Songs I'm ashamed to admit I know all the words to (Part 2)

Ready or not, here are some more songs I somehow remember all the words to. This has caused me many moments of angst when I wonder, frustrated, "how can I remember the lyrics to every single Backstreet Boys song but I can't remember the uses for the dative case in Russian? Shouldn't there be an easy way to swap useful info with useless info in the brain?"

1. Time Warp from "Rocky Horror Picture Show" - I thought I'd start off with a simple nerdy one. If you know just one song from "Rocky Horror," it's the Time Warp, if for no other reason than it's played on the radio all Halloween night every year. I know plenty of other songs from this perverted little movie, my favorite probably being "Dammit Janet" or "Sweet Transvestite." But "Time Warp" wins a spot on this list because it's the one I knew first word for word. And every time I hear it, it reminds me of Halloween, my favorite holiday, so it also qualifies as a feel-good song.

My favorite lyric: Let's do the time warp agaaaiiinnn!

2. It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls - here's another feel-good song with such a wonderful and positive message. This is one of those songs you just have to know so you can have fun clapping along, kind of like Hall & Oates' Private Eyes (they're watching you, clap clap!)

My favorite lyric: God bless mother nature/she's a single woman too...she taught every angel to rearrange the sky/so that each and every woman could find the perfect guy

3. In For the Kill by La Roux - this is a band that is wildly more popular on the other side of the pond while only mildly popular here. I was in the UK when this song was at the height of its popularity and heard it way way way too many times. It happens to walk the border between catchy-pleasant and catchy-annoying. When I overheard some girls doing this song at karaoke, I realized it's pretty darn annoying.

My favorite lyric: Ooooooooooooooooo (hey, that's half the song right there!)

4. Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb - I downloaded Love Will Keep us Together because of "Will & Grace." Well, I downloaded Shadow Dancing because of "Gilmore Girls." There's only a brief moment where Lorelai listens to it in her car, but I liked it, got it, and still enjoy it. Tvgirl's confession? I like disco. Would it be cooler if I said I like it ironically? Plenty of people proudly admit they like country music. Live and let live.

My favorite lyric: I can't really decide on just one...the lyrics are pretty generic, but I still love the song.

5. I'll Make a Man Out of You from "Mulan" - Remember the day when your childhood worldview was shattered by reality? Remember when you found out that Santa Claus didn't exist? Remember when you found out that the dashing Captain Li Shang was voiced by Donny Osmond when he was singing?

My favorite lyric: We must be swift as the coursing river/with all the force of a great typhoon/with all the strength of a raging fire/mysterious as the dark side of the moon (who doesn't want a man who is mysterious, like the dark side of the moon? That certainly sounds fancier than tall, dark, and handsome.)

6. Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell - This is another happy Halloween assocation for me. I'm sure plenty of other people know the words, reluctantly, just because of the ubiquitous Halloween radio play. But I bet no one else sings along with it with as much zeal as I do!
My favorite lyric: And I don't feel safe anymore/oh what a mess/I wonder who's watching me now/(WHO?)/The IRS?!

7. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes - this is one of those songs that should win an award in cheese. Also, an award for most quotable lyrics. I think I love this song for its nonsensical-ness and for the fact that it makes two people cheating on each other into a humorous situation where you half expect them both to throw up their arms and shrug as a sitcom laugh track breaks in.

My favorite lyric: I didn't think about my lady/I know that sounds kind of mean (you think?)

8. Disco Inferno by The Trammps - Yeah, I'm not lying when I say I love disco. This is one of those songs that gets really disturbing if you take it literally. I think they should play it at all building demolitions. And cremations. (This song gets bonus points for getting a mention from an episode of "Doctor Who.")

My favorite lyric: Burn baby burn!

9. Schadenfreude from "Avenue Q" - I know every song from "Avenue Q" by heart, but I feel like knowing Schadenfreude is the most impressive. The song is oh so educational, fun, and brutally honest. It's hard to pick just a few lyrics from this song because I think the entire thing is hilarious, like pretty much every other song in "Avenue Q."

My favorite lyric: Being on an elevator when somebody shouts "hold the door!"/NO!/Schadenfreude/Fuck you lady, that's what stairs are for...Watching actors never reach/the ending of their Oscar speech!

10. The entire "Scrubs" musical, specifically The Rant Song and Everything Comes Down to Poo - Once again, I know every song in this production by heart. It's less impressive considering it adds up to about 15 minutes of music, but I think it's still random and slightly embarrassing to admit. Guy Love gets all the attention, and it's great, but Everything Comes Down to Poo is funnier in my opinion and The Rant Song is more impressive linguistically.

My favorite lyric: All across the nation/we trust in defecation...our number one test is your number two! (Everything Comes Down to Poo)...It's your hair, your nose, your chinless face, you always need a hug/not to mention all the manly Appletinis that you chug/that you think I am your mentor just continues to perplex/and oh my god stop telling me when you have nerdy sex! (The Rant Song)

11. El Dorado from "The Road to El Dorado" - I've certainly seen this movie enough times to have the music memorized by now. Like all great kids movies, it has a famous singer doing the soundtrack. In this case, Elton John. The wonders of the new world and the difficulties of being a god seem much more impressive when Elton John is there to tell us in song. Okay, he didn't sing that second one, but he does do the fantastic traveling tune The Trail We Blaze. (What trail? The trail that we blaze!....THAT trail that we blaze!) If I ever go on a road trip, The Trail We Blaze should be the first song I listen to. But on the topic of El Dorado, any rabid fan needs to know this one so you can sing along with the opening cartoon narration.

My favorite lyric: And made El Dorado/the mag-ni-fi-cent!
12. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from "Monty Python's Life of Brian" and "Spamalot" - I think anyone who is alive should be required to know this song by heart. Like Billy Joel's Piano Man, everyone should know this just so they can belt it out when the situation calls for it. Bonus points to you if you can actually whistle along too.

My favorite lyric: Always look on the bright side of death/just before you draw your terminal breath/life's a piece of shit/when you look at it/life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true

13. "Bill Nye the Science Guy" theme song - And back to my 90s past with this one. Back in my day we didn't learn science from stuffy old teachers, we learned science from none other than Bill Nye, a science guy. These days, you kids with your rock music and hip hopping have nothing to compare to that. You don't have anywhere to get your real science education from! You know, except "Mythbusters." (I'll admit, this isn't quite a song, and doesn't have much in the way of lyrics, but just the fact that I know how it goes still is the crazy part).

My favorite lyric: Inertia is a property of matter (Who knows if I would have graduated high school without knowing that vital fact!)

14. Be a Star from "Life-size" - Ah, what a simpler time. Lindsay Lohan was still an adorable child actor and Tyra Banks was just breaking into television. This movie had a peppy little theme song that is still stuck in the recesses of my brain.

My favorite lyric: The lyrics are too insipid and repetetive to select favorites. It was a Disney jingle after all.

15. "Tiny Toons" theme song - I don't remember the plot of any episodes, and I don't remember why I liked this show since I never liked the original Looney Tunes that much, outside of "Space Jam." But I remember the theme song. There are plenty of random Disney and cartoon songs I remember because they were ingrained in my psyche as a child, but I think "Tiny Toons" is the most random of them all. Okay, maybe the intro to Disney's Sing Along Songs videos with the owl and birds in the classroom is more random, but I don't know if anyone else besides me really remembers that at all.

My favorite lyric: We're comic dispensers/we crack up all the censors
16. "Powerpuff Girls" theme song - ah, the mystery of Chemical X. This is one of those cartoons where you wonder what the creators were smoking when they came up with the concept. Just look at the villains! Mojo Jojo? Gangrene Gang? Him?! After the Red Guy from "Cow & Chicken," Him is the most terrifying, ambiguous, bizarre, crimson villain in cartoon history. And it just dawned on me - why was Professor Utonium trying to create the "perfect little girl"? I need to stop thinking about this before my nostalgia turns sour.

My favorite lyric: Also, on second thought, this isn't really a theme song with words either since the only words are during the narration before the music...wait, the theme has words in the ending credits! I know those!

17. "Doug" musical moments (from the Beets to Bangin' on a Trash Can) - Okay, I'll make up for playing fast and loose with my own rules and include some songs that are actual songs. Like I Need More Allowance and Killer Tofu by "Doug" universe band The Beets. I love that "Doug" actually bothered to write and record actual snippets of songs for their fictional band. I think it's one of the reasons I give "Spongebob Squarepants" so much credit - it's similar to many great cartoons of my day that included musical numbers.

My favorite lyric: I need more allowance/yodelayeehoo/why? Because I do!
18. "Arthur" theme song - this is going even further back in my childhood, but "Arthur" is a classic. I even remember everything leading up to the theme song, including PBS thanking Viewers Like You who make the channel possible and the Juicy Juice ad about 100% juice for 100% kids. 100% kids? How's that for phoning in your ad campaign? Apparently the theme's official name is Believe In Yourself, naturally. And it's reggae. I also remember the Jekyll and Hyde number Brain sang in the "Arthur" musical/literary episode which also included an inspiring ditty about getting a library card.

My favorite lyric: And I say hey (hey!)/what a wonderful kind of day

19. I Wish Every Day Could Be Christmas from "The Fairly Oddparents" - I still like listening to this song in the winter. I like to find the episode itself when I can, just so I can hear Timmy's dad go nuts over eggnog again and again. Crazy, obsessive dads in cartoons are fun. That's why "The Muffin King" will always be the greatest episode of "Dexter's Laboratory." I think this song perfectly captures the feeling of a kid on Christmas and how you wish it would never end.

My favorite lyric: New Year's Eve's for mom and dad/the Easter Bunny eggs smell really bad!/Valentine's Day always makes me sad/(Cause Timmy just can't get a girlfriend!)
20. Every song from "Moulin Rouge" - At first glance, this might not seem so odd. Most music in this film was a cover of some other famous song. But for some reason, since I was younger at the time I saw it, I didn't really know all those songs too well yet and I now associate them with the movie instead of the original artist. The song Roxanne doesn't make me think of The Police, it makes me think of El Tango de Roxanne, and so on. I am a little ashamed to admit that when I hear Like a Virgin, the first thing it makes me think of is definitely not Madonna.

My favorite lyric: Rather than mention lyrics, I have to say the Elephant Love Medley is my favorite example of combining popular music into one epic love song.

21. Way too many Backstreet Boys songs - Being a child of the 90s, one of the biggest questions of my childhood wasn't "Team Edward or Team Jacob" (thank god!) but Backstreet Boys or N*Sync. I was a Backstreet Boys girl all the way and didn't come around to N*Sync until, say, about a year ago. It was a little disturbing when I was uploading all my old CDs onto my computer a few years ago and, when coming across the album "Millennium," I realized I remembered the entire song list, in order, word-for-word. That was more like nostalgia resurfacing and hitting me in the face. But I don't care what anyone says, I Want It That Way is one of the greatest songs of all time.

My favorite lyric: All the "tell me why"s. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the key to making a hit song is making it really easy to sing along to.

Songs I'm ashamed to admit I know all the words to (Part 1)

I love Spongebob Squarepants. The cartoon started at a time where I was still just barely young enough to watch cartoons and it began in 1999, so I classify it as the last great cartoon of the 90s Nick era. I was a child of the 90s, and all you have to do is look at the Children of the 90s blog to see how strong our nostalgia is for the time period. One post I've always hoped they would do is a list about 90s songs you're ashamed to say you know by heart still - even the ones you haven't actually heard since the 90s. This is why I bring up Spongebob. I know that he lives in a pineapple under the sea, et ceterea, et cetera, but Spongebob still airs so I'm not that ashamed to admit I know the theme song by heart. Honestly, that's not that big a feat, tons of people probably know the theme song. (But how many people know the FUN song, which is my favorite Spongebob musical number?) But that got me to thinking of all the songs I still know the words to that I really should have forgotten by now or should not know in the first place. Most of them come from my childhood, but plenty others are current or come from before I was born so I don't really have a good excuse there. But in celebration of summer randomness and openness, I decided to make a list of songs that I am ashamed to say that I know all the words to. They are in no particular order, although you can judge for yourself how embarassing each one is. (Note: I'm just guessing where lyric cut-off lines are. I'll fact check only to a certain point. So if you're a music snob or something, be warned).

1. The FCC Song from "Family Guy" - I figured I'd start with an obvious one. I'm tvgirl, of course I know the FCC song. "PTV" is one of the best episodes of "Family Guy" ever and they're at their best when they go musical. I also know the words to Road to Rhode Island, Awfully Different, The AIDS and Vascectomy songs, My Drunken Irish Dad, You've Got a Lot To See, and plenty others. But my favorite is the FCC song.
My favorite lyric: So they sent this little warning/they're prepared to do their worst/and they stuck it in your mailbox hoping you could be coerced/I can think of quite another place they should've stuck it first
2. Summer Girls by LFO - this wins my award for most random song ever written. Good thing I had this song to school me on important things like the fact that New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits, peaches come from Georgia, and that Billly Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets.
My favorite lyric: Call you up but what's the use/I like Kevin Bacon but I hate "Footloose"

3. The "Reading Rainbow" theme song - that great theme song. LeVar Burton. VHS tapes. PBS. Children's books. "Reading Rainbow" was a childhood staple and one of many great educational programs on public television. But you don't have to take my word for it!

My favorite lyric: I can be anything/take a look/it's in a book/of Reading Rainbow!
4. See You Again by Miley Cyrus - time for a more recent yet more embarassing one. I didn't say I necessarily liked all these songs, but I'll be honest and say this is the only Miley Cyrus song I couldn't resist.

My favorite lyric: OoOHooOHoh I/ I can't wait/to see you again

5. The Pokemon theme song - and back to my childhood. This one I'm not ashamed to admit and the theme song had a great 80s wanna-be-tough feel to it. I loved Pokemon back in the day, which probably stemmed from my love of anime as a kid. Yes, I was one of those people. But don't worry, I grew out of it. Mostly. (I'll never say anything bad about "Dragonball Z" or "Yu Yu Hakusho.") I'll also confess something even worse: I can still say the entire Pokemon rap song.
My favorite lyric: I want to be the very best/like no one ever was/to catch them is my real test/to train them is my cause!

6. Let's Hear it for the Boy by Deniece Williams - speaking of the 80s..."Footloose!" "Footloose" had a great soundtrack that is a perfect slice of 80s awesomeness. Also, Matt Damon sings some of it on an episode of "Will & Grace." Need I say more?

My favorite lyric: Maybe he's no Romeo/but he's my lovin' one-man show/oohooohoohooh!

7. Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega - and on to the 90s again! Lots of the cheese of the 80s persisted into cheesy albeit feel-good 90s songs. All Mambo No. 5 was missing was an awkward group dance. Okay, the lyrics include directions, but I don't recall it sweeping the nation like the Macarena or something.

My favorite lyric: Do all the "aaah!"s and "Mambo number five!"s and "the trumpet!"s count?

8. One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head - I know I'm a little crazy since I love 80s music, but some of the songs are so wacky and bizarre that I enjoy hearing something a lot different than Top 40. Granted, this song was originally from the musical "Chess" (don't know it? Don't blame ya), but it became a chart topper out in the real world. In my world, I just thought this song was amazing and I knew I had to learn all the lyrics. Mission accomplished. There's nothing quite like a song that says "Exotic locales? Danger? Wild sex? Nah, let's have a real party and play some chess!"

My favorite lyric: You're talkin' to a tourist whose every move's among the purest/I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine

9. Super Nova Girl from "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century" - this was a Disney channel staple back in my day, and like many good kid movies, it ended with a big music number. Because, as we all know, all young teens worship a band, want to be in a band, or do both. There were lots of fun words in this song that I didn't really understand, but sounded very science-y and future-y.

My favorite lyric: Zoom zoom zoom/make by heart go boom boom (of course!)
10. What Dreams Are Made Of from "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" - yeah, while we're on the subject, I'll add the other movie that proves I was pretty damn girly at one point. What makes this even better is that I saw this movie on TV the other day and just had to watch it. That was the moment I realized I still knew the big song at the end, where Lizzie gets to be a mega pop singer for a little bit and show the world the star inside her. What else could a girl want?

My favorite lyric: Then I see you smile and I go oh oh oh (Can you tell I love the parts where you can sing along annoyingly?)

11. Cinderella by the Cheetah Girls from "The Cheetah Girls" movie - might as well go on to another girly Disney movie. Once again, the dream of a young girl is to be in a band. I liked "The Cheetah Girls" because it had a lot of music in it. I grew up with kids movies that were normally part musicals, so I liked the random moments of bursting into song. I like to say that the reason I watched this movie so many times was so I could figure out what each girl's name was. Aquanette, Dorinda, Galleria, and Chanel? Seriously? I also know the words to Together We Can, Girl Power and, of course, the Cheetah girls song at the end of the movie. Cinderella was my favorite though - it was the perfect mix of Disney girl power and pop.

My favorite lyric: I can slay my own dragons/I can dream my own dreams/My knight in shining armor is me/so I'm gonna set me free

12. Piano Man by Billy Joel - Something a little more grown up, I hope. I do love me some Billy Joel. My favorite is Only the Good Die Young and of course I know all the words to that, but Piano Man is longer and more pensive. This is the kind of song you really get into, swelling up into the emotional "he said SON will you PLAY me a MEMORY!" And then sit back and hum along to "la da di dee daa" as you make love to your tonic and gin. This is one of those songs I guess I'm not so ashamed to know as I think everyone should know this one and be able to belt it out at a moment's notice.

My favorite lyric: And he's talking with Davy/who's still in the Navy/and probably will be for life...Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness

13. "Firefly" theme song - This one goes into the ashamed pile because it exposes me as a Browncoat. Okay, I wouldn't be ashamed, "Firefly" is amazing, but I'm afraid to mention it because I'm afraid to be mistaken for a Whedonite. Long story for another blog post, but "Buffy" hasn't struck me in the way "Firefly" did. Once again, the show gets major points for actually having a theme song. More points for having a theme with actual words, not just an instrumental riff. This theme captures the tone of the show perfectly. It makes me sad sometimes that we live in a world where "One Tree Hill" gets more seasons than "Firefly." I've watched a lot of genius, short-lived shows in my day, but "Firefly" is the most painful cancellation yet. You might think all the posthumous hype would be impossible to live up to, but this is one case where fans really aren't exaggerating the quality level.

My favorite lyric: Take me out to the black/tell them I ain't coming back/burn the land and boil the sea/you can't take the sky from me
14. The Saga Begins by Weird Al - Growing up with a brother, it was almost impossible to avoid liking Weird Al. Plenty of his music stays with me even now, but this is the only one I still remember all the words to. I knew this song before the original song it was based on, American Pie, so when I hear American Pie I automatically launch into "my my this here Anakin guy." I had this problem with many other songs used in "Moulin Rouge;" since I was young at the time, I remember songs as being part of a "Moulin Rouge" medly before I remember them as original songs from years before the movie. But I still like Weird Al's version of the song better.

My favorite lyric: But their response didn't thrill us/they locked the doors and tried to kill us

15. I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly - Another childhood memory. "Space Jam" is often overlooked in lists of 90s kid movies, but I remember particularly loving it. Don't know why, I'm not really into basketball. Or the Looney Tunes. Maybe it was because the movie taught me the power of believing in myself. Or because Wayne Knight a.k.a Newman was in it. Both are strong selling points.

My favorite lyric: I see me running through that open door (I really hope this symbolizes opportunity instead of Heaven, which is what I thought when I was a kid. Hey, the song had a real gospel feel to it!)

16. Cell Block Tango from "Chicago" - I know all the songs in "Chicago" by heart, but it's a tad embarassing to admit that my favorite isn't the famous All That Jazz or I Move On, but the saucy Cell Block Tango. Also, even in quick voiceover moments, Taye Diggs is still sexy.

My favorite lyric: So I took the shotgun off the wall and I fired two warning shots/into his head....He saw himself as alive/and I saw him dead (Brings a whole new meaning to "female empowerment," huh?)

17. Tradition from "Fiddler on the Roof" - Speaking of musicals, another one I can quote in its entirety - songs and everything else. I feel like being able to recite all of Tradition at the drop of a hat is a bigger skill considering a lot of it is dialogue. Singing along with Tevye to If I Were a Rich Man or To Life is fun, but getting Tradition down takes some nerdy dedication.

My favorite lyric: You may ask "how did this tradition get started?"/I'll tell you/I don't know/but it's a tradition!

18. It Wasn't Me by Shaggy - this goes under the category of Why on Earth do I Know this Song? Probably because it's catchy as all get-out and it was on the radio enough for the lyrics to infiltrate my mind and never leave. It's kind of annoying when a song about a lying cheating douchebag is catchy and made for singing along. It also had that incomprehensible interlude by that Jamaican dude. Oh, I guess that doesn't count then for "knowing all the words," but really, who does know what that guy is saying? Also, this song gets filed under another category of Songs that Sound Like they're Sung By Women. Sorry, Shaggy, but if you weren't singing about your girl catching you, I'd have assumed you were a girl.

My favorite lyric: My girl just caught me/you let her catch you?/...I don't know what to do/say it wasn't you/alright!

19. La Tortura by Shakira - I don't know Spanish. There might be some stuck over from high school wafting around my head, but I probably don't know enough to form a coherent sentence at this point. So the fact that I know every word to this lesser known Shakira song that is entirely in Spanish is completely bizarre. Even more embarassing - I may know the words to sing along, but I don't know what most of them mean. This is normally the part where someone tells me the translated words are unspeakably filthy.

My favorite lyric: I'm afraid to even bother.

20. Snakes on a Plane (Bring It) by Cobra Starship - I finally got around to seeing "Snakes on a Plane" on TV and was glad I never spent money on it, not that I would have anyway. All you have to do is watch Samuel L Jackson's famous clip and you've seen the movie. But one good thing came out of it - an awesome song. If only the lyrics were more generic and weren't so related to the movie, it might have had better life on its own.

My favorite lyric: Pop the cheap champagne/we're going down in flames, hey!

21. Love Will Keep Us Together by the Captain and Tennille - Blame this on "Will & Grace." Will and Grace sing it together when they have their old-fashioned piano party, and I thought it was so cute I downloaded the song. A million plays later, I still love this sweet 70s song. I didn't exist in the 70s, but even I know I should be ashamed that I'm a fan of a Captain and Tennille number.

My favorite lyric: Young and beautiful/someday your looks will be gone/when the others turn you off/who'll be turnin' you on?/I will, I will, I will

Stay tuned for part 2 where I'll embarass myself some more...