Pet-ahh-me, Beep beep-beep-beep!

Caitlin Black

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If you clicked on this link, congratulations - you're my sort of people. ;) :)

So, here's the thing. I have a song stuck in my head. Or rather, a few lines of a song. I have no idea what song it is, and I'm 99% certain I don't even have the right lyrics. I'm dead certain I have the right melody, though, which means the actual lyrics can't be too different from what follows. It must've been playing at the shops, because it showed up in my head on the train home - but I didn't actually notice it at the shops. I'm 100% certain this *is* an actual song, though, and not the product of my demented mind... Sung by a female pop singer, probably released in the last year or two. So, here are the melodically phonetic lyrics stuck in my head:

Pet-ahh-me,
Pet-ahh-me,
Pet-ahh-me,
Beep beep-beep-beep.

Now, the first 3 lines take up 3 time units, and the beeps take up 2 time units. (Sorry, I don't know the exact tempo...) The beeps are pretty much all in the same tempo, but there's a very slight emphasis on the first beep that isn't there on the next 3 (hence the dashes).

If anyone has any clue what song this is, please provide a YouTube link. It's driving me batty having these false lyrics stuck in my head! It's not the sort of song I would normally listen to anyway, but having "Pet-ahh-me, Beep beep-beep-beep!" playing in a loop in my head is, understandably, the sort of thing that could drive a man to madness. Please help! I need to know the *actual* lyrics!

First person to figure it out gets $100-million! :D (Not really. But if I *did* have $100-million, I'm sure I'd give you a cool million for curing my insanity. :))
 

Cindy Jacobs

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Are you sure this is not a case of misheard lyrics :) For example: When Jimi Hendrix had a hit with 'Purple Haze' one of the lines in the song went: "Excuse me while I kiss the sky". These lyrics were famously misheard/misinterpreted by many to be: "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" lol (giving rise to a real debate at the time whether Jimi was, in fact, actually gay!)
 

GailD

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Cliff, I'm sure this is not the tune you're thinking of but it was the first thing I thought of when I read your post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asneSWGKrRc

I remember dancing to this - but you and all the other sweet young things have probably never heard of it. :D

Are you sure this is not a case of misheard lyrics :) For example: When Jimi Hendrix had a hit with 'Purple Haze' one of the lines in the song went: "Excuse me while I kiss the sky". These lyrics were famously misheard/misinterpreted by many to be: "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" lol (giving rise to a real debate at the time whether Jimi was, in fact, actually gay!)

Ah, yes! The famous Mondegreen!! (I shot the sheriff. But I did not shoot him dead, you see.) :ROFL:
 

TedTheewen

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Cliff, I totally understand your frustration and angst. I've been there many times myself.

Let's see if we can narrow it down a bit, shall we?

Are you able to determine the race of the singer?

Were there a lot of longer notes, where the singer held a note for more than a few beats?

Was there a lot of back-up singing?

What about the actual music she sang to? Was it more hip-hop? Was it something to dance to? Was it a slow song?
 

Caitlin Black

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Cindy, yep, those are most certainly *not* the lyrics. That's just a rough guide of the melody. Like, the "Beep beep-beep-beep" was a string of the same sound 4 times in a row, centred on the long "ee" sound. Probably not "beep", but something similar. Short word with a long "ee", basically. And the "Pet-ahh-me" was a 3 syllable word starting with a hard sound, then a long "aa" sound, and a short final syllable that was either pronounced "me", or else was something very similar. "Tee" perhaps? Pretty sure that syllable was "me" though...

Gail - correct, I had not heard of that song before. Still better than the Macarena, though, which I was forced to dance to in primary school...

Ted, not sure about the race of the singer. Probably a white chick? (Pretty sure she was American, now that I think about it...) Not certain, though. I'd give an example of who she sounded like, except this really isn't my wheelhouse. Regarding length of notes, I've tried to give an idea of that with the whole, "ahh" is drawn out longer than "Pet" or "me", and that each "Pet-ahh-me" lasts about 3 time units, and the four beeps last about 2 time units. Overall, relatively fast - maybe medium pace? Like, not rapid-fire like a rap song or anything, but not slow either. Backup vocals? I have no freakin' clue. Literally the only lines of the song I can remember are what were in that first post... The actual music? Well, I only have a vague idea of it, given that all I can recall were a few lines of vocals (with the wrong lyrics...), but I'd call it maybe pop-electronica. Maybe? Like, not electronica in the sense of going to a rave, but definitely a strong digital element to what would otherwise sound like a fairly generic modern pop song.

MaeZe, yep, you can still be my sort of people. :D Incidentally, I quite like the music video to Take On Me. :)

SWest, unfortunately that's not the right song. *sigh* We could be here 'til Christmas trying to figure this out! Ack!

...

Thanks for the responses, all. And for what it's worth, the earworm is now weaker and more intermittent. The madness may pass, yet!
 
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Caitlin Black

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Hmm... Similar in some ways, actually. In fact, the "bet on me" in that song is similar in speed *and* melody to the "Pet-ahh-me", but not tone. The digital elements sound about right, except the one I heard was more upbeat, whereas this one was kind of melancholy. Also, the hip-hop beat in this song wasn't anywhere in the "Pet-ahh-me" thing... Singer sounds similar in voice, but not in mood - again, more upbeat whereas this was melancholy.

:)