It's not a pop hit (yet), but the use of "thus" in Rick Ross & T-Pain's "The Boss" must be very rare indeed, and possibly unique in its genre.
― February Callendar, Sunday, 17 February 2008 20:16 (sixteen years ago) link
"hen fap" in Kanye West's "Gold Digger"
― Curt1s Stephens, Sunday, 17 February 2008 20:19 (sixteen years ago) link
"academia" - Saint Etienne, He's On The Phone "piscean" - The Sundays, Summertime
― a passing spacecadet, Sunday, 17 February 2008 22:55 (sixteen years ago) link
in terms of hip-hop (and perhaps more widely), "bakery" and "fakery" - Three 6 Mafia "Poppin' My Collar"
and although it was probably never used in any other context by anyone ever, so it shouldn't really count, "knockatize" in "Pigeons" by Genesis (if only because it's probably the best thing they did)
― February Callendar, Tuesday, 19 February 2008 02:37 (sixteen years ago) link
"Jacques Derrida" by Scritti Politti has some great words in it, like "Cashanova", "Rapacious", "Assuage" and last but not least "Bop sh'day-o" (according the lyric site I'm looking at), which also appears in "The sweetest girl", sort of.
― Rob M v2, Tuesday, 19 February 2008 16:55 (sixteen years ago) link
How about grody, from Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl?"
― SecondBassman, Tuesday, 19 February 2008 20:17 (sixteen years ago) link
If that's how you spell it....
― SecondBassman, Tuesday, 19 February 2008 20:18 (sixteen years ago) link
"academia" - Saint Etienne, He's On The Phone
"Academia Blues" - Perfect Skin, Lloyd Cole
― Mark G, Tuesday, 19 February 2008 21:09 (sixteen years ago) link
"shtick" - Barry White, "Never Never Gonna Give You Up"
― Joseph McCombs, Wednesday, 20 February 2008 09:39 (sixteen years ago) link
"TVC15", not much of a word.
But it counts.
― our work is never over, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 12:45 (sixteen years ago) link
Re. Scritti: is "Wood Beez" the only hit to include the word "intravenous" (again I suspect there may be several dozen rap-related responses to that)?
― Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 12:59 (sixteen years ago) link
Is it not in "Just like a pill" pink?
― Mark G, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 13:05 (sixteen years ago) link
Good call.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 13:07 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.spinaltapfan.com/atozed/images/intravsm.jpg
― Tom D., Tuesday, 4 March 2008 13:09 (sixteen years ago) link
"symbolic" as featured during a verse of that earth's-core-shakingly massive hit tune "Mr. Jones", performed by Counting Crows.
― violoncellos, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 21:54 (sixteen years ago) link
"antediluvian" - Donovan, "Atlantis"
― Joseph McCombs, Wednesday, 5 March 2008 08:02 (sixteen years ago) link
is "Wood Beez" the only hit to include the word "intravenous"
Partial credit to Stars of 45 for beginning the titling of their Beatles medley "Intro: Venus ..."
― Joseph McCombs, Thursday, 6 March 2008 07:52 (sixteen years ago) link
er, Stars ON 45 ...
― Joseph McCombs, Thursday, 6 March 2008 07:53 (sixteen years ago) link
"Chromium steel" - "Allentown."
― mike a, Thursday, 6 March 2008 21:33 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm guessing "You're So Vain" is the only hit song to reference Nova Scotia...and Saratoga, for that matter...
"Gavotte"
― The Deacon, Thursday, 6 March 2008 22:33 (sixteen years ago) link
Santeria by Sublime.
Gavotte was mentioned earlier.
― craven, Friday, 7 March 2008 13:55 (sixteen years ago) link
"reaper"...you know the song...
Prince used "reaper" in Let's Go Crazy.
― craven, Friday, 7 March 2008 14:04 (sixteen years ago) link
"EINS-ZWEI-DREI-VIER!!!"
Not exactly it, but "Der Kommissar" opens with the line "Zwei drei vier, one two three, it's easy to see..."
― Doctor Casino, Friday, 7 March 2008 14:11 (sixteen years ago) link
And though technically not part of the lyrics, Kraftwerk do count in "Eins-Zwei-Drei-Vier" on "Showroom dummies".
― Rob M v2, Friday, 7 March 2008 14:25 (sixteen years ago) link
OK, same song: "redefine"
― henry s, Friday, 7 March 2008 14:29 (sixteen years ago) link
When you said "you know the song", my first thought was Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult. Sorry.
― craven, Friday, 7 March 2008 14:40 (sixteen years ago) link
"funky cold medina"
― jessie monster, Friday, 7 March 2008 14:42 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost: that was the song I had in mind...(good catch re: Prince)...
― henry s, Friday, 7 March 2008 14:43 (sixteen years ago) link
The B-52s had a bunch of these:
"Give Me Back My Man" - "Korvettes" "Dance This Mess Around" - "limburger" "Rock Lobster" - "earlobe," "lobster," "noseguard," "tanning butter," "stingray," a bunch of other crustaceans "Quiche Lorraine" - "appliques"
― mike a, Friday, 7 March 2008 15:22 (sixteen years ago) link
"Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" - "somersets"
― mike a, Friday, 7 March 2008 15:27 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm guessing "You're So Vain" is the only hit song to reference Nova Scotia
Well, you'd be wrong then, since the Proclaimers' Letter From America contains the line "the day you sailed from Wester Ross to Nova Scotia".
― ailsa, Friday, 7 March 2008 15:32 (sixteen years ago) link
"Whore"
in "You little thief" Feargal Sharkey...
― Mark G, Friday, 4 April 2008 16:06 (sixteen years ago) link
"Whore" appears in lots of songs.
"Wake Up (Time To Die)" by Pop Will Eat Itself "Four Winds" by Bright Eyes "Shamrocks and Shenanigans" by House of Pain
To name just a few....
― eeyore19, Friday, 4 April 2008 21:39 (sixteen years ago) link
As well as at least one huge hit, Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer."
― Joseph McCombs, Friday, 4 April 2008 21:59 (sixteen years ago) link
RE: "Wrapped Around Your Finger": Scylla and Charybdis.
― Terrible Cold, Friday, 4 April 2008 22:14 (sixteen years ago) link
'masturbation' - "Give Peace a Chance"
Of course, if anyone at the Beeb had noticed, it would probably have been banned...
(yeah, prompted by the original songwords going up for auction)
― Mark G, Friday, 16 May 2008 10:13 (sixteen years ago) link
is there a song, other than My Perfect Cousin by the Undertones which mentions Subutteo?
"All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit" by Half Man Half Biscuit. Not really a hit though.
"Mesmerised" has somehow avoided debunkation so far: it occurs in every song by The Cure, or at least "The Walk"
In addition to the ones that February C mentions above, Marillion's "Garden Party" also has "queueing cumbers" IIRC, but I suppose that falls into the deliberate-neologism bin.
Has anyone made a song featuring "hapax legomena"? :)
― anatol_merklich, Friday, 16 May 2008 10:56 (sixteen years ago) link
it occurs in every song by The Cure, or at least "The Walk"
er wait no, I think I mean another one! Um.
― anatol_merklich, Friday, 16 May 2008 11:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Take it to the "word(s) that appear in every song apart from one, ever" thread.
― Mark G, Friday, 16 May 2008 11:15 (sixteen years ago) link
"The Caterpillar"! That's it.
― anatol_merklich, Friday, 16 May 2008 11:47 (sixteen years ago) link
"Wuthering" Heights by Kate Bush
― craven, Sunday, 22 June 2008 21:39 (sixteen years ago) link
There's a lot to choose from in "We Didn't Start the Fire," so I'll just pick one: "Panmunjom"
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 21:46 (sixteen years ago) link
The same goes for "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)": "Leonid Brezhnev"
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 21:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Parthenogenesis as part of Shriekback's Nemesis.
― vacasmagras, Sunday, 22 June 2008 23:29 (sixteen years ago) link
"Underwhelmed", Sloan
― 2for25, Sunday, 22 June 2008 23:42 (sixteen years ago) link
"Alabaster Lady" by Carole King.
Quote "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police:
"I will turn your face to alabaster, when you find the sermon is your master".
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 23 June 2008 09:25 (sixteen years ago) link
"Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"
Not a hit song (although familiar to a larger number of people than most hit songs have ever been, it can be argued)
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 23 June 2008 09:26 (sixteen years ago) link
I guess Acker Bilk's "Summer Set" doesn't count against.
― Mark G, Monday, 23 June 2008 09:33 (sixteen years ago) link
"Pønkebassgitar" (Delillos - Min beibi dro avsted)
― Øystein, Monday, 23 June 2008 09:39 (sixteen years ago) link
"Pønkeruckelektrikgitar" The Members - Sound of the Suburbs
― Mark G, Monday, 23 June 2008 09:41 (sixteen years ago) link