Britainology 44: Pub Songs feat. Elijah Fynmore
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For this month's second Britainology, we speak with Aberdeen-based musician Elijah Fynmore about the moments in UK life when you're allowed to--or expected to--break into song. What is the deal with Sweet Caroline? What is the deal with Irish folk ballads about utterly obliterating British Army Land Rovers? All this and more, in this episode.
Comments (13)
Honestly in America you cannot get away from hearing Wagon Wheel either.
Tried listening to some of the country songs that were mentioned but sadly they were all fucking shit.
Re: Irish songs. Hearing Irish American people talk about Ireland makes me realize why Irish citizenship by descent is restricted to one great grandparent out.
fuck off styx is great
It's so funny that you mentioned Don't Stop Believing and Queen first! I went to college in a very small western Minnesota town, and the local Fraternal Order of Eagles bar had $5 pitchers on Wednesdays and more than once I ended up arm in arm with a mix of crusty locals and dirtbag students belting out that song at the tops of our lungs There were also large house parties where Bohemian Rhapsody came on and 50 or 75 wasted kids would be singing along and headbanging and nearly shaking the house down. Classic shit.
Sitting at the airport, waiting for my plane to arrive, hungover as hell. “Milo is hungover as fuck.” “Ah, my spiritual brother as ever.”
Walking and listening to this, but you mentioned wind of change being massive in Russia. There's a conspiracy theory that the song was all a CIA op. This podcast goes deep on it, it's pretty great: https://crooked.com/podcast-series/wind-of-change/
And if I remember correctly, Costello actually has a song about The Troubles, in which he talks about British soldiers referring to Irish people as "white (N words)". He even performed it on Top of The Pops.
I believe the label you're referring to is Stiff Records. There's a brilliant BBC documentary from 10 years ago about the whole thing. Apparently all the label guys made Costello dress up like that because they thought it'd be funny to make him look like Elvis Presley. This really makes me want a Post Punk/New Wave episode, since it crosses over so well with that transition from the 70's into the 80's, and all the shit that went down politically at that time.
Nice to see Elijah again, great bunch of lads
Can we get a Germanology on Hasselhoff?
re: Come Sail Away; maybe because of Freaks & Geeks?
Playing Less Than Zero to an increasingly upset and confused audience at an American bar. 80% of them are upset by the lyrics (some because they think you're insulting Patton Oswald, others by the content). 20% are upset because that's not how the song goes. It's about listening to the radio! Edit: I have absolutely said "The Proclaimers are traditional Irish music" to cause Scottish friends distress, so you might have just heard someone who knew exactly how to cause their friends pain.