Lyr Add: & background request - oxygen bar

Subject: background request - oxygen bar
From: Philippa
Date: 23 Feb 99 - 08:54 AM

I learned some songs from my parents which I have since come across from other sources. But I only ever heard the air meter song from my mother:

Someday there will be a big company
That will buy up all the air;
The rich will whiff and the poor will sniff
And there'll be no air to spare.
There'll be a meter; the company cheater
Will ring up as you snore
And if you're broke, you're going to choke
When they buy up all the air.

Can you picture it folks, just a nickel a smell,
And every time you take a breath
The meter will ring a bell
There'll be a meter; the company cheater
Will ring up as you snore
And if you're broke, you're going to choke
When they buy up all the air.

Do you know this song too? Can you tell me anything about its origin (author, etc)?

Subject: RE: background request - oxygen bar
From: MMario
Date: 26 Aug 99 - 02:24 PM

I've seen this before....early filk? Don't remember where, and it COULD have been in SF story or novel or magazine....

Subject: RE: background request - oxygen bar
From: Philippa
Date: 26 Aug 99 - 02:31 PM

I'm glad to see a response!
I reckon the song is at least 50 years old.

Subject: RE: background request - oxygen bar
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Aug 99 - 02:52 PM

What's ironic is this is the latest trend in Hollywood, etc. actors and others are going into oxygen bars to get whiffs of fresh air. Some even have contracts stating cannisters of oxygen must be available for them on the set.

Doubly ironic...my insurance company has to pay for mine which is necessary for healing!

katlaughing@thegoodsong!

Subject: RE: background request - oxygen bar
From: MMario
Date: 26 Aug 99 - 03:04 PM

Just finished doing a search -- 189 hits all dealing with oxygen bars, mostly in hollywood, but some in spas...everything from $10/hour to $15 dollars for a 3 minute "hit" - and that's just what I could see from scanning the synopsis! (synopsi?)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: & background request - oxygen bar
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jan 10 - 01:44 PM

Philippa posted these lyrics again in 2001 in the thread Help: songs about utilities (!?) and she called it THE HOT AIR COMPANY. And again she asked if anyone recognized the song and no one replied.

I figure the song deserves another go-round.