Skip to main content

Friday 10: Step Right Over and Watch Me Put It Down

Ain't got no chickens, ain't got no rats.

Closeup of a squirrel perched on a wooden fence; it looks like it’s about to take a leap.
Who you got back home watering your plants?
Source: Ray Shrewsberry / Pixabay / Pixabay Content License

We didn’t quite make it to all ten last week, but we came close! A three-way tie with Lazlo, Glen, and Fred. Then, finally, newcomer Robin with the Dio reference.

The remaining lyric was New Wave classic “Love My Way” by the Psychedelic Furs. I don’t remember hearing this one in the ’80s, but it seems like it’s on every 80s nostalgia playlist.

I was pretty confident about last week’s selection, but not so much this one. This game leans heavily into a different genre than usual, so we’ll see what happens.

A few of the songs have multiple covers, which can be tricky. Covers sometimes have slightly different lyrics than the original, and although one of the cover versions of #6 is more familiar to me, I stuck with the original lyrics by the original artist.

Finally: the live performance for #1 was unexpectedly funny. If / when that one gets identified, I really hope you take a look.

Update: Now that Fred’s got it, I can tease the video better. It’s a live performance of Beck’s “Where It’s At,” and Beck spends the first several minutes making the keyboardist try out different voices on the opening bars.

Update 2: When you’re done here, try Glen’s and Fred’s.

The rules

  1. Post your guesses in the comments. Provide both the artist and the title.
  2. No fair searching.
  3. Covers are accepted if I can find them.

This week’s lyrics:

  1. Members Only hypnotizers move through the room like ambulance drivers. (1996)
    Where It’s At, Beck
    Guessed by
    Fred
  2. I like it, I'm not gonna crack. I miss you, I'm not gonna crack. I love you, I'm not gonna crack. (1991)
    Lithium, Nirvana
    Guessed by
    Charlie
  3. I'm so darn glad He let me try it again, ’cause my last time on Earth, I lived a whole world of sin. (1973)
    Higher Ground, Stevie Wonder (covered by Red Hot Chili Peppers)
    Guessed by
    Fred
  4. He took her down to Chinatown and showed her how to kick the gong around. (1931)
    Minnie the Moocher, Cab Calloway
    Guessed by
    Glen
  5. She said, “Tell me are you a Christian, child?” And I said, “Ma’am, I am tonight.” (1991)
    Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn (covered by Cher)
    Guessed by
    Fred
  6. I can't stand no runnin’ around. I can't stand no puttin’ me down. (1956)
    I Put a Spell On You, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (covered by Nina Simone, Annie Lennox, Bette Midler, Creedence Clearwater Revival)
    Guessed by
    Glen
  7. We're the best of friends, insisting that the world keep turning our way. (1980)
    On the Road Again, Willie Nelson
  8. When I am king you will be first against the wall with your opinion, which is of no consequence at all. (1997)
    Paranoid Android, Radiohead
  9. We'll go honky tonkin' and we'll have a time. Bring along your Cadillac — leave my old wreck behind. (1950)
    If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time, Lefty Frizzell (covered by Willie Nelson, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Mose Allison)
    Guessed by
    Glen
  10. It was a fight for survival that broke out in revival. They were jumpin’ pews and shouting “Hallelujah!” (1984)
    Mississippi Squirrel Revival, Ray Stevens
    Guessed by
    Glen

Your guesses