Comments on: Song Fu Final Challenge

By: David

David — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:33:15 +0000

Thank you Jonathan! Wonderfully touching song. I hope to see you perform it again this year in SF.

I introduced my 8-year-old daughter to this song on Christmas morning and she’s been crying, singing, and talking about Laika non-stop ever since.

By: KR

KR — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:16:35 +0000

Love the music. Poor Laika.

By: JR

JR — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:46:30 +0000

this is the saddest song I have ever heard every time it makes me cry why did they do this to that poor dog it never hurt anyone :’(

By: K Cooke

K Cooke — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:51:17 +0000

Damn it… I don’t even like dogs, but I always respected Laika and this song makes me cry a little every time I hear it.

By: Kelly P

Kelly P — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:21:01 +0000

It’s been a long time since a song has moved me in the way this one has. And I know emotion is the language of music, and a lot of it’s purpose, so I decided to acctually take the time to let you know how deeply his song effected me.

It’s been almost a year since I lost a little dog named Chip, and for some reason this song makes that part of my heart that misses him just ache. He was never a “Good dog” in the traditional sense. His loss was tragic, and broke my heart completely. The chorus “Now I’m floating free, And the moon’s with me, And it’s bright enough, To light the dark” taps so deeply into that loss…

I just wanted to thank you for the song, and all the effort that went into it. It’s lovely, and heartbreaking, and cathartic in a strange way. Thank you.

By: Bob Rossney

Bob Rossney — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:19:02 +0000

It’s very late to be adding this – and if you blog like I do you’ll never read this – but the next time fortune takes you to Los Angeles you must go to Culver City and visit the Museum of Jurassic Technology.

(I mean, assuming that you haven’t, which is kind of a stretch now that I think about it. But if you haven’t, GOOD LORD WILL YOU THINK IT’S AWESOME. Seriously. In fact, you’re in SF tonight. Get on a plane. You can see it tomorrow. It’s one of the best things in the entire world. Also, if Hodgman has never told you about this you should kill him over and over again until he apologizes. He certainly knows about it.)

Specifically, you need to go up to the second floor and see what Mr. Wilson built with his MacArthur Fellowship. Yes, it’s Laika-related, but don’t let anyone spoil it for you.

By: Matt Dillon

Matt Dillon — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:34:28 +0000

Maybe it’s the fact that I lost my own dog in May, or maybe it’s the fact that animals being used in this way always upsets me (even if a greater good comes of it — although it’s arguable whether Neil Armstrong’s second career in after-dinner talks is really a greater good!)… but damn, is thing song ever heartbreaking. A fine piece of work but, like I Am Legend, probably one that I can never play again for fear of losing my manly facade.

Good work, Jonathan. Very good work.

By: Clayton Hove

Clayton Hove — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:28:04 +0000

We need to create a newer, higher category of brilliant so this song can have a place to call home.

Cheers,
Clay

By: Christopher Hawley

Christopher Hawley — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:44:23 +0000

Jonathan,
thank you for a truly poignant song; it’s a damn’ good thing I dropped this into a playlist just ahead of Mandelbrot Set, or I would have completely. Lost. My. Sh*t.

Got it back together enough to recall another story of Laika – Storming the Cosmos, by Bruce Sterling and Rudy Rucker(?) – and wonder if they’ve heard your work yet.

Congratulations on the Song Fu victory!

- CJH / esper

By: David DeLaney

David DeLaney — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:56:46 +0000

This song makes me cry every time I listen to it. Thank you.

–Dave

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:12:38 +0000

Fantasmagorical tune, sir. Although, I have to admit I kept waiting for ELO’s strings to come sweeping in and reclaim this song for their “Out Of the Blue” LP.

By: Shig

Shig — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:57:32 +0000

Thanx for that. I’ve always been a big Laika fan, so much so that that’s going to be the name of my first spaceship.

By: mooshified

mooshified — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:10:28 +0000

This reminds me of a strip from the late, great webcomic Whispered Apologies:

http://www.qwantz.com/apologies/000091.html

Thanks for the song, it’s beautiful.

By: kyb

kyb — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:20:46 +0000

My wife makes fun of me because the graphic novel Laika by Nick Abadzis made me cry. I think I better not finish listening to this song…..

By: SevinPackage

SevinPackage — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:08:30 +0000

Congrats on winning the first Song Fu competition! You deserve the crown, or trophy, or whatever cache of prizes that they’re gonna give you! Are they gonna bring you back for the second competition (QSE’s wrangling the new batch of contestants, starting on the 5th)? I have faith that you can hang on to the title twice in a row (three thimes, at least!).

Once again, great job, JoCo!

By: eggofthedead

eggofthedead — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:36:50 +0000

I couldn’t listen to the whole thing ’cause I kept thinking about that poor dog. It’s mortifying to realize I’m this much of a sap … so why am I announcing it to a website full of strangers?

By: iMattUK

iMattUK — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:08:36 +0000

Well, thanks to those above who confirmed the Floyd . Dogs solo reference. I was sure that was what it was

Fantastic song, JoCo. Easily in the top bracket of your output to date…

By: Jackie

Jackie — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:30:19 +0000

Hey Cambiata,
Don’t feel bad for Jeff. He doesn’t need pity votes. Knowing him, he’d rather you kick him in the balls than vote for him out of “pity.” If everyone liked the same music, there wouldn’t be a contest to begin with.

By: Sprocket

Sprocket — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:23:54 +0000

I know everyone has already said what a beautiful song this is, and how it made them misty-eyed. Normally I don’t contribute to what’s already been said a thousand times, and I’m not the type to gush on forums, even if it’s deserved.

However, here goes: this song made me watery. I’ve cried maybe twice in the past 7 years, and both of those occasions involved deaths, so that’s pretty amazing. Thank you.

It was transcendental, it was good therapy, and as a musician, both redefined and reinforced what music can do.

SPROCKET
of Code Monkey Buy You Soda (WoW Guild – Rexxar)

By: Zsandmann

Zsandmann — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:05:03 +0000

I laughed, I cried, I dropped my vote in your ballot box, no hanging chad here.

**Claps hands**

By: Susie the Southern Geek

Susie the Southern Geek — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:04:34 +0000

Yeah JoCo, tell us how your really feel !
Lovely song, btw!

By: Seth

Seth — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:42:32 +0000

“but mostly she died from being LAUNCHED INTO SPACE IN A FUCKING ROCKET” hahahahahahahahahaha

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:34:51 +0000

vagabondmonk’s comment spawned this “oddity” inside my cranium:

“Laika played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly, and The Spiders From Mars…”

By: BM

BM — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:12:49 +0000

Thanks for the Floyd, Dog.

By: manstraw

manstraw — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:07:05 +0000

By: AndrooGee

AndrooGee — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:18:32 +0000

(Which is my way of saying that you oughta add Neighborhood # 2 (Laika) by the Arcade Fire to your collection, manstraw =)

By: AndrooGee

AndrooGee — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:13:39 +0000

Our mother shoulda just named ya Laika…
It’s for your own good… It’s for the neighborhood.

(When Daddy comes home you always start a fight
So the neighbors can dance to the police disco lights)

By: manstraw

manstraw — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:06:29 +0000

Moxy Fruvous (I didn’t put the accent characters in) did a song called Laika on their bargainville album back in, oh, the early 90s I think.

“When I was 3, my mother said to me
Eat up your greens and say your grace
While on TV they put a dog in space
And left her there… you shoulda seen her face”

is how it starts.

I’m adding this to my growing collection of laika songs. now at 2!

By: The Ploogle

The Ploogle — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:28:09 +0000

Man, I almost cried at the end of that song. And songs don’t make me cry. That was an amazingly well-written song, down to the last note. Keep up the good work!

By: Angelastic

Angelastic — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:14:38 +0000

It’s beautiful… I like it more than the other two songs about Laika that I know of (I’m a new-school frühead, only discovered them a year or so ago through last.fm. The other song is in Spanish and I only have my friends’ word for it that it’s about Laika.) The only weird thing is the way it cuts off so abruptly at the ending. I kind of expect the ‘here’ to be drawn out longer, or something. Was that done deliberately, to emphasise the sudden lack of dog?

By: Lhyzz

Lhyzz — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:20:41 +0000

Yet another song that brings me to tears. Geez, man. You have the Fu by a landslide.

By: CC

CC — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:23:50 +0000

Great song, as usual. The production on this song is astonishing. Pink Floyd’s Dogs reference fits perfect. Great great job!

By: buschap

buschap — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:21:12 +0000

No worries on the FLAC delay. I just want to give you more money

By: JoCo

JoCo — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:01:48 +0000

FLAC versions will come soon, didn’t get to it before I had to leave town for a while. Sorry about that…

By: Gordon

Gordon — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:29:43 +0000

It’s nice to hear another Laika song. I’d say I’m an old-school Fruhead, but we’re all old school these days. And yes, they led me to DaVinci’s Notebook which led me to JoCo, and I feel like we’re all repeating ourselves now.

Thanks for the new music, but I gotta tell ya, I am killing myself trying to figure out what the “other” song you reference is. If you’d be so kind as to share, I could get some work done at the office today.

By: M_pony

M_pony — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:16:04 +0000

P&S: Hey I didn’t see Dave Matheson there at the Toronto show – I would have said hello to him again. I last saw him when he opened for The Frantics a short while back; he did a great job, so I bought his CD.

vagabondmonk: “Laika played guitar?” No, -Ziggy- played guitar.

JoCo: Just a wonderful piece of work, man. Really well done. And VERY nice Pink Floyd reference on the guitar solo – who wouldn’t get that? Just beautiful

By: Demetrius

Demetrius — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:14:17 +0000

Both songs are good. Jeff MacDougal’s was a great extension of Bowie’s original. JoCo’s was a great tangent from the original. JoCo is the Ultimate Zen Master of POV poetry. You really feel for his “characters” – even the most obscure or mundane. I like his interpretation of Laika’s story. It’s like “I’m Your Moon” and “My Beige Bear” simmered together in a Bowie sauce with just the right dash of funny. (BAM!)

By: Paul and Storm

Paul and Storm — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:10:31 +0000

Mike:

To bring it even fuller circle…at our Toronto show, Dave Matheson was in the audience.

The band’s playin’ “Hail to the Chief”,

P&S.

By: Martha Garvey

Martha Garvey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:49:58 +0000

Okay, a melancholy ambiguous ending…but still: a perfect day.

By: Martha Garvey

Martha Garvey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:43:44 +0000

Jonathan Coulton + dog = a good day.

Jonathan Coulton + giving Laika a happy ending = a perfect day.

By: buschap

buschap — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:33:26 +0000

There don’t seem to be FLAC versions of the Song Fu songs in the store. Is this correct, or is there something hinky with the shop page?

By: Motown

Motown — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:15:02 +0000

any guesses on what other song he’s referencing in the guitar solo?

By: Melanie

Melanie — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:02:06 +0000

Made me snivel also. That line, “Can they hear me bark from here,” man. That got me.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:50:02 +0000

To echo Sarah, I came here to post:
“When I was 3, my mother said to me
Eat up your greens and say your grave
While on TV they put a dog in space
And left here there… you should’ve seen her face”

I have not yet listened to the song challenge songs, but Moxy Fruvous FTW
(Moxy Fruvous led me to listening to DaVinci’s Notebook, which started me on Paul & Storm. I found JoCo through slashdot. And now you know the rest of the story).

By: Cambiata

Cambiata — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:32:56 +0000

I couldn’t help it, I had to vote for you, JoCo. I tried to be as just as possible, listened to both songs every time, made sure to keep in mind the quality of the song over my personal fandom. And your song is just better. I feel bad for Jeff, I almost gave him a pity vote, but I couldn’t do it.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:26:33 +0000

Well, that’s just not right. All I have to do is think about Laika too long and I start crying (A little hypersensitive to doggy trauma? I THINK SO, YES.), so you have a seriously unfair advantage in this contest.

By: buschap

buschap — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:14:21 +0000

Well played, sir. I love the electric guitar at the bridge.

By: Allison

Allison — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:21:12 +0000

Was it supposed to make me cry? Because it made me cry. Of course, so did “Big Dick Farts a Polka”.

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:17:27 +0000

Damn you. Crying again! Bastard.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:12:21 +0000

While I download, did you know that Moxy Fruvous has a song called “Laika” on their first album, Bargainville? The band is sadly no longer, but I heartily encourage you to check them out. They have a cappella in their souls.

http://www.fruvous.com/

By: randal

randal — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:44:59 +0000

Jesus Christ Jonathan, you knew this was an unfair fight to begin with, and then you go and put THAT together? Jeff’s song is fine and all, but “Space Doggity” is easily measured with your best work.

Now to get Bowie to cover it…

By: Mark Gordon

Mark Gordon — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:19:41 +0000

Hearing about the Soviet space program always reminds me of Omon Ra, a satirical novel on the subject by Victor Pelevin.