# Leonard Nimoy and the Bilbo Baggins song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545 "2004-12-18T18:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/1 "2004-12-18T18:23:39Z")
I won’t provide any links because this is too terrible to inflict on anyone, but what in the name of all that doesn’t make me want to scream in futility was that song all about? Yes, I know it’s an ode to crap, but what in God’s name inspired this? Was it part of a reissue of the books? Was he mad that Shatner was getting all sorts of mad props? Did he spend too much time smoking the hobbit whacky tobbacky and listening to Led Zepplin? Was it a song his D&D character sung? Why God, why? A search didn’t turn up anything on the origin of this evil. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/2 "2004-12-18T19:14:14Z")
When you are not a famous person, and you either smoke a ton of pot or drink a bunch of beer, you will sometimes do something that seems like a good idea at the time and if you don’t win a Darwin Award it goes by unnoticed by history. But when you are a famous person, sometimes… ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/3 "2004-12-18T21:31:05Z")
I’m no expert, but it seems to me that a great many people who achieved some level of fame on television in the sixties… released record albums, for some reason. Don’t ask me why. Shatner did. Nimoy did. Patty Duke did. Rooting around in the quarter bins at any old record store will often turn up surprising results. Why? I dunno. But a lot of mid-sixties TV celebrities seem to have done it. Maybe they figured that anyone famous enough to sell a TV show could sell some records, too. And the LOTR books were big enough at the time that a cute little novelty song about Bilbo Baggins would certainly have gone over. Exactly why Nimoy of all people chose to belt it out, well, I dunno. It seems like a strong possibility that they didn’t exactly let him choose his own material. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/4 "2004-12-18T21:51:50Z")
I’ve heard he did a whole album of Tolkien-themed songs (actually I heard he did a whole album of _Lord of the Rings_-themed songs, but the Bilbo song is definitely about _The Hobbit_.) Has anyone heard it? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/5 "2004-12-18T22:11:28Z")
I wonder if the desire to get hippie chicks factors strongly here… ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/6 "2004-12-18T23:05:37Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#): > > I won’t provide any links because this is too terrible to inflict on anyone, … [Linkety Link.](http://www.tolkiencollector.com/bilbobal.htm)😃 For those who haven’t seen it, it is absolutely goddawful. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/7 "2004-12-18T23:45:36Z")
I swear to Og I can remember a discussion on this in here generating the information that this was done for (or on) one of those local teen music shows in the SoCal area, but I can’t find it in Search for the life of me… ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/8 "2004-12-19T00:24:59Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#): > > Was it part of a reissue of the books? Yes. The Lord of the Rings books were published in paperback editions in 1965, and became cult favorites among the college crowd. ---
**Author:** ![counsel\_wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/65b543/32.png) [@counsel\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/counsel_wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/9 "2004-12-19T00:31:26Z")
> [@Master Wang-Ka](#): > > I’m no expert, but it seems to me that a great many people who achieved some level of fame on television in the sixties… released record albums, for some reason. > > Don’t ask me why. Shatner did. Nimoy did. Patty Duke did. Rooting around in the quarter bins at any old record store will often turn up surprising results. I’m dredging this from memory of a conversation on this topic I had some time ago with somebody who was actually around in the 60’s: Apparantly in the 60’s being a TV actor wasn’t as highly paid as it is now, even on popular shows. Thus those who could cash in on the recognition their name generated via other merchandise generally did so purely to generate extra income to tide them over between series. An album can be produced cheaply, requires little effort (compared to say writing a book or a spoken word tour) and thus is ideal for the purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/10 "2004-12-19T00:33:34Z")
Someone is going to hit me, but I think that song is catchy as hell. Every time I hear it, it stays in my head for hours and hours. . . and I don’t exactly hate it. I find it kind of cute. Okay, I’ll go now. . . ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/11 "2004-12-19T01:30:26Z")
The star of a prime time television drama in the 1960s typically made about $5,000 per week of production. Principal photography for a one-hour episode (48 minutes) could be shot in five days, and a season’s run usually had 26 episodes. So estimate that Nimoy made $130,000 per year on _Star Trek_. Convert 1968 dollars to 2003, and that is $685,000, indeed much lower than what today’s television stars make. Also keep in mind that the top U.S. marginal income tax rate in that period was 70-77%. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/12 "2004-12-19T03:32:01Z")
At the time, Nimoy and the rest of the cast had no way to imagine that they’d be able to get acting roles on a regular basis for long enough to make a living at it (and, for the most part, they haven’t). They also couldn’t have foreseen the size and durability of the Trekkie culture that would enable them to make comfortable and durable livings off of convention appearances and autograph signings and the like. Best get it while they could, ya know? ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/13 "2004-12-19T03:43:12Z")
Good grief, that was so bad that I liked it. \ I like it… I like it a lawt. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/14 "2004-12-19T03:59:58Z")
To answer part of the OP, from the Dr. Demento 30th Anniversery Collection CD insert: > [@](#): > > …We somtimes forget that _Star Trek_ belonged to the '60s, since it had so much more impact on our culture later on. But the charmingly quaint music recorded by its stars, Nimoy and William Shatner, is securely frozen in time. “Bilbo Baggins” comes from Nimoy’s second album, released in early 1968, the second year of the show’s original run. The LP was called _ **Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy** _, and the cover shows the star with one Vulcan ear and one human ear, while the disc inside features one side of _Star Trek_-oriented music and one side of further explorations, including this tuneful ditty based on another cherished work of pop culture, J.R.R. Tolkien’s _The Hobbit_. (Bolding mine). “Charmingly quaint,” music??? :rolleyes: I have to disagree. This song is anything but, “charmingly quaint.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/15 "2004-12-19T04:16:28Z")
[Here is more detailed information about the album.](http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/1931/2-sides.html) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/16 "2004-12-19T04:23:29Z")
> [@Alias](#): > > Someone is going to hit me, but I think that song is catchy as hell. Every time I hear it, it stays in my head for hours and hours. . . Good. It’s not just me. I first heard this YEARS ago on the Dr. Demento Show, and just happened to be taping that night. I had the song for YEARS. I love it. I think it’s great. Then again, I also own CDs by kingofthehill and Winger and Neil Diamond. So say what you will about my musical tastes. I’ve heard it all. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/17 "2004-12-19T04:26:25Z")
_How did this happen? How did this ever happen?_ ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/18 "2004-12-19T05:45:47Z")
Well, I think it’s funny. Not a comedy classic, but chuckleworthy in its own way. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/19 "2004-12-19T14:15:20Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Well, I think it’s funny. Not a comedy classic, but chuckleworthy in its own way. Yeah, but I don’t think he was really going for comedy when he recorded it…its funny because it is so bad, no? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545/20 "2004-12-19T17:42:15Z")
Well, Nimoy has, in the last few years, been open about the fact that he is a recovering alcoholic–started drinking during the pressures of Trek’s long workdays (most weekends he did store openings, etc, so he hardly ever rested)–his assistant would sneak him whiskey in paper cups on the set, etc. I think he “got sober” in the 80s. Sir Rhosis [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leonard-nimoy-and-the-bilbo-baggins-song/280545.md?page=2)