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Friday Coffee Break: Double Negatives

Posted at 8:55 AM on November 18, 2011 by Steve Seel (28 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break

Today's 9:30 Coffee Break is another topic suggested by our trusty topic-maven Loren, who is in a grammatic frame of mind this morning. Loren suggests a set of songs containing double negatives. You probably recall being scolded for using the double negative as a younster: phrases such as "ain't got nothing" where the negative-ness of "ain't" is negated by "nothing." There are tons of examples in pop music, as you might imagine.

Songs played:
The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
Marvin Gaye "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Oasis "Ain't Got Nothin'"
Hank Williams "Nobody's Lonesome for Me"
James Brown "Papa Don't Take No Mess pt 1"
David Lee Roth "Just a Gigalo/I Ain't Got Nobody"

Comments (28)

aint no mountain high enough - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Posted by Charlie123 | November 18, 2011 9:05 AM

I Ain't Got Nobody - Louis Prima (not David Lee Roth)
Never Had Nobody Like You - M Ward

Posted by dave | November 18, 2011 9:06 AM

I Ain't Got Nobody - Louis Prima (not David Lee Roth)
Never Had Nobody Like You - M Ward

Posted by dave | November 18, 2011 9:07 AM

Satisfaction-The Rolling Stones

Posted by Rebekah | November 18, 2011 9:08 AM

Ain't No Good - Cake
Ain't Nothing Like You - Blacroc

Posted by jason | November 18, 2011 9:09 AM

Can't Get No Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
Ain't No Friend of Mine - Mason Jennings

Posted by Sami | November 18, 2011 9:09 AM

James Brown - Papa Don't Take No Mess
Dinah Washington – Is You Is or Is You Ain't my Baby

Posted by Cally | November 18, 2011 9:10 AM

"Ain't no Sunshine" - Bill Withers

Posted by Ariel | November 18, 2011 9:11 AM

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones

Posted by Chris | November 18, 2011 9:11 AM

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Don't Come Around Here No More

Posted by Shaun | November 18, 2011 9:12 AM

Bill Withers "Ain't no Sunshine"
Devo "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"
Mason Jennings "Ain't No Friend of Mine"
Pink Floyd "Another Brick in the Wall pt 2"
Liz Phair "Never Said"
Johnny Cash "Ain't No Grave"

Posted by kyle | November 18, 2011 9:12 AM

In Hank Williams "Nobody's Lonesome For Me" is the rare quadruple negative: "Ain't nobody never gonna love me nohow."

In Eryka Badu's "Tryone" is a triple negative: "I'm gettin' tired of your sh#t, you don't never buy me nothin'."

Posted by Craig Kepler | November 18, 2011 9:13 AM

PLEASE the Britney Spears version of Satisfaction.
I guess the original would do too though.

Posted by Kelsey Pieper | November 18, 2011 9:14 AM

Ben Kweller has a song called "In Other Words" from his first record. Great, beautiful song except for the last bit which repeats "It starts stopping when it stops stopping" etc. Never did quite understand what it means and I think it's at least tangentially related to a rare triple negative.
Also, "Another Brick in the Wall" ('cause they don't need no education)

Posted by Topher Boyd | November 18, 2011 9:14 AM

I second "Aint No Friend of Mine" by Mason Jennings

Posted by Cathryn | November 18, 2011 9:16 AM

Pink Floyd's - Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
in the lyrics "..We Don't Need No Education!.."

Posted by Kyle | November 18, 2011 9:16 AM

Ain't No Thang - Katzenjammer

Posted by Rebekah | November 18, 2011 9:17 AM

"Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" -- Kid 'N Play

Posted by (JL) | November 18, 2011 9:17 AM

Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues,' who was born in Minnesota.

Posted by Ryan | November 18, 2011 9:17 AM

You Don't Treat Me No Good (Lover, Lover) - by Sonia Dada