Tom Waits- Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis, Neko Case cover
Nope. The title is officially “Rapture”(w/ the italics) to highlight the rapping that is in the song.
Don’t know if it was ever a “hit”, but this one is pretty famous amongst the nerd circuit: William Shatner - Rocket Man
I might’ve missed their mentions earlier in the thread, but Charlie Daniels had several hits that fit the bill, including:
Devil Went Down to Georgia
The Legend of Wooley Swamp
Uneasy Rider
… aaaand now I see that X.L. Lent beat me to Uneasy Rider.
Here’s a REAL doozy:
Think - “Once You Understand”
It was SORT OF a hit, and it was SORT OF a song. Be sure to stick around through the part that begins at 3:15 in the linked video.
Lord Buckley. “The Nazz [Christ] had them pretty eyes, he wanted everybody to see through his eyes so they could see how pretty it was . . .”
Atlantis by Donovan
The beginning is spoken
If we’re going in that direction, then mention should probably be made of Ken Nordine. (Who, by the way, was born in 1920 and is still hosting a weekly radio show.)