Long distance information, give me Memphis, Tennessee

[ciphergoth]

Where are the songs that refer to email, SMS, and suchlike in the same way as so many songs refer to the phone, in a straightforward way without trying to be cool about it?

Update: http://www.pensive.org/jeff/mrfone/culture.htm

Comments

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

How do you mean "without trying to be cool about it"?
(Only song I can think of offhand that refers to e-mail is this one - and no, I'm not proud.)

Hey, he hasn't included the fabulous '5-7-0-5' by City Boy...

E.
x

[adjectivegail]

.... "Cause you a bug-a-boo, a bug-a-boo"?!?!!

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

Your point? It's a Destiny's Child song - what, you wanted desperately insightful, cutting anti-establishment lyrics?

E.
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[adjectivegail]

*helpless giggles* no... just... bug-a-boo... *more giggles*

[zotz]

There was some cruddy chart single a year or two ago that mentioned (in passing) sending a message "by the internet". The problem is that these are text media and are never going to be as intimate as something with actual voice. After all, compare the number of telephone songs to the number that revolve around fleshly contact. Even the telephone songs are frequently about not being able to get through - the phone becomes a metaphor for separation rather than contact.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Sure... so I'd expect a song about being dumped by text message, or something...

[zotz]

Good point. They've only become common in the last few years, though. There haven't been many significant telephone songs per year, so we shouldn't necessarily expect to get many of these a years either.

Oh, and I think Republica's "From the rush hour with love" is implicitly about a mobile. I'm getting slightly closer.

[adjectivemarcus.livejournal.com]

Hey baby, I'm your SMS man,
If you tell me when you want it
then I'll text you when I can

I can text you in the bathroom I can text you in the hall
I can text you in the bedroom I can text you from a funeral love mum x

OK, I tweaked it slightly...

[booklectica]

So when you're near me
Darling can't you hear me,
S.M.S.
The love you gave me
Nothing else can save me,
S.M.S.

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

There's a song if you scroll down here which mentions text messaging. Really.

The predominant style of music to feature references to text and mobile phones and such is rap. ~shrug~ I went and looked.

E.
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[babysimon]

"Trouble in the Message Centre" - Blur

There's also this alarmingly geeky looking set of tunes (a band called Arpanet?!) I saw in HMV the other day.

And did not buy, I'll have you know.

[ex-meta.livejournal.com]

The only person I can think of who's written songs about modern techno-culture that are any good, is Momus (http://www.demon.co.uk/momus/). I think he's geeky enough to escape allegations of trying to be cool. I particularly like "Virtual Valerie" on "The Philosophy of Momus":

I tried to keep my soul alive
Playing Mortal Kombat on the Megadrive
I patched my lust with Nicorette
Went surfing on the Internet

But still I need you here tonight
Let's make love by satellite
By high speed uplink, error free
Be my Virtual Valerie

Also check out "Girlish Boy" on the same CD.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

I should have guessed it would be Momus...

[djm4]

Age of Information on Ping Pong:

"X said to Y what A said to B
B wrote an E mail and sent it to me
I showed C and C wrote to A:
Flaming world war three..."

Full lyrics here (scroll down).

"I sent a message through the Internet but it rejected it" is from Horny by Mousse T, but I'm sure you knew that.