Clever is as clever does, and clever doesn't try to hide it

[venta]

Rightio. Here's a monster, monster poll to allow people to indicate how well they did in the self-writing lyrics quiz. Also to see how well their choice of song was answered.

Given it's so hard, I think we'll relax the usual must-get-artist-and-exact-song-name rule. If you could confidently identify the song, that's good enough. Feel free to post your score as a comment if you want - or to own up to a lyric if you're so inclined.

[Poll #1444529]

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

I got seven correct.

Cross with myself about 15 and 19, though...

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I am in the "'A New England' is two songs" camp (on account of the rewriting/extra verses), and therefore there are three answers to that as far as I'm concerned.

And I forgot to count my total as I filled in the poll, oops... Edit: 25 out of 38, not too bad. A decent chunk (75%?) of those 25 are currently on my iPod, so I've heard them in the last few days anyway!

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Pssst, in Really Pedantic World, Leaves That Are Green should be credited to Paul Simon, not S&G, as it was released on his solo Songbook before being re-recorded for Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.

*too hot for a coat*

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Even if it's two songs, it's still basically Billy Bragg as he did the rewriting, IIRC.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

With and for KMacC, so I dunno how much one can discount her input. I tend to think they're separate texts (which is consistent with 'The Highwayman' being credited to the singer and not the poet, in this poll!), but it's all semantics really. ;-)

[emarkienna.livejournal.com]

I am not very good with lyrics. Or extended video versions.

I am a bit worried that the only one I got was Meatloaf (I wouldn't say I know the line - but the song mysteriously popped into my head, and it just seemed to fit so well with the line...)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I should have got the Meatloaf one - if I hear a line so long that fitting it into a song with a reasonably small quantity of twiddly bits seems utterly implausible, it probably belongs in Bat out of Hell.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised at how many bands/tracks I sort of knew given how hard the quiz was.

My guess is that a good tip for question writers next time would be: pick a lyric much more commonly associated with the song. This time round I just went with my favourite bit and judging by the poll answers I was right that the track would be known to a reasonable number of people but the lyric I picked was too obscure.

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

I really did score two, and am quite pleased - not least because my track, which I feared was horribly obscure, was one of the most frequently solved. Not the optimal two-thirds, obviously, but a slightly more sociable proportion than most!

[keris.livejournal.com]

Yay! 5!! including my one of course :)

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Never mind #2, I would like to protest that 36 could also be by Phil Ochs.

[venta.livejournal.com]

In that case, Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards must be at least fifteen songs as Bragg is constantly rewriting it :)

[venta.livejournal.com]

In fairness, I think the only bit anyone remembers of that song is the line "Where's your head a-a-a-a-t?" :)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

pick a lyric much more commonly associated with the song

Mm, this. I was surprised by how many lyrics were from songs that I actually do know but nonetheless didn't recognize.

[mrlloyd.livejournal.com]

I got 7.5, or 8 if there's a total of 2 points available for number 2.

Sadly let myself down by getting the wrong tori amos song, and the wrong ah-ha song on number 23. Miffed to have missed out on 31. Surprised I can't work out where the lyric fits on #6. I'm off to find out on Youtube...

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

I would say also, pick a longer lyric. The two songs that I know fairly well (Tori and Madonna) I didn't get because the lyrics were just a tiny snippet and didn't jog my memory.

[sampiano.livejournal.com]

Got 3.5, including my own.

And yay - my question was the easiest!!!

[ringbark.livejournal.com]

Disappointed that The Smirks are so little known - apparently the only bands less well known aren't known at all.
Credit to venta who I know is familiar with the band and to jiggery_pokery who probably only knows them because he knows me.

Now, hurry along to http://thesmirks.com/ and educate yourselves...

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

9 not including my own. Which hardly anyone got, despite choosing (to my mind) the most memorable line.
Only a couple that I felt bad for not getting though.