Wikipedia talk:Songs about Wikipedia/The RfA Candidate's Song

Here's my little contribution to wiki-fun. Feel free to improve it--this is a wiki, after all. Most article links are to articles that I've created or edited; others are to aspects of wiki-life and community rules that the song alludes to. I hope you enjoy it! Bucketsofg✐ 19:53, 12 May 2006 (UTC) (wiki-poet)

Wording

"but an increment-eventuo-darwikian-delusionist!"

To my ears, this would be better "but an incremento-eventuo-darwikian-delusionist!" so that way the first word has the same syllable count as the rest. --maru (talk) contribs 03:30, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

That's how I originally had it. But when you try to sing it, you'll find you have one more syllable than you can fit into the line. (I'm going to try to get a performance of it to put on the web.) Anyway, I scan the line thus (iambic octameter):

but an in/crement/-event/uo/-darwi/kian/-delu/sionist

in/crement/o would spoil the iamb. (I worked a long time on this line.) --Bucketsofg✐ 03:49, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

On second thought, it would the vowels in increment(o-e)ventuo would probably elide anyways. Thanks! Bucketsofg✐ 04:04, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

No problem. This is a wiki after all. --maru (talk) contribs 04:01, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Sound file now available

At wikicommons. (I'm not sure how to link there and am off to bed.) Bucketsofg✐ 05:22, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

I think it's working, now. Bucketsofg✐ 12:59, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Nice work

Really brilliant work. It should have come when my RfA was in progress! You know the adage: Man proposes and God disposes. --Bhadani 14:42, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

I agree with the others. great song! someone should show it to Jimbo!

Wow, I really liked this one! Sjakkalle (Check!) 11:25, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

Yay, wow, and great work! Brought quite a good smile to my face. JesseW, the juggling janitor 17:59, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

This is terrific! I can't believe it's just now come to my attention. LadyofShalott 04:32, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

Did you win?

This brought out a good chuckle! Did you play the piano yourself or was it a MIDI file playing while you sang? --Shultz IV 00:28, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

It's a midi file, which is harder to sing along to, as there is no give. As for 'winning', the process is underway now. (I've now loaded up a slightly better version.) Bucketsofg✐ 00:22, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

Er...if by "win" you mean get admin, yes. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 ^{(T | C | @)} 20:22, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah. By the way, just for the record, we "sampled" the midi file; we didn't attempt to pass it off as our own, in case licensing crap should occur. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 ^{(T | C | @)} 01:10, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Isn't it ironic...

...that this song has link to a free audio version, while the Major General's Song doesn't? Not everyone has heard the tune before — I, for example, hadn't, until now, even though I've seen the lyrics quoted before. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 19:58, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that is ironic, and a pity, since the original is so great. The reason, of course, is that all the versions of the real song are copy-righted. Bucketsofg✐ 20:27, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

Err, are you sure? I'm rather certain that the song itself is not under copyright, so it is quite possible that there is a libre version. --Philosophus ^T 01:59, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the song itself should be PD (written in 1879). But any recording of it will be copyright of the recording company that made it, I assume. It's easy enough to find a copy. But getting one to load up here would be a problem. Bucketsofg✐ 02:05, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

You know, someone... ahem... could just sing it and upload it much like they did with this song. Just sayin'. ;-) --Mark Neelstin ^{(Dark Mark)} 03:57, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

Well at any rate, this version of the song is free from copyright laws (see the Weird Al article). I'm not really sure why. I just know that although Al's allowed to record parodies all he wants, he almost always asks permission first. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 | T | C | @ 04:10, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

don'cha think? A little too ironic, yeah I really do think. Like rain on your wedding day... ~Kylu (u|t) 22:22, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

Chorus?

I could probably add the chorus-y section to the song, if you'd like. The problem is I've never heard the original. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 | T | C | @ 20:17, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

The original is Gilbert and Sullivan's I am the very Model (a.k.a. the Major General's Song, from the Pirates of Penzance. You can hear the original here: http://www.bentleyschool.net/intranet/upper/faculty/alielgasseir/pp-music/ Valentinian ^(talk) 05:53, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Ah...the good old Bentley School...I've played them in Quiz Bowl tournaments several times. I'm working on the chorale sections as we speak. So far, I've added eight voices for the first and second chorale sections. I hope to have added eight voices to each of the rest by the end of the day PDT. Right now it looks like the main obstacle is the "incremento-eventuo-darwikian delusionist" part. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 ^{(T | C | @)} 22:24, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Yay! All done! Go back to the article and have a listen, if you want. Actually I finished quite some time ago, but I forgot to put a mention here. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 ^{(T | C | @)} 01:13, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

The chorus is simply great! What's more, the fact that you sing it in different tones alludes nicely to sockpuppetry :) --Zoz (t) 14:22, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Hilarious!!

Man, i am still rolling in laugher... The audio file as well as the lyrics are great... I am adding this link to my userpage -- Lost 18:06, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

You're a champ. *wipes tears* — riana_dzasta • t • c • e • ER • 01:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Huurah!

For the author! Rich Farmbrough, 15:54 9 December 2006 (GMT).

Very nice. :) Arjun 04:54, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

This has just become my new favourite page on Wikipedia. Terraxos 23:31, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Mistake in the sound file?

It may just be my ears, but it sounds to me like the 4th line is sung as "and neutral is the *point* in which I always keep my point of view!", when it should be "mode". Am I just hearing things, or is Bucketsofg fallible after all? --Tango (talk) 22:14, 28 January 2008 (UTC)