Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2014 November 3

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November 3

Song heard in Starbucks (we can build this house)

Hi all, I heard a song in Starbucks that went something like "we - can - build - my - house". This was the hookline that I think was repeated, and it had manic energetic piano/keyboard riffs/ soloing going throughout the verses, while this hookline was much quieter and more sedate, like an indie pop classic. The notes for the hookline were about evenly spaced, slow notes, and I think the melody was non-decreasing except for the word "house" (it might have been something like C-C-C-D-C or B-C-D-E-D -- my musical ear isn't that good). Can anyone help? I don't know if Starbucks playlists are the same around the world, but if it helps, I'm in China, I think it was this month, and they change music every 3 months. Thanks, IBE (talk) 07:13, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Usually these things can be found rather easily by using Google and typing in the word 'lyrics' followed by the lyrics that you have. That doesn't seem to be working in this case. Are you sure about the words? Also, was it a male or female singer? I'm sorry I couldn't help though, through my searching for "house building" songs, I did find out what Rupert Grint has been doing with some of his time since the Harry Potter movies ended. Dismas|^(talk) 07:50, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

If you have a smartphone you can download Shazam and point it at the music while it is playing, the app will try and identify it for you. I often do that with music I hear in Starbucks and it works pretty much every time. I don't know this song, though. --Viennese Waltz 08:26, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Thanks to both of you. It was a male voice, and I could barely hear the song. I had to press my ear against the wall to make sure I could hear it. Shazam doesn't work if the music is too quiet, and the room too loud. I tried emailing Starbucks, but apparently the playlists are corporate-sensitive, and proprietary information. No idea what's going on there, but can't get anywhere with them, so I'm trying my luck here. IBE (talk) 11:38, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Also I'm not sure about the lyrics, but the vocal sound and style was closest to Glen Hansard. The song was slightly reminiscent of Falling Slowly by the same artist. IBE (talk) 12:00, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Are you sure it wasn't Lego House (linked above by Dismas)? Ed Sheeran and Glen Hansard play the same sort of singer-songwriter type songs. --Jayron32 17:45, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Could it be "Burning down the house" by Talking Heads? --TammyMoet (talk) 13:14, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

What about Cut Copy - Meet Me In A House of Love? . --— Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 03:39, 4 November 2014 (UTC)

Some good guesses, but no to all. I think you'd know it if you heard it from my description, even though I've probably got a few things wrong. It definitely had loud verses and a quiet chorus/ hookline, and the hook definitely had single syllable words (or at least the syllables were separately accented). It might not have been "We can build this house" but it was kind of "one - two - three - four - five ... pause ... repeat chorus ... go into manic wild piano". Any further attempts welcome, or else one day I'll deliberately plagiarise it to attract a lawsuit, so then I can find it ;) IBE (talk) 11:41, 4 November 2014 (UTC)

Manic, wild piano could be The Fray or Dawes or Crash Kings or Coldplay or Keane, all of whom are modern, active rock bands that prominently feature piano as a lead instrument. No idea on which song, however. --Jayron32 12:58, 4 November 2014 (UTC)

Another idea... It has the slow, drawn out line, features the word "house" repeatedly, and has both slow and manic parts: Perhaps "Anna Sun" by Walk the Moon. --Jayron32 13:03, 4 November 2014 (UTC)

"Our House" doesn't seem likely, but it has piano and Madness could be seen as wild or frantic. Throwing it out there (and humming it, thanks to this question). InedibleHulk (talk) 22:37, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure it's the Crosby, Stills etc. "Our House". It's been infesting the Starbucks playlist here in Winnipeg for months - that and every Neil Young song ever written. I'm actually looking forward to Christmas. --NellieBly (talk) 19:56, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

It's not that, but I can certainly understand why you are looking forward to a new playlist. That song would drive me mad if I couldn't get it out of my head, and in a very different way to the song I'm looking for. IBE (talk) 12:48, 10 November 2014 (UTC)