The main video wouldn't let me embed. Found a different youtube user w/ what appears to be the original music video, so here goes.
For whatever reason, this song has spurned not one, not two, but I believe three separate discussions in the HSNL cheese thread. RBK is particular is turned off to it. I really like the song - and music video - so here I am, jumping to its defense. Without further ado...
Quote:
Adj. 1. ironic - humorously sarcastic or mocking; "dry humor"; "an ironic remark often conveys an intended meaning obliquely"; "an ironic novel"; "an ironical smile"; "with a wry Scottish wit"
wry, dry, ironical
humorous, humourous - full of or characterized by humor; "humorous stories"; "humorous cartoons"; "in a humorous vein"
2. ironic - characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is; "madness, an ironic fate for such a clear thinker"; "it was ironical that the well-planned scheme failed so completely"
Ok, so we all brushed up on our definition of irony and what it means to be ironic.
Quote:
An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
Ok, so an old man gets very lucky - a once in a lifetime, perhaps once-in-a-bunch-of-people-lifetimes, then dies of said old age. It doesn't really fit the 2nd definition of ironic, since it's neither a difference (luck vs age, I suppose) nor incongruity (these things happen). That said, it is humorously mocking. It's thin, but I think this works. 1/1
Quote:
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
Well, Alanis didn't mention the cost of the wine. But my understanding of this - if we stretch it - is an expensive drink is ruined by a flying insect. (Becomes no longer drinkable) This is an incongruity, and therefore, it's ironic. 2/2
Quote:
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
Well, this is the near-definition of "difference between what is expected (man being freed from prison) and what actually is (2 minutes too late = executed)". This one works without stretching it, nice Alanis. 3/3
Quote:
Isn't it ironic ... don't you think
Chorus
It's like rain on your wedding day
This one is a stretch, and unfortunately it's in the chorus, so we get to hear it several times in the song. I suppose on a wedding day, it's "supposed" to be a perfect day. Perfect entails sunshine. Again, somewhat fits the difference between what is expected and what is. 4/4
Quote:
It's a free ride when you've already paid
[x] humorous mocking (5/5, for those counting)
Quote:
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought ... it figures
People don't take good advice all the time, so we can't expect advice to be taken in the first place. Also, this is not humorous. Even stretching it, I think it's safe to say this is the first truly weak example of irony. 5/6
Quote:
Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids good-bye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
'Well isn't this nice...'
So a man is afraid to fly because of plane crashes - and then it crashes. This is both mocking as well as a poignant difference between what is expected (not crashing) and what happens (crash). 6/7
Quote:
And isn't it ironic ... don't you think
Repeat Chorus
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face
I'm not sure this is supposed to be another example of irony, or if it just sounds pretty when Alanis sings it. I suppose this is funny, but it's not ironic. (When everything is going wrong, and then... Continues to go wrong) 6/8
Quote:
It's a traffic jam when you're already late
Well, you're already late, so I suppose what's the difference in being even later? Here, it's not really mocking or sarcastic, AND the extension/belief of said traffic jam is that you WILL be late. So that actually happens. So, 6/9. (If you really wanted it to work, it would be a traffic jam but you make it there on time. But that's super weak + doesn't sound good)
Quote:
It's a no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
Somewhat hinges on whether you're a smoker or not. If you're not, you're not expected to smoke nor is it mocking in any way, since you weren't going to smoke. (So the fact you cant, in the 5 minutes or so in an hour during work you have off, is totally irrelevant) That said, if you're craving a cig, and it's the only time you can smoke, and then... You can't smoke... That is irony. 7/10.
Quote:
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
Having spoons is somewhat irrelevant here. Had Alanis specified "looking in the utensil drawer, and finding everything but a knife, when you really need a knife", well, that's irony. The fact you're apparently in a spoon factory seeking a knife, well, that's just bad judgment. Look elsewhere, not ironic. 7/11
Quote:
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
A little too ironic... and yeah I really do think...
Repeat Chorus
Technically, this is mocking/sarcastic. Since Alanis "found the perfect man" only to find out he's off the market. 8/12.
Quote:
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out
Ok, enough with that. Anyway, 67% success ratio, I think that's solid!
Ok I've been ranting on this for about 6 years. The song should be named 'unfortunate'. Substitue that word for ironic every line and the song starts to make sense. The song would work brilliantly if, as I've speculated, the ultimate irony was that the writer did not understand the meaning of irony. Rain on your wedding day is unfortunate. Marrying a weather guy begins to qualify.
I think your scoring is less than objective, and the song basically fails on most counts.
Il make further (more rational and maybe coherent) arguments the moment I'm not drunk in a muddy field.
I think it is just too hard to market a song about misfortune. Ironic is a much easier sell, and true irony is probably a little too rare of an occurrence for one of these make-a-list type songs.
