Reno Dakota

Reno Dakota is a documetary film-maker (see his [biography]). He is included on the 'Thanks' credits for the album, presumably for allowing this use of his name — the song now being much more widely known than him or his work.

'It's making me blue / Pantone 292'

Pantone® 292 is known as 'bluebird' or sometimes 'cornflower blue.' See [sample]. There are not any other blues with Pantone numbers ending it 'two' that would maintain the rhyme scheme. Stephin has also given the name Carolyn Eve Green to Pantone 7498 according to this [press release] — possibly a privilege extended to him in recognition of previous product placement.

'Reno Dakota I'm no Nino Rota / I don't know the score'

[Nino Rota] (1911-1979) was a soundtrack composer who enjoyed a long partnership with film-maker [Federico Fellini], as well as writing some of the music for The Godfather films. Rota's credits include the Fellini film 8½, to which there is a reference in Promises of Eternity.

'Reno that's just a ruse / Do not play fast and loose'

This is one of many songwriter jokes on the album, as this couplet plays fast and loose with the rhyme scheme — 'ruse' and 'loose' being a false rhyme (note: this is based on UK English pronunciation, where 'ruse' rhymes with 'choose', but not 'moose' — speakers of US English, please correct this if standard pronunciation is different in America).

Links:

• Categories: songs featuring place names, songs featuring gender or sexuality switches.
• [Lyrics and guitar tab] from stephinsongs web site.