# It may be a Novelty Song, but it’s also a \*good\* song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 3, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737 "2020-09-03T18:06:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/102 "2020-09-17T13:50:26Z")
I’m judging them in terms of popularity/profitability, not artistically. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/103 "2020-09-17T13:52:10Z")
I think this one is both good and profitable: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y7GeZ3YmONw/hqdefault.jpg "Lonnie Donegan - My Old Man's a Dustman") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7GeZ3YmONw) Dustman = Garbageman ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/104 "2020-09-18T20:09:39Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > **Uncle Bonsai** They were a trio from Seattle in the 1980s; disbanded for a while, and then started doing a few reunion gigs per year. They released more material since reforming than they did in their heyday. I don’t know that I’d quite call them novelty. I’ve heard them compared to Flight of the Conchords; folksy, but with a wry cynicism instead of folk’s usual earnestness. And every now and then they can do something wonderfully sincere and touching. Thank you so much for this recommendation! I had never heard of Uncle Bonsai (guess I didn’t go to college in the 80s), but they’re awesome! I bought the Inessential Uncle Bonsai and totally LOVED it. Thanks, again! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/105 "2020-09-18T20:31:56Z")
Do the boys from the _Dwarf_ remind anyone else of Wham!? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4jnTzBeQJag/hqdefault.jpg "Red Dwarf Extras Season 02 Extra 08 - Tongue Tied - The Uncut Version") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jnTzBeQJag) ---
**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:** [September 19, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/106 "2020-09-19T00:56:34Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Thank you so much for this recommendation! I had never heard of Uncle Bonsai (guess I didn’t go to college in the 80s), but they’re awesome! I bought the Inessential Uncle Bonsai and totally LOVED it. Thanks, again! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for letting me know. Most of their catalog is just as good, although you might skip _Sponge Boy_, and I think it’s all on Spotify. Should you wish to be a true completist, Andrew (the guy) released some solo recordings under the name “Electric Bonsai Band”, and briefly formed a sextet called “Mel Cooleys”. I’ve mentioned Uncle Bonsai on the boards before, and I’m surprised they aren’t a little more popular here. Not as manic and comic as Weird Al, not as literate and satiric as Tom Lehrer, but somewhere in between those two. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/107 "2020-09-19T01:18:18Z")
And beautiful singing! It’s the complete package…good music, clever lyrics and gorgeous voices. I’ve already picked up 2 more CDs (neither is _Sponge Boy_). …which leads me to the rant that I which I could use ear buds, but they don’t fit my ears! Does anyone else have this problem? All the ones I’ve ever tried are too big for my ear holes. So sad. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/108 "2020-09-19T01:38:24Z")
Well, I’ve always liked the following, but considered them to fit into the category of Novelty songs: **How Can I Miss You If You Won’t Go Away** [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rW9-FOLG-iA/hqdefault.jpg "Dan Hicks and his Hot licks-How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW9-FOLG-iA) **It Ain’t The Meat, It’s The Motion** [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8IkNDzvCswU/maxresdefault.jpg "It Ain't the Meat It's the Motion") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IkNDzvCswU) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/109 "2020-09-19T21:53:07Z")
Over 100 posts and no mention of Jonathan Coulton? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8tmzjaN2DWc/maxresdefault.jpg "Re: Your Brains") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tmzjaN2DWc) ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/110 "2020-09-20T05:43:37Z")
My entry for Frank Zappa would be _Titties & Beer_. Great groove, but definitely novelty lyrics. Most of The Bloodhound Gang’s catalog falls in the “amusing once or twice, then never need to hear it again” category, but two decades later I still crank up [The Bad Touch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xat1GVnl8-k) when I hear it on the radio. Pretty good dance party song. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/111 "2020-09-21T05:58:27Z")
Why didn’t I think of this one until now? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Cv6tuzHUuuk/maxresdefault.jpg "The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6tuzHUuuk) ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/112 "2020-09-21T14:40:42Z")
D’oh, how could I have forgotten! Good choice. See also: Creepy Dool, Code Monkey, Skullcrusher Island… ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/113 "2020-09-21T16:28:39Z")
Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys, with the great Bill Emerson on banjo. Jimmy couldn’t make a bad song if he tried. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SbOfRF__i4) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/114 "2020-09-22T03:43:41Z")
This song has been recorded many times. Here’s the original: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/65_-vNtWLLs/hqdefault.jpg "Tex Williams - Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) 1947") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65_-vNtWLLs) ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/115 "2020-09-22T05:57:52Z")
I’m not sure exactly where you draw the line for a Novelty Song, but I think Ministry’s Jesus Built My Hot Rod might qualify as a novelty song since the lyrics are mostly drunken nonsense sampled from the lead singer of Butthole Surfers. That’s the one with lyrics like “Ding ding dong dong dong ding dong Dingy dingy son of a gun”. In Da Gadda Da Vida might also work, it’s definitely a good song but I’m not sure if a song allegedly based off of drunken slurring of “In the Garden of Eden” qualifies. A really interesting one is Prisencolinensinainciusol . It’s a song written by an Italian that is intended to sound like an English-language song to non-English speakers but is actually gibberish outside of an ‘aww right’. The song was actually intended to be about difficulties communicating and not just a novelty so again might not count, but it’s definitely a catchy tune. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-VsmF9m_Nt8/hqdefault.jpg "Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VsmF9m_Nt8) ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/116 "2020-09-22T09:44:50Z")
This song has lyrics - lots of folk do not know that [Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol lyrics](https://lyricstranslate.com/en/adriano-celentano-prisencolinensinainciusol-lyrics.html) ---
**Author:** ![urbanredneck2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/5f8ce5/32.png) [@urbanredneck2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urbanredneck2)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/117 "2020-09-22T11:09:27Z")
The [Shaving Cream song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChvnBVRt__o). I walked in and stepped in a big pile of … shaving cream. ---
**Author:** ![urbanredneck2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/5f8ce5/32.png) [@urbanredneck2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urbanredneck2)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/118 "2020-09-22T11:10:58Z")
Allan Sherman “[Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yFTOvO0utY)”. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2020, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/119 "2020-09-22T13:33:15Z")
In 1967, Sweden switched from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right. It was not a small undertaking. Amid all the logistics and planning, a Swedish TV station had a contest to write the best song for the occasion. The winner was _Håll dig till höger, Svensson_, by The Telstars. The title translates to “keep to the right, Svensson”, and is apparently a bit of a double entendre; going left is slang for having an affair, and keeping to the right means staying with your spouse. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6ODZtwkBYPs/maxresdefault.jpg "The Telstars - Håll dig till höger, Svensson.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ODZtwkBYPs) ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/120 "2020-09-22T14:15:30Z")
Leon Gieco, whose music is not my thing, had a song called “Ojo con los Orozco” in which all the words only use the vowel “o”, which in Spanish has only one sound. All the words are real, and the grammar is correc, if forced, too. Lots of Argentinian slang. The song is catchy and the video insane. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tIgzrqAnw_g/hqdefault.jpg "Leon Gieco - Ojo con los Orozco") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIgzrqAnw_g) > **["Ojo con los Orozco", una letra de León Gieco - Rock.com.ar](https://rock.com.ar/artistas/117/letras/2563)** > > Enciclopedia del rock en Argentina, con novedades, entrevistas, lanzamientos, podcast, historia, rescates de archivo y más. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737/121 "2020-09-22T14:34:42Z")
I Wanna Be A Cowboy [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9wWySln4sY0/maxresdefault.jpg "Boys Don't Cry - I Wanna Be A Cowboy (1985)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWySln4sY0) **Amos Moses** , Jerry Reed: catchy rhythm, good story line. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n7GyLr7Cz2g/hqdefault.jpg "Amos Moses - Jerry Reed") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7GyLr7Cz2g) **She Got The Goldmine (I Got The Shaft)**, Jerry Reed [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oyqe8n-pbqQ/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGH8gLSgdMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBpDJHQmOI0cW2dOg3109zNBMbOzw "Jerry Reed "She Got the Goldmine, I got The Shaft"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyqe8n-pbqQ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-may-be-a-novelty-song-but-it-s-also-a-good-song/919737.md?page=7)