The Daily Mail Song

Album: single release only (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Even Cole Porter with his penchant for the list song never crafted anything quite as clever as this, a song whose lyrics are culled entirely from newspapers, mostly headlines and entirely from one publication. The British Daily Mail was first published in 1896, as a broadsheet, but in 1971 it absorbed the Daily Sketch and switched to a tabloid format. Although considered "right wing" it never shied from pandering to the lowest common denominator, and in the first decade of the 21st Century paid out significant libel damages on no less than five occasions including £100,000 to Elton John in May 2006, hence the song's hook, "It's absolutely true because I read it in the Daily Mail".
  • Dan & Dan perform this witty polemic accompanied on acoustic guitar and in the video with copies of the newspaper in question. The other question is... who is Dan's doppleganger? >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Famous Singers' First Films

Famous Singers' First FilmsSong Writing

A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.