Year: 1971 A new year needs a song to buoy the spirit of an entire year. Therefore, I feel like this song is very appropriate. It came as a kind of fatalistic coincidence when I watched Forrest Gump again a few days ago, and finally understood the “Imagine” reference in the mock Late Night with David Letterman interview with Gump and Lennon.
Origin/Composer: Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych Year: 2004 This is definitely my favorite holiday song. Ali Ling also made alternate lyrics for this 4 years ago for the EPHS math team. If I find them, I’ll put them up here too. This is probably my favorite arrangement of this piece.
Year: 1964 Christmasy and not over(t)ly christmasy at the same time. And it’s piano!
Origin/Composer: Tchaikovsky (The Nutcracker) Year: 1992 So, at Stanford, we have this tradition called Secret Snowflake, where people in the dorm would sign up on a sheet with a “comfort level.” Then, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of Dead Week (the week before finals, where everyone is studying), we assign people stuff to do (which is a bit like Secret Santa, except that we do extreme things–things that would make most people politically unviable). My Wednesday task involved this song. If you want to know what the task was, please ask me in private.
Year: 2004 Lyrics Hey, hey Hoo, hoo Everyone, hey, I’ve got something to say And it touches each one of us every day It’s hard to admit it’s a little risqué But I think that it’s time that we all threw our shame away [Chorus] Everyone pees in the shower Don’t try and tell me you don’t Oh everyone pees in the shower If you think that I’ll judge you I won’t If you’re laughing right now, Then you don’t care who knows That you pee in the shower And that’s for sure But if you’re not laughing Then you just don’t want people to know That you pee in the shower I know that you pee in the shower [more . . .]
Origin/Composer: Doug Hopkins (of Gin Blossoms) Year: 1993 Great song. It’s my study song for tonight as I write the papers that I planned to do over Thanksgiving break, but didn’t really get around to doing.
Origin/Composer: Rivers Cuomo Year: 2005 Still waiting for an album from Weezer that tops their Blue Album.
Origin/Composer: Mel Brooks, Brian Morris, and John Morris Year: 2005 The disturbingly hilarious song from one of the funniest musicals ever. I would write more, but wow do I need to study for my Math 51H midterm and write my research paper. Lyrics CHORUS: Germany was having trouble What a sad, sad story Needed a new leader to restore Its former glory Where, oh, where was he? Where could that man be? We looked around and then we found The man for you and me LEAD TENOR STORMTROOPER: And now it’s… Springtime for Hitler and Germany Deutschland is happy and gay! We’re marching to a faster pace Look out, here comes the master race! Springtime for Hitler and Germany Rhineland’s [more . . .]
Origin/Composer: Cathy Dennis and Simon Ellis Year: 2001 S Club 7 is a band formed from a TV talent show, singing across the country and Britain, and doing other stuff. This song is the only song of theirs I liked, and it’s one of my few favorite super-sappy pop songs. All pop songs sound pretty much the same now, and generally, it’s really bad, but this one is definitely the diamond in the rough.
Origin/Composer: Glenn Frey and Don Henley (of the Eagles) Year: 1973 There’s definitely more Eagles to come as songs of the week, but this is a good place to start. A classic.