The Name Game: BIG GAINS!

Wow, team! Way to look lively out there!

Many have posted men's names in the comments sections, and many have e-mailed me with more. Today's the day I collect them all and see what our list looks like. A lot of work to do, people. Let's get started.

Do you remember who your phone-a-friends were going to be?

You know. Back when "Millionaire" was all the rage and you had the mental list of the people you'd have handy to contact when your time came?

One of mine was Nick Lewandowski. I don't know anyone who knows more about pop music than he does. And if he was qualified to win me a million dollars one day, then he's qualified to be part of The Big "C" panel of judges on this particular question. So, then, let's check in with Nick on a recent submission from Carlo, my brother-in-law, who gave us names from a New Edition song:

NICK:

"As much I, like you, appreciate Carlo's enthusiasm regarding the New Edition song that name-checks the members of the band (er, vocal group) -- including that seems to create a slippery slope. A huge percentage of hip-hop/rap artists name-check themselves in nearly all of their songs. I think that if we allow that to count, the whole purpose will have been defeated."


AP!:
Let me stop you a little bit sooner, Nick, with the possibility of "hip-hop/rap" artists creeping into this humble blog. No, no and no. I agree with you: the slippery slope must be un-slipped and de-slopped.

No name-checks permitted.

Sorry, Carlo. I'm afraid that Ronnie, Bobby, Rickie and Mike are now off the list.

HOWEVER, Nick also submits the song "Hey Ricky" by Melissa Manchester. So "Ricky" is back on the list through a different avenue.

There must be a "Bobby" out there somewhere, too. Anybody?

Back to NICK:

"Another point. I thought I saw that you mentioned a limitation regarding American pop music -- or something to that effect. I assume -- and indeed this must be case -- that you are including songs by non-Americans that have some influence/following among American consumers -- thus qualifying under a loose definition of "pop." As such, non-Americans like Van Morrison and Elton John would be included. I think this would allow inclusion of country music as well."

AP!: Yes, time to be more clear about this. We're looking for songs that are familiar to the widespread American audience, regardless of who sings them. By "widespread," I mean, 'Anyone who knows me."

How very handy that our judge includes country music, because I have the following submissions from Dr. Matthew Mayfield, the famed Texan:

Willie
Whelan

These are both from the same country song, though I don't have the title because I was really just a little surprised that after the "How did Chemo go?" conversation was over he had launched into men's names he'd thought of.

Stunning? Indeed. Am I TOTALLY proud that I've got my surgeon spending idle moments thinking about this? You betcha.

I DID ask him, "Does anyone outside of Texas know that Whelan is a guy's name?"

Also, he submits

Elvis
Luke
Charlie

From "Who's Going to Fill Their Shoes" or somesuch. These 3 names happened to be repeated from other submissions, in case you're skittish about how loose I'm being with the details.

Speaking of that lingering Mayfield suggestion of "Ben" from the Michael Jackson song about a rat (?) Kathryn Queeney came up with Benny and the Jets. So the pressure is off Jacko and his promoters to make good on that name.

Also from Kathryn, we've got

Luke
Chester

from "They Weight" performed by The Band, commonly known as "Take a Load off Fanny."

Paul --from the Beatles e.g. "The walrus was Paul" and
Tom --from David Bowie's Major Tom.

Kathryn's mother, Mary Lou Queeney--these are friends from my 'hood, everyone, and you'll be hearing from Mrs. Queeney tomorrow when I post some of her e-mail--shocks us all with the obvious

Louie from Louie, Louie DUH! But let's not beat ourselves up over the obvious.

Rachel has come up with multiple submissions--love that dogged perseverance!--and given us

Daniel --from the Elton John song
Eddie --from Billy Joel's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Anthony --from Movin' Out by the same
Jude --from the Beatles

Sister #3 hit a jackpot with Paul's Simon's 50 Ways to Leave your Lover

Stan
Gus
Roy
Lee

Too bad that song didn't include 50 guys' names! Are there more in there? That's for someone else to do a lyrics search on--I can't do everything around here.

This is a very strong hint to someone to look up We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel. Lots of names in there. Some of them might be first names. Who's gonna' get on this?

Speaking of jackpots, Bryan hit one, too. REM's "Man on the Moon" yields

Andy
Fred
Elvis
Moses
Charles
Peter

Ka-BAM!

Janice suggested Amadeus. The judges have been considering. And I think it stands. A middle name, sure. But middle names are just first names that get second place. It's not Amadeus' fault that Mozart's parents preferred Wolfgang.

Sister #2, Mary Jean, wrote in with "Jessie's Girl"--aha! Of course! She also points out that the singer, Rick Springfield, was a doctor on General Hospital before this one-hit-wonder and that she preferred him as a doctor over a rock star. Sorry, we're not going to open up a sub-list of Songs Sung by Soap Opera Stars. But the important thing is that we've captured the name "Jessie."


Finally, back to Nick:

Vincent by Don McClean (sp?)
Joey by Concrete Blond
Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi (can't remember the dude's name -- Billy?)

If you can't remember the dude's name, then his name isn't on the list. BUT, Springsteen sings a couple songs with "Billy" in it, including "Gave it a Name," and "Rockaway the Nights." So Billy is on the list. But now I see that we already had it on the list. AND that I had, in error, given a space to Bill and to Billy. But forms of the name get only one spot.

Time to hit the sub-total button people:

1. Micky
2. Bill(y)
3. Maurice
4. Jack
5. Ben(nie)
6. Louie
7. Gene
8. Fred
9. Buddy
10. Henry
11. John(ny)
12. Ricky
13. Willie
14. Whelan
15. Elvis
16. Luke
17. Charles(Charlie)
18. Chester
19. Paul
20. Tom(my)
21. Daniel
22. Eddie
23. Anthony
24. Jude
25. Stan
26. Gus
27. Roy
28. Lee
29. Andy
30. Fred
31. Moses
32. Peter
33. Amadeus
34. Jessie
35. Vincent
36. Joey

36 guys' names??? Are you kidding me? How high is this going to go, people? One for every hair on my head?

Can we crank it through 50? What would happen if we broke 50? I feel like I'm on a runaway stage coach. So exhilarating, so fun, no way to know when the horses will peter out.

Keep 'em coming. 36 is no place to stop.