"Cheese and Onions" Question
Dillenger
considered myself fairly well versed in their music (not a trivialist or
anything, but well-versed), but I have a question that's been bothering me
since i long ago saw the Rutles movie. I'd approeciate any help you might
be able to give me on this:
Is the "Cheese and Onions" parody song (from the Rutles movie, right?)
actually based on a Beatles song? If so what song and from what album?
Also:
Why is the Rutles movie so hard to find. No rental stores within five
miles of my house have it at all. I know i've rented it in the past. Is
it like Let It Be, i.e., been taken off the market?
Thanks for your help.
Dani Barnard
onions, but after thinking, I'd have to say that "Cheese and Onions" as
a title sounds a lot like "She's a Woman"
TuffTeresa
should note, in particular, the ending which rises to a crescendo and ends
with a puny little piano note, an obvious parody of the final moments of A
Day In The Life.
Rob Hedges
(Dillenger) wrote:
> I've always been a big fan of the Beatles since I was four years old, and
> considered myself fairly well versed in their music (not a trivialist or
> anything, but well-versed), but I have a question that's been bothering me
> since i long ago saw the Rutles movie. I'd approeciate any help you might
> be able to give me on this:
>
> Is the "Cheese and Onions" parody song (from the Rutles movie, right?)
> actually based on a Beatles song? If so what song and from what album?
I haven't been able to link it with a particular song; not all of the
Rutles' tunes are one-to-one sendups like, say, "Get Up and Go." Indeed,
I think the more interesting ones are the ones that combine elements of
different songs (like "Hold My Hand": the intro's apparently from "Eight
Days a Week," the title's from "I Want to Hold Your Hand," but the tune's
reminiscent of "All My Loving," at least to this non-musicologist's ears).
"Cheese and Onions" is just one of those atmospherically Beatlish ones,
I'd say.
--
Rob Hedges (colo...@leland.stanford.edu)
"...with a tendency to play music."
PrfLud
correctly, it is a parody of I Am the Walrus...
Bill Ludwig
Pfr...@aol.com
David Fell
>if I recall
> correctly, it is a parody of I Am the Walrus...
No, that would be Piggy In The Middle.
--
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|| David Fell ||
|| Chicago, Illinois ||
|| fe...@interaccess.com ||
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Ken Scudder
psychadelic Beatles songs, with the previously mentioned
reference to "A Day in the Life" at the end. As for "The
Rutles," I was given a copy for X-mas 2 years ago, so at least
then it was still out there. I saw the CD yesterday here in NYC.
Ken Scudder
Public Cluster Macintosh
I'm not entirely sure about this as I've only seen the Rutles movie once,
but I seem to remember the parody of Yellow Submarine being something
along the lines of "Yellow Submarine Sandwich with Cheese and Onions."
Then again, maybe not. Like I said, it's all pretty hazey. One
interesting note, I saw a copy of the Rutles soundtrack at the music store
the other day. You might try looking at your local CD shop for the movie,
soundtrack (if you're interested), or just plain information.
Love
--
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TuffTeresa
Walrus. Again, while not a note for note parody, the overall feel along
with certain specific instances within the song itself indicate that
Cheese And Onions is a parody of A Day In The Life.
Andrew Rogers
>It has been a long time since I heard the Rutles album, but, if I recall
>correctly, it is a parody of I Am the Walrus...
No, that's "Piggy In The Middle" you're thinking of. "Cheese and Onions"
is a takeoff on "A Day In The Life" - just listen to the end of it.
Andrew
jdd...@vaxb.isc.rit.edu
Well, I haven't heard it in some 15 years, but I always thought it was sort of
a "Sexie Sadie/Maharishi" sort of parody in name. Definitely lennonish.
-John D
Randolph M. Jones
Dillenger <dill...@aol.com> wrote:
>Is the "Cheese and Onions" parody song (from the Rutles movie, right?)
>actually based on a Beatles song? If so what song and from what album?
As others have pointed out, I don't think there's any one Beatles' song
that this tune maps on to, but it does contain elements reminscent of a few
different songs:
The vocal is similar in character to John Lennon's vocal in Lucy in the Sky
with Diamonds.
The cacophonous crescendo is very much like the crescendo in A Day in the
Life. The ending piano note is clearly a parody of the "never-ending chord"
at the end of A Day in the Life.
The piano pattern at the end of each verse phrase is similar to a recurring
piano pattern in The Long and Winding Road.
The repetitive ending is (to my ears) slightly reminiscent of the ending to
All You Need is Love, (although the ending to Love Life is certainly a much
more straightforward parody of the same ending). More generally, the
"song that will never end" feeling is something the Beatles used in a number
of tunes.
Can anyone think of any more? Personally, I think Cheese and Onions is a
pretty great psychedelic song on its own merits.
Thomas M. Rothacker
Rogers) wrote:
I would say that only the end is a take-off on "A Day In the Life", the
rest of it sounds like a parody of Lennon compositions in general. I
always thought that it sounded more like a Lennon solo work, like
"Imagine". I'm positive that it doesn't sound like any of the songs in
_Yellow Submarine_, which was being parodied in the Rutles movie.
Thomas M. Rothacker
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona
>>tom.ro...@asu.edu<<
Maurizio Codogno
Thomas M. Rothacker <tom.ro...@asu.edu> wrote to Andrew Rogers:
>> "Cheese and Onions"
>> is a takeoff on "A Day In The Life" - just listen to the end of it.
>I would say that only the end is a take-off on "A Day In the Life", the
>rest of it sounds like a parody of Lennon compositions in general.
Its beginning is IMO resembling a lot that of ADITL. Same chord succession,
and
this peaceful mood. Ok, _Imagine_ in in the same style, too :-)
BTW, the cartoons from _Yellow Submarine Sandwich_ are great - they could
have
slipped in the original movie without anyone noticing...
.mau.
--
Maurizio Codogno - CSELT (UF/DD dept.) - Torino Italy
WWW: http://beatles.cselt.stet.it/~mau/
Steve Harrison
<71302...@CompuServe.COM> wrote:
As for "The
> Rutles," I was given a copy for X-mas 2 years ago, so at least
> then it was still out there. I saw the CD yesterday here in NYC.
>
> Ken Scudder
Er, Maybe I'm a bit older than most of you. I actually have "The
Rutles" on video and the album on LP record (thats a vinyl disc 12"
across). Now the original version (ie the LP) comes with a neat 20 or so
page book complete with the Rutles story, the song lyrics and quotes from
the movie. I was wandering does the CD include all this?
Cheers,
Steve.
DT Killen
edu (Steve Harrison) writes:
> Er, Maybe I'm a bit older than most of you. I actually have "The
>Rutles" on video and the album on LP record (thats a vinyl disc 12"
>across). Now the original version (ie the LP) comes with a neat 20 or so
>page book complete with the Rutles story, the song lyrics and quotes from
>the movie. I was wandering does the CD include all this?
I've got both the LP and the CD of the Rutles, and as far as I remember, the
booklet is pretty much the same in both. It's possible that not quite
*everything* made it to the CD booklet, but the majority of it is there.
The great thing about the CD, on the other hand, is that it includes such
great tracks as "Get Up and Go" and "Goose-Step Mamma" that were left off
the album.
By the way, didn't the sticker on the front of the LP state that it was a
*book* with a "free album" included? :I
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DT Killen
Dillenger
and that song has always stuck in my mind. I knew it was quite obviously
a take on Lennon, but couldn't trace the more exact source. But as many
of you have pointed out, and i had obviously forgotten, some of the songs
are based on myriad Beatle shards and are not specific send-ups. I'd like
to be able to see the movie again, but as i said, it's just not available
around here as far as i can see.
Anyway, the main thing about "Cheese and Onions" that has haunted me is
the opening. If i remember correctly, a solo piano with "Imagine-ish"
type rocking chords and the opening melody line: "I have always thought.
. ." And that's the part i want to trace the roots of (if indeed there
are any).
And, as a last grasp at straws, so to speak, i seem to remember a song
from the Lennon movie "Imagine" that might have been close, although i
couldn't find the name of it, or where it came from, when the credits
rolled. It wasn't one of his more famous songs obviously, i.e., not from
shaved fish, imagine, plastic ono band, rock and roll, double fantasy, or
walls and bridges. i don't think it's on mind games either, but i can't be
sure, i've never really gave that one a good listen, and unfortunately, my
turntable was stolen two years ago. And it seems like i'm talking a lot
here but not saying anything.
So anyways: i guess i'll just have to go rent Imagine and see it again
and see if i can figure out what song it is.
So, thanks again for all of your help,
"YES!"
chris
Thomas M. Rothacker
shar...@opal.tufts.edu (Steve Harrison) wrote:
Yes, although the book is much smaller for the CD, of course. The ĒD also
has additional tracks from the Rutles movie. I recommend it
wholeheartedly, even if you own the old LP.
John C. Wehmeyer
I've had them both for awhile, but there they are on the shelf: The Rutles
album on CD, and the movie on tape, both legit releases. Responding to your
aside, I have seen bootlegs of Let It Be, and Kim's Video here has a
treasured copy which they rented to me on pain of death. Apparently Paulie
felt at some point it didn't portray him in the best light, so it was
killed.
I would suggest asking the biggest record/video dealer in your area if they
special order any of these things, and/or finding a somewhat greyer market
connection-- or travelling to one of the Big Towns of this'ere World.
Lots o'luck, John
Edward S. Chen
John C. Wehmeyer <djt...@nyc.pipeline.com> wrote:
>
>album on CD, and the movie on tape, both legit releases. Responding to your
>aside, I have seen bootlegs of Let It Be, and Kim's Video here has a
>treasured copy which they rented to me on pain of death. Apparently Paulie
>felt at some point it didn't portray him in the best light, so it was
>killed.
No, just as with everything else, they saturated the (at the time rather
limited) market with copies, and stopped making more. Eventually the
rights reverted to Apple, and the Beatles had to settle a number of other
problems before remastering and reissuing "Let It Be" became any kind
of a priority.
<ESC>
--
... The cats were catting, the dogs were dogging, the birds were birding, and
the fish were fishing ...
--- John Lennon
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