Your top three novelty songs

Cafe Society
1

I am talking about those cute/unusual/freakin’ strange songs that tickle your fancy, the ones that don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of being a top ten hit. Please take notice of the words “Your” and “three” in the title. I want three songs that are on your personal list, not a link to some list on someone else’s website.

  1. Existential Blues - YouTube
  2. The Smoke Off-Shel Silverstein - YouTube
  3. Weird Al Yankovic: Genius in France - YouTube

That’s my personal top three.
Yours?

2
  1. Komar & Melamid - The Most Unwanted Music
  2. Arlo Guthrie - Alice’s Restaurant Massacree
  3. Weird Al Yankovic - The Night Santa Went Crazy
3
  1. Timothy - Buoys - YouTube video with lyrics
  2. Chat Room - Bob Rivers - YouTube video
  3. Galaxy Song - Monty Python - YouTube video

It is really hard for me to narrow down to three, given my fondness for Weird Al Yankovic, Bob Rivers, and Monty Python. Even Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall have produced some amusing music (I do like both as stand-up comedians).

4

Rock Lobster - B52’s

Nellie The Elephant - Toy Dolls

Grimly Fiendish - The Damned

5

F her gently. Tenacious D

Santa Claus is a Fat Prick. ICP

Lumber Jack song. Monty Python

6
  1. The Old Philosopher—Eddie Lawrence: This is a comedy routine, but it includes music (Beautiful Dreamer), so I think it makes the grade as a novelty song. It hit the Billboard Top 40 in 1956:

  1. Alice’s Restaurant—Arlo Guthrie

  2. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini—written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss.

7

Redback on the Toilet Seat - Slim Dusty
Hector the Rat - Pat Drummond

The Newcastle Song - Bob Hudson

8

Man, it’s hard to pick only three.

Dead Puppies - Ogden Edsl (the lyrics video was the easiest one to find, even though they misspelled Roman Hruska’s name)

The Captain’s Wife’s Lament - Paul and Storm (lyrics again)

Fun With Pork - 7 Seconds of Love (video by the actual band)

Ask me again tomorrow and I’ll probably give you a different list.

9

So, Surfin’ Bird, Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah, and They’re Coming to take me Away are right out?

Okay then…
Manny Moe and Jack by The Dickies
Ukulele Blues by Martin Mull
Shaving Cream by almost anybody.

10

Tom Lehrer, The Masochism Tango

Doctor Hook, Freakin’ at the Freakers’ Ball

Bobby Bare, Dropkick Me, Jesus (Through the Goalposts of Life)

11

Whoops! All hits!

12

While these are not exactly novelty songs, they’re meant to be silly, and it sounds like the musicians had fun recording them:

The Beatles: You Know My Name (Look up the Number)

Chet Atkins (his version): Fiddlin’ Around

Blind Blake: Diddy Wah Diddy

13

Rhett & Link: The BBQ Song - Rhett & Link - YouTube

Rhett & Link: Fast Food Folk Song - Rhett & Link - YouTube

The Toyes: Smoke Two Joints - YouTube

14

“Transfusion” - Nervous Norvus
“Beep Beep” - The Playmates

and

“Constipation Blues” - Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

15

Melvins - I Fuck Around

Mojo Nixon - Tie my Pecker to my Leg (so very NSFW))

Richard Cheese - Killing in the Name Of

16

Favorites!

  1. Tchaikovsky - Danny Kaye
  2. Operation Desert Storm - Tom Smith
  3. A Song Not For Now - Songs of the Pogo: Walt Kelly
17

Cowboy Convention - Ohio Express
Nishimoto at bat - Hari Kari
Grandmas’ Lye Soap - Johnny Standley

18

Probably my top pick:

  1. Invisible Birds - Will Ray (note, this is not about the Gen Z Conspiracy Theory, Birds Aren’t Real)
  2. I Just Can’t Seem To Get The Blues - Rev Billy C Wirtz
  3. The Nose Knows - Cuzzin Tom
19

Other than much of Jerry Reed’s stuff:

Cocktails For Two - Spike Jones

I Went To Your Wedding - Spike Jones

How Come My Dog Don’t Bark When You Come Around? - Dr. John

20

D’oh… I forgot about Spike Jones!

Hey, Chefguy, there is a SJ song that had the line, “the pistol shot adds a lot” - do you which song that is?