A default installtion of WordPress comes with two plugins; Akismet for spam and Hello Dolly, which displays lyrics from the song in the admin area. The creator of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, is a big jazz fan, which is why the plugin is included.
But does anyone use or activate this plugin? I know that when I install WordPress one of the first things I do is delete the plugin. And I’ve never used it.
While randomly searching the WordPress site for “funny” plugins, I came across a number of replacements for Hello Dolly that insert lyrics from different songs or bands.
Here’s what I found:
- Underneath the Water – Rotates the lyrics to the Eurythmics song Jennifer.
- Don’t Stop Believing – this will replace Hello Dolly with quotes from the classic Journey song
- A Te – displays the lyrics to A Te by Lorenzo Cherubini (I’ve never heard of this).
- Never Gonna Give You Up – lyrics to the infamous song by Rick Astley
- Fighting the Lyrics – this plugin allows you to upload text files containing your favorite song lyrics and will rotate through them in the WordPress admin.
photo credit: Alejo Castillo
Too funny.
I delete Hello Dolly, too, and have no idea what it does.
.-= Ari Herzog´s last blog ..How Electromyography May Change Your Life =-.
Hi Ari – Like Dot mentions it displays lyrics from the song in the WordPress admin area. Now you can have Journey instead ;-)
You are in charge of all those things for me, Kim… I didn’t even know it was there… perhaps because you deleted it for me… Have a great 2010!
.-= Julie Walraven´s last blog ..Break All The Records! =-.
Hi Julie – I probably did delete it :-)
I was wondering what the picture for the article ‘Hello Dolly’ was going to be.
Dolly the sheep? Barbara Streisand? A picture of dolls?
Didn’t think about Dolly Parton.
Touche.
Hi Jim – ha! Tripped you up. When I think of Dolly, Dolly Parton is the first thing that comes to mind. Always.
The plugin :Hello Dolly, for those who don’t know, posts a different line of the song, in sequence, every time you log into Dashboard. What’s unique about the song Hello Dolly is not that it’s particularly great music nor is the song at all current, but it’s that almost every line of the lyrics can stand alone.
I resisted it for a long time as stupid, but then my whimsical side kicked in and I decided I liked to read, “It’s so nice to see you back where you belong” or one of the other welcoming lines of the lyrics.
.-= Dot´s last blog ..Comment on Blogging in 2010 by Patricia =-.
Hi Dot – You’re the first person I’ve come across that uses it. And it was probably intended to make people feel good.
Now there’s another one (search the WordPress Plugin Database for Happiness Today).
Like Hello Dolly, Think Of Happiness Today lyrics standalone quite nicely, though in couplets. Quite fitting, as Scott Kingsley Clark who wrote the song is also a lead developer with Pods CMS plugin that I used to build this plugin.
Unlike Hello Dolly, I’d like to take Happiness Today a step further and make it truly useful, as well as being a Pods plugin teaching tool. It is already useful for those who install WordPress for clients to change the song and links to sales or support text and contact details. I’m looking for more suggestions on how this type of plugin can be more useful.
.-= Keith from shrewdies´s last blog ..Pods WordPress Plugins Double Overnight =-.
Hi Keith – Thanks for the info – you have some interesting ideas on how to generate income from a lyrics plugin.
I removed Hello Dolly… it annoys me.
.-= vered | blogger for hire´s last blog ..Fat People Not Welcome =-.
Hi Vered – Now you can have Journey or Rick Astley instead ;-)
To be honest, I don’t know the purpose of Hello Dolly plugin. I have not activated this plugin because I see no purpose in activating it. :-)
.-= Walter´s last blog ..The essence of giving =-.
Hi Walter – It simply displays a line from the song Hello Dolly at the top of the WordPress admin. I’ve never used it either.
I’ve been using Hello Dolly for a long, long while. I absolutely love it!
.-= Nabil´s last blog ..Jenny was a friend of mine =-.
Hi Nabil – Why do you love it?
In short: I love it!
But now I’m installing Fighting the Lyrics. I’d love to see my own lyrics in my WP-installation :D
HI Nabil – Having you own lyrics in there would be fun.