Keeping Time
A big thanks to khmer for putting together the piano arrangement in today’s comic.
Thanks also to the readers who tried playing it. I hope you didn’t realize what it was until too late.
A big thanks to khmer for putting together the piano arrangement in today’s comic.
Thanks also to the readers who tried playing it. I hope you didn’t realize what it was until too late.
February 27th, 2008 at 4:51 am
i didn’t get it till i played the .mid that someone uploaded. embedding a rickroll in an image was very surprising.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Where is the .mid? but you already let the Cat out of the bag; now no 1 gets r*** r****d
February 27th, 2008 at 5:03 am
I just assumed it was that right off the bat, honestly. Thanks for confirmation, though.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:13 am
> embedding a rickroll in an image was very surprising.
Charles Schulz was Lisztrolling you all by way of Schroeder years before I was born.
February 27th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Well played, sir, well played.
February 27th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Oh no you didn’t.
February 27th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Absolutely brilliant…
That made todays comic even better xD.
February 27th, 2008 at 6:24 am
Wow, very nice. Now that I know that, this comic qualifies as a ’share’ in Google Reader here. There we are!
February 27th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Speaking for band kids everywhere: You are one evil, evil motherfucker.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:32 am
“Charles Schulz was Lisztrolling you all by way of Schroeder years before I was born.”
Great Moments in Trolling: Brahms gets Lisztrolled. A few copies of sheet music surreptitiously inserted in the local paper.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Me (ex-marching band kid) reading this comic:
- Teehee, funny, I also sometimes catch myself walking in rythm to music at malls.
*Checks hover text*
- Wow, he even got it correct with the left foot first.
- I wonder what tune that is, it doesn’t look like a march. It’s too syncopated.
*Hums rythm inside head*
- Where oh where have I heard that rythm before? That detail at the end of the second measure looks familiar…
*Realization strikes*
- OH MY GOD!
Now I’ll have that tune in my brain for the rest of the day.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I wouldn’t have recognized it even from listening to the song, unless I had read the blog first, which I did. But you, sir, are the master of pwning.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I don’t get it, what song is that?
February 27th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I don’t get it either. Sounds a bit like it could be the title music of something from TV (which I don’t recognize). I’d like to know what tune that is anyway :)
February 27th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Ha, that’s so awesome. Especially when my brain had that moment of “noo … it sounds like it, but it couldn’t be … noo … “. Oh yes, my little neurons. Syncopated. Or perhaps synchpastleyation. Or perhaps, … no. Let’s just leave that there …
February 27th, 2008 at 9:13 am
I know of the phenomenon of rick-rolling only second-hand and am unfamiliar with the song involved so I wouldn’t have gotten it.
But, being at work where I do not have my piano, I was attempting to sing it in my head trying to figure out what it was. I’ve never been good at mental chords though. My mind is like one of those stupid keyboards that can only play one note at a time.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:14 am
For those who do not get it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
You can do the standard seach on the meaning of “Rickroll’D” as well.
That said, this is one of the times that I really wish I knew how to read music. I missed out on the hilarious undertone of the comic :(
February 27th, 2008 at 10:00 am
The thing that makes this so hilarious is how true it is. I had to stop laughing so I could send it to my girlfriend and a bunch of other friends all who are or were in band.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:03 am
For those who don’t know what Rick Rolling exactly is…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rolling
Wikipedia is your friend!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Evil, pure exil XD
February 27th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I can’t even listen to the piece!
I’m on Linux, and I’m listening to a WM stream right now, but I can’t download your mp3!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:52 am
That’s friggin’ hilarious, and just made my day. XD You sir, are a god among men.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I’d only heard of rickrolling before this, so although I recognized the song, I didn’t catch its significance until I read the forum convos.
Genius. I think I fancrush on you now even more than before, Randall.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I do believe that this is the first time I’ve *ever* found a rickrolling funny in the least. Well played, sir!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
When I first read the comic, I initially, to use the vernacular, Laughed Out Loud. But when I saw this blag post, I was insensible for a good 20 seconds. You are forgiven for the fruits.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
You know, some marching bands/drum corps do lead with their right. Not many, but some. In DCI, the Cadets are a good example of this.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Son of a BITCH!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
@Blake:
DCI does not count. Never has.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Now I need to memorize what that sequence of notes looks like, so you’ll never be able to do that again. :D
February 27th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
OMG, so many references involved in today’s comic! My head is gonna blow! Marching bands, left foot, rickrolling! How the hell can you get to put all that freaking stuff together? I just don’t understand, you are amazing!
For those who don’t get it: Rickrolling - To make an internet surfer watch-hear-listen to the Rick Astley song ‘Never gonna give you up’. Freaky, huh?
February 27th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
*dope slap* THAT’S why my wife leads with her right foot. She was in orchestra, not band!
…another minor mystery solved by XKCD.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
That was both horrifyingly accurate (I myself, actually stumble when they do that in stores) and hilariously true. I hadn’t even heard of rickrolling, and when i tried the “mental playback,” all I could come up with was a seciton of Aaron Copeland’s Rodeo or John Williams’ Cowboys. I, too, have a problem hearing chords in my head.
But I have to disagree with Dave. DCI is the epitome of band-nerdness, and should be respected as such. Not to mention that the Cadets are freaking sweet.
Annnnnd you’ve just made the rounds through the *uber* band nerds- the band sorority and fraternity kids, who will identify most closely.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
best rickroll ever!
February 27th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
In the past few months, I’ve been trying to do triplets over the music with my steps. If the music jiggered, I’m pretty sure I’d run into something/fall over into something else.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
FLAWLESS VICTORY
I don’t know if I’ve ever been rickrolled so hard before. You hate us, don’t you, Mr. Munroe?
February 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I think you’re basically forgiven for the fruit.
…so not fair.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Being in Marching Band, this caused me to crack up laughing.
You are forgiven for the fruit.
But I do love grapefruit.
<_<
February 27th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
The comic was pretty funny by itself, but learning the truth…
How can you manage to take something as stupid as Rickrolling, and make it look smart and educated?
February 27th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Excellent. Well played. And yeah well, fuck grapefruit. At least that’s what my kids would say to me if I tried to give them one. Well they would if they could get away with the f word.
February 27th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
As a marching band kid and huge band geek, this is one of the funniest comics I’ve ever seen. My bf even called me at six in the morning to make me read it. I would trip. I get confused when they switch songs and they have a different tempo. And I start on my left foot. Always. (That detail killed me. So true.)
This is also similar to my bf’s frustrating tendency to either pause or skip forward/back on the song I’m singing along to while I drive. It completely throws me for a loop. If he did that while I was walking, I would probably trip.
And I’m printing the comic to show in my band class tomorrow. :D
February 27th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
The worst part about this is I’ve been in high school, college, and DCI drumlines (Snare) for almost 8 years now. Other than The Cadets (who start on the right foot), this is sadly true point-for-point. I and my other band-geek friends do find ourselves accidentally marking time to whatever muzak is playing (only when walking, though, we don’t do it in place. :P)
Worst part is, even though I suck at anything but rhythms in music, I still was able to immediately identify that you, sir, have successfully and originally Rick Rolled me. Well played, Not-So-Anon, well played.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Oh my god. I can’t believe I just got rickrolled. I’m putting this in the rickrolling hall of fame.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Well, I wasn’t keeping up. I thought it was Madonna’s Material Girl. But I hate you just as much for the Rick Astley, so it all evens out.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Okay, I thought this was funny when it was just a quick jab at band nerds, but rickrolling all of the people who read the strip and who’d try to re-create the music was a masterstroke, man. Sheer genius. You really know your audience.
I like the cut of your jib, sir, to use the parlance of our times.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
You, sir, are my personal deity. You make my world go round, my heart quiver, and my veins explode.
Maybe not the last two. But you certainly rock my world.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
You know you’re looking at something epic when you get rick roll’d with musical notes. This has to be one of the best comics ever.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Rickrolling aside (since I’m not too thoroughly filled-in with that particular internet thing), this comic made me laugh SO HARD. I think harder than anything else on the internet has ever made me laugh. I’m printing it out and showing it off tomorrow. I am thoroughly guilty of everything in this comic.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Someone should take control of a store’s sound system so it only plays Rick Astley. That way it’s playing when it gets on the news.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
You have no idea the laughter that ensued when I showed this to the saxophone section in my marching band. We all walk through the mall together and realize we’re all in step, perfectly, marching to the rhythm of the music. We’ve all stumbled.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
EPIC WIN.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Wow.. creative!
February 28th, 2008 at 12:30 am
The saddest thing about this is that I actually listen to “Never Gonna Give You Up” on my own. Also I dance around in my underpants and sing along offkey.
I’m pretty sure I’m such a loser that even the Internet sits and laughs at me. But that’s okay.
February 28th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Such a fantastic representation!
Per chance, did the arranger complete the song? It would make my life… alot simpler to have a proper arrangement =P
February 28th, 2008 at 4:11 am
That is the god damn most hillarious thing EVER.
Kudos to you mr Munroe.
Even though Banana is far less hard then god damn Cherries.(and more delicious)
February 28th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Very funny. I’d probably fall for that one.
“They lead with their left foot when the music starts.”
Unless they marched with the Cadets (http://www.yea.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Cadets). They’re the odd ones, since they step off with the right foot…
February 28th, 2008 at 10:32 am
mystery_editor: Sorry, I only completed the first few bars. You wouldn’t want to play that arrangement on the piano anyway; that’s just a transcription of the synth lines in the song. I’m not sure how I’d feel about myself if I completed an entire piano score of that.
February 28th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
You are an evil yet magnificent man. Ex band geek that finds himself walking in step with people (it gets even worse with fellow band people) or to the rhythm of music (never stumbled…just sort stop and get confused). My other bad habit is tapping fingers to the fingering of band songs I hear when I’m focused on something. No, my hand is not having a spasm…it’s just Back in Black.
Also that was the classiest rick roll I’ve ever seen. I bow to your awesomeness.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Within six months, this will be on the wall of every band room in every high school in America. Maybe the world, though I’m not sure if the French would get it.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Wow I’d never heard of rickrolling before, when I saw the song I thought it was just a reference to how band kids can never give up the old marching habits. But well played, sir.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Heh, I didn’t play in band in school (although I did play bass in a rock band for years after) but I did my time in the army. I got out years ago but if I’m walking with a buddy of mine he will still give me an occasional “left” on my right foot to see if I still change-step. Bastage. :)
February 28th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I’m not entirely sure I can stand how incredibly ingenious that is. It almost completely blows my mind (okay, scratch that “almost”. My mind is in smithereens).
February 29th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Holy Crap!
I design about 20 MB shows a year for bands that have taken first place in sixteen states. This strip will surpass the 007 strip in Band Geek popularity, and that one is huge, because we DO actually expect people to perform complicated math while strapped to giant spinny things.
(So this is authoritative geek children - shut up about the Cadets. They ARE a rickroll . . . missing hash marks indeed.)
Anyway, somebody somewhere is going to march Rickroll this fall. I’ll make sure of it and we’ll send in a video.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:13 am
God DAMN!
Well played.
February 29th, 2008 at 4:46 am
Heh. It’s not just band geeks who do the left foot thing. Me and a buddy were ushers at a friend’s wedding. After everyone was seated and before the bridesmaids started down, we were supposed to walk down to the front, turn, and then to stand off to either side. Both of us being ex-military, we led off with the left foot, took 30 inch steps, and made our turns at precisely the same moments, staying perfectly in step the whole way. The look on everyone else’s faces was priceless.
(reCAPTCHA words: “right cide” No, silly machine. Left cide first…)
February 29th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Except band geeks learn to take 22.5″ steps (8 steps per 5 yards). It’s been 14 years, and I still remember 22.5 inches.
You military types are doing it wrong! :)
February 29th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I <3 u.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I have never been caught off my guard like this before. My respect for you has just skyrocketed.
Again you show your genius, Mr. Munroe. I owe you a beer.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Ok, first i just wanted to notice how many band nerds that sccompany me in this comic, i am actually not surprised, since band is strictly horny nerds, and anyone that denys that, was never in band…..
It is true, the whole music deal, but we all have different experiences
Mine kinda went like this….
<Hmm, new comic today
<HAHAHAHA, its true….
<more laughing and sharing with nearby band friends
<10 min later and still laughing
<alright down the business, what is he saying
<Wow, i really do walk like that, haha, even with a song in my head
<(scroll over comic) LEFT FOOT, wow, some kids dont even get that
special time to thank you for accuracy
<Then, of course, i see the music
<Hmm, wonder what this is
<printed out the music, and got together with three other saxes, and played music
<After getting to about measure 2, i realized
fuck
i just got pwned
<they never got it, oh well, best if they didn’t know
<then i was scarred about that song, and the reality of the comics
<Then i realized another step
DRUM MAJORS
<One habit that we Drum Majors have, is conducting to our stereos while we drive our cars
(i dont care who you are, i know you do it, and that’s all that matters)
So good job XKCD, you pulled a fast one on all the marching students in the world, and pwned them so hardcore…….
damn that’s bitter sweet
March 1st, 2008 at 4:18 am
Wow. That’s the most creative RickRoll I’ve ever seen! Good job!
March 1st, 2008 at 4:48 pm
HAHA wow. I’m in band… this is so true. I’d probably be the jerk up there testing it out too, though. Heh.
We see it at Graduation every year as well, when our band starts speeding up or slowing down, all the seniors that used to be in band start running into the other kids.
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:19 am
You, sir, may have just set a new record for the Rick Roll.
I wanted to know what the tune was, but didn’t have a piano. So since I’ve recently been teaching myself Lilypond (http://lilypond.org/web/) I thought it would be a good exercise to notate it. Half an hour and several recompiles later, I have a nice PDF file with an accurate copy. Then I generated the MIDI.
Yeah.
So, that’s why I’m posting as Anonymous.
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Holy…that’s…but…I’m…oh my…
o_o
March 3rd, 2008 at 4:36 pm
i used finale to figure it out. damn you.
March 3rd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
OK, so I listened to it, and I was all like, “OK, it’s Robo’s theme from Chrono Trigger. That’s cool…” And then people were talking about being Rick Rolled, and I looked it up, and apparently the 2 songs have been compared several times. Cool, though. How many people can claim to Rick Roll tons of people through a webcomic? One, that’s how many…
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
You’re brilliant. I hate rickrolls but I loved that.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:20 pm
do not follow this link.
i post it only for rickrollin’-other-people purposes.
it’s design is so evil!
http://www.smouch.net/lol/
March 6th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Ok, you got me there.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
i’m in Panama City, Panama for work, watching a local music channel (+23), and it totally rickrolled me.
RICKROLLING HAS MOVED OFF OF THE INTERNET, AND IS SPREADING AT A DANGEROUS PACE.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
I knew what the song was but I didn’t know about rickrolling. Guess I don’t spend as much time on the Internet as I thought!
I shared this comic with all my band geek friends. Everyone at the University of Hawaii at Manoa marching band now loves you! Please come and give a talk one day. We’ll even prepare some damnable pineapples for you!
March 9th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Anybody got a midi of the entire thing, as opposed to just what’s in the comic? Or the score, as one is easily enough converted into the other.
March 10th, 2008 at 4:48 am
Having to play the score to figure out the song is like having to run code to work out what it does.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Heh — like “Eric TF Bat”, I listened to the mp3 and thought of Madonna, but I thought it was “Borderline”. Given the musical blender that is Pop, maybe it needs a few more notes for disambiguation….
March 10th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Niiiice.
Because I’m pernickety, and used to work as a typesetter, I feel I must point out that all tails on quavers and semi-quavers etc (8th and 16th notes) always go to the right, regardless of the stem direction.
But yeah. I totally got rickroll’d. First time ever too. Dang.
March 10th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Here’s a song… By a gay guy!
March 11th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
[...] And thanks to xkcd’s blag for pointing this out. More specifically, it was a comment from “William” containing the admonition: do not follow this link. i post it only for [...]
March 12th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
You sir, are a bad man.
And since I didn’t figure out what it was by looking, I am a musician who is bad at sight singing.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
[do not follow this link.]
DAMN YOU WILLIAAAAAAM!
(I wonder if it does that every time?)
March 17th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
So I played the .mp3 and went, “Oh, that song. How cute!” Then I read this blog thread.
I was unaware of RickRolling. It would not have occurred to me. Tricking people into listening to… Rick Astley? What started that meme off? And why Astley? Why not something really embarrassing, like, say, ManillowRolling? (And I say this as a loving fan, understand.)
For the record (ha! pun), I listen to far too much ’80s music (FlashBackRadio.com is your friend!). It’s possible that I’d too desensitized to Astley’s repertoire to feel the pain.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
You’ve done it again. That’s amazingly creative and just as awesomely accurate.
THAT’S why I love XKCD.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
dude u have no idea that is so true..i do it in school… ok im in colorguard (first year i marched flute…) and instead of running i jazz run… (i have had to redo the mile before because i “run” the wrong way)
U MUST BE THE DUDE THAT DID THAT TO ME MACY’S………i have not stumbled but fallen down escalators…..stairs… i have even tripped over a little kid because some dummy-head paused the music while i was”walking” with a pile of clothes and talking on my cell….
BUT… it did make me laugh….i texted all my bandies andtold themto go tothe comic and tell others….
MAJOR PROPS….. CO CADETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
This was great. It’s fabulous. :D
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:29 pm
BTW I love that song. :D
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Hahaha, best Rick Roll ever!
Anyways, for those wondering, here’s how Rick Rolling became popular*
When the song came out, everyone thought the singer was black, but then the video came out and they see a scrawny, red-headed dweeb. A Rick Roll is when you give someone a link that is supposedly something they want, and they click it, but all they get is some scrawny, red-headed dweeb.
In both cases, someone was expecting one thing but instead just got a scrawny, red-headed dweeb =D
*Quite possibly complete bogus; just what I figure is reasonable.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Randall… The music in this cartoon looks very professional, but I had to sat (and I notice that no one mentioned it in the forum) that the notes you drew in “Important Life Lessons” 3/24 are backwards. That orientation is not optional, they are actually all backwards, including the upside-down one. I’m surprised that no other anal reader has pointed this out to my knowledge. (Maybe it was because the rest of the drawing was so graphic.)
March 24th, 2008 at 9:13 am
p.s.
Started scanning older comics and you got it right all the other times… Weird.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=128295&in_page_id=7
^ You’re a hit in England.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:14 am
I must bow to you!
HOW
IN
THE
WORLD
did you convince YouTube to RickRoll EVERYONE?! I thought this was bad enough, but you somehow managed to get YouTube to do it? You are amazing!
April 1st, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I’m pretty sure he had nothing to do with the youtube RickRolling today. That just happened on its own. Good job with this one, though! I was one band nerd who didn’t try to figure out the music on my own, but I got RickRolled earlier today and have since been listening to the song on my own all day. So when I clicked to hear the mp3 all I could do was laugh!
April 11th, 2008 at 3:44 am
Best. Rickroll. Ever.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:14 am
I got rickrolled at the bar last night. With video too!
May 9th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Well, at least you now know to be afraid of that chord sequence:
Gb, Ab, Fm , Bbm, Gb, Ab, Fm, Bbm