Do You Realize??
I’ve always thought that the Flaming Lips are one of the coolest things about Oklahoma. This is even cooler:
A song by the alternative rock band The Flaming Lips has been given a big statewide kiss in Oklahoma.
Their tune “Do You Realize??” was named the state’s official rock song, beating out more famous songs written or recorded by Oklahomans such as “Heartbreak Hotel,” co-written by former Oklahoma school teacher Mae Boren Axton, and recorded by Elvis Presley.
This is actually one of my favorite songs, I want it to be played at my funeral. Here’s a performance.
Do You Realize – that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize – we’re floating in space –
Do You Realize – that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize – that everyone you know someday will die
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes – let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It’s hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn’t go down
It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round
March 5th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Do other states have a “State Rock Song”? Or………is the Sooner state leading the way? Usually just the reverse.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I believe Washington’s is “Louie Louie”.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I must admit it is a good song, and the band is from Oklahoma, But what does the actual song have to do with OK? There are many songs that actually mention Oklahoma or something about it in the lyrics. Sunn, I think most of the states have a rock song. Mark Shannon was refering to a list of them while talking about this story.
March 6th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Louie, Louie? Which version? There are many variation of lyrics for that song. That being said, another win for Washington, IMHO.
March 6th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Off the subject (imagin dat) I like Fz’s version of Louie, “Plastic People”
March 7th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Sunn,
I think the “Ventures”???? BUT……The Ventures were rip offs. They stole some “Wailers” stuff. Back in those days we were “Wailer” fans. They made it to Dick Clark once. I remember dancing to favorites like “Snake Shit”and “Loui, Loui”..( Snake Pit on the label). Wailers were a Tacoma/Seattle band, Tacoma is were they started. Rich Dangel was lead guitar and my shop partner in high school auto mechanics. I got into the dances free by pretending to be one of the band carrying in equipment. Lots of fun dancing and drinking out in the county at granges. I remember my own “Chicken Mary”. Ah, memories.
March 7th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
“Louie, Louie”, the WA state song, is by The Kingsmen. It was investigated by the FBI for obscenity, but I think they decided that the words were unintelligible so they dropped the case.
March 7th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Nice one TTop. I must say I’m lame for not having seen them when I lived in OK. It seems they were playing all the time in Norman while I was at OU.
March 7th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Anon: was Chicken Mary an old girlfriend, a dance, or a drink? “Glass of chicken, sir?”
March 7th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
TTop ,
You’re right.
Jek,
Chicken Mary was a character in a Lightening Hopkins song. (I’m going to get corrected on this one too I fear) She always had a bottle to share with po Lightening.
At the grange dances there was always two cops to keep an eye on things….so. On the dance floor anyone who was not dancing formed a tight ring around the dancers in the middle of the floor. Inside the ring you could dance and drink without the cops seeing you. It was so crowded that there was no way the cops could get through the outer ring.
I danced with this girl once and while we were dancing she pulled out a pint and handed it to me. It got to be a semi regular thing. I’d run into her on the dance floor and she’d share her pint while we danced. I guess you’d have to say she was girlfriend, dance, and a drink. Always reminded me of “Chicken Mary”.
And it may have been the Kingsmen who were ripping off the Wailers.
March 7th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
The Kingsmen version was the one that almost got busted. I have the original LP by them. They were not from Oklahoma. I think after their initial fame with the song, they mostly played the frat party circuit across the country.
In the day when I started playing guitar, Louie Louie was the first song you learned (no exceptions). Every jam session (no matter who you played with) included that song. I don’t know how many hours were spent (wasted) by teens of the day listening to that record over and over, trying to decipher the lyrics. Probably one of the most played 3 chord songs in rock guitar history. There were numerous covers of the song. Although the Kingsmen verison was the most popular for obvious reasons.
Looking back it’s sort of funny that song caused such a controversy, considering what you hear in even main stream pop music nowadays.
Ah, the good old days. It was quite an experience being alive to witness the complete history of rock & roll to date. One of the perks of being an old fart, I guess.
March 7th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Sunn,
Remember “Mary Had A Baby” ? Which was banned by our radio stations.
We are a bunch of perky old farts.
March 7th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
whoops! That was “Annie Had A Baby”…..about teen pregnancy.
March 10th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I don’t remember that one. And I like to think of myself as a rock hstorian. Shot down again. Anon, who did the song? Maybe I’ll recall the artist (?).
March 10th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Who can remember that far back. There were still dinosaurs.
I’m thinking it was around 1956/57……maybe pre Dick Clark….maybe not. It was on the radio and then it was not. Caused a bit of a stir.
Annie had a baby, Annie had a baby………etc.