Many Boomers and Xrs will remember WKRP in Cincinnati, a sit/com chronicling the zany antics of the employees at a mid-west radio station struggling to embrace the changing cultural conventions in the American 70's and 80's.
Some will likely remember the buttery voice of Steve Carlisle singing the show's opening theme (which was released as a single in 1979). Still fewer might also remember the short rock song that played during the end credits. But, could they recite any of the cryptically spoken lyrics?
Better yet—can you?
Welcome to the dark side of nostalgia: Behind the Patina. Not since the acerbic and unsettled days of the "Good Times" opening song lyrics melee has something rippled with such ferocity through the theme-music community.
Lambasted and mocked for the use of unintelligible words since the days of WKRP's original television run, the show's ending song has generated many interpretations. A simple online search for "WKRP end credits" will produce an impressive list of video and other posts addressing the lyrics issue.
- From Wikipedia: The closing theme, "WKRP In Cincinnati End Credits", was a hard rock number composed and performed by Jim Ellis . . . didn't yet have lyrics for the closing theme . . . he felt that it would be funny to use lyrics that were deliberately gibberish, as a satire on the incomprehensibility of many rock songs.
- From IMDB.com: The [WKRP] ending theme song . . . words are unintelligible for a very simple reason - there are no words! The vocal was basically . . . to help the musicians and the show's producers get a feel for the song and the lyric melody.
Far from being a collection of unintelligible babble, this short but poignant parable illustrates one of many hazards facing "Building a Ship in a Bottle" hobbyists who enjoy alcoholic beverages: Cut Injuries. So, it is with no small measure of reverence and humility that I submit for your esteemed consideration:
WKRP End Credits Lyrics
"Ran into this bartender pressing down on his hand.
Sell little models and you're packin' bottles in, uh huh.
He said, "Put the bar down, I got the sail and head."
I said, "I'm goin for it." And it could'a happened then, uh huh."
(dunt dunt. dunt dunt, du-nunna nunt.
ba nana nanawa waaaang)
~meow~
LSL - 082612/ 06:54