Two titles of sly self-reference in a row? Seriously? (501)
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- Ice Cream Man
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Two titles of sly self-reference in a row? Seriously? (501)
501
Due: Monday, 12/03/07 9:59am pst
Uh, it's cute the first time. After that, not so much.
And jeez, this title is even more abstract.
Due: Monday, 12/03/07 9:59am pst
Uh, it's cute the first time. After that, not so much.
And jeez, this title is even more abstract.
Last edited by Lord of Oats on Mon Nov 26, 2007 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Two titles of sly self-reference in a row? Seriously? (
You're kidding, right?Lord of Oats wrote:501
Due: December (Sunday?) 12/02/07 9:59am pst
Uh, it's cute the first time. After that, not so much.
And jeez, this title is even more abstract.
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I'm pretty sure that when they say "abstract" they mean "terrible". There are only so many ways to use those titles. If you look at the lyrics section for "And Counting", you'll see what I mean.erik wrote:"And Counting" was not an abstract title. Neither is "501".
Lyrics from "And Counting"
MC Eric B wrote:I rule this Songfight
number 500 and counting
Wages wrote:five years old and counting
TVsKyle wrote:20-a-million times and counting
Several others omitted the title altogether and implied its use.my song wrote:50 years and counting
I gotta hand it to max the cat and Steve though - they managed to pull some serious creativity on the title.
To be honest, I think 501 has more creative possibilities than "And Counting".
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If by "only so many ways" you mean infinity +1... and counting.
I mean really, there are a gazillion ways to approach any title. If you can't see that, you're either not equipped to play the game or you're not trying hard enough.
Not to mention that how creatively you approach the title has nothing to do with how good your song is. The most mundane, straightforward approach can result in a beautiful song.
Couldn't Glenn Case have written a beautiful set of lyrics about his anniversary for this title?
you and I, oh my
sakes alive for nigh
twelve years now
and counting
And also, implying the title is a completely valid technique and one I've used several times.
IN ADDITION, that you cite exceptions basically negates, in my mind, your point.
So when you say (and this goes for everybody) that any particular title is limited in possible scope, please remember to include "speaking for myself" as a disclaimer to your comment.
I mean really, there are a gazillion ways to approach any title. If you can't see that, you're either not equipped to play the game or you're not trying hard enough.
Not to mention that how creatively you approach the title has nothing to do with how good your song is. The most mundane, straightforward approach can result in a beautiful song.
Couldn't Glenn Case have written a beautiful set of lyrics about his anniversary for this title?
you and I, oh my
sakes alive for nigh
twelve years now
and counting
And also, implying the title is a completely valid technique and one I've used several times.
IN ADDITION, that you cite exceptions basically negates, in my mind, your point.
So when you say (and this goes for everybody) that any particular title is limited in possible scope, please remember to include "speaking for myself" as a disclaimer to your comment.
Reïst wrote:There are only so many ways to use those titles. If you look at the lyrics section for "And Counting", you'll see what I mean.
Several others omitted the title altogether and implied its use.
I gotta hand it to max the cat and Steve though - they managed to pull some serious creativity on the title.
To be honest, I think 501 has more creative possibilities than "And Counting".
blippity blop ya don’t stop heyyyyyyyyy
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I was more just stating the facts - at least half of the songs have a line like this - "insert # here and counting". There are exceptions, but if I had left them out of my statement, I would have been attacked for ignoring them. I'm not a scholar, dude - just a rambling kid. Don't take me so seriously.
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Simply Google "501" and the inspiration floods in:
- 501(c) is a provision of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)), listing twenty-seven types of non-profit organizations exempt from...
- 501st Legion: Vader's 1st. The worlds Definitive Imperial Costuming Organization
- Area Code 501 Map for Arkansas (where the Governor leads the public in prayer for divine intervention in the current drought...hello?)
- Blueair 501 electrostatic HEPA air purifiers use advanced Swedish technology to clean (I love advanced Swedish technology)
- Dancing With the Stars: Episode 501 (although I'm sure JB has this one sewn up)
- and of course Levis 501s, as previously noted.
- Belize ISPs for Country Code +501 (Belize, people...come on...open your minds!)
- Markarian 501 is more than 300 million light years distant from the earth. Markarian 501 was discovered on the basis of its strong UV continuum and unusually blue spectrum
- 501(c) is a provision of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)), listing twenty-seven types of non-profit organizations exempt from...
- 501st Legion: Vader's 1st. The worlds Definitive Imperial Costuming Organization
- Area Code 501 Map for Arkansas (where the Governor leads the public in prayer for divine intervention in the current drought...hello?)
- Blueair 501 electrostatic HEPA air purifiers use advanced Swedish technology to clean (I love advanced Swedish technology)
- Dancing With the Stars: Episode 501 (although I'm sure JB has this one sewn up)
- and of course Levis 501s, as previously noted.
- Belize ISPs for Country Code +501 (Belize, people...come on...open your minds!)
- Markarian 501 is more than 300 million light years distant from the earth. Markarian 501 was discovered on the basis of its strong UV continuum and unusually blue spectrum
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Oh, I don't take you seriously, but as someone who has professionally dealt with other people's innumeracy in one way or another for about 8 years, it peeves my pet to hear illogic like "Look at this small sample! The terrible results PROVES that the given starting constraints will only produce terrible results."Reïst wrote:I was more just stating the facts - at least half of the songs have a line like this - "insert # here and counting". There are exceptions, but if I had left them out of my statement, I would have been attacked for ignoring them. I'm not a scholar, dude - just a rambling kid. Don't take me so seriously.
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My two bits on this. It's like you're arguing that "I love you" is a terrible line for a song because there's only one way to say that. Just pointing out that the title happens to be used on phrases a similar way doesn't seem to me to limit how different songs can be. I happen to think it's been one of the more wide open titles in a long time, 501 as well, as far as I'm concerned.Reïst wrote:I'm pretty sure that when they say "abstract" they mean "terrible". There are only so many ways to use those titles. If you look at the lyrics section for "And Counting", you'll see what I mean.erik wrote:"And Counting" was not an abstract title. Neither is "501".
Lyrics from "And Counting"MC Eric B wrote:I rule this Songfight
number 500 and countingWages wrote:five years old and countingTVsKyle wrote:20-a-million times and countingSeveral others omitted the title altogether and implied its use.my song wrote:50 years and counting
I gotta hand it to max the cat and Steve though - they managed to pull some serious creativity on the title.
To be honest, I think 501 has more creative possibilities than "And Counting".
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Not at all. I don't think those sayings are at all alike. "I Love You" doesn't imply any certain phrases to surround it. "And Counting" starts with a conjunction -I feel that it implies that that a different phrase will come before the word "and". "I Love You" can fit almost anywhere in a sentence.Röss wrote:It's like you're arguing that "I love you" is a terrible line for a song because there's only one way to say that.
Please don't put words in my mouth.
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Well, let me jump in, since I started this.
And Counting is a weird ass title because, like Andrew said, it starts with a conjunction. IMO, it's not a very good title, and it made it difficult to come up with anything good, for which you could also make a convincing case that you should have called it that. My entry this week is probably the first song I've entered here that I wanted to rename.
501 is actually a pretty decent title. I'm sure I'll come up with something. I just think two number-related titles that are similarly constrictive, but differ in specific content, might be overkill, and just comes off to me as Deep Throat trying too hard to be all cutesy.
If there is a problem with this title, (not really saying there is) it's that it's too open-ended, on one end, yet too closed, on the other.
And I don't see how you could argue that a number isn't abstract. A standalone number is grounded in reality? I suppose a quantity is a mostly concrete concept, but you couldn't say that it's necessarily talking about 501 of something. What's a number? It has many uses, but it's nothing unless it's referring to something. Someone has to assign it meaning before it means anything. And it's definitely not referring to anything just sitting on its own in the little box.
Voila. Abstract and open-ended. Yet two weeks in a row, I have to write about numbers. But in the former instance, I'm doing something specific with nonspecific numbers, and in the latter, I'm doing something nonspecific with a specific number. It just strikes me as a little weird.
And Counting is a weird ass title because, like Andrew said, it starts with a conjunction. IMO, it's not a very good title, and it made it difficult to come up with anything good, for which you could also make a convincing case that you should have called it that. My entry this week is probably the first song I've entered here that I wanted to rename.
501 is actually a pretty decent title. I'm sure I'll come up with something. I just think two number-related titles that are similarly constrictive, but differ in specific content, might be overkill, and just comes off to me as Deep Throat trying too hard to be all cutesy.
If there is a problem with this title, (not really saying there is) it's that it's too open-ended, on one end, yet too closed, on the other.
And I don't see how you could argue that a number isn't abstract. A standalone number is grounded in reality? I suppose a quantity is a mostly concrete concept, but you couldn't say that it's necessarily talking about 501 of something. What's a number? It has many uses, but it's nothing unless it's referring to something. Someone has to assign it meaning before it means anything. And it's definitely not referring to anything just sitting on its own in the little box.
Voila. Abstract and open-ended. Yet two weeks in a row, I have to write about numbers. But in the former instance, I'm doing something specific with nonspecific numbers, and in the latter, I'm doing something nonspecific with a specific number. It just strikes me as a little weird.