# Songs that use sound effects instead of words **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939 "2019-12-16T14:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/1 "2019-12-16T14:04:12Z")
In [another recent thread of mine](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=886049), I mentioned [the closing theme music to _Count Duckula_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmIRwexAcbg). One of the neat things about this song is that in many places it uses sound effects instead of words: > [@](#): > > If you’re feeling [scream] > Or you’re kind of [spooky laugh] > Could be you’ve met up with Duckula > > If your knees go [knocking] > And your teeth go [chattering] > Maybe you’ve bumped into Duckula Another song like this is Monty Python’s [I Bet You They Won’t Play This Song on the Radio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTzM3NnjUuw), which cheerfully lampoons the censor’s bleep: > [@](#): > > I bet you they won’t play this song on the radio. > I bet you they won’t play this new [bleep] song. > It’s not that it’s [buzz] or [toot-toot] controversial > Just that the [ding]-ing words are awfully strong. What other songs use sound effects in place of words? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/2 "2019-12-16T14:40:55Z")
Pink Floyd, “Comfortably Numb” > [@](#): > > O.K. > Just a little pin prick > There’ll be no more… [aaaaaaaah!] > But you might feel a little sick ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/3 "2019-12-16T14:44:45Z")
Paper Planes by MIA. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ewRjZoRtu0Y/maxresdefault.jpg "M.I.A. - Paper Planes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRjZoRtu0Y) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/4 "2019-12-16T16:04:33Z")
Does Phil Harris’s [“The Thing”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2H6qC23RPY) count? ---
**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:** [December 16, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/5 "2019-12-16T17:26:24Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Another song like this is Monty Python’s [I Bet You They Won’t Play This Song on the Radio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTzM3NnjUuw), which cheerfully lampoons the censor’s bleep: > > > [@](#): > > > > I bet you they won’t play this song on the radio. > > I bet you they won’t play this new [bleep] song. > > It’s not that it’s [buzz] or [toot-toot] controversial > > Just that the [ding]-ing words are awfully strong. Along similar lines: [this satire of the War on Christmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwKI82CTp2o). ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/6 "2019-12-16T17:51:43Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Pink Floyd, “Comfortably Numb” I wouldn’t say that’s a sound effect. It’s singing, even if it’s not words. if you count this then you would have to count songs like _Great Gig in the Sky_, _Hocus Pocus_, scat songs, etc. I don’t think that’s what the OP I was asking for, but I may be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/7 "2019-12-16T17:52:02Z")
Tom Paxton’s 1962 song _The Marvelous Toy_ has been covered by The Irish Rovers an d others. I believe that someone, t least, has replaced the toy’s “Zip” “Bop” and “Whirr” with sound effects. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/8 "2019-12-16T18:00:36Z")
Tony Orlando’s _Knock Three Times_. The chorus is “Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me Twice on the pipe means the answer is no” Once during the song the word knock is replaced by a knocking sound ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/9 "2019-12-16T18:03:07Z")
Funny, I was just watching “A Muppet Family Christmas” last night, which features Sesame Street and Muppet characters together. My friend asked who one of the blue characters from Sesame Street was and I explained that it was [Simon Soundman](https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Simon_Soundman). His main deal is that he replaces words with sounds. Two of his songs are “[Simon’s Song](https://scratchpad.fandom.com/wiki/Total_Drama/Simon%27s_Song_(from_Sesame_Street))” (about a dog chasing a cat up a tree) and another is “Song of Love” which is about sounds that remind Simon of his date. I’ve never heard the latter but the former is on one of my favorite albums from when I was a kid. > [@](#): > > I was taking a walk. > Walking with my (barking) > He’s the friendliest (barking) > that you’ll ever see. > But we met a (meow), > a furry old (meow) > and my funny old (barking) > chased her up a tree. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/10 "2019-12-16T18:06:44Z")
Oh kids’ songs. How about “Bingo was his Name-o”? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/11 "2019-12-16T18:21:15Z")
Spike Jones did tons of that. Usually it was just the music using sound effects but sometimes they took the place of lyrics as well. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/12 "2019-12-16T18:26:37Z")
Not a song, but this started out as a children’s record (written by DR. Seuss!), before becoming a cartoon: > **[Gerald McBoing-Boing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_McBoing-Boing)** > > Gerald McBoing-Boing is an animated short film about a little boy who speaks through sound effects instead of spoken words. It was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) and given wide release by Columbia Pictures on November 2, 1950. It was adapted by Phil Eastman and Bill Scott from a story by Dr. Seuss, directed by Robert Cannon, and produced by John Hubley. > Gerald McBoing-Boing won the 1950 Oscar for Best Animated Short. In 1994, it was voted #9 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons of all ti... ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/13 "2019-12-16T19:26:02Z")
How about a song that uses all sound effects? Pink Floyd’s “Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict”. [Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICbbPSXUAmY) ---
**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:** [December 16, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/14 "2019-12-16T19:27:23Z")
Jingle Bells by the[Barking Dogs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xam01uaj6Vg). ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/15 "2019-12-16T19:37:50Z")
Does it count if the sound effects were only used to censor words for the radio edit? In a similar manner to “I Bet You They Won’t Play This Song on the Radio”, The Bloodhound Gang’s “Fire Water Burn” used a donkey sound effect to censor the explicit language when it was played on the radio, but the language was uncensored on the album version. > [@](#): > > We don’t need no water let the mother [hee haw] burn. > Burn mother [hee haw] burn. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/16 "2019-12-16T19:53:33Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > How about a song that uses all sound effects? Pink Floyd’s “Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict”. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICbbPSXUAmY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICbbPSXUAmY) It’s not _all_ sound effects. The Pict has some lines at the end. The first time I heard this song I had never heard the word “Pict” before. My friends and I spent quite some time discussing what it might mean. This was long before the internet, but we did have dictionaries. I’m not sure why we didn’t just look it up. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-sound-effects-instead-of-words/844939/17 "2019-12-16T20:37:18Z")
2nd verse of Lily Allen’s “Friday Night” It’s quarter to and we get to the front Girl on the guest list dressed like a (sound of record scratching) And that’s the version on the CD, not just the radio edit.