Talk:Woo-woo

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Cool article. I can barely remember old horror movies, and I wonder if the younger generation might be more familiar with the theme music to The X-Files. Not that you're not the younger generation yourself, of course.

Thanks. I like your additions, particularly the final sentence. I don't think the Theramin was used in the X-Files theme. Probably the most well-known example of a Theramin is in The Beach Boys' Good Vibrations. And I'm 47 years old, so I'm in an older generation than most, I'm afraid. --Rslancastr 8 September 2005 19:33 (GMT)

How about the Doctor Who theme? Not sure about whether it was an actual theremin but it does have that woo-woo sound to it.

[edit] Alternate suggestions

"Woo woo" clearly has an assonance to it. Two suggestions:

1. Wooooooooo, as a sound stereotypically made by (a person immitating) a ghost

2. Wooooooooo, as in "oooooooooo" (oo as in boot, or woo), a sound made by someone awed by some phenomenon

My bet is #2. That's how I've always thought of it. "Look! By holding bells on a string you can see what your baby will be! Wooooooooo!"

I always thought that woo-woo had some thing to do with steam trains. Something along the lines of "The train of resonable thought has left the station..." The woo-woo being the sound the trains whistle makes. I can imagine a cartoon character like Wile E Coyote pulling an imaginary whistle cord and saying "woo-woo!" whilst steam comes out of his ears. -- jr