Things you were shockingly old when you learned

some of my earliest exposures to reggae-style music was stuff like "Rivers of Babylon" (which was written in the 70s but sounds like it should be a hymnal)

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

via wikipedia:

A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, based on the misbelief that the Cape was the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. In fact, the southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas about 150 kilometres (90 mi) to the east-southeast.[1] The currents of the two oceans meet at the point where the warm-water Agulhas current meets the cold-water Benguela current and turns back on itself. That oceanic meeting point fluctuates between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point (about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) east of the Cape of Good Hope).

The Portishead song "Wandering Star" has these lyrics -

Wandering stars, for whom it is reserved
The blackness of darkness forever

I found the same phrasing (or close to it) in Mark Twain's "The Innocents Abroad."

Upon looking further it is from the Bible (Jude 1:13):

Raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever

You're not supposed to drink the Alka-Seltzer while it's fizzing, you drink it once it's stopped.

have you actually drunk a fizzing alka-seltzer?

"we hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof"

this line is why psalm 137 was never going to chart unadjusted

similarly growing up in Scotland I thought Flower Of Scotland was some old Burns era thing, not a 60s folk song

Yes, "Fields of Athenry" is also a 1960s folk song that seems like it's been around forever.

There's so many Burns era songs they could have chosen for a "national anthem" but we've been saddled with this ropey old pub singalong.

"In a similar fashion, there are songs like "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life", which I thought was an old Vaudeville or music hall tune from the 1930s. Even when I watched The Life Of Brian, I assumed Monty Python were covering it with some added risque verses."

I'm probably not alone in saying this, but I didn't learn until relatively recently that "I'm going to be a part of it, New York, New York" was written in 1977. For the film New York, New York. It's literally "Theme From New York, New York". It's a contemporary of Never Mind the Bollocks. And the version I was specifically thinking about was the 1979 Frank Sinatra cover (in the film it was sung by Liza Minelli). I thought it was much older. I'm scared that I've written this before. It's not an unusual mistake. I learn from the internet that it's quite common. But I'm not just copying this from Cracked.com, I made the same mistake myself.

It also dawned on me that it's "New York City, New York State", which is why Sinatra sings it twice. That's two things I learned in quick successful. This my mind performed one hundred eighty backslash. Down, dog. Degrees or whatever.

Along similar lines I always assumed that "Who do you Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler" was an old standard. But no. Oh no. It was written specifically for Dad's Army. And it was also written specifically to annoy people who use headline case. "Who Do You Think"? "Who do you Think"? "Who do You Think"? Each of those - let me finish - each of those interpretations is equally valid. But they can't all be right. Because that way madness and chaos lies. Lays. That way lies madness and chaos. Madness and chaos is over there. Over there.

huh, I also assumed "New York, New York" was much older, I've never seen the movie, but have heard of it and assumed the movie was possibly named after the song (I guess it's just boringly named after the city and state)

i also did not know that abt "kidding mr hitler"! furthermore i had no idea till just now that it was sung by bud flanagan of flanagan and allen (his last recording, made the year of his death)

(it was written for the series as an affectionate pastiche of the kinds of war songs F&A did sing, so its likeness was worked for and achieved)

Liikewise the film New York, New York is set in the 1940s thus the theme song is supposed to sound of that period.

I'm absolutely astounded by that 'New York, New York' fact. I assumed it was from the 40s or 50s, but it was a (surprisingly minor) hit in the summer of 1980. This reminds me of something else I was shockingly old to learn. When I was a little kid, there was a song that went 'New York, New York: so good they named it twice, New York, New York: all the scandal and the vice, New York, New York, oh isn't it a pity....what they say about New York City". Those words might not be 100% correct, it's not as if I've heard this song a lot since the 70s. Anyway, for some reason I got it into my head that it was sung by Elton John and I believed this for about 40 years. Hold on, I need to do some googling....

So at some point during lockdown fever for some reason I was looking to see what had been Elton John's biggest hit and couldn't understand why that song wasn't listed. And then when I googled the lyrics I discovered that it was actually by some bloke called Gerard Kenny who I've never heard of. And apparently it wasn't even a hit in Britain. And yet as a 4 or 5 year old I convinced myself itself it was a chart topper by Elton John and nothing shook this belief for many decades. It doesn't even sound anything like Elton John now that I hear it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsi5lXxzByU

wtf

Although it only reached number 43 on the UK Singles Chart, it remained on the chart for two months.

... also wrote "I Could Be So Good for You!

I remember that song! surprised it wasn't a bigger hit in the UK, the radio must have played it a lot.
these days sounds more like a sitcom opening song, like Cheers.
Gerard Kenny also wrote the Minder theme song "I Could Be So Good For You"!

xpost dammit Tom!
wouldn't be surprised if there was a clip of him singing New York New York on 3-2-1

now that we have AI we can finally hear what a Jo Stafford / Tommy Dorsey rendition of "NY, NY" would sound like circa '43

have you actually drunk a fizzing alka-seltzer?
― mookieproof, Monday, June 10, 2024 7:21 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I bought some aspirin the other day. I wanted to pop one in a public toilet when I realized they had sold me effervescent tablets. I was in a hurry. I took some water in my mouth and let it dissolve in my mouth. I didn't learn anything, but it was the first time at a shockingly old age.

at first I thought you meant you were planning to put the alka-seltzer in the toilet and then drink out of the toilet

You mean, an Anal Alka-Setzer ?

(xp) Waiting till it had stopped fizzing of course.

It’s literally Psalm 137 from the King James version of the Bible:

― assert (matttkkkk)

hardly anybody adapts the ending of that psalm where the psalmist sings "blessed are they who smash your babies' heads against the rocks"

the early mega man games picked the robot masters from designs submitted from fans. the kid who designed dust man and crystal man for the "mega man" series of games went on to create the manga "one punch man".

i don't know if that's really what the thread is intended for but i feel like i should have known that already, it seems like the kind of random trivia i know

woah! that also feels like the kind of thing I should know. but i guess the last time I was really learning new Mega Man trivia it was 2001. i also know nothing about the manga, except that it's very popular.

today:

the opening "flute" sound of the theme for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is meant to be a coyote howling

oh wow

TIL that "pooterish" means self-important in the manner of Charles Pooter, nothing to do with farts

I beg you to set out the context or, ideally, contexts in which you have read "pooterish" as "farty" and it made sense

Most Farty Adrian Chiles Column

I think it was only a few months ago that I learned that when pole dancers swing around in circles, the POLE itself is actually rotating. Apparently?!? I thought the dancers were swinging themselves around and I couldn't figure out how they could stick enough to stay up but still be mobile, which in retrospect makes NO sense at all. Now I know the laws of nature and surface traction are intact and the world makes sense again.

OMG

I learned that sometime in the past year as well.

Oh man, that’s a good one. I had no clue.

Wonder how many firemen have chaffed themselves trying to recreate special moments.

I mean, if you look at the pole it's clearly
rotating.

well, that may explain my failed efforts

Pour Some WD-40 On Me

the pole rotates in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere

I think it was only a few months ago that I learned that when pole dancers swing around in circles, the POLE itself is actually rotating. Apparently?!? I thought the dancers were swinging themselves around and I couldn't figure out how they could stick enough to stay up but still be mobile, which in retrospect makes NO sense at all. Now I know the laws of nature and surface traction are intact and the world makes sense again.

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Wednesday, 12 June 2024 14:21 (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

what

here's to the ppl who look at the pole when they watch poledancing 🍷

i mean it isn't a sin to appreciate both pole and dancer

today:

the opening "flute" sound of the theme for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is meant to be a coyote howling

― budo jeru

it's an ocarina

it's the one thing people used to play on the ocarina before ocarina players were all link cosplayers who play zelda music

to be clear i love link cosplayers who play zelda music

i mean it isn't a sin to appreciate both pole and dancer

― he/him hoo-hah (map)

are we pole or are we dancer

Barre exercise is just pole dancing, sideways.

Change my mind.

I suspect you can't do a full 360 around the barre without looking like the Suspiria remake.

I think it was only a few months ago that I learned that when pole dancers swing around in circles, the POLE itself is actually rotating. Apparently?!? I thought the dancers were swinging themselves around and I couldn't figure out how they could stick enough to stay up but still be mobile, which in retrospect makes NO sense at all. Now I know the laws of nature and surface traction are intact and the world makes sense again.

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Wednesday, June 12, 2024 8:21 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

ok this isn't true?

WHAT

per Wiki:

Dance poles may have two different modes, spinning and static. In the spinning mode, the pole uses ball bearings to spin. This mode can be used to complete more experienced pole moves, make moves easier to complete, and add a more dramatic effect to the move. Most spinning poles can also be fixed to the static mode where the pole cannot rotate. The static mode is regularly used when pole dancing is first taught to beginners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUmLLROwADk