Wingo

Back by request, it's the periodic entry where I mention a song I heard on the stereo at a wings place I frequent. Tonight, the theme seemed to be "songs that sound like other songs." Picking a song tonight was rather difficult, first because we were all busy playing Wingo (I-29 dammit! I-29!!! close, but no win), and second because I couldn't quite make out the words to the imitation hits I was hearing. There was a song that sounded much like "Needles and Pins" by the Searchers, one that sounded like "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate, and what I think was a Madonna song that sounded much like another (or any other) Madonna song. I think we all realize that all Madonna does is sing and probably doesn't have much other musical talent, and that there must be someone else who synthesized and sequenced all of her songs--probably the same guy for all of her earlier hits. I wonder how rich that guy is? He probably deserves as much riches as she does, if not more.

So, some songs are similar. It might be fun to try and combine them. It's been done for awhile, and I imagine they play these types of mixes at dance clubs alot. I wouldn't know, since I don't go to those places anymore. But I did get exposed to it via radio recently, when they played this mix featuring Green Day and Oasis, and a few others. They call it mashing. This one is particularly good since the songs are in the same key, same tempo, same chords, and one song features vocals mainly so the instruments don't clash with eachother when mixed. It reminds me of when I came up with this same idea ten or fifteen years ago (sigh). My first project would've been combining the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" and the Dave Clark Five's "Can't You See That She's Mine," but the technology for it wasn't cheap or easy to use then. Maybe I'll give it a shot now?

Coincidentally enough, the song that I was able to identify tonight was "Mashed Potato" by Dee Dee Sharp (I think--I got that name off a google search), which sounds just like "Mr. Postman" (not just chords mind you, that could be any number of songs--instrumentation too).