Apple Music Store and square dancing
The Mac world is buzzing with Apple’s new music store, which allows Mac OS X users in the United States to legally download and use individual songs (for $0.99). Of course, there are Digital Rights Management (DRM) strings attached, and the music is compressed using AAC (which Apple claims is better than MP3, but which some people who have done listening tests claim is worse). But one can burn a CD and then reencode back to MP3 (with obvious loss of quality, but at least one can be legal without buying a whole CD).
So, of course, the first thing I did was search on square dance. Here’s a screen shot of the results (click on the image for a full size version):
The songs are:
- Square Dance by Eminem (of course)
- Cosmic Square Dance by Chet Atkins
- Washington Square Dance by Ethel Merman
- Riverboat Set: Denis Dillon’s/Square Dance Polka/Dancing On the Riverboat by John Whelan and Friends
And here are the lyrics for the Washington Square Dance (from Call Me Madam, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin):
Square dance
The Washington Square dance
Republicans make up with the Democrats
Show those foreign diplomats
That you dare dance
The Washington Square danceNo matter which side you’re on or where you stand
Take your partner by the hand
And each pair dance
The Washington Square danceThe theme is a get-together policy
Show your friends across the sea
It’s a fair dance
The Washington Square danceThe rules are the same as cricket, golf or squash
No fair cheatin’ ’cause the Wash-
-ington Square dance is square-Bow to your partners, bow to your corners
Dance till your cheeks are red as a rose
But try not to step on your partner’s toes
-Now, duck for the oyster, dig for the clam
Duck for the oyster, dig for the clam
But do your diggin’ for Uncle Sam
-One for the money, two for the show
One for the money, two for the show
Three to make ready for Uncle Joe
-Republicans over to the right
-Democrats over to the left
The left meet the right and don’t explode
Try to find the middle of the roadAnd square dance, the Washington Square dance
Be careful, you’ll have to watch your step, by gosh!
No round heels because the Wash-
-ington Square dance is square
I’m a little late adding this, since it’s been available for several weeks, but now Windows users can use iTunes and can access the iTunes music store. Of course, Windows users can also access various other online music sources, but most commentators agree that the iTunes, iTMS combo is the slickest.