One two three four! (#1234)

Topics/tags: Miscellaneous, postscripted

Paul McCartney sang, One two three four! and then moved on to, She was just seventeen, and you know what I mean.

Dee Dee Ramone sang, Onetwothreefour! Joey followed up with Well the kids are all hopped up and ready to go. I suppose Dee Dee started lots of songs with Onetwothreefour! I wouldn’t call it a trademark, but it’s definitely a theme.

Jonathan Richman went a little further. He sang, One two three four five six! and Roadrunner, Roadrunner. Then he sang about Stop&Shop and Route 128.

Those are the first few songs that come to mind when I hear one two three four. I suppose I also hear the number five, too.

I sang the first two songs to Eldest when he was little. No, he didn’t end up as a punk rocker, even though I sang, Eldest is a punk rocker. The third song lives in my head. You’d think I’d remember more one-two-three-four songs. Many songs have a count up, or a count in, as I believe it’s officially called.

Let’s see what else the Interweb comes up with.

How could I have forgotten Wooly Bully? Sam (not me) sang Uno dos one two tres quatro! My friend Que reminded me of this one, too.

The Beatles’ Taxman begins One two three four one two, but it’s not as obvious as in I Saw Her Standing There. You can easily miss it.

The Temptations’ Ball of Confusion begins One two one two three four. Again, it’s a bit more subtle than in many other songs. But, wow, Ball of Confusion is such a fantastic song. The rest are, too.

John starts Give Peace a Chance with One two one two three four.

The Rascals start Good Lovin’ with One two three but no four. In stereo, the voices bounce around.

Songfacts, which I’ve been using to find some of these songs, tells me that the Clash’s White Man in Hammersmith Palais starts with a count in. I can’t hear it in the official video. Nonetheless, I think there’s a count in. It sounds like it’s Topper Headon. As with Taxman and Ball of Confusion, it seems less central than in Sheena, Roadrunner, or Wooly Bully. The count-in in Clampdown is somewhere in between.

There’s another list on Rate Your Music. I’m intrigued to see that they list different James Brown and ELO songs. Probably different songs by other artists. I’m too lazy to investigate them in depth. I tend to stick to the ones I know.

I suppose it’s worth giving ChatGPT a chance, too.

List songs that begin one two three four

Certainly! Here are a few songs that begin with the lyrics one two three four:

1. Blitzkrieg Bop by Ramones
2. I Wanna Be Sedated by Ramones
3. Rock and Roll All Nite by Kiss
4. Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley
5. You Really Got Me by The Kinks
6. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
7. Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones
8. My Generation by The Who
9. Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets
10. I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles

These are just a few examples, and there may be other songs that begin with those lyrics as well.

Let’s check those answers.

1. Blitzkrieg Bop by Ramones [1]. Almost certainly. It’s a Ramones song. But let’s make sure. Yup. There’s Dee Dee again.
2. I Wanna Be Sedated by Ramones. Nope, even though it’s the Ramones. It starts with Twenty twenty twenty four, which is not One two three four. I suppose I can see how ChatGPT got confused. Four numbers, ending in four. On another note, I also sang this to Eldest. Yeah, I was a weird dad. I still am.
3. Rock and Roll All Nite by Kiss. Nope. Michelle snapped along to this, though.
4. Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley. Nope. Another great song, though.
5. You Really Got Me by The Kinks. Nope. I didn’t recall it starting with anything other than the riff.
6. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry. Nope. Maybe ChatGPT is looking for riffs, not count-ins.
7. Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones. Maybe. There’s a quick One two at the beginning. At least I think it’s a One two. Also a recognizable riff.
8. My Generation by The Who. Nope. Maybe ChatGPT heard it as People try to teach us to c-count.
9. Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets. Maybe. It starts One two three o’clock four o’clock rock. Not quite what I was looking for, but close enough for folk, as they say.
10. I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles. Yup. I had the one already.

3/10. 4/10 if we’re feeling generous. Not so good, ChatGPT! Should I ask for more?

Tell me more, tell me more [2]

Certainly! Here are some more songs for you:

1. Blitzkrieg Bop by Ramones - This energetic punk rock anthem is a classic from the Ramones, released in 1976. Its catchy Hey ho, let’s go chant has become iconic.
2. I Wanna Be Sedated by Ramones - Another hit by the Ramones, this song was released in 1978. It’s a fast-paced punk rock track with lyrics reflecting the desire to escape and find peace through sedation.
3. Rock and Roll All Nite by Kiss - A rock anthem by the band Kiss, released in 1975. It’s known for its catchy chorus and the famous line, I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day.
4. Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley - A classic rock and roll song by Elvis Presley, released in 1957. It’s an upbeat track about life in a jailhouse and became one of Elvis’s signature songs.
5. You Really Got Me by The Kinks - This song by The Kinks, released in 1964, is often considered a precursor to heavy metal and punk rock. Its distorted guitar riff is instantly recognizable.
6. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry - A rock and roll anthem by Chuck Berry, released in 1958. It tells the story of a young, talented guitarist named Johnny B. Goode and his rise to fame.
7. Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones - A hit single by The Rolling Stones, released in 1968. It’s a gritty rock song with a catchy guitar riff and memorable lyrics.
8. My Generation by The Who - Released in 1965, this song became an anthem for rebellious youth. It expresses the frustrations and attitudes of the younger generation at the time.
9. Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets - A rock and roll classic from 1954, this song is often credited as one of the first rock and roll hits. It’s an energetic track that has been influential in shaping the genre.
10. I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles - This song appeared on The Beatles’ debut album in 1963. It’s an upbeat track that captures the excitement of young love and features catchy guitar riffs.

These are just a few examples from different eras and genres of music. There are countless more songs out there with interesting stories and melodies to explore!

Oh. I guess I asked the wrong question. Or ChatGPT misinterpreted. These aren’t more songs, they are more details.

I think I’ll stop now.

In case you were wondering: My muse indicated that musing 1234 had to be about count-ins. She’s had worse ideas.

Postscript: I looked most of these up on YouTube. And, as you’d expect, most of them started with an ad. Michelle’s comment: Why do you keep listening to the same thing?

Postscript: As I understand it, the US Copyright office has ruled that works generated by generative AI are not protected by copyright. Feel free to reuse the quoted material from ChatGPT with or without citation. Of course, you can also free to reuse everything else, too, preferably with citation.

Postscript: Will I be able to avoid using and making fun of ChatGPT in my upcoming musings? Let’s hope it’s only an occasional detour. Only my muses know for sure.

[1] I always think of them as The Ramones. But I see that they regularly use Ramones.

[2] I appear to have Summer Lovin’ on my mind.

Version 1.0 of 2023-05-13.