Of course The Best Things In Life is best remembered for the refrain there is nothing better in life than writing on the sole of your slipper with a biro but I’m rather fond of we’ve seen the prices at the zoo as well. And send me back to art school if I’m wrong, but isn’t the painting of a bloke with an apple in front of his face by Magritte, not Dali? I’ll get me coat.
See lyrics of The Best Things In Life
Neil G
It was Magritte. I like the one of the bloke with his nose growing into his pipe, used as the cover for Alan Hull’s Pipedream album. Good album. Good picture.
One small point: ‘skeptical’ is usually an American spelling. The British version is ‘sceptical’. I can’t tell the difference upon listening but…
I’ll just skip wilfully off to pedant’s corner.
10 August 2008
SL Obispo
Pedants’ Corner, shurely, Neil?
12 August 2008
Neil G
Not necessarily. It could be a corner specifically set aside for a single pedant who must remain there until the next pedant comes along to displace him. However, I take your point. (Exit left stewing surlily).
14 August 2008
Petrovic
Or indeed Pedantry Corner, as Private Eye has given in and renamed its own after just this sort of demonstration of virtuoso anorakery.
15 August 2008
Bill Stow
Not convinced about this Dali v Magritte debate. There is no disputing who did the painting but Dali is entitled to hold any kind of party that he wishes. He chose fancy dress. Fancy being a type of apple then turning up at a fancy dress party with an apple in your face is ok by me and I am sure Dali was alright with it as well. Apparently some bloke called Smith took his grannie. And I wouldn’t mind sarah cox on my face. Skeptical however should certainly be sceptical.
17 January 2009
Chris The Siteowner
@Neil/Bill: You’re right about “sceptical”, by the way. For a word with alternative spellings, and in the absence of any “UK spelling vs US spelling” background (which I don’t believe this has), I tend to go with the Stephen Fry “however people use the language is the right way” approach. That means finding the most common usage in the UK, which can be done with a search on Google UK for “pages from the UK”.
You may well be sceptical about using Google to measure frequency of use. But it’ll do for me.
18 January 2009
Slimane
‘Sceptical’ vs ‘skeptical’ does have a UK vs US background. Look it up in Fowler’s Modern English Usage. It should be ‘sceptical’.
27 October 2009
a_p
Mention of Fowler’s brings to mind the excellent (Dictionary Of) Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson — a pedant’s delight.
27 October 2009
Charles Exford
Last night I heard a 1986 HMHB track on the radio and within what seemed like minutes Chris had posted the lyrics on here. OK, not too much of a coincidence, but…
Perhaps inspired by that, but not thinking of it, today Mrs. Exford and I were listening to a tape of these early HMHB songs in the car today, on the way to check out a possible venue for an event down some out-of-the-way country lanes in the Yorkshire Dales (think Asparagus NL). We were chided for not making an appointment, replied that we were ‘just passing’, and received a reply on the borderline between sceptical and scathing.
On the way back, relieved at having escaped in one piece (think Phyllis Triggs) we sang along heartily with the “said that I was passing” verse of this song, and then on our return home I discover that, rather spookily someone has been moved to post about this song on here just this very afternoon.
Uncanny, dat, like (that’s from Fowler’s English Usage too – Robbie Fowler’s. Hur hur, I’ll get me coat).
27 October 2009
Bobby String
When I were a nipper I actually did have a habit of ‘defacing’ the soles of my slippers with a biro, though it was more idle doodling than writing. I always imagined I was the only one who had ever done this. Apparently not!
Ô¿Ô
1 August 2011
Paul F
We all did.
2 August 2011
Half Alan Davies, Half Custard Cream
So here’s a question – does anyone have a guitar tab for this song? I worked it out when I was a teenager but have long since forgotten it and can’t work it out again. No tab site seems to have it, and there are some tricksy changes at the end.
Shame, as I think it’s probably their best song.
12 May 2012
Jim (Still in the Timor Sea)
I just wanted to say that it was reading the ‘sole of your slipper with a biro’ line (on a mate’s Facebook page) back in 2010 that constituted the first step on the journey that led me to this website, for starters – and more importantly to discovering EVERYTHING written and recorded after “Dickie Davis Eyes”.
I left Blighty in early 1990, and a parting gift from a mate was the 12″ single of “DDE”. I truly thought that was it for the next 20 years. Thus the time since 2010 has been a glorious transition from famine to feast.
I spend too much time on a survey ship, and HMHB are the band of choice during many work times, and most exercise times. Thank goodness for this website – I have been ‘put right’ on so many occasions now! (…but I still think it’s ‘crick barriers’ in ‘Chatteris’, not that I can find any web ref for same)
Currently ‘studying’ “Saucy Haulage Ballads” and “This Leaden Pall”….’getting out more’ is not an option in the middle of the Timor Sea!
5 January 2013
Dr Desperate
Could anyone explain why the Wikipedia track listing has BAITDHSS starting with ‘Segga Social Club’?
(Well done to whoever sorted it out – Ed)
12 March 2013