Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2015 August 23

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August 23

Song ID: Second place in a three way billing

I'm trying to ID an English language song from the recollected meaning of one line in the lyrics which compares a situation to being billed second of three leads in a film or play. I can't recall the precise words, but I suspect that it was from a popular music song from the US or UK in the 1970s. Does this ring a bell with anybody here? -- ToE 00:04, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

• Could it be Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind", with the line "I'd walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three-way script / Enter number two"? —Tamfang (talk) 01:30, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

That's the one! Thanks tons, Tamfang. -- ToE 01:40, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

Given the US and the UK are by far the dominant English-language music producing countries... This song is neither. It's Canadian. Mingmingla (talk) 16:55, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

What exactly does that verse from the song mean? I don't understand the phrasing: "I'd walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three-way script / Enter number two". Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 03:28, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

This Toronto Star article says one of the inspirations for the song was his failing marriage, so presumably three-way refers to a romantic triangle, number two being the rival for the song character's affections (not this Number 2). Clarityfiend (talk) 07:17, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. But, sorry, I still don't follow entirely. Here is the verse, again: "I'd walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three-way script / Enter number two". You are saying that, figuratively, it means: There is a three-way love triangle (A: the singer; B: his rival; and C: the woman of the singer's affections). So, A is in love with C. But, B walks into the picture. B is also in love with C. So, C turns her love to B (instead of to A). Is that what you mean? If so, OK. I get that. Back to the verse now. What is the literal meaning? What exactly is he saying about the three movie stars? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:37, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

It's a simile, hence the "like". Lots of movies are about romantic triangles, so he's just making a comparison, not saying he is an actual movie star. Clarityfiend (talk) 23:44, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

Yes, I get that part. I am asking for the literal meaning of that verse. What is happening on the set or in the script of the (hypothetical) film? What does it mean for the movie star to get burned? What is a three-way script? What does "enter number two" mean? In the literal sense. This (I suppose?) is what I get. There is a film, with three movie stars. There is a love triangle. The singer of the song gets "burned" (loses the affection of the female). Number two, the rival male, enters the scene. Is that it? Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 03:29, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

Not all lyrics are meant to have a literal meaning. Sometimes a line, word, or phrase (and sometimes the entire song) is chosen to fit the song rhythmically, or to rhyme, or to fit the meter, or merely for the sound and feel of it. See Prosody (music). Sometimes songs we find deep and meaningful were just chosen because the songwriter was looking for a word that rhymed or fit the meter. Famously, Yesterday (Beatles song) began life with the lyric "Scrambled Eggs" because he had a tune and needed words that fit. --Jayron32 12:11, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. Obviously, that is the case in some songs. Not in this song, however. He is affirmatively saying something about three actors/movie stars in a scene in a script. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 22:01, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

He's actor number 1. Actor number 2 comes in and ruins his romance, thus he is burned. Mingmingla (talk) 15:31, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

There is a big discussion here about this song. I recommend this site for any queries on the meaning of lyrics. --TammyMoet (talk) 11:19, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

cod liver oil story

Hearing a song about cod liver oil reminded me of a story I read, probably written before 1960. Some children whose dog loves the stuff enter a slogan contest in their dog's name, winning at least a small prize with the entry "I love [brand] cod liver oil because: it makes me feel good." A representative of the company comes to the house and the eldest child pretends to be the contestant. Before the prize is handed over, the child has to swallow a dose of the product; he unhappily does so, and confesses the deception; but the rep doesn't mind – a customer with four legs is still a customer. Ring any bells? —Tamfang (talk) 01:27, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

Pixie cut, origin of name

I like short hair, called the pixie, but the article Pixie cut leaves me in the dark, where and when this term was used first in connection with this haircut (it does not appear before the 1950ies). By coincidence I stumbled across Genevieve (actress), "The Pixie from Paris" (why not mentioned in the article?). More: Genevieve Ginette Auger (born April 17, 1920), NBC-TV: The Jack Paar Show and "Genevieve hacks out her own tomboy haircut with a razor: "I'm ugly with curls," she says."

The time frame fits: middle/late 50ies, then Audrey Hepburn, Jean Seberg, Mia Farrow. Is there any connection between the appearance of the hairdo name with the appearance of the short-haired, TV-popular "Pixie from Paris"? ! Bikkit ! (talk) 07:25, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

P.S. The Pixie/Fairy article does not mention anything about short hair. On the contrast: There are only pictures of long-haired pixies.

I guess I've always assumed it was named after Tinker Bell. The Disney version (1953) had long hair, but ignoring the 'bun', you end up with a pixie cut. 99.235.223.170 (talk) 12:27, 23 August 2015 (UTC)