When Billy Joel was questioned about his most successful song, "Piano Man" he informed interviewers about his surprise at its fame. He also commented on his 'relationship' with the songs he wrote. This is what he said, "I was shocked and embarrassed when it became a hit. But my songs are like my kids and I look at the song and think: 'My kid did pretty well.'"
Well naturally I have kids as well. A type of thing I take pride in and like to see do well. Mine aren't songs by any means. They are things, like songs, that have been criticized and acclaimed and beaten down and spread around. They are my phrases.
My phrases are exactly what they are called, phrases. Phrases that I adopt or create to use in original situations. Some are completely non-sequitur. More often they are relative to a specific scenario. Some phrases I team-up with friends to make them work. It's an art really, knowing when to use them, where to use them, spotting them, inventing them. Not one I profess talent at, but one I genuinely enjoy.
So who's who among my phrases? Which one's have people loved? Hated? Laughed at? Outlawed? What were they for? Where did they come from? let's take a look.
1. "So you admit you betray me"- this one would probably still bring a rise to irate emotions in the souls of my family. This is one of two phrases that became outlawed. I was no longer allowed to say this one, after my repetitive and useless recitement of it. Origin: unknown. Purpose: none. Just one I found comical. A friend of mine really likes it. He says it is funny. He is the only one that has thought anything positive about it. Perhaps if I hadn't used it so much it would have been a successful child. *Sigh* the trials of parenthood.
2. "Keep it Bohemian!"- This is a sort of farewell that Daniel Murray and I collaborated somewhat on during a telephone conversation. It's actually created a sort of legacy for itself only in the fact that it has a derivative. I mean to say it has inspired another phrase by fellow phraseologist Daniel Murray. He goodbyes like this: "Keep it Pink!"
3. "Tango?"- This is one of, my all time favorite phrase. I use it as a synonym for fight most times. It has been used to only a happy medium and is therefore isn't so abominable to my fellow friends. Some like it and some just retort to it with, "I don't dance with men." They don't seem to understand that a Tango is not anything like dancing. More like a rumble or a scuffle, or a battle, conflict, combat, tussle, a brawl, or a quarrel. "Wanna Tango?"
4. "Ya know, back in 1940..."-This is the second phrase that has been more or less outlawed in my home. Just there though, in the outside world most people get a kick out of it. Repetition is my biggest flaw you see? It was created as a parody to the commentators on movies that will discuss the making of a film. There monologues usually go something like, "You know back in so and so when we first began to make this film..." or "You know back in so and so when I first met so and so..." and they'll do it with a little chuckle and sort of stutter a bit. It's the same story. Of course what happened to me in 1940 is never so cliche. This phrase was also very significant in the fact that it inspired my record producing, flirtatious, cigar smoking, alter-ego River Stacy.
5. "Don't talk to me about looovvveee!"- This one really is probably my favorite. It is used in the most unrelative to love times I can manage. It has people stopping there conversations very quickly with quizzical looks on my inane statement. There isn't much to stay about it, I'm not sure how I started it. I just know I looovvveee it.
6. "...I'll eat my sock"- This is one I've never really thought highly of. Not one of my my more mature phrases but one that many people enjoy hearing. It is used like this: "If you can do this I'll eat my sock." Things of that nature. Like a betting term. For all of you who I owe a footwear digestion...sorry it isn't going to happen.
7. "I inspired it"- This is a very vain phrase of mine that has me taking credit for everything. No matter what good someone can claim for themselves I would steal their thunder with, "I inspired it."
8. "I read the newspaper"- This is one I was really proud of. It gave me an excuse for knowing strange things. Random things. I love phrases that give me answers for things. But as most phrases that one likes the best go, it is one that most people never paid much attention to. This phrase is to me as "Till We Have Faces" was to C.S. Lewis. He considered it his most "mature and masterful" novel, but it was never a success.
9. "...is for children"- I like this one a lot. I say it when people ask me why I won't do something. It has a similar purpose to "I read the newspaper" I suppose I'm sort of lazy and don't want to explain 'why' most times. So these two phrases are easy answers.
10. "Friday's a Carnival"- This is sort of like a variation of "Thank God It's Friday (TGIF) I'm not sure if I'd say it was better than that aged axiom of Fridays but I like it. Something sounds appealing about Carnivals. On Fridays when I went to school this past year, there would be all sorts of hullabaloo during the football season in the parking lot in the mornings. You'd have people scooting around on bikes and airhorns blowing and writing on the cars and music jammin' and people runnin' around trading food and dressed up to support the team and it reminded me of a carnival when I walked down through it. That's one thing that inspired this litte phrase and then there is also another thing that brings us back to the introduction of this article. Billy Joel's "Piano Man" says, "...and the Piano it sounds like a carnival." I like it. It's another of my more mature phrases.
These of course aren't all of my phrases. If you have a favorite, let me know in the comment section of this blog please. It would make my day.
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