# Favourite Novelty Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664 "2009-04-28T20:57:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/61 "2009-04-29T17:36:22Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > Forgot Birdhouse In Your Soul by TMBG! That’s a novelty song? We made it the second dance at our wedding reception! > [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Mojo Nixon’s _Elvis Is Everywhere_. Also his _Orenthal James (Was A Mighty Bad Man)_. What the hell, pretty much anything he ever recorded. Including _Don Henley Must Die_ and _Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child_. Also “She’s Vibrator Dependent”, “Stuffin Martha’s Muffin”, “Pirate Radio”… I don’t know how to define “novelty song” either. “Fire Water Burn” by Bloodhound Gang “David Duchovny” by Bree Sharp “Scurvy” by Captain Bogg and Salty “Dingo” by Chub “Tiger Woods” by Dan Bern “The Picard Song” by DarkMateria The Star Trek songs by James Lileks “Still Alive” by Jonathan Coulton and Ellen McLain (from Portal) “Detachable Penis” by King Missile “Flower” by Liz Phair Then there’s the category of ironic covers: “I Will Survive” by Cake “Bombtrack” by Duckmandu “Baby Got Back” by Jonathan Coulton Anything by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes “Straight Out of Compton” by Nina Gordon I’m not even going to start listing mash-ups that combine songs chosen for their wrongness together. ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/62 "2009-04-29T18:01:39Z")
\*Blind Man’s Penis \*by John Trubee. See and hear it here (broken link): http:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH8uZgtztok ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/63 "2009-04-29T18:20:49Z")
“ILBT’s” and “The Worry Song” by Joe Walsh. “Roland the Roadie and Gertrude the Groupie” by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. “The Masochism Tango” by Tom Lehrer. A whole lot of songs by Spike Jones and the City Slickers. “My Old Flame”, “Beetlebum”, “Pal-Yat-Chee”, “You Always Hurt The One You Love”, and many others. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/64 "2009-04-29T18:35:43Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > If we’re including parodies, there’s also “Bloat On” by Cheech and Chong. Aw, that song’s no good. “Black Lassie” by C&C is much better. “Aw, shuddup yourself, I wasn’t gonna say ‘bitch’” ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/65 "2009-04-29T18:43:50Z")
Can’t believe I’m the first with this: [Fats Waller Your Feets too Big](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE-maxEOc4Q) Also another vote for “Poisoning Pidgeons in the Park” [The Cigar Song, Brad Paisley](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoBmCl-q_54) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/66 "2009-04-29T18:49:30Z")
Most of my have been mentioned, including “On the Shoulders of Freaks”. But here are a few more. “The Hate Song” from _The MAD Show_ “Ill Wind”, Flanders and Swann “The Gnu Song”, ditto ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/67 "2009-04-29T19:00:35Z")
Waaaaaay back in 1992, Dr. Demento featured a song that I still remember, even if I don’t remember who did it. It was a parody of Glinda’s “Come out, come out” song from the Wizard of Oz, except it was about Clinton. o/` Come out, come out, wherever you've been. 'Cause being a liberal's no longer a sin. We bring you good news, or haven't you heard? When he fell out of Arkansas a miracle occurred. o/` ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/68 "2009-04-29T19:05:39Z")
“National Brotherhood Week” and “Vatican Rag”, Tom Lehrer “A Mother’s Lament,” Cream I don’t know if they count as novelty songs or not, but Warren Zevon’s “Mr. Bad Example” and “Rotweiler Blues” crack me up every time. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/69 "2009-04-29T19:06:20Z")
The most hilariously bad song ever,[The Most Unwanted Song](http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/04/a-scientific-at.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/70 "2009-04-29T19:15:37Z")
> [@initech](#): > > “One More Minute” by Weird Al. I seriously considered using this at my wedding, but I wasn’t sure if many people would find it humorous (including my husband)! My brother, my cousin, and I went through a great Ray Stevens phase when we were teenagers. My most fondly remembered is the one about the pirate who wants to sing and dance (hmm, I see it is called The Pirate Song), and of course The Mississippi Squirrel Revival. We were all amused as adults when the cousin moved to Pascagoulah, that sleepy little town. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/71 "2009-04-29T19:17:46Z")
There was a Ray Stevens song that consisted of nothing but (not real) chickens clucking and crowing the tune of “In The Mood”. Every time I hear that damn thing I see a fully realized Muppet Show sketch in my head… ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/72 "2009-04-29T20:00:28Z")
“Roomful of Clues” by Doug and the Slugs “Lonesome Cowboy Bert” by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention “Magdalena” also by FZ&MoI “You’re Breakin’ My Heart” by Harry Nillson “Take 54” also by HN “Faraway Eyes” by The Rolling Stones If you can find "You Don’t Have To Call Me Darlin’ " by David Allen Coe on a jukebox anywhere, people will sing along, sometimes a the top of their lungs. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/73 "2009-04-29T21:03:48Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > If you can find "You Don’t Have To Call Me Darlin’ " by David Allen Coe on a jukebox anywhere, people will sing along, sometimes a the top of their lungs. Actually, it’s [You Never Even Called Me By My Name](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEo8poVlQrM). It’s sometimes referred as “The Best Country Song in the World” because of the last verse. Just about all of DAC’s songs would fit into this category, albeit the majority would have parental warning stickers. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/74 "2009-04-29T23:39:10Z")
My favorite Spike Jones tune: [Pal-Yat-Chee](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7EobJgARUo) ---
**Author:** ![Ferd\_Burfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Ferd\_Burfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferd_Burfel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/75 "2009-04-30T02:43:43Z")
Some of my favorites have already been named, but I’ll add these. Please Mr. Custer by Larry Verne Leader Of The Laundromat by The Detergents [Tennessee Bird Walk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-OrVQaqkg0) by Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan [Who Put The Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy’s Ovaltine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ5_SyvxDXE) by Harry “The Hipster” Gibson Dancin’ Fool by Frank Zappa [Disco Sucks](http://chuckmaultsby.net/id11.html) by Chuck Wagon and the Wheels God’s Own Drunk by Jimmy Buffett (the live version from **You Had To Be There!** ) ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/76 "2009-04-30T04:30:39Z")
One song that came to mind was [Scatman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHLEm9-0bg) by Scatman John. Not a “novelty” song in the sense of some of the others posted here, but it certainly is _novel_. Out of curiosity, I looked up the background, and it’s actually pretty amazing: [Scatman John, aka John Paul Larkin](http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/pioneers/scatman.html), was an American jazz musician who suffered from severe stuttering all his life. While initially a jazz pianist, in his 50’s he discovered that he could parlay his stuttering into an innate talent for scat-singing, and went on to release three albums. The lyrics to his initial hit “Scatman” were meant to inspire children who stuttered. He was the recipient of multiple awards for his community outreach before he passed away in 1999. Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/77 "2009-04-30T06:11:23Z")
\*\*\*\*A few of my favorites: **Asylum Street Spankers** If You Loved Me (“You’d sleep on the wet spot; you’d buy my tampons,” etc.) Austin Lounge Lizards\*\* The Shallow End of the Gene Pool Teenage Immigrant Welfare Mothers On Drugs Merchant’s Lunch Will There Be Banjo Players in Heaven? **The Bobs** Kill Your Television (lyrics from bumper stickers) Meat on the Moon Elwood P. Decker Spray Too Cool to Care **Buchanan & Goodman** Flying Saucer, Parts 1 & 2 **Christine Lavin** What Was I Thinking? Nobody’s Fat in Aspen **Da Vinci’s Notebook** Internet Porn **Dierdre Flint** The Boob Fairy Never Came for Me **Edd Byrnes & Connie Stevens** Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb **Hudson & Landry** Two Top 40 DJs (yes, it got airplay on Top 40 stations with a sense of humor) **Lonnie Wayne Flemmer** Alien Abduction Probe **Paul Peterson** She Can’t Find Her Keys and lots, lots more ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/78 "2009-04-30T07:40:47Z")
[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xBxZGQ1dJk)’s a video of Steve Goodman singing **A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request** on one of the rooftops overlooking Wrigley Field. It’s a great song; a lifelong Cubs fan describes his ideal funeral, designed to commemorate the heartaches that his loyalty has brought.Goodman was diagnosed with leukemia in his early 20’s, and knew he was living on borrowed time. He died at 36. Some of his ashes are scattered on the field behind him in the video. Another favorite group is **Uncle Bonsai**. I’ve always thought they should be a favorite of Tom Lehrer fans; they have some of the same playful cleverness in their lyrics. Bonsai songs tend to span the satire/sentimental spectrum; occasionally at either extreme, often somewhere in the middle. Sadly, there’s very little of them on the web. [Cheerleaders on Drugs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRymnWJJey8) on youtube [I Awoke in Iowa](http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2792399) on myspace [Four songs](http://www.unclebonsai.com/audio.htm) on [unclebonsai.com](http://unclebonsai.com) [Someone lipsyncing to _Penis Envy_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xeI2ehwSU) on youtube ---
**Author:** ![born\_too\_late](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@born\_too\_late](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/born_too_late)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/79 "2009-04-30T16:56:11Z")
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Ween yet. The obvious: Voodoo Lady, Push th’ Little Daisies. Other gems: Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain, The Stallion pt3, Spinal Meningitis, etc. They are brilliant and talented (and yet often lowbrow) satirist/mimics of almost every musical convention ever. Also, can’t forget Tenacious D. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664/80 "2009-04-30T17:49:00Z")
**Soupy Sales** The Mouse Pafalafaka **Mad** [It’s a Gas!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWe1KvHzVx4) I Accidentally Messed Up His Hair The Biggest Mouth in Town Don’t Put Onions on your Hamburger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-novelty-songs/494664.md?page=5)