"Meatshake" by Ugly Duckling from the album Taste the Secret. 2003.
Taste the Secret is a sort of concept album. A few unrelated songs fill the tracklist, but in general it tells of two "fast food" franchises at war with one another. Perhaps the first thing that comes to your mind is something like McDonald's battling Burger King for greasy burger superiority- but no, the borderline divides a much more comedic chain of establishments. On one side, there's everything unhealthy about these types of "restaurants" lumped into one: Meatshake. Picking out the most applicable line from this week's song, "everything [they] serve has meat in it!" On the other side of the street, though, the grass is literally greener, for the place is a vegetarian haven. It's aptly named The Veggie Hut. Comedy spews from the altercations between the two, as well as the ridiculousness of the menu sported by Meatshake.
"Meatshake" introduces the chain and its mission: to give the people meat! As I pointed out, everything they serve has meat in it. Your questions are asked, and answered, in the lyrics: "But don't you serve french fries and a vegetable plate? 'It all has meat!' What? Well, what about the green salad and the cookies you bake? 'Everything has meat!'" Yes, it is absurd, but that exact quality makes it delectable. Besides, knowing what some fast food companies put on the market, I would not be surprised to see a similar stunt pulled. And knowing human nature, most people would want to try something so outrageous at least once. I probably would go taste the secret just for the crazy heck of it!
Throughout the album, little skits and jingles related to the Meatshake Corporation pop up, usually at the end of a song. Then you get full numbers that delve into the story more, such as "The Drive-Thru", which describes in detail what their flagship Meatshake consists of. Later, there's "The Confrontation" between the managers of Meatshake and Veggie Hut. The whole deal is an offbeat concept that proves splendid.
Other songs on the album have that twinge of humor to them, but at best only offhandedly mention the storyline. "Opening Act" (brought to you by Meatshake) describes the syndrome of bands who open for big acts: fans don't know who they are and don't want to listen to some unknown group while they wait for the band they paid for. "Potty Mouth" lambasts artists who use cursing and swearing as a lyrical crutch (Man, I could use a Meatshake!), while "Dumb It Down" mocks that semi-truthful aspect of becoming popular or liked in society by playing stupid.
In essence, my favorite thing about Ugly Duckling is their masterful lyrics. Wordplay abound! Done quickly, concisely, and playfully too! They build a lot of their sound from the old-school hip-hop scene, and as far as I can tell do not use profanity at all to achieve their means. I'm most familiar with Taste the Secret, but they've many albums, most of which have themes less fantastical, it seems. I myself do not hunt down hip-hop, though I'm not at all opposed to it, but if you love the genre, I would certainly suggest tracking down some other works from this group.
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