“I’m a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with My Honolulu Mama Singin’ Those Beat-o. Beat-o, Flat on My Seat-o, Hirohito Blues.”
Yes, this is the TITLE. This “party song” was written our national treasure, Hoagy Carmichael, who also gave us STARDUST and SKYLARK.
I like F* Christmas** (listed without censorship) by FEAR and I Got a Right to sing the Blu, by a band whose name I can’t remember. The second was funny because the only words in the song were the title, and the singer just sort of trailed off in the middle of the last word. I like the titles of a lot of songs by Japanese bands too…Boredoms and Takako Minekawa come up with good ones.
Anything by Jad Fair:
Example:
“Retired Grocer Constructs Tiny Mount Rushmore Entirely of Cheese”
“Nevada Man Invents Piano with 21 Extra Keys”
“Dedicated Thespian Has Teeth Pulled to Play Newborn Baby in High School Play.” “Take the skinheads bowling”
“!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er’yehT” always amused me. It’s a B side to “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!”
Wally Pleasant has always had some of the funniest song titles to the funniest songs. My favorites are “How I got Lost On the Road Less Traveled But Then Got Instant Karma on I-96”, “Post Graduate Overeducated Out Of Work Blues” and “The Day Ted Nugent Killed All The Animals.”
Meatloaf sings several songs written by Jim Steinman with funny titles. Here are a few: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
I’d Lie for You (And That’s the Truth)
Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back*
The “Rubber” is a condom
Christine Lavin also gave us an entire album called Getting in Touch With My Inner Bitch which contains the songs What Was I Thinking In 1999 (this is complete with a Monica Lewinsky reference) and Piranha Women of the Avocado Jungle of Death, based on the title of a movie.
Jim Steinman has quite a few good titles, Two out of Three (ain’t bad) with the Chorus “I want you, I need you, but there is no way I’m ever going to love you, but don’t be sad, two out of three ain’t bad” Or Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
I do hate to say it but Jim can’t take credit for I’d Lie for You (And That’s the Truth) by Diana Warren or Where the Rubber Meets the Road. He did however pen Original Sin on the same album Chorus (Now I’m looking for an Original Sin, one with a twist and a bit of a spin…"