[edit] Salad As a Rock
Strong Sad saying "Salad... Salad as a rock" may be a take on lyrics from the song " Solid As a Rock," written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
From: caffeine
Posted on: 01:00, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
Arguments for:
- "Solid... Solid as a rock" are lyrics specific to the version of the song as done by Ashford and Simpson. (See link above and note the repeated word.)
- The joke is that he switched from saying "salad" into a pun on the lyrics.
- This song was the first thing I thought of when Strong Sad said "Salad as a rock".
Arguments against:
- "Solid as a rock" is a common expression (and has been featured in many songs by that title).
- This is more likely to be a reference to the phrase rather than to that specific song, especially given that Strong Sad's stream of consciousness goes "Fruit salad, fruit salad, salad... salad as a rock?" — the second-to-last "Salad" isn't isolated enough to be referencing the song.
- The joke was that he said "salad" rather than "solid", not that it sounds like a song title.
Additional comments:
- Upon further review, I'm not so sure this is incorrect. If you take the "Salad" before "Salad as a rock" and put them together, it sounds a whole lot more like the lyrics. I have reworded the fact above.
- I've reworded the fact again. Originally it credited the song to David Mann and Bob Hillard, but I think it's way more likely that it refers to the song by Ashford and Simpson. (Many people have made a song called "Solid as a Rock".)
Proposed revision:
The phrase "Salad as a rock" is a reference to the popular phrase "Solid as a rock", which has been the basis for many songs and commercial slogans. One particularly notable occurrence of this phrase is the song " Solid As a Rock", written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Arguments for:
- This allows for a mention of the song without tying it to Strong Sad's phrase as a direct reference. The reference is now to the phrase, which I believe is more appropriate.
Arguments against:
- The phrase is too common to need such a wordy explanation. (In other words: That's the joke.) If it's not accepted as a possible direct reference, then it should be declined altogether.
- The Ashford and Simpson version is not any more noteworthy than all the other songs called "Solid As a Rock" (and there are a lot) — unless what Strong Sad says is a direct reference to the specific lyrics "Solid... Solid as a rock", like the original wording states.
Additional comments:
- Re: second arg against: I realize that, and IMO, Strong Sad doesn't specifically say "Salad... Salad as a rock" — ie. the first "Salad" in the supposedly referential phrase is just part of his stream of consciousness, which is slowing down and coming together as he comes down from his caffeine high.
- To be sure, I also realize that this is not an arg for the revision. We can take the ref to the song completely out of the fun fact if it would make it a better fact, but I left it in because that particular song is, at least for me, the one that I think of first when I hear those words, and I know that's how it is for many people (who've said as much).
- If it's not a direct reference to the song, then there's no need to mention the song. Likewise, if it's just a play on the phrase, then it doesn't need to be explained. I admit that putting the first "salad" with the rest of it is a borderline call (which it why I phrased the original wording as "may be"), but it seemed close enough to me.
- Does anyone know where the phrase "Solid as a rock" specifically comes from?
- Not off the top of my head. It's a phrase that's been around for a very long time. I know it's been used in numerous churches as a form of worship (the whole God is your Rock thing), but I don't think that's where it originated.
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