Recently, I went to see Fujiya & Miyagi at the 9:30 Club which reminded me, first of all, how much fun they are and number two, that it’s not necessarily uncool to refer to yourself in a song. “Ankle Injuries” is a fantastic low-key dance tune and I was able to dig out a few other great songs where the band isn’t afraid to let the listener know who they are…without sounding like Kid Rock. I was also going more for a “Hey Hey We’re the Monkees” sort of self-reference than a “Who are you?” and I’m eliminating hip hop tunes from this list since proclaiming who you are is a far more regular occurrence.
Fujiya & Miyagi :: “Ankle Injuries” Let’s face it, Brits have sexier voices than we do. Especially when putting their voices to a seductive hushed whisper. These guys could be singing the menu to Jumbo Slice and it would sound good…as such, repeatedly saying their name doesn’t seem that wrong.
Jens Lekman :: ” A Postcard to Nina” He referenced himself before on the previous album, but A Postcard to Nina is just so cute that when he signs it “Sincerely, Jens Lekman” I have to pick this one.
Hot Chip :: “The Warning” This one lies in a similar vein as “Ankle Injuries” but instead of just letting you know who they are, Hot Chip lets you know that they plan on inflicting bodily harm! Especially if you’re not dancing! This self-referential tune feels sort of like the mobster’s calling card before or after an attack.
The Dismemberment Plan :: “The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich.” In this fantastic tune, not only does Travis Morrison screech out the song title (which includes the band’s name, natch) at the end of the song but actually references their drummer, who you may recall, got caught aboard a boat with seven tons of opium.
Art Brut :: “Formed a Band.” This one’s a blink and you miss it self-reference that comes in right before Eddie Argos proclaims that yes, this is his singing voice.
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Mine’s definitely “Famous Blue Raincoat” by Leonard Cohen, which ends “Sincerely, L. Cohen.”
leonard cohen, famous blue raincoat: also ends with “sincerely, l. cohen”, it’s not a jens lekman original ideia.
(excuse me for my english…)
Knew it wasn’t a Jens Lekman original idea – I just love Jens Lekman! Kicking myself for blanking on Leonard Cohen though – good call.
there’s also a majority of the hold steady’s oeuvre; craig finn is always talking about how he moved around the country and started a band in his songs, though it’s possible to interpret the bulk of them as being about a craig finn-like protagonist…
Ah, this brings back memories of when I saw the D-Plan live… the mic broke halfway through this exact song, so they started over without a mic and it was pure chaotic brilliance.
“Feeling Better” – The Teenagers was a pretty fun one.
nice post!
Nice post. Not a Hold Steady fan I’m guessing?
I do enjoy The Hold Steady, but much of their songs – although self-referential – don’t actually mention “The Hold Steady,” but rather have Craig Finn as protagonist. Although I do feel like I could have remembered one if I’d thought about it harder. I also decided to eliminate alter egos from consideration – thus no Of Montreal talking about Georgie Fruit and no Bowie talking about Ziggy Stardust, etc.
hot…chip…will…break….your…legs…
“Six or seven kids watched the Plan at a strip mall. I thought that they were bored out of their skulls but it turns out they were having a ball, uh huh! And they’re doing the standing still!”