Earworm

Anticipating being too tied up to put together a proper Friday post, I'm going to do something awful to you, or something awesome: I'm going to expose you to an insanely catchy song, for which you will thank me or spend the weekend cursing me. The latter seems quite possible, since you will probably only be able to sing the refrain. Sorry. But it really is a great tune.

"Iechyd Da," by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci:





"Iechyd Da" is a Welsh toast that means (I've been told by a CD insert), "Good Health." Somebody on the internet translates the lyrics thus:

Good health my pretty friends
Good health, good health
It's late it's time for bed
Good health, good health
What is behind the door
Good health, good health
What is behind the door
Good health, good health
Oh, health

Those girls are pretty
Good health, good health
Those girls are pretty
Good health, good health
Mistakes, throw to the sea
Good health, good health
Mistakes, throw to the sea
Good health, good health
Oh, health


Sometimes simplicity is the best, isn't it?

An official video can be seen here
, but the sound quality is pretty awful (which is why I went with the fan video, above).

Iechyd da, everybody, and have a great weekend.


Comments

kimby said…
Sadly, when I click on the link it tells me that the video is no longer available?
Maybe I can use the time machine thingy that other UCF members have been writing about this week to pop back and watch it?
Eric said…
Kimby, that's really weird: the embedded video and the link to the official video are both still working when I try them. Is anyone else having an issue?
mattw said…
I was able to see and play the video.

It was a nice song, but I don't think the earworm embedded itself.
kimby said…
Must have been a glich, because this morning they are working fine....
Ilya said…
Good tune, but it won't attach itself to my head. The space is taken by the Celtic similar toast that I learned ad nauseam on my recent Scottish trip: Slainte Mhagh (pronounced SLAN-gee vah, go figure).
Eric said…
Well it sure as heck stays stuck in my head for hours and days at a time! :-)

Still, hope you enjoyed it. Maybe more if it didn't get embedded.
Nathan said…
La-la-la-la-la-la...

Yechey Ta, Yechey Ta.

La-la-la-la-la-la...

Yechey Ta, Yechey Ta.

Nope. Nothin's stuck here.
Jeff Hentosz said…
Hippies! Yay, Celtic hippies!

OTOH: Fan video? Laziest. Fan. Ever.

I can't find a video of my favorite ear-worm-with-a-funny-title. What's the legal issue for me making it myself and posting it, counselor? Will I just get a stern letter, or would I be looking at hard time?
Eric said…
Jeff, the best answer I can give is to point you to the U.S. Copyright Office "Fair Use" factsheet and the Electronic Frontier Foundation's page on "Fair Use Principles for User Generated Video Content. While I think you could argue that a fan video is a protected transformative use, the better practice would be not to make one. For one thing, you should keep in mind that Fair Use is an affirmative defense--meaning you as a defendant have to convince a jury your video fell under Fair Use safe harbors (you can't just cry out, "fair use" when you get served with a lawsuit and then scurry away victoriously).

This isn't to say you should shy away from transformative uses; after all, something like Q-Unit is a work of unmitigated genius. And it's certainly possible a fan video might be transformative enough to be Fair Use--but it would have to be a helluva video.

As a cautionary tale, one might consider the current wrangling over the famous Shepard Fairey Hope poster; helping elect the President Of The United States and turning a photograph so obscure the photographer forgot he took it into an icon likely to be remembered for generations won't keep you from doing a legal tango with a touchy and litigious copyright holder.
Eric said…
P.S.

I'm not exaggerating that Mannie Garcia didn't remember it was his photograph. Just thought I'd add that because, while it's not necessarily legally relevant, it is an interesting story.

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