THanks, Star. Now it's in MY head!
On the topic of Barry Manilow - a local council here in Sydney (Bankstown) devised a system to curb the nocturnal activities of ther youth of the town. They began broadcasting Barry Manilow throught he shopping centre after hours. And installing pink lighting.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/manilow-a-secret-weapon/2006/08/12/1154803145362.html
From the news I found when I searched, I didn't find Bankstown council (who I know have done this) but I did find Rockdale and Camden, plus others in Melbourne.
The problem - kids are getting turned on to Barry Manilow!
Funny thing - husband & I lived there for the first year after we married, I remember driving round the streets there listening to our car radio playing "Copacabana" on its first release!
Stairway to Heaven - I was told of a well-known Sydney guitar shop which at first installed a sign that said, "Anyone attempting to play 'Stairway to Heaven' will be ejected" and later on installed it as one of those universal 'no language' signs. It had a black circle with a line through it diagnonally, and inside that circle was a staircase with a halo and pair of wings at the top. Message received...
And no way can I diss Donny Osmond. Or any member of the Osmond family. They do a great service for the enviroment. All they have to do is smile, and for each one smiling entire villages can turn off all their electric light!
We have different groups that are popular/unpopular in Australia. Did you ever see "Priscilla - Queen of the Desert"? There a scene in it where one of the characters (played by Terence Stamp) finally snaps and says, "No, I'll join this conversation on the proviso that we stop ***ching about people, talking about wigs, dresses, bust sizes, [male appendages], drugs, night clubs, and bloody Abba!
Tick (Hugo Weaving): Doesn't give us much to talk about then, does it?
That is VERY Australian - ABBA was HUGE here, if it wasn't for Australia they'd have probably sunk without a trace after that Eurovision song contest. And when Priscilla came out - they had a revival all over again! "Muriel's Wedding" also helped (released/filmed at about the same time) with the ABBA revival.
I've been browsing for songs online that I can give my choir to learn. The scary thing is, you guys keep feeding me ideas!
Marg