Song Fu Round 2
Voting has begun for round 2 of Quickstop Entertainment’s Song Fu Challenge. As you may recall, Paul and Storm and I were each asked to write a song in the style of the other.
Some will say that I went too far. In fact, I will say it right now: I went too far. But the first thing I knew about my Paul and Storm song was how it would end. And then what choice did I have really? The thing writes itself.
The song is called Big Dick Farts a Polka, and I apologize to everyone in advance.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
It’s really eerie how well you three apparently know each other. Both songs are dead on.
Is it too soon to request an actual JoCo version of “Live”? ~
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Visual interpretations of both songs can be found here:
http://jawboneradio.blogspot.com/2008/07/song-fu-challenge-vtaws.html
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I insist that you perform each other’s songs in concert. Yes, I insist, I do. (In DC, especially)
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I love both yours and P&S’s song, and I can’t help but giggle uncontrollably at work when I hear Big Dick Farts a Polka (through my earphones). While I love your own style, Jonathan, there’s something to be said for P&S’s in-your-face ‘instant gratification’ that you so effectively channelled. So if I were to vote right now it’d definitely be for the P&S-style song. But I’m going to mull it over, let Live sink in a bit more, and then decide.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
“Live” done by JoCo could just be the sequel to Skullcrusher Mountain that my boyfriend and I have been looking for (yes, we ARE that creepy couple in the back that hold hands and look so much in love during that song….)
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
You and P&S have certainly left us in a quandary, sir. Both entries are awesome (as I suspected they would be), but I’m thinking that yours is slightly moreso.
I’m still considering my vote, though. (”Think, think, think…”)
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
A big Dick and flatulence? Sweet. If a bit embarassing.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
It’s a shame Paul and Storm don’t always make songs in your style- maybe I would enjoy listening to them more.
I’m going to be forced to vote for “Live”. It sounds too much like something you would write.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
This is a tough one. P&S got my vote last time, but it’s hard to argue with accordion and fart noises. Guess I’ve been a Weird Al fan for too long.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I second Gina’s recommendation.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Route 180 ends at Williamsport PA. I can definitely see Richard Wojcinski living there.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Both songs = Quality
Whoever came up with the idea for this round = Genius
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Wow I feel so disloyal, I just voted for P&S. Not knowing their music as well as I do JoCo’s, it was tough to decide who did who better but I was amazed by how much like JoCo that song sounded!
Kudos all round though, both very enjoyable songs!
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Live was cute, but just enough like Skullcrusher and the Future Soon to be jarring. Now, Big Dick, on the other hand–that had the qualities of a P&S song, but was on different themes entirely. Which is better, I say.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Man o man, that was great! They did a really good job capturing the obvious parts of your sound, but I had to vote for “Large Richard Flatulates a fast, lively genre of dance music, familiar throughout Europe and the Americas.” (Thanks Wikipedia!) lol
They just didn’t capture that JoCo style and wit.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Let me echo the multitude above.. you both know each other’s styles WELL. But I laughed so loud at Big Dick Farts a Polka that my co-workers came over to find out why… so it got my vote. BUT it was HARD.
Good job!
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
You know, I thought that I could listen to this song at work.
I thought I had the self control to enjoy any Jonathan Coulton song in the style of Paul and Storm with dignity, poise and silence.
I was horribly mistaken.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Dear Jon,
These song contest6s are weird…in a good way. Linked to you recently from my blog by the way.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I wasn’t aware “Paul” and “‘Storm’” (extra quotes intentional) were actually secretly Ren and Stimpy. Zing.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
PLEASE record your own version of Live! It’s such a wonderful song, so succint a summation of your style (hoo boy, alliteration!) and I simply must hear you sing it.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I hope these songs find their way into the live show – they’re great!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I’ve got to agree, this was a tough call. Live is beautiful and haunting and I would love to hear JoCo sing it. I laughed and was horrified by Big Dick much as I am by a fair amount of P & S songs. Len your artwork is amazing!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Fu Master Coulton, What was your initial reaction on hearing P&S’s version of you?
I guess you can’t really answer that question till after the voting is over.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:48 am
Wow. Both songs are awesome but I think I’m going to have to vote for Live. P&S captured JC’s style brilliantly.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:18 am
Hmm…I thought P&S’s one was better, but I think that’s just because it was in the style of JoCo. So ultimately I voted for JoCo’s because it was more like P&S than P&S’s was like JoCo. Does that make sense? I hope so.
No comments on the challengers? I thought Lex’s was good, but I voted for Jeff myself. Don’t get what everyone seems to see in Elaine C. F.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:20 am
On purely musical grounds, it was pretty easy to narrow the challengers down to Elaine, Jeff, and Run at the Dog this week. I agree with Frederick about Elaine, though her entry was much stronger this week. In the end I thought Run at the Dog’s entry was the most interesting, but Jeff’s was the one I was most likely to listen to repeatedly, so that got my vote.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:21 am
You nailed it. Big Dig Farts a Polka is *classic* Paul & Storm. The harmonies, the timing, the subject matter, it was spot on.
Live was also quite good. The subject matter and lyrics are right there with Coulton. But the voice sounds a touch off. Still definitely in your style.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Man, that’s a close call. Both are spot-on. I hope these get into the concert rotation.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Jonathan performing with Paul and Storm, or are trying to get a feel for the “P&S” sound, try these mixes of live concert audio footage:
Skullcrusher Pirate Hotdish
Bigfoot Love Triangle
The songs on each alternate back and forth between JoCo and P&S. Enjoy!
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
P&S’s song captured an obvious something-ness about JoCo. (Yes… JoCo sings about mad scientists in love.) Don’t get me wrong. We LOVE P&S. But, JoCo’s song nailed it by just being *good*. Even if it lacks a certain P&S-ness (which I don’t think it does) it stands on it’s own as a good song. Style-jabbing P&S just makes it *better*!
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Living, as I do, deep in Pennsylvania near where Route 180 ends… I must vouch (and vote) for the quality and accuracy Big Dick Farts a Polka.
Mr. Wolczynski sends his regards.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Major congratulations to both sides!
I’ve gotta give this one more to JoCo, though….both absolutely nailed the style of eachother, hands down. But, in my eyes, “Live” wasn’t quite as good because of how much it just was a mashup of subject matter/jokes that mostly already exist in JoCo songs.
“Big Dick Farts a Polka” is totally a song P&S would write…”Live” kinda feels like a remastered version of a few songs JoCo already *has* written. If that makes any sense.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Wow… yours was so Paul and Stormy… and theirs was so JoCoey… which is why I’m going to have to vote for their one, and third Gina’s command.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Paul and Storms didn’t use enough monkeys
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Man, that was tough! Last round was much easier (I voted for P&S). But this round was practically a toss-up: both songs were right on target. I did vote for the polka in the end.
I also voted for Elaine Chao Finnell (though I do think Jeff MacDougall’s song was excellent). I hate these tough decisions.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I thought both songs were impressive, but I think the faux P+S song was much more spot on. Theirs was good, but a little too obvious, good but not quite there. It sounded like someone trying to do a JoCo song. Yours sounded almost freakishly like P+S in style, wit (seriously…no, seriously…), harmony, energy, everything. Excellent work.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:54 pm
@Javier – what was it you liked about Elaine’s song? My impression is that it’s just ok and I see that it’s really out in front. I was wondering if you could tell me why you like it. I would put it third behind McDougal and Run At The Dog. I’m genuinely curious.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Did they plan the challenges ahead of time? I think what made this round so good is that you two are so familiar with each other’s work you can each write a song in their style and its hard to notice. I mean, I’m not too familiar with P&S’s work, but if someone had sad Live was a JoCo, I would’ve believed them. So I voted for their song, because as much as I want to see you be the final master I enjoyed theirs better, because it was more like yours…
now time to listen to the challenger songs to see if any of them are good this time around.
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I am pulling my hair out trying to decide on which master to vote for. Sooooooo good. Both of them. I’m going to have to play them all day, everyday for the next week. Bastards.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:09 am
That was close. Really, really close. While P&S made the archetypal mad scientist song with a very touching end that has all of the elements of JoCo-ness, it’s still missing a certain je ne sais quoi in the way it’s put together. I about fell out of my seat laughing at “Big Dick Farts A Polka”, and I think it’s a spot-on rendition of their performance style.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Challengers: toss-up between Jeff MacDougal and Run at The Dog. I’ll have to sit on it for a while. But I’d also like to give props to Cloakie for being so very, very wrong.
July 4th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Personally, I liked Elaine’s song best out of the challengers… Jeff and Run at the Dog’s were definitely good, but I think what sets her apart is… well, she’s the only one who does ballads. And ballads happen to be my favorite
. All the other entries are done in kind of similar styles, you know? Then lots of people are having a hard time choosing between Jeff and RatD, so those two are splitting their votes.
Sadly I couldn’t vote for the masters because I don’t know much about P&S’s music. And if I voted for the song I liked best, I’d have to vote for them.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I’m one of the people that don’t get Elaine Chao’s popularity. There’s actually something about her style that I find distinctly irritating. But even without that, the song just isn’t that clever. Jeff MacDougal and the Paul Frumpton Experience all seem so much more interesting and funny. Steven Hawking getting dumb from eating pudding? Dracula’s melancholy expressed through a beach towel? Brilliant!
July 4th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Excellent. So hard to pick…
July 5th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I had to go with Paul & Storm’s “Live”. I think writing a JoCo song would be harder to do, and they nailed it.
July 6th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I had to go with Paul and Storm, because I think both were dead on in their impersonations and I just like JoCo songs better.
July 6th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I don’t know who to vote for! I love JoCo but Paul and Storm fucking nailed it with that song.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Why, why why why why why are you not selling out Madison Square Garden??????? We need to do something about this….no more Ikea in Redhook for you sir….You are a brilliant, brilliant man. I can’t stop humming Big Dick Farts a Polka…so dead on…I totally voted for yours.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
@Jim138 — I’m not sure I can put it into words, but I’ll try. First, after reading your question I went back to listen to the songs and was immediately reminded why I found it a difficult decision and began to second guess myself (like I knew I would). Jeff’s song was really good! But you want to know why I voted for Elaine. I’m not totally sure, but something about her smooth bolera style reminded me of songs (please don’t ask me which songs because I just don’t remember specifically) I used to enjoy as a kid. I hope that answers your question.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:49 am
Although I doubt the wisdom of it, I’ll post this, trying not to attack. Of the challengers, Jeff MacDougall and Run at the Dog sparkled this round; I endorse JeffM, not only because he came to the forums to solicit votes (I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?) but also because of the challengers that I liked, he has the best chance of winning.
Lex Friedman, Cloakie, and the Paul Frumpton Experience featuring Larry submitted entries that had varying degrees of listenability, but they all had moments of lyrical brilliance — I especially admired the lyrics of “Dracula’s Beach Towel”, which to me was the entry that came closest to making the “little from column A, little from column B” feel natural.
I thought each of those five aforementioned contenders had a spark of life, an originality, and a freedom from banality; although musically they were not as glibly polished, perhaps, as other entrants, each of them submitted an entry that made me stop and think that there was something about it that wouldn’t cause me to be completely tired out if its composer reached the finals.
Also, I’ve said this in the forum thread too, but — I like Live a whole lot and have very little interest in BDFaP, but the former has a twinge too much “Your Love Is (Love Song with Metaphor)” peeking out, while BDFaP is seamless.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Ah, but JoCo actually co-wrote Your Love Is with Paul and Storm. So doesn’t that make it even more Coulton-esque?
July 7th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Yes, JoCo contributed a guitar part to that song, and indeed the sensitive guitar stylings are very Coultonesque. But I’m given to understand his contributions to the lyrics thereof are minimal, and it’s the lyrics of “Live” that don’t sound Coultonesque enough.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Very nice … I think you guys should play both of these when you FINALLY make it to Toronto (after the aborted first attempt last year) come Wednesday night! I can’t wait to finally see you (and them) on stage …
Oh, and I’ll be bringing my external hard drive to be signed, since everything I’ve bought by you _and_ P&S has been via mp3.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Jeff MacD needs a couple more votes!
July 9th, 2008 at 11:46 am
McDougall has taken the lead!
July 9th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Oh, the tension! Just 12 more hours!
(I think.)
Come on Jeff!
July 10th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Congrats to JoCo and JeffMac! Now it’s time for JC to kick some amateur butt!
July 11th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Yay! I made into the final round! (wait a minute… oh crap. I made it into the final round… now what am I going to do… someone… anyone.. help..)
I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I couldn’t have done it without you. I now have the honor of getting my butt kicked by Master Coulton. Should be fun..
July 25th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Damn you, Coulton. Equal parts repulsive and catchy. What am I supposed to make of this?