And we have a winner...for longest song title ever on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #10 (with a bullet!) in 1996. By my scientific count, there are eleven words in the title, (Actually "Stars on 45" technically has 41 words but it was utter shit and we just don't do shit songs here on Jukebox.)
Every now and again a songs comes completely out of left field and just blows you away. "Standing Outside a Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" by the Primitive Radio Gods is one such song. It's exactly what 90% of hit singles are not, and for those of us who waste/embellish our lives with such minutiae, it's pure joy. Originally released on the soundtrack to The Cable Guy, once it became popular it was released on the Gods' debut album Rocket. Alas for the Primitive Radio Gods it would prove to be their one moment in the spotlight--while the band remains together, nothing they've released since has any any sort of popular or commercial success.
The song opens with a sample of "How Blue Can You Get" by B.B. King played over an ominous piano and a sibilant back beat. It segues into the actual lyrics of the song--jumbled nonsense--sung softly over the same piano and backbeat, before striding into the clever chorus--"Do do doo do do"--and seguing back into B.B. King's plaintive howl. It's almost as if "Standing" is a case of wash, rinse, repeat, until you realize the whole time you're listening to it you're waiting for a bomb to explode or a car crash or at the very least an explosive guitar solo, only it never comes. And perhaps that's the point of the whole song.
Or perhaps not.
And if you're wondering "Can humans do as prophets say?" I do believe that yes, yes we can--especially with a decent soundtrack behind us.
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
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