Tuesday, July 18, 2006

This is a great song with lyrics by Mel Brooks. It stars in my favourite movie, Blazing Saddles (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/). TRying to remember the last two lines of the song I turned to the web and googled my way to various lyrics sites which have never let me down in the past. For instance http://www.lyricsondemand.com/m/melbrookslyrics/. But it showed only one song. Not a bad one, 'To be or not to be (the Hitler rap)' which begins:

I used to run a little joint called Germany.
I was number one
the people's choice
And everybody listened to my mighty voice.
My name is Adolf
I'm on the mike.
I'm gonna hip you to the story of the New Third Reich.
It all began down in Munich town and pretty soon
The word started gettin' around.
So I said to Martin Boorman
I said
Hey Marty, why don't we throw a little nazi party?


But no more? Eventually I found http://artists.letssingit.com/mel-brooks-wwr3q/discography which carried the apparently endearing words:

Some artists don't want all or particular lyrics to be posted on the internet. We respect this decision and have removed these lyrics.

And then a glorious one at http://lyrics.duble.com/lyrics/Y/yello-lyrics/yello-blazing-saddles-lyrics.htm:

Yello Blazing Saddles lyrics are the property and copyright of Yello.
Yello lyrics provided for educational purposes and personal use only.


I wonder whether Mel Brooks is aware that the lyrics of Blazing Saddles are the property and copyright of Yello? But it must be okay because it's for educational purposes and personal use only.

And there are those who say that publishers are over-reacting when they insist  that organisations need to ask permission before lifting our authors' copyrights for their own ends.  I wish the music industry all the very best in their fight to protect copyright.  The publishing industry must fight equally hard on all fronts.

Incidentally, can anyone remember the last two lines of the Ballad of Rockridge?
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