Incorrect information gleaned from song lyrics

[sw2borshch]

Completely different thread but this is one of those cultural references which I've only come across in Friends, so now if I see it mentioned all I can think of is "oh it's that mysterious thing they were talking about in Friends". See also Lou Gehrig's disease, George Stephanopoulos, Old Yeller etc. (not totally sure if all of those are even real things)

Old Yeller was if course also the epithet hurled by one of the Gatlin boys at Tommy, The Coward of the County.

[Sits]

Crowded House - Weather With You:

Julius Caesar, and the Roman Empire
Couldn’t conquer the blue skies

Well clearly they couldn’t, but a pedantic historical analysis tells us that Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire couldn’t even attempt to conquer the blue skies together, since Caesar (as Dictator not Emperor) ruled the Republic not the Empire which was founded after he died.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I got a pet collie as a child off the back of bursting into tears at the end of a Lassie film.

[elguapo4]

Marley wins hands down

[Jah Womble]

Then of course there's Shannon - Carl Wilson's deceased Irish setter, immortalised in rather cloying song by Henry Gross.

[Benjm]

In a head to head tragic pooch-off, who would jerk the most tears; Old Yeller or Old Shep?

[Fussbudget]

Brill, thanks everyone, and not a lmgtfy link in sight either

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Completely different thread but this is one of those cultural references which I've only come across in Friends, so now if I see it mentioned all I can think of is "oh it's that mysterious thing they were talking about in Friends". See also Lou Gehrig's disease, George Stephanopoulos, Old Yeller etc. (not totally sure if all of those are even real things)

This is george Stephanopulous

[ursus arctos]

George Stephanopoulos

Bill Clinton press secretary, ABC News talking head, "Washington insider"

Old Yeller

Extremely maudlin Disney film from the late 50s about a boy and his dog.

[3 Colours Red]

Lou Gehrig's disease

The USian name for motor neurone disease, named after the baseball player who was one of the first - if not THE first - high-profile person to be diagnosed with it.

[Gas In Name Only]

There is usually snow in Africa at Christmas

[Fussbudget]

Old Yeller was a dog that shouted about custard.

Isn't that Roobarb? Is that the joke? I'm so confused

[ursus arctos]

The kid in that film just died

[sw2borshch]

Old Yeller was a dog that shouted about custard.

[Fussbudget]

Bad, bad, Leroy Brown

Completely different thread but this is one of those cultural references which I've only come across in Friends, so now if I see it mentioned all I can think of is "oh it's that mysterious thing they were talking about in Friends". See also Lou Gehrig's disease, George Stephanopoulos, Old Yeller etc. (not totally sure if all of those are even real things)

[Artificial Hipster]

Back on track, Jesus Christ, as far as we know, didn't 'die on a bed of spikes' as suggested by the J&MC on their Reverence hit.

I'm not sure he ever went to Chicago either.

[Jah Womble]

Have to say I don't recall at that age especially buying into these songs/stories as 'factual', however.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

The Under 8's are fed a lot of misleading information about animal society in general

[Jah Womble]

See also: Clapton.

Mice Don't wear clogs.

Oh well, if we're going to the extent of disallowing 'suspension of disbelief' in lyrics, then I doubt those ducklings actually uttered the words 'quack quack, get out of town!' to their less-attractive contemporary...

Back on track, Jesus Christ, as far as we know, didn't 'die on a bed of spikes' as suggested by the J&MC on their Reverence hit.

[Janik]

What was that COVID lockdown protest song Van Morrison did recently? That would presumably be full of incorrect information. Fortunately no-one worth a bean listens to new Van Morrison material.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Big Coffee doesn't fine you $50 (1950's prices) for drinking water in brazil, and politicians children are not subject to excessive arbitrary prosecution, or it seems, any form of prosecution at all.

Mice Don't wear clogs.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

People living in the congo have a relatively strong desire to live in first world cities. even if people do have a tendency to bang you with automobiles.

[ursus arctos]

See, e.g., Mike Tyson in Tokyo

On the other hand, Croce is correct is locating the "baddest part of town" on the South Side of Chicago. Mr. Brown did not live in Hyde Park.

[elguapo4]

Bad, bad, Leroy Brown

We get told in the early part of the song what a hardass Leroy is, the baddest man in the baddest part of town. One verse later and he's lying on the ground, having had the crap knocked out of him.

[Guy Profumo]

Also, Durham City has never had any real history of shipbuilding to my knowledge, although obviously bits of County Durham (as was) certainly did.

But scanned better

Which is why they changed the lyrics