Song by The Cheapskates, from their 2001 EP Nobody's Prefect.
Lyric
Here's another song I'm sure that everyone will hate
They're sick of all this now
Who would like these stupid Cheapskates?
We're nothing new
We've no key to
what sells and what does not
And like a million other bands who've been before us
We only really hit it when we get to the chorus
All our songs sound the same
All our songs sound the same
They sound the same
I try to think of something original, I'm wasting my time
All I worry about is how to get this verse to rhyme
So listen A&R man, we're willing and able
We just want to sign to a major label
All our songs sound the same
All our songs sound the same
Here comes the bridge
We've modulated to the minor key
A conventional technique
I learned at Music GCSE
Solo
People say we do this to try to be funny
Let us assure you, we do it for the money
All our songs sound the same
All our songs sound the same
All our songs sound the same
All our songs sound the same
Discussion
This is certainly one of The Cheapskates' best songs to date, both in terms of the music and the lyrical dexterity.
The Cheapskates are set apart from their British third-wave ska cohort by two things: Their sound, while recognisable, is diverse - all their songs do not sound the same at all - and there is a lot more maturity to Matt's lyrics than the usual 'I hate people who aren't like me'/'I'm under so much personal pressure'. This track showcases both of these aspects.
Partly, the lyrics satirize lazy bands whose songs do all sound the same, but perhaps they also partly reflect Matt's doubts about his work. Neatly, it is probably this self-questioning tendency that keeps driving the band to new things, and prevents their stagnation.
The relationship between the words and the music is very close, as the song is its own subject. The bridge, for example, is announced in advance, and then the change in the music is described (and belittled) as it happens:
We've modulated to the minor key
A conventional technique
I learned at Music GCSE
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this is that the effect on the listener is not lessened by all this
self-reflexivity. They don't teach you that in music
GCSE for nothing - it really works! Then there's the excellent production and exquisitely silly twiddly solo bit at the end to consider. I've been listening to this track for, like, six months and I'm nowhere near bored of it yet.
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