3 of you actually singing it.
I've been waiting for somebody to do "These chicks don't even know the name of my blog" for a while now.
I'm not sure what happened to King Everything, but I still have the themesong he did for me here:
Simpleweblog theme song
...and who could forget the classic "F*ck San Francisco" which is belived to be the first song to mention blogs? (circa Spring 2001)
I think The day the blogging died is pretty lyrically clever. Sung here.
you gotta have an MP3 of you actually singing it.
Damn.
Check this post (in Spanish) that lists songs such as "Where the posts have no name", "Blog me do", or that famous group, The Blogging Stones, "Where is my blog", by the Pixies, etc. that have shaped this bloggers' generation:
http://www.awacate.com/archives/000721.php
Where they have
Blog me tender, blog me feed
never let me post
You have made my life complete
and i blog you so.
I hate to say everything new sucks. But are we "jumping the shark" here? Well, I don't speak for the blog community, and that being said.. here's my blog song:
Oh my god, Glenn, look at her blog
It is so big
The blog looks like one of those neo-con guys trackbacks
Who understands those warblog guys
They only talk to her because she looks like a total bushie, ok?
I mean her blog
It's just so big
I can't believe there are so many hits
It's just out there
I mean, it's gross
I like big blogs and I can not lie
You other bloggers can't deny
That when a post hits technorati with an itty bitty post
And a blog thing in your face
You get.. the idea..
have fun..
Bitter sweet
A tear in my eye
The Internet Song
(Hello You)
Walkingbirds
Anyone else remember Justify My Blog? (Lyrics here.)
The season in America is all wrong to share this... but I guess I'll hafta. This is the version where you can hear me read it. Wasn't gonna sing it. No way. No how! I am tone deaf... actually, I am just plain deaf.
Hey, you stopped commenting. I hope everything goes well during this storm
Absoultely wonderful. Can I post this as a link on my blog ( http://mblog.com/forsv/ ) with Trackback?
MC Frontalot kicks some tasty beats about everyone's favorite gaming blog
http://frontalot.songhole.org/mc_frontalot_-_penny_arcade_theme.mp3
I have a work-in-progress tune that is me doing my best impression of Milton Berle doing No Doubt doing Everclear singing a version of AC/DC's Back in Black, which is tenatively called "Back in Blog".
Unfortunately, I had to hear this:
The LiveJournal song
ah......but here is a lesser known, and somewhat more spiteful and spunky (read: "less corny and more listenable) song about LiveJournal:
http://www.wreckingboy.com/music.html
(this will get you to the page without the frameset, for entire navigational frameset, go to http://www.wreckingboy.com and navigate to the Music section.)
indian songs is so and indian songs rocks the hole world
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shubh
sapience