# Novelty Songs post-1984 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350 "2013-11-07T18:50:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/81 "2013-11-12T14:59:56Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’m actually not too familiar with novelty songs, and I popped in because I was curious what people came up with. However, this board has a tendency to pull out some really bizarre choices for stuff (Example… Q: “What’s the most underrated movie of the 70s?” A: “Star Wars”) and that started happening within less than an hour. So I decided to jump in and point out that slightly odd singles from massively popular bands aren’t really “novelty songs.” Who elected you the Lord and High Master of Novelty Song Classification? 😛 When you say you’re “pointing it out” you are assuming that you’re in a position of knowledge where the other posters aren’t. You may well be more knowledgeable about the matter, but we don’t know that, so your posts seemed kind of dickish (IMHO). If you disagreed and told us _why_, that would have been interesting/useful/non-dickish. So what makes a novelty song a novelty song in your estimation? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/82 "2013-11-12T15:11:38Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > So what makes a novelty song a novelty song in your estimation? Honestly, it has to be “novel” in some way. The latest single from The Barenaked Ladies or The Offspring or Fountains of Wayne were not created with any sort of “novel” intent. They were put out there because those are bands that make music. I’m pretty familiar with the catalogs of all three bands and there’s really nothing in “If I Had A Million Dollars,” “Pretty Fly For A White Guy,” or “Stacy’s Mom” that makes them standout against everything else these bands have done. And as I said, both “Pretty Fly For A White Guy” and “Stacy’s Mom” were part of albums that could be classified as concept albums. The lyrics are a little bizarre in both because they’re meant tell stories (incidentally, both albums are about suburbia). What’s novel about “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”? Is it just because the singer has a deep voice? It’s pretty straight-forward grunge lyrically. “One Week” is just another word salad song. There’s so many of them (see also “It’s the End As We Know It And I Feel Fine” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” among others) that calling it a novelty is absurd. Bloodhound Gang’s “The Bad Touch” is performed in the style of all their other songs, including “Fire Water Burn,” they’re biggest hit. The same can be said of “King of Spain” and Moxy Fruvous. If it’s not novel for the band that made it, how can it be a novelty song? And whoever said “Fight for your Right to Party” has obviously never listened to the rest of Licensed to Ill (or any other Beastie Boys songs for that matter). ---
**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:** [November 12, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/83 "2013-11-12T15:23:13Z")
What about an artist whose entire catalog is novelty songs? Weird Al Yankovich and Spike Jones come to mind. Are their songs novelty songs (as they seem to me to be by definition) or are they not because the rest of their catalog is the same? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/84 "2013-11-12T15:26:26Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > What about an artist whose entire catalog is novelty songs? Weird Al Yankovich and Spike Jones come to mind. Are their songs novelty songs (as they seem to me to be by definition) or are they not because the rest of their catalog is the same? If you’re asking me, I’d say no. They’re clearly comedic singers, but I don’t think of that as novelty. Especially when Weird Al can parody something “serious” like “Gangsta’s Paradise” or “American Pie” and make his version sound exactly the same, albeit with different lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/85 "2013-11-12T17:06:32Z")
What about [Detachable Penis](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIUk08iYZKE) by King Missile? If that isn’t a novelty song then novelty songs don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/86 "2013-11-12T17:07:50Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > What about [Detachable Penis](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIUk08iYZKE) by King Missile? If that isn’t a novelty song then novelty songs don’t exist. [Mills Lane] I’ll allow it. [/Mills Lane] ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/87 "2013-11-12T20:48:51Z")
A novelty song is famous for something other than its lyrical, vocal or instrumental brilliance. It’s freakish and memorable in some other respect. The entire bodies of work of They Might be Giants, Weem, Weird Al, Melanie, Bruce Willis and Julie Brown can be considered “novelty” songs. Jim Stafford is the patron saint of novelty song musicians. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/88 "2013-11-12T21:10:28Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > A novelty song is famous for something other than its lyrical, vocal or instrumental brilliance. It’s freakish and memorable in some other respect. The entire bodies of work of They Might be Giants, Weem, Weird Al, Melanie, Bruce Willis and Julie Brown can be considered “novelty” songs. Jim Stafford is the patron saint of novelty song musicians. I’m sorry, but don’t people enjoy Weird Al and They Might Be Giants because of the crazy lyrics. Wouldn’t that disqualify them due to your own criteria? ---
**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:** [November 12, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/89 "2013-11-12T21:21:49Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’m sorry, but don’t people enjoy Weird Al and They Might Be Giants because of the crazy lyrics. Undoubtedly, though, at least IMO, what would make their well-known or hit songs “novelty” is not that they’re unusual for them as artists (since, yes, Yankovic has made a career out of funny songs), but the fact that such a song actually makes a ripple on the charts / in popular culture. In that sense, they’re “novelties”, because very few songs which are intentionally offbeat / humorous / parodies become hits. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/90 "2013-11-12T22:39:41Z")
_Big Bad Voodoo Daddy_ did **Mr Heatmiser** for their Christmas album. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/91 "2013-11-12T23:13:03Z")
Maybe the OP just needs to change the theme name from “Novelty Songs”, maybe to “Comedy Songs” or “Amusing Songs” or something, to make more of the suggestions fit the theme. Otherwise you might have to get rid of _Who Let the Dogs Out_ as well, since some people might think it doesn’t fit the theme of “Novelty Songs”. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/92 "2013-11-13T14:50:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’m sorry, but don’t people enjoy Weird Al and They Might Be Giants because of the crazy lyrics. Wouldn’t that disqualify them due to your own criteria? But…but _everybody_ wants a rock to wind a piece of string around! ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/93 "2013-11-13T20:00:45Z")
[Liam Lynch: United States of Whatever](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz7_3n7xyDg) And I know Corky and the Juice Pigs were mentioned but my fave of theirs is [the Panda Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGTOxvgCXng) ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/94 "2013-11-13T22:35:45Z")
> [@Clothilde](#): > > **divemaster** , how about “Do the Bartman” by the Simpsons … … or the cover in Japanese by [Shonen Knife](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjpnCWrsQ1I)? I can’t believe they haven’t been mentioned yet! [Da Da Da](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35iKfS76TBY) by Trio is from 1982, and may not qualify as a novelty song under **Justin\_Bailey** ’s strict definition, but I hope to Og the OP’s not listening to him and is using this thread to come up with some good choices for his party game. The reason I thought of it was the [more-recent-than-1984 Volkswagen commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_s5-R_JE4c) that used it. One that _would_ qualify, and that’s going to be right on the edge of 1984: how about [Eat My Shorts](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTokei9-jw8) by Rick Dees? I lived in Riverside, California, back then, and remember Dees being on 102.7 KIIS FM. This got some airplay when he was around. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350/95 "2013-11-13T23:31:46Z")
Technohead [I want to be a hippy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmYi5u9BhtI) I apologise unreservedly to anyone who now has that stuck in their heads. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novelty-songs-post-1984/673350.md?page=4)