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May 19

Bare infinitive used as an English song title

A follow-up question to Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Language#When_we_eclipse: There Card Zero has implied that a bare verb, in the infinitive, is very unusual to be used as a song title in English. Indeed I couldn't think of any example - but are there some? --KnightMove (talk) 08:32, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Imagine HiLo48 (talk) 08:42, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Roar (song). Believe (several songs). Jump (several songs). Breathe (several songs). Apologize (a couple of songs). I expect there are others. I note that in most cases, the verb is more like a command than an infinitive as such. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:55, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

For us non-native speakers these are clearly imperatives, not infinitives. Of course in English they have the same form so the native perception may be different. --Wrongfilter (talk) 09:21, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

My native-speaker perception is that in all such cases they're imperatives. Expecially the next one below, because of the "!". --~2026-29877-00 (talk) 11:27, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

There are two ways to look at this:

You can find a title where the apparent imperative is used as a fill infinitive in the song. Because the title takes the full infinitive verb and strips the context, it becomes a bare infinitive. Example: "It's time to breathe" (full infinitive) becomes the title "Breathe" (bare infinitive).

You find a title where the apparent imperative is used as a bare infinitive in the song. "Don't let me fly" (bare infinitive as is usually the case with a 'let' context) becomes "Fly" (bare infinitive).

Then, there's Rhianna's "Stay" which has "I want you to stay" (full infinitive) and "Makes me stay" (bare infinitive) in one song. ~2026-21283-08 (talk) 14:33, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. For me, the urge is strong to interpret the title as imperative, if there's any ambiguity - or else as a noun, or anything other than the infinitive. The title of Hurt might be past tense, though I rather think it's a noun. But I'll concede that Disappear by INXS, with the lyric "and the world seems to disappear", is almost certainly not in the imperative, unless it's a command directed at the world in general. Card Zero (talk) 17:46, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Drive (The Cars song) and Drive (R.E.M. song) seem to be bare infinitives rather than imperatives. --Amble (talk) 16:54, 20 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Help! HiLo48 (talk) 09:57, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Run (Snow Patrol song), Would? Nanonic (talk) 10:50, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song) also sung by Johnny Cash, might come closer to what the OP is asking about. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:16, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

There's also "Shout!" which is more like the OP's idea, as in "You make me want to shout!" ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:40, 20 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you all. Can this legally be summed up that English is very suitable to use ambiguity between infinitive/imperative/noun in song titles? --KnightMove (talk) 06:32, 20 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't say "legally." Grammar and law have been separate long enough that we have the common phrase: Mala grammatica non vitiat chartam. ~2026-21283-08 (talk) 17:14, 20 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Poster

Hi. What movie/show is the image (poster) between the Star Wars and James Bond ones based on? ~2026-22534-68 (talk) 14:30, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Which poster are you talking about? Is this on a page somewhere on Wikipedia? Chuntuk (talk) 15:00, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

This one: https://k-photography8.webnode.cz/galerie/maturitni-tabla/#a1524353-728208553890985-6377330817466156488-o-jpg Sorry. Forgot to link. ~2026-22534-68 (talk) 18:57, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Woman on Top. One version of the poster had Penelope Cruz just like that. Another version is just some lips. ~2026-21283-08 (talk) 21:09, 19 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

You're right! Thanks! ~2026-22534-68 (talk) 05:19, 20 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

The photo is obviously inspired by the film poster, which you can see here. But look at the red peppers. They are different types: a chili pepper instead of a habanero. The face in the fake poster is not that of Penélope Cruz; the impostor's face is less wide at the height of the eyes. ‑‑Lambiam 08:04, 20 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

These are inspired-by photos, not counterfeit movie posters. The differences are the point. ~2026-21283-08 (talk) 12:00, 20 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@Lambiam You can see other such "impostors" here https://www.facebook.com/jaroslav.safer.fotograf/photos/netflix-okt%C3%A1va-a-2015-2023-gymn%C3%A1zium-krom%C4%9B%C5%99%C3%AD%C5%BEkdy%C5%BE-%C5%99e%C5%A1%C3%ADte-maturitn%C3%AD-tablo-m%C5%AF%C5%BEete-/704482571685087/?set=a.216046403862042 here https://www.fotopavlik.com/fotky/tablo-filmovych-hvezd-oa-chrudim-2013/ here https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1301893205271577&id=100063527294974 and here https://www.facebook.com/photografko/photos/netflix-tablo-oa-hc-tak-tabl%C3%AD%C4%8Dka-s%C3%BA-u%C5%BE-od-piatku-vycapen%C3%A9-po-celom-meste-d-postu/2258501107537729/. It's a popular theme for graduatiom photoshoots. ~2026-22534-68 (talk) 17:50, 29 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

May 23

Signatures

How do you get an svg signature of a musical artist from a signed album? How do you even retrieve their signature in the first place? Magic facewall (talk) 22:32, 23 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@Magic facewall Do you mean make a copy? It might help to know why you should want to do this. The obvious way would be to take a photo of it. Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:12, 24 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Take a high-res photo or scan of the area of the album with the artist's signature, use any of several image editors to clean up the image, turning it into a grayscale of mostly pure white or pure black pixels, removing any accidental blotches and splotches, and finally turning it into svg format, either by using an image editor supporting this as an output format, or using any of several on-line format converters that will do this. Not all conceivable uses of the result are legal. ‑‑Lambiam 09:07, 24 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

File:Babe Ruth sig.svg was uploaded within the last year. You could consult the uploader for more info. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:35, 24 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I must say I do wonder why we have anyone's signature in Wikipedia anyway. It adds nothing encyclopedic, is rarely authenticated with a citation, and opens the way to abuse. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:02, 25 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I've wondered that myself. It's merely decorative, at best. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:22, 25 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Today, yes, a signature is pretty trivial. I recently had to sign a bunch of stuff for legalese and it struck me how long it had been since I'd had to formally sign something. But it didn't used to be that way; your signature was like your portrait - an identifier that was uniquely you. I'm old enough (52) that when I started signing stuff as a teen I was criticized for "just writing my name" instead of properly making a signature. A young person today would be flabbergasted at such a notion - that everyone used to have a special squiggle that was all their own and people could tell with decent reliability that this squiggle was legit but that squiggle was forged. Autograph as being encyclopedic is a throwback to that state of affairs to some degree. Matt Deres (talk) 19:44, 26 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

The Babe Ruth sig was copied from the signed baseball, but I think this was done by drawing the outline by hand and filling it in with black. A telltale sign is that the long horizontal stroke through the t has down hooks at either end in the original, but only one at the right end in the svg. An automated method would not have missed the left down hook. Also, the horizontal stroke in the svg seems to have a kink where it crosses the downstroke of the t , while the original has a smooth and subtle bend. For comparison, here are, from top to bottom: (1) the original; (2) a black-and-white version obtained by an automated method; (3) the uploaded sig. ‑‑Lambiam 00:05, 26 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

May 29

Delta Goodrem's Eclipse

In Eclipse (Delta Goodrem song), the eclipse is all too obviously used as a sexual metaphor: "One touch, one kiss, all my life for a night like this. The world stops for us, only love exists, when we eclipse...". Here also everyone agreed. However, I failed to find an external source that would state it. The press release says an eclipse “captures the rare, breath-stealing moment when shadow and light fall into perforce harmony — a metaphor for clarity, alignment and stepping fully into your purpose”. All sources about what it means just seem to... twaddle like this. None dared to say it somewhat more clearly? --KnightMove (talk) 08:53, 29 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

It's a poetical metaphor, why would you expect a clear 'official' statement about what it means? Poetry (including song lyrics) usually does not work like that, and is often intentionally ambiguous with multiple possible meanings, allowing individual recipients to make individual interpretations. To an extent it is a form of collaboration between the poet and the reader/listener, resulting in a different 'work of art' from each writer/reader pair. Sometimes this even results in interpretations that the writer had not consciously intended. In short: it's art, not science. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} ~2026-27434-43 (talk) 12:24, 29 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I was not looking for an official statement from the creators of the song confirming the meaning - but it is very common that sources take positions on the meaning of a song. For Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, there have been many sources claiming the song is about drugs. (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi for a fact is about drugs, but there have been many opinions what the artists wanted to express with it. For the song in my question, I really do wonder that it is not the case. --KnightMove (talk) 14:36, 29 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

So what sort of source do you think would be reliable for the song being a sexual metaphor (I think it more a romantic metaphor), or for it commonly being taken as such? Several fans saying so? A reputable music critic? And frankly, why does it matter? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} ~2026-27434-43 (talk) 21:41, 29 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

This (unofficial) source names the encounter as "an intense romantic connection" but also mentions "attraction that is magnetic and unstoppable" and "passion", without getting more explicit. The lyrics contain some hints that the singer sees this as more than a one-night fling. ‑‑Lambiam 22:16, 29 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

There's also "when the two lovers are together" and "intimacy and emotional closeness" in there. However, it sounds like ChatGPT's voice to me, complete with em-dashes. Is that OK? I suppose if somebody publishes chatbot output, it then becomes their citable opinion. Card Zero (talk) 23:10, 29 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I asked ChatGPT, 'Is the eclipse in the lyrics of the Delta Goodrem song "Eclipse" a sexual metaphor?', and got this (entirely dashless) reply:

Probably not in any explicit or primary sense.
The available commentary from interviews, Eurovision coverage, and lyric analyses consistently describes the eclipse as a metaphor for emotional alignment, timing, and two people coming together in love. Delta Goodrem herself has reportedly framed the song around the idea of two people "aligning" like an eclipse.
The lyrics support that reading:
|   "Planets are aligning to love as one"
|   "Gravity is pulling your heart to mine"
|   "The world stops for us"
Those images emphasize destiny, connection, and a feeling that everything falls into place. Commentary on the song repeatedly interprets the eclipse as two lives briefly becoming one focal point, not as a coded sexual reference.
That said, pop lyrics often operate on multiple levels. Lines such as "One touch, one kiss / All my life for a night like this" carry romantic and sensual overtones, and listeners could reasonably hear some sexual intimacy in them. But that's different from saying the eclipse itself is a sexual metaphor.
A literary reading would be:

Primary meaning: emotional and romantic union; two people aligning perfectly.
Secondary implication: physical intimacy may be part of that union, since the song blends cosmic imagery with touch and kissing.
Unlikely reading: a song whose main hidden meaning is sex. There's little evidence from the lyrics or Goodrem's comments that this was the intended focus.

So the eclipse is best understood as a metaphor for two people becoming emotionally, spiritually, and romantically aligned, with possible sensual undertones rather than a straightforward sexual metaphor.

‑‑Lambiam 08:32, 30 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

OK. But the page has lots of re-worded repetition, with lots of section headers, and it does use em-dashes. Still, you seem to be making a different point, about the ways that we might expect to find sources interpreting the song. The above output is, as usual for such output, hedged and fence-sitting, and de-emphasizes its own statement physical intimacy may be part of that union. It is influenced by the same "twaddle" sources that KnightMove complained about, such as the interview with the songwriter where he says that the title was inspired by the idea of unity: Eclipse. It felt like the perfect title. Eurovision itself is about unity. Countries, cultures and languages coming together through music. It's unsurprising that he doesn't say "and then we proceeded to write a song about sex anyway". That aspect is so normal that it would be peculiar for anybody seeking to highlight the interesting aspects of the song to mention it. Card Zero (talk) 10:14, 30 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you - letting this all sink in... --KnightMove (talk) 19:51, 30 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I was not making the point but merely reporting. Still, there is some daylight between the statements "the lyrics of the song are family-friendly but imply to the adult listener there is some hanky-panky going on" and "the title of the song is a sexual metaphor". ‑‑Lambiam 07:09, 31 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Surely it's about coming first? DuncanHill (talk) 20:44, 31 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

That was a good one! But who knows, maybe this thought did play a role? Is the idiom "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere" used in present-day Australia? --KnightMove (talk) 04:44, 1 June 2026 (UTC)[reply]

May 30

Tune used in commercials now I find on FB

[1] can anyone please name this tune? Also have seen it on an AT&T fiber commercial. Thank you so much in advance!~2026-32216-64 (talk) 18:27, 30 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

This funny song goes by the name "Funny Song".^[2] ‑‑Lambiam 06:56, 31 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks a million!~2026-18853-76 (talk) 19:21, 31 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Composed by Thomas Hewitt Jones. DuncanHill (talk) 23:04, 1 June 2026 (UTC)[reply]

June 1

American stiff upper lips

A stiff upper lip is famously a quality of an English gentleman. But perhaps the two most obvious stiff upper lips in entertainment are those of Rod Serling and Humphrey Bogart, who both had a way of speaking without moving their upper lips. Do we know why they exhibited this trait? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 23:01, 1 June 2026 (UTC)[reply]

In Bogie's case, it was probably due to an injury to his upper lip. Stories vary on how he acquired a scar there:[3]

getting hit there by a prisoner while he was serving in the Navy
getting hit by shrapnel, also while in the Navy Clarityfiend (talk) 00:48, 2 June 2026 (UTC)[reply]

June 2