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Onomatopoeia – a Hoot of a Song from Todd Rundgren

By January 29, 2020October 20th, 2023No Comments
screen capture of Todd Rundgren performing his Onomatopoeia song in Amsterdam with The Metropole Orchestra in Amsterdam

Todd Rundgren’s song, Onomatopoeia is lively. It’s fun. And it’s educational. It reinforces the importance of making your communication interesting and engaging. I was on YouTube doing some research on figures of speech and serendipity rewarded me with the link for Rundgren singing the Onomatopoeia song.

You see, as part of my storytelling and public speaking coaching and consulting, I strongly, strongly encourage you to use a variety of figures of speech to improve your impact. Onomatopoeia is one that makes stories, training, meetings, etc. much more interesting and lively.

IMPROVE YOUR STORYTELLING & PUBLIC SPEAKING

Most of my favorite figures of speech are based on repetition. And best of all, they are easy to incorporate into your spoken and written communication.

Here is the link to all of our posts on figures of speech. They include an explanation, pronunciation, how to use the figure of speech, and examples (visit). Here is the link to our posts with personal stories, all of which include figures of speech (visit).

Onomatopoeia in Concert

Information about the Onomatopoeia song, the lyrics, and links to two different Rundgren’s performances follow.

SONG LYRICS

Onomatopoeia from Hermit of Mink Hollow Album. Onomatopoeia Lyrics written by Rundgren. I found the lyrics on Genius.com.

[Verse 1]
Onomatopoeia every time I see ya
My senses tell me hubba
And I just can’t disagree
I get a feeling in my heart that I can’t describe
It’s sort of lub, dub, lub, dub
A sound in my head that I can’t describe
It’s sort of zoom, zip, hiccup, drip
Ding, dong, crunch, crack, bark, meow, whinnie, quack
Yeah

[Verse 2]
Onomatopoeia in proximity ya
Rearrange my brain in a strange cacophony
I get a feeling somewhere that I can’t describe
It’s sort of uh, uh, uh, uh
A sound in my head that I can’t describe
It’s sort of whack, whir, wheeze, whine
Sputter, splat, squirt, scrape
Clink, clank, clunk, clatter
Crash, bang, beep, buzz
Ring, rip, roar, retch
Twang, toot, tinkle, thud
Pop, plop, plunk, pow
Snort, snuk, sniff, smack
Screech, splash, squish, squeek
Jingle, rattle, squeel, boing
Honk, hoot, hack, belch
Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

Photography Source:  Screen capture from video
#chiefstoryteller #communication #figuresofspeech #language #rhetoric

Todd Rundgren performing live the song, Onomatopoeia, with The Metropole Orchestra in Amsterdam. Onomatopoeia song performance starts at 39:46.

Todd Rundgren performing live the song, Onomatopoeia, with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra in Illinois.

Ira Koretsky

Ira Koretsky has built The Chief Storyteller® into one of the most recognized names in communication, especially business storytelling. He has delivered over 500 keynote presentations and workshops in nearly a dozen countries, in more than one hundred cities, across 30 plus industries. His specialties are simplifying the complex and communicating when the stakes are high. He is also an adjunct professor in public speaking and storytelling at the University of Maryland's Business School. With over 25 years of experience, he is a sought-after storytelling coach, global speaker, trainer, consultant, communication coach, and public speaking coach.