I Had All the Servants Tortured — Do You Keep Them On Retainer?

It’s time for a new Friday 10! Well, past time for a new one — last week I missed updating because of the closing weekend of my show. But we’re back after a pretty successful last installment. Thud identified one song, but HL walked away with three correctly-identified lyrics, two close enough, and the bonus point for a total of six!

Probably the lyric that surprised me most by going unidentified was Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West,” (ft. Dru Hill & Kool Mo Dee). While the movie was a huge flop and is largely remembered these days for being a massive, slickly-produced mess, the song was inarguable ubiquitous that summer and remained in heavy rotation even after it became clear that the movie was going to slink out of cinemas to lick its wounds quietly on home video.

But that, as the Monkees would remind us, was then and this is now. It’s time to get in the comments! Identify the artist and the song title for these ten lyrics and, as always, remember: Do this off the top of your head, no search engines or lyric websites. You get credit for covers, but I have to be able to find them. And, finally, Get close to the title and artist — if you’re close and nobody else is closer, you get credit. Ready? Let’s go! Edit: The answers are now posted below and on a YouTube playlist! 📺

1. He liked to get naked while he smoked on the weed (2006)
   Tenacious D, “The Government Totally Sucks” 📺
2. It was an ancient, Chinese art and everybody knew their part (1974)
   Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting” 📺
   Identified by Fred
3. Hips go up and down, tummy round and round, shoulders shivering (1966)
   Nai Bonet, “Jelly Belly” 📺
4. Watching the sky for a sign, the FBI is on my mind (1999)
   Bree Sharp, “David Duchovny” 📺
5. Because they sleep with a gun and keep an eye on you, son (2006)
   My Chemical Romance, “Teenagers” 📺
   Identified by HL
6. Workin’ all day, ain’t got time to waste — I got art to make (2024)
   Beyoncé, “16 Carriages” 📺
7. I’m usually so unproblematic, so independent (2024)
   Ariana Grande, “the boy is mine” 📺
8. I’m so proud I am the only one who’s special in her heart (1982)
   Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney, “The Girl is Mine” 📺
9. “All my Children” in the daytime, “Dallas” in the night — can’t even see the game (1982)
   Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message” 📺
10. Before you know it, there’s rubble and dust ’cause we’ll be fuckin’ it up (2011)
    Labrinth & Tinie Tempah, “Earthquake” 📺
11. The super-secret bonus point was MC Frontalot with “First World Problems!” 📺

Featured photo by Timon Cornelissen