A Song About an Anglerfish
2009-02-11 · song · Hank · 2:54 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Science & nature (also: Nerdfighteria) · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: song or performance, recurring series, self promotion
For Song Wednesday Hank performs a studio-recorded comic song presenting the male deep-sea anglerfish, which becomes a parasite attached to its mate for life, as an escape from the pain of love; he asks viewers to title it.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Greeting and date; Song Wednesday; this song recorded straight in the studio
- ★★ Hank says this Song Wednesday song was recorded straight in the studio rather than first on acoustic guitar, so viewers get the studio version first. — 00:00:11 · Song Wednesday, Brotherhood 2.0
00:00:24 — Ask for title suggestions for the untitled song
- ★★ Hank says he is not sure what to call the song and asks viewers to leave title ideas in the comments. — 00:00:24
- ★★ Hank says he will choose the best suggested title and link to its suggester's channel in the sidebar. — 00:00:29
00:00:38 — Studio song about the deep-sea anglerfish: love, pain and the male anglerfish as a lifelong sperm-producing parasite
- ★★ In the song, Hank says that after being burned in love he found an animal that doesn't feel this pain: the deep-sea anglerfish. (playful) — 00:00:33
- ★★ The song says the male deep-sea anglerfish becomes a sperm-producing parasite that never leaves the female's side until she dies. (playful) — 00:01:07
00:02:26 — Title reminder; DFTBA Radio Hour tonight; thanks for John's Question Tuesday and Fail Boat videos; sign-off
- ★★ Hank announces that DFTBA Records hosts the DFTBA Radio Hour tonight at 9 pm Eastern, with Toddly00 and Caitlin Sky talking about nerdy and musical things. — 00:02:32 · DFTBA Records
- ★ Hank tells John he enjoyed his Question Tuesday and especially Captain Willy's voyage on the Fail Boat. — 00:02:48 · Question Tuesday, Willy, Fail Boat
In the description and comments
- ★ The description says Hank's CD is now available on iTunes. — video description
- ★ The description admits the song sounds like They Might Be Giants, adding that all songs should. (playful) — video description
Humor (dominant)
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Hank dates the video, alluding to getting the date wrong before. — 00:00:04
“and I'm almost entirely sure that I actually got the date right this time!”
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Hank sings that the anglerfish, which never feels love's pain, has found happiness: the male just fuses to the female. — 00:01:07
“becomes a sperm-producing parasite”
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Hank sings that the male anglerfish fuses to the female as a parasite and lives until she dies. — 00:01:07
“he literally never leaves her side”
Threads in this video
- asked · Hank asks viewers to suggest a title for his anglerfish song (2009) — Hank asks viewers to suggest titles for his untitled anglerfish song in the comments. (00:00:25)
- promised · Hank: pick the best viewer title for the anglerfish song and link the suggester's channel (2009) — Hank commits to choosing the best suggested title and linking to its suggester's channel in the sidebar. (00:00:29)
- reminder · Hank asks viewers to suggest a title for his anglerfish song (2009) — Hank reminds viewers to leave potential song titles in the comments. (00:02:28)
- milestone · Hank's album So Jokes: release (2008) — The description says Hank's CD is now available on iTunes. (video description)
- callback · John's Fail Boat: Willy-captained Newsday tour of world suck (2009) — Hank says he especially enjoyed Captain Willy's voyage on the Fail Boat. (00:02:48) → refers to All Aboard the Fail Boat
- callback · Willy as the Dread Pirate Fireball Wilson Roberts (2008) — Hank tells John he enjoyed his Question Tuesday and especially Captain Willy's voyage on the Fail Boat. (00:02:48)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- Hank asks viewers to suggest a title for his anglerfish song (2009) — reported back; last: result reported, 2009-02-18 (said on 2009-02-17, implied)
- Hank: pick the best viewer title for the anglerfish song and link the suggester's channel (2009) — kept
- Hank's album So Jokes: release (2008) — completed; last: milestone, 2009-02-18
Mentioned
Central: A Song About an Anglerfish
Also: anglerfish · Brotherhood 2.0 · Caitlin Sky · DFTBA Records · Question Tuesday · Song Wednesday · Toddly00 · Willy
Only in the description or credits: iTunes · So Jokes · They Might Be Giants
Also centred on A Song About an Anglerfish: Winners and Winners and Ningmasters · This Machine Pwns n00bs! · An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall
Replies to
- answers · All Aboard the Fail Boat — “Captain Willie's Voyage of a Failboat”
- answers · Paper Towns Tastic Question Tuesday — “I enjoyed your Question Tuesday”
Later videos replying to this one
- 2009-02-15 · Stimulus Plan Explained (John) — answers — “Congratulations on having written the greatest song in the history of music about anglerfish” (00:03:50)