How Many Blondes Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb???

Pretty sure when you go to unscrew a burned out light bulb to replace it with a shiny new one it is not supposed to come out of the socket with out it's base!?!  Now I have the open metal base connected to a live socket and no bulb...hmmm.  I called Mom for ideas and she said she'd heard you could use a potato but I didn't have any.  In the end, with the breaker turned off I was able to unscrew the metal base without getting electrocuted and a new light proudly shines in the socket where this bulb casualty took place!