Link to the song
Downloadable legally AND free on Jonathan Coulton's website
Lyrics:
Washy Ad Jeffy
Maddy Monroe
Ad Jackson Van Hair
Ty Po Tay Phil Pear
Bu Lincoln John Grant2
Hayes Gar Thur and Cleve
Hair Cleve and McKin
Roosevelt Taft
Wilson Hard Coolidge
Hoov Franklin Roosevelt Truman Ikey
Ken Johnson Nixon Ford Cart Reagan Bush
Clinton Dubya
And maybe you someday
And if you do they’ll say
What a fine president you made
Washy Ad Jeffy
Maddy Monroe
Ad Jackson Van Hair
Ty Po Tay Phil Pear
Bu Lincoln John Grant2
Hayes Gar Thur and Cleve
Hair Cleve and McKin
Roosevelt Taft
Wilson Hard Coolidge
Hoov Franklin Roosevelt Truman Ikey
Ken Johnson Nixon Ford Cart Reagan Bush
Clinton Dubya
First, let me acknowledge that this song lacks Obama. It's old, okay? Deal with it.
This song is meant to be a mnemonic device for remembering not only the presidents, but how many terms they served. (The number of syllables in their name is the number of terms they served. Ex: Dub-ya = 2 terms)
As a mnemonic, it fails.
It's easier to just go in and learn the information straight up. Honestly, I knew it ahead of time and had more trouble recalling the lyrics to the song even though I listened to it time and time again, back to back some of these times.
Musically, though, the light guitar and vocals are appealing.
If examined solely as a song, it's decent. If examined as a learning tool, don't bother with it.
Showing posts with label Song Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Song Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Song Review: "Why Millard Fillmore Sucked"
Well, this song comes from a series of Why Every President Sucked so, let me acknowledge here that they are biased.
Link to the song
Lyrics:
Let’s have a compromise
Just ignore those cries you hear
It’s nothing at all
Just the sound of freedom giving way to fear
Let’s have a compromise
Just ignore those cries
Runaway slave, you gotta come back now
It’s a lose-lose, not a win-win-win
Which we all know would be the best
But if we all give a little
We can all be miserable
I can see that you’re impressed
Millard Fillmore is my name
There’s a reason you’ve never heard of me before
The final couplet strikes me immediately. I hate that no one has heard of Millard Fillmore. In fact, I believe tvtropes.com characterizes him as "famous for being obscure." I think Millard Fillmore was a pretty poor president generally, but a lot of that is due to the times and not the man.
The song focuses on the Compromise of 1850, which admittedly is the major accomplishment of Fillmore's administration. However, I disagree with the calling it lose-lose. In fact, it managed to push by the Civil War, albeit by maybe a decade, but that's better than not doing anything about it COUGHCOUGHJAMESBUCHANANCOUGHCOUGH.
Millard Fillmore spent the majority of his presidential years working to appease both sections of the country. Compromise and saving the Union were key to him. However, he also asserted American neutrality despite it having negative political implications with the German-American demographic. In addition, he sent Commodore Perry to Japan which would open trade with them. And he began the White House library.
So Millard Fillmore gets a lot of negative outlooks, but he really wasn't all that bad. In fact, I defy this song and say Millard Fillmore did not suck.
I must give the song credit, though. It's very appealing to the ear.
Link to the song
Lyrics:
Let’s have a compromise
Just ignore those cries you hear
It’s nothing at all
Just the sound of freedom giving way to fear
Let’s have a compromise
Just ignore those cries
Runaway slave, you gotta come back now
It’s a lose-lose, not a win-win-win
Which we all know would be the best
But if we all give a little
We can all be miserable
I can see that you’re impressed
Millard Fillmore is my name
There’s a reason you’ve never heard of me before
The final couplet strikes me immediately. I hate that no one has heard of Millard Fillmore. In fact, I believe tvtropes.com characterizes him as "famous for being obscure." I think Millard Fillmore was a pretty poor president generally, but a lot of that is due to the times and not the man.
The song focuses on the Compromise of 1850, which admittedly is the major accomplishment of Fillmore's administration. However, I disagree with the calling it lose-lose. In fact, it managed to push by the Civil War, albeit by maybe a decade, but that's better than not doing anything about it COUGHCOUGHJAMESBUCHANANCOUGHCOUGH.
Millard Fillmore spent the majority of his presidential years working to appease both sections of the country. Compromise and saving the Union were key to him. However, he also asserted American neutrality despite it having negative political implications with the German-American demographic. In addition, he sent Commodore Perry to Japan which would open trade with them. And he began the White House library.
So Millard Fillmore gets a lot of negative outlooks, but he really wasn't all that bad. In fact, I defy this song and say Millard Fillmore did not suck.
I must give the song credit, though. It's very appealing to the ear.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Song Review: "The Presidents" by Jonathan Coulton
Link to the Song
Lyrics:
Washington came first and he was perfect.
John Adams kept us out of war with France.
Jefferson made Louisiana Purchase.
In 1812 James Madison kicked the British in the pants.
James Monroe told Europe they could suck it.
John Quincy Adams looked just like his dad.
Andrew Jackson got rid of all the Indians.
Van Buren served one term, but he wasn't bad.
William Henry Harrison died early.
John Tyler annexed Texas from Mexico.
James K. Polk fought Mexico to keep it.
Taylor was a Mexican War hero.
Fillmore gave a boat to Commodore Perry.
Pierce repealed the Missouri Compromise.
Buchanan saw the Civil War's beginnings.
Lincoln saved the Union, then he died.
Andrew Johnson just survived impeachment.
General Grant enjoyed a drink or two.
Rutherford B. Hayes ended Reconstruction.
Garfield was assassinated in 1882.
Arthur suspended Chinese immigration.
Cleveland made the railroad people squirm.
Harrison signed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Grover Cleveland served another term.
McKinley kicked the Spanish out of Cuba.
Roosevelt was handy with a gun.
Taft was big and fat and had a mustache.
Wilson kicked some ass in World War I.
Harding said "Let's Laissez Faire with business."
Coolidge made the roaring 20s roar.
Hoover screwed the pooch in the Great Depression.
Roosevelt beat the Nazis in the war.
Truman dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
Eisenhower kept the Commies well in hand.
Kennedy was killed by a magic bullet.
Johnson murdered kids in Vietnam.
Nixon was a sweating, filthy liar.
Ford gave Nixon pardon for his crimes.
Carter lusted in his heart for peanuts.
Reagan won the Cold War, and lost his mind.
George Bush Sr. poked at Saddam Hussein.
Clinton gave an intern a cigar.
W's legacy's a work in progress.
That is all the Presidents so far.
In the year 2005 we're out of money.
Somewhere, surely, freedom's on the march.
I don't like to make political statements.
This song, first and foremost, is appealing to the ear. It's important for a song to sound good.
Lyrically some of the things Coulton says about the presidents are worthless, incorrect, or I just don't like them.
Most egregiously, he says James Garfield was assassinated in 1882. He was assassinated in 1881. How this error made it into the song just baffles me. You have to do the research.
Surely there's something better to say about John Quincy Adams than him looking like his dad. Plus I don't think they even look remotely similar. I mean, JQA is an ugly man, but his father looks pretty alright for the times.
Arthur did suspend Chinese immigration, but the bill had come up at least once prior to his presidency only to be vetoed. He also vetoed it himself once, signing it only after the term of no Chinese immigrants was halved.
Maybe I just wasn't alive during Carter's administration and am missing the joke, but "Carter lusted in his heart for peanuts?" On one hand, it captures the way no one took him seriously, but on the other why not come up with some fact about him?
The song isn't all bad though, the line about James Madison kicking the British in the pants, while leaving out that America was also kicked in the pants, is probably the best line in the song. "Reagan won the Cold War and lost his mind" is a close runner-up.
Overall, this is a pretty good song, and would be a great way to just get a quick tidbit about all the presidents into a young audience.
Lyrics:
Washington came first and he was perfect.
John Adams kept us out of war with France.
Jefferson made Louisiana Purchase.
In 1812 James Madison kicked the British in the pants.
James Monroe told Europe they could suck it.
John Quincy Adams looked just like his dad.
Andrew Jackson got rid of all the Indians.
Van Buren served one term, but he wasn't bad.
William Henry Harrison died early.
John Tyler annexed Texas from Mexico.
James K. Polk fought Mexico to keep it.
Taylor was a Mexican War hero.
Fillmore gave a boat to Commodore Perry.
Pierce repealed the Missouri Compromise.
Buchanan saw the Civil War's beginnings.
Lincoln saved the Union, then he died.
Andrew Johnson just survived impeachment.
General Grant enjoyed a drink or two.
Rutherford B. Hayes ended Reconstruction.
Garfield was assassinated in 1882.
Arthur suspended Chinese immigration.
Cleveland made the railroad people squirm.
Harrison signed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Grover Cleveland served another term.
McKinley kicked the Spanish out of Cuba.
Roosevelt was handy with a gun.
Taft was big and fat and had a mustache.
Wilson kicked some ass in World War I.
Harding said "Let's Laissez Faire with business."
Coolidge made the roaring 20s roar.
Hoover screwed the pooch in the Great Depression.
Roosevelt beat the Nazis in the war.
Truman dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
Eisenhower kept the Commies well in hand.
Kennedy was killed by a magic bullet.
Johnson murdered kids in Vietnam.
Nixon was a sweating, filthy liar.
Ford gave Nixon pardon for his crimes.
Carter lusted in his heart for peanuts.
Reagan won the Cold War, and lost his mind.
George Bush Sr. poked at Saddam Hussein.
Clinton gave an intern a cigar.
W's legacy's a work in progress.
That is all the Presidents so far.
In the year 2005 we're out of money.
Somewhere, surely, freedom's on the march.
I don't like to make political statements.
This song, first and foremost, is appealing to the ear. It's important for a song to sound good.
Lyrically some of the things Coulton says about the presidents are worthless, incorrect, or I just don't like them.
Most egregiously, he says James Garfield was assassinated in 1882. He was assassinated in 1881. How this error made it into the song just baffles me. You have to do the research.
Surely there's something better to say about John Quincy Adams than him looking like his dad. Plus I don't think they even look remotely similar. I mean, JQA is an ugly man, but his father looks pretty alright for the times.
Arthur did suspend Chinese immigration, but the bill had come up at least once prior to his presidency only to be vetoed. He also vetoed it himself once, signing it only after the term of no Chinese immigrants was halved.
Maybe I just wasn't alive during Carter's administration and am missing the joke, but "Carter lusted in his heart for peanuts?" On one hand, it captures the way no one took him seriously, but on the other why not come up with some fact about him?
The song isn't all bad though, the line about James Madison kicking the British in the pants, while leaving out that America was also kicked in the pants, is probably the best line in the song. "Reagan won the Cold War and lost his mind" is a close runner-up.
Overall, this is a pretty good song, and would be a great way to just get a quick tidbit about all the presidents into a young audience.
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