# Your top three novelty songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 11, 2023, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014 "2023-01-11T07:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/61 "2023-01-13T01:08:31Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Three few novelty songs by famous bands: > > [Pink Floyd - Bike](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPMXt9Me_Fo) > > [AC/DC - Big Balls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WwJ6OVSwkM) > > [Aerosmith - Big Ten Inch Record](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yXdbXl-lno) There’s also the Rolling Stones [“Cocksucker Blues”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4fUTuiURag) (aka “Schoolboy Blues”). But that’s more a stick-it-to-the-record-company song than a novelty song. In 1970, the Stones were moving from Decca Records to a different distribution company. But Decca’s lawyers claimed the Stones owed them one more record according to their contract. So the Stones recorded this song, and sent the master tape to Decca in completion og their contract. Somehow, Decca decided not to actually release this song. [There was also a documentary on the Stones 1972 tour that used the same name. It showed sex, nudity & drug use, so the band got a court ruling that it could only be shown when the filmmaker was physically present, which eliminated most distribution.] ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/62 "2023-01-13T01:20:27Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Wow, didn’t know that! The part that gets me is that from Bull Moose Johnson to Aerosmith was 23 years: the Aerosmith album was 46 years ago. The first interval feels twice as long as the second: it was actually half as long. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/63 "2023-01-13T01:52:47Z")
Songs by the Bonzo Dog Band, of course. Ali Baba’s Camel [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w1xEEnKI_Nc/hqdefault.jpg "'Ali Baba's Camel' by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1xEEnKI_Nc) My Pink Half of the Drainpipe [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AI-9WH4Z4gY/hqdefault.jpg "'My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe' by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI-9WH4Z4gY) Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ABcNAwytrOY/hqdefault.jpg "Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band -Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABcNAwytrOY) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/64 "2023-01-13T02:01:32Z")
From The Gorilla album, my favorite was “The Intro And The Outro”. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/65 "2023-01-13T04:36:32Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Allan Sherman (_love_ the pun in the second verse) That is some truly inspired song writing! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/66 "2023-01-13T07:35:03Z")
**Livin’ Doll** - Cliff Richard and the Young Ones (it was a hit, but I don’t care about your crazy rules, man. I’m a wild-eyed loner at the gates of oblivion.) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gGOU0o9K89g/hqdefault.jpg "Cliff Richard & The Young Ones - Living Doll") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGOU0o9K89g) **Leader Of The Laundromat** - The Detergents [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Qi5yDBvYUcE/hqdefault.jpg "The Detergents - Leader of the Laundromat") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi5yDBvYUcE) **Star Wars Cantina** - Mark Jonathan Davis aka Richard Cheese [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IX3sI0q5iMI/hqdefault.jpg "Star Wars Cantina By Richard Cheese!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX3sI0q5iMI) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/67 "2023-01-13T11:55:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > From The Gorilla album, my favorite was “The Intro And The Outro”. _“And looking very relaxed, Adolf Hitler on vibes… nice…”_ ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/68 "2023-01-13T12:30:39Z")
Strange that no one has mentioned **Frank Zappa** , but - and I’m saying this as a huge fan of his - it’s understandable: it’s debatable if a huge swath of his catalog should be considered “novelty songs” or “idiosyncratic songs typical of Zappa.” Having said that, I think an argument can be made that **Valley Girl** is indeed a novelty song. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/69 "2023-01-13T15:16:08Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Strange that no one has mentioned **Frank Zappa** , but - and I’m saying this as a huge fan of his - it’s understandable: it’s debatable if a huge swath of his catalog should be considered “novelty songs” or “idiosyncratic songs typical of Zappa.” I was wondering the same thing about **They Might Be Giants**. ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/70 "2023-01-13T15:48:42Z")
Abdul Abulbul Amir - Frank Crummit Christmas Tree on Fire - Holly Golightly Aint We Crazy - Haywire Mac ---
**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:** [January 13, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/71 "2023-01-13T18:14:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Strange that no one has mentioned **Frank Zappa** You know how, in SDMB threads, someone will say “I’m surprised no one has mentioned…” and then go on to give an example that was mentioned early on, often in the OP of the thread? Well, you didn’t do that, exactly, but @Czarcasm’s OP _did_ mention “Genius in France.” ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/72 "2023-01-15T12:58:40Z")
This is my new favorite novelty song: [The Northern Boys - Party Time - YouTube](https://youtu.be/sLLQFLXz6VE) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/73 "2023-01-15T14:06:08Z")
One of my all-time favorite novelty songs is [Deteriorata](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFLvhKv-Lbo&t=7s), released as a single in 1972. It is a parody of [Les Crane’s 1971 spoken word recording of “Desiderata.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bUTcy6w2Rw) ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/74 "2023-01-15T17:46:54Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > One of my all-time favorite novelty songs is [Deteriorata](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFLvhKv-Lbo&t=7s), released as a single in 1972. I love that “song.” It was a staple on Dr. Demento’s show when I was younger. > [@](#): > > Take heart amid the deepening gloom > That your dog is finally getting enough cheese. > And reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot > It could only be worse in Milwaukee. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/75 "2023-01-15T20:03:34Z")
[Brett Domino - Lunchtime Lover](https://youtu.be/qJXnkAVxOZA) [Brett Domino - Bin Guy (a song containing exclusively 3 letter words)](https://youtu.be/MgMwphJECVY) [Mr Garrison - Merry F\*\*\*ing Christmas (NSFW)](https://youtu.be/K40epl0r-Fg) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/76 "2023-01-15T20:07:55Z")
I don’t think my favorite novelty song for 60 years has been mentioned yet: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E2P6__tmVk0/hqdefault.jpg "1963 HITS ARCHIVE: Harry The Hairy Ape - Ray Stevens") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2P6__tmVk0) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/77 "2023-01-15T20:34:51Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I was wondering the same thing about **They Might Be Giants**. And **Offspring** ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/78 "2023-01-15T21:45:02Z")
Heres Your Sign-Bill Engvall Lumberjack-Monty Python Amish Paradise-Yankovic ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/79 "2023-01-15T21:47:05Z")
I am happy to see I’m not the only one who has heard Do The Nothing. I also like Chick A Boom ---
**Author:** ![alfonzos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alfonzos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfonzos)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014/80 "2023-01-15T22:32:46Z")
[Weird Al’s Word Crimes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc) is a new favorite. [Tom Lehrer’s We Will All Go Together When We Go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIoBrob3bjI) Finally, an instrumental that makes me smile: [Cold Duck by The First Moog Quartet.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCRzE_pIUig&list=LL&index=23) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-three-novelty-songs/978014.md?page=5)