# Allan Sherman: My Son, The Nut **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919 "2010-10-30T21:47:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/1 "2010-10-30T21:47:12Z")
As a teen, or possibly a young adult, my mom gave me Allan Sherman’s _My Son, The Nut_ LP. I still have it somewhere. It’s finally out on CD (or maybe it has been, but I never noticed), and I’m transferring it into iTunes now. [ul][li]_You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie_ (_La Marseillaise_, _You Came A Long Way From St. Louis_, and the _Peter Gunn_ theme)[/li][li]_Automation_ (_Fascination_)[/li][li]_I See Bones_ (_C’est si bon_)[/li][li]_Hungarian Goulash No 5_ (_Brahms Hungarian Dance Number 5_)[/li][li]_Headaches_ (_Heartaches_)[/li][li]_Here’s To The Crabgrass_ (_Country Gardens_)[/li][li]_Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter From Camp)_ (_Dance of the Hours_)[/li][li]_One Hippopotami_ (_What Kind of Fool Am I_)[/li][li]_RRAATTFFIIINNKK_ (_Rag Mop_)[/li][li]_You’re Getting To Be A Rabbit With Me_ (_You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me_)[/li][li]_Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue_ ([_Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=581427))[/li][li]_Hail To Thee, Fat Person_[/ul][/li]Was I even alive when the songs parodied were popular? But my musical tastes are eclectic, and I’ve heard most of the originals. I think everyone has heard _Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh_. A lot of people here probably remember _RRAATTFFIIINNKK_. But the one that has stuck with me the most is _I See Bones_. That’s the one that most often comes to mind. And _You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie_ is where I learned the phrase ‘giving you the air’. This is funny stuff. Allan Sherman was the Weird Al of his day. He died too young. EDIT: Whoops. This was supposed to go into Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/2 "2010-10-30T21:54:48Z")
Done. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/3 "2010-10-30T21:59:20Z")
I remember that album well. The local radio station used to play “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” and others all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/4 "2010-10-30T22:31:02Z")
My parents had that album; I loved it and listened to it over and over. I was young enough that I didn’t realize most of the songs were parodies, and was startled years later to discover that there were real songs called **Fascination** , **Rag Mop** , etc. I do believe I can still recall the words to most of the Sherman versions without hesitation. (“Here’s to the crabgrass, here’s to the mortgage, in fact here’s to suburbia. Lay down your briefcase, far from the rat race where nothing can disturb ya.” I could go on, but would be entertaining nobody but myself.) A year or so ago I searched iTunes and Amazon in vain, and am THRILLED to hear from the OP that the CD is now available. I shall go order it immediately. Here’s to Allan Sherman! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/5 "2010-10-30T22:34:04Z")
> [@Proudest\_Monkey](#): > > A year or so ago I searched iTunes and Amazon in vain, and am THRILLED to hear from the OP that the CD is now available. I shall go order it immediately. Me too! And I did. 🙂 > [@Proudest\_Monkey](#): > > Here’s to Allan Sherman! Hail to thee, Fat Person! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/6 "2010-10-30T23:08:47Z")
\*You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie \*is the only reason I can remember what year the French Revolution occurred! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/7 "2010-10-30T23:26:23Z")
Our neighbors had the album when I was a kid. My favorite was: Eight foot two Solid blue Two transistors in each shoe Has anybody seen my gal? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/8 "2010-10-30T23:37:37Z")
[Skin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZI12WHWvAg) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/9 "2010-10-30T23:47:05Z")
[Allan Sherman with Dean Martin and Vic Damone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vR9cT6Jyg4&NR=1) ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/10 "2010-10-31T02:32:41Z")
My grandparents had a few of Sherman’s albums, and the one in the OP is the one that became my favorite. I still have it on vinyl. It’s in terrible shape, but each time I try and thin the herd and I see that cover it cracks me up, and puts me instantly in my grandparents’ living room playing it on their tremendous Hi-Fi console. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/11 "2010-10-31T02:38:10Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > My grandparents had a few of Sherman’s albums, and the one in the OP is the one that became my favorite. > > I still have it on vinyl. It’s in terrible shape, but each time I try and thin the herd and I see that cover it cracks me up, and puts me instantly in my grandparents’ living room playing it on their tremendous Hi-Fi console. I grew up with several in the house( Tom Lehrer also, my parents were weird.) [Peter And The Commissar](http://www.amazon.com/Commissar-Arthur-Fiedler-Boston-Sherman/dp/B0002LO7GU) was my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/12 "2010-10-31T14:25:22Z")
It wasn’t Christmas until we heard Allan Sherman’s parody of _[The Twelve Days of Christmas.](http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Gifts-Christmas-LP-Version/dp/B0012486QI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288535026&sr=8-3)_ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/13 "2010-10-31T15:44:59Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Our neighbors had the album when I was a kid. My favorite was: > > Eight foot two > Solid blue > Two transistors in each shoe > Has anybody seen my gal? I loved that song as a kid. But later, I wondered if he was talking about a Martian, or a robot? Not the same thing! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/14 "2010-10-31T16:17:12Z")
I wondered the same thing. But back then nobody had heard of cyborgs. Another thing I wonder is why my mom decided to give me that album. (Not that my parents had a great number of albums anyway.) Was there a message in the title? ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/15 "2010-11-01T09:50:40Z")
That one still resides in my mom’s cellar somewhere, alongside _Peter and the Commissar_, _My Son the Folk Singer_, and his first album which featured a number of other comedians (and some genuine Yiddish). For the completists, there is [_My Son, the Box_](http://www.amazon.com/My-Son-Box-Allan-Sherman/dp/B000BNWNRY), which claims to be every damned thing Sherman ever recorded. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/16 "2010-11-01T13:56:29Z")
There is a six disk set called “My Son, the Boxed Set” that contains all three albums (_My Son the Folksinger, My Son the Celebrity, My Son the Nut)_ plus lots of additional performances. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/17 "2010-11-01T15:27:28Z")
No kiddin’? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/18 "2010-11-01T15:36:09Z")
> [@Proudest\_Monkey](#): > > My parents had that album; I loved it and listened to it over and over. I was young enough that I didn’t realize most of the songs were parodies, and was startled years later to discover that there were real songs called **Fascination** , **Rag Mop** , etc. I do believe I can still recall the words to most of the Sherman versions without hesitation. (“Here’s to the crabgrass, here’s to the mortgage, in fact here’s to suburbia. Lay down your briefcase, far from the rat race where nothing can disturb ya.” I could go on, but would be entertaining nobody but myself.) Me too me too! My folks had this in our record collection and I played the hell out of it as a kid (in the 80’s)!! ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/19 "2010-11-01T16:02:22Z")
My Dad had this record, and as pre-teens my brother and I listened to it all the time. Whenever I mow our lawn I start humming to myself, “Here’s to the crabgrass, here’s to the mortgage…” _I See Bones_ was also a favorite. I should get this on CD. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919/20 "2010-11-01T18:33:09Z")
I’d been looking for this for my older brother because I seem to have acquired his record sometime ago. I was going to return it with a cd of the same but the only cd I could find was a compilation of songs called “My Son, The Greatest”. So now I can keep that one for myself and get him “The Nut” after all. I had all the songs memorized as a kid. The one that sticks with me most is “I See Bones”, everytime we look at x-rays at work I sing it. Everyone thinks I’m weird but that’s not all the song’s fault. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allan-sherman-my-son-the-nut/558919.md?page=2)