Talk:Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

"Weird Al" video
Sorry I had to take out that long description of the Weird Al video, but it dosn't really have anything to do with this song. I moved it to a new seprate article.--The_stuart 02:09, 17 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Requested move
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm → Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. The latter (without commas) is how it is given on the Crash Test Dummies website, and it seems to be the more common use. Jonathunder 15:49, 2005 Apr 2 (UTC)
 * Also, the version without commas appears to be where the article was originally, and most wikilinks still go there. Jonathunder 15:56, 2005 Apr 2 (UTC)
 * The version without commas is just a redirect to the version with commas and has no history, so (iirc) the move doesn't need a sysop. I've had a quick scan of my CD collection and I've not found a single example of the title including commas. Thryduulf 16:35, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Thryduulf. I'll go ahead and move this, then, if there are no objections. Jonathunder 19:08, 2005 Apr 3 (UTC)
 * Move completed and all "what links here" updated. Jonathunder 07:53, 2005 Apr 4 (UTC)

Impossibly deep voice
The singer's voice isn't actually that deep. This song is nicely mid-range for a bass. It's just that, sadly, most of us don't have the incredible resonance that the singer on this song gets. Hughcharlesparker 16:01, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Shakers
The article says that the lyrics of this song mention "a boy whose family belonged to a peculiar religious sect, possibly the Shakers". This refers to the lyrics of the song:

Cause then there was this boy whose Parents made him come directly home right after school And when they went to their church They shook and lurched all over the church floor

However, how could the boy's parents be Shakers if members of that sect are celibate? --BNJT 01:41, 25 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Did you read the article on the Shakers? It says that they did adopt.  Whilst it may not be the best answer, I do seem to recall adopted children calling the adults "parents".  Then again, maybe it's just me. - DrachenFyre


 * Good question. I think an allusion to Holy Roller is much more likely. Also, someone added "It is also the highest charting single ever whose title only consists of the same letter" which I don't doubt is true, but are there be other singles matching that description to compete with, really? Jonathunder 23:06, 30 January 2006 (UTC)


 * Seems likely that it is the only high chart topping single consisting of only one letter. Might as well leave it until someone proves otherwise. --The_stuart 00:21, 31 January 2006 (UTC)


 * I added it, based on one of the "charts" in an NME yearbook I have. Also take note that there are a lot of singles named "I" :) //Gargaj 20:27, 8 February 2006 (UTC)


 * Mentioning of the Shakers seems like a wild guess to me. Removed, and should be sourced if put back. // habj 01:11, 14 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I think the song is about Pentecostals and Catholic Charismatics rather than Shakers. The line "They shook and lurched all over the church floor" seems to me as a reference to the fact that during their services they faint or rather pretend to faint. If you could chose between having to endure two or three hours of those services and having to listen to Wisin y Yandel and Brokencyde 24 hours, you would chose the second option. I'm kidding, I would do neither. Nite-Sirk (talk) 23:28, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

Actual meaning
I'm not sure I agree with the article's description that the song describes "the isolation and suffering of a child who was inexplicably abnormal". In fact, I think it's about the kind of made up stories little kids enjoy telling their friends. Especially since the song's title is "mmm mmm", the sound people make when they don't believe what they are being told. It isn't about suffering, it's about stuff kids make up. Of course, this is my interpretation. 201.235.51.167 23:03, 22 February 2006 (UTC)
 * During its run in 1994 it was repeatedly said the song may have actually been about child abuse and the ignorance (from other children) surrounding it. Drdr1989 04:52, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I really doubt that's the real meaning. SPKx 13:18, 9 September 2006 (UTC)
 * If you examine the well known version of the lyrics, you will first find a boy whose long absence from school (potentially due to child abuse) is inadequately explained, and the other detail that his hair is now white, not a possible consequence of a car crash in any universe, is given a ridiculous excuse. There is clearly something that the child and the parents don't care to talk about. Continuing with the well known version of the lyrics, the girl in the changing room has bruises, not birthmarks, and she cannot explain them.
 * The message then is that somehow having parents bringing a small boy to an unusual and perhaps unsettling church service is worse...
 * The message then is that somehow having parents bringing a small boy to an unusual and perhaps unsettling church service is worse...


 * There are also other versions of the lyrics which substantiate the 'abuse' position, replacing the church service verse with a verse about a mother who out of spite disposes of a boy's tonsils which he wanted to bring to show and tell. Matthew Platts 23:20, 12 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure that follows logically. However, following the child abuse interpretation, the first verse child has seen something that shocked him, and the third verse child had it "worse than that". His parents have indoctrinated him into their religion without any choice, and do not allow him to interact socially with the other children.
 * I imagine the replacement verse was sung on tour in particularly religious areas of the US.Connectionfailure (talk) 05:42, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps I'm over analysing or under analysing the song or something but has it occurred to any of you that rather than being a po-faced dirge about child abuse that perhaps it's just a rather silly song about children who are actually real crash test dummies?188.29.107.43 (talk) 22:13, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

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Release date
The release date for this song is listed both as September 1993 in the article for the song, and October 1993 in the article for the album. CltNC830 (talk) 15:19, 19 July 2020 (UTC)

Niagara Scow and white hair
Through WP:SYNTH I have pretty much figured out that the Niagara Falls incident that was the inspiration for the "bright white" verse was incident with the Niagara Scow, though it appears that the hair whitening has always been a rumo(u)r and never happened. Is it worth finding a RS on this, or would it just be considered trivia? Mapsax (talk) 01:12, 11 April 2024 (UTC)