Friday, July 1, 2011

Pink Floyd "Time"

It's hard to imagine a radio station like mvyradio, an internet radio station, in the pre-internet age. But I was there.

I was laughing to myself the other day, as our engineer/IT guy was talking me through a process I didn't understand, that would correct a problem I didn't understand that was happening to a machine I didn't understand.

I was laughing, because I was remembering my first year at mvyradio, when we had to fight over the dial-up.

Our phone system had 4 incoming lines, and if someone wanted to get on the internet, you'd need to use one of those lines to connect, via a dial-up modem. So no one could call you on that line. And if someone else needed the internet in another part of the building, well, you'd just have to sign off so they could sign on.

Now when I sit in front of the microphone, I usually have at least 3 computers within arm's length.

When I started at mvyradio, it was 2000, and we were forward, but not advanced.

Our webmaster had started this tradition of posting song lyrics on the website, and when he left the station for another adventure, it became my job to do the "Lyric Of The Day."

Back then, if you were trying to come up with a lyric, you'd listen to the station for a bit, and when you heard something, you'd type it in. Back in those days, we still played a little Pink Floyd, and I got a kick out of a phrase in the lyrics to "Time."

"Digging away, the moments that make up a dog day."

I just loved the idea of a dog, digging fruitless holes as a way to pass a hot day. What a brilliant metaphor!

Much to my chagrin, I got an email from a Floyd fan, who informed me that the lyric I posted wasn't right at all. The line really goes:

"Ticking away, the moments that make up a dull day."


How did I get this wrong? Why didn't I just look up the lyrics?

Because 10 years ago, the correct lyrics to every single song were NOT YET POSTED ON THE INTERNET!!!

I know it's hard to imagine. I mean, right now you can probably think of a song. Any song. The first song that comes to mind, and if you Googled that song title plus the word "lyrics," you'd be able to find the lyrics, no problem.

But yes, there was a time when you couldn't find the lyrics to any old song on the internet.

Now, however, not only can you find the lyrics, you can find the whole song (something you'd be hard pressed to find, legally, in 2000), in a video, with the lyrics printed on the screen.

Viva La Future!


See the video on Youtube.

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