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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/apr/15/novelty-songs-class-acts-walter-martin-walkmen
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Novelty songs: where did all the class acts go? | Novelty songs: where did all the class acts go? |
| (2 months later) | |
| Not long ago, the viral hit single by Ylvis – entitled The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) – was everywhere I turned. I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't think it was that funny. I bring this up because this track in particular is a most recent incarnation of a type of song that I hold very dear to my heart: the novelty song – something I've tried to revive on my debut solo album We’re All Young Together. How we wound up with The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?), I do not know, but I do know that back when popular music had a smart sense of humour and novelty songs were made by real artists, actual masterpieces were produced. These types of tracks have been in the wrong hands for decades, and have been given a bad name. How sad to lose such a valuable art form, and what a thrilling combination it would be to hear more well-crafted music that was also funny! So, if you've grown up surrounded with nonsense novelty, then let me show you my quick guide to the good stuff: | Not long ago, the viral hit single by Ylvis – entitled The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) – was everywhere I turned. I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't think it was that funny. I bring this up because this track in particular is a most recent incarnation of a type of song that I hold very dear to my heart: the novelty song – something I've tried to revive on my debut solo album We’re All Young Together. How we wound up with The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?), I do not know, but I do know that back when popular music had a smart sense of humour and novelty songs were made by real artists, actual masterpieces were produced. These types of tracks have been in the wrong hands for decades, and have been given a bad name. How sad to lose such a valuable art form, and what a thrilling combination it would be to hear more well-crafted music that was also funny! So, if you've grown up surrounded with nonsense novelty, then let me show you my quick guide to the good stuff: |
| The Coasters | The Coasters |
| Reading on a mobile? Click here to view Yakety Yak | Reading on a mobile? Click here to view Yakety Yak |
| When I was in my early 20s I heard a collection songs by the Coasters and I knew I had found something special. The songs had great rhythm, clever arrangements, gritty vocals, tons of attitude and personality and they were funny as hell – songs like Poison Ivy, Yakety Yak, Riot in Cell Block #9, I'm a Hog for You Baby, Along Came Jones, and Little Egypt. When I did my research I figured out why these weird little songs were all so magical – they were all written and produced by the great Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. | When I was in my early 20s I heard a collection songs by the Coasters and I knew I had found something special. The songs had great rhythm, clever arrangements, gritty vocals, tons of attitude and personality and they were funny as hell – songs like Poison Ivy, Yakety Yak, Riot in Cell Block #9, I'm a Hog for You Baby, Along Came Jones, and Little Egypt. When I did my research I figured out why these weird little songs were all so magical – they were all written and produced by the great Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. |
| The Olympics | The Olympics |
| Reading on mobile? Click here to view Hully Gully | Reading on mobile? Click here to view Hully Gully |
| In the late 50s, The Olympics created Hully Gully, Western Movies, Private Eye and Peanut Butter – novelty songs with cheap sound effects and funny lyrics. But much like the Coasters' songs, these tracks were treated with tons of style and were way too sophisticated and raw to come off as stupid or goofy. | |
| Shirely Ellis | Shirely Ellis |
| Reading on mobile? Click here to view The Clapping Song | Reading on mobile? Click here to view The Clapping Song |
| Shirley is most famous for The Name Game (which is a little too cute for my taste) but she also did the astounding 1 chord party song The Clapping Song. It featured the great opening lines: "3,6,9, the goose drank wine, the monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line, the line broke, the monkey got choked and they all went to heaven in a little rowboat." Nursery rhyme lyrics combined with complicated dancing instructions is not necessarily a recipe for greatness, but somehow brilliance is achieved in this song – maybe it's Shirley's deadpan delivery or maybe it's the amazing rhythm track? Who knows, but somehow this nursery rhyme remains utterly cool and timeless. | Shirley is most famous for The Name Game (which is a little too cute for my taste) but she also did the astounding 1 chord party song The Clapping Song. It featured the great opening lines: "3,6,9, the goose drank wine, the monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line, the line broke, the monkey got choked and they all went to heaven in a little rowboat." Nursery rhyme lyrics combined with complicated dancing instructions is not necessarily a recipe for greatness, but somehow brilliance is achieved in this song – maybe it's Shirley's deadpan delivery or maybe it's the amazing rhythm track? Who knows, but somehow this nursery rhyme remains utterly cool and timeless. |
| Do you have any more classic novelty tracks you think should be mentioned? Let us know in the comments below, and why not listen to our playlist of some of the best novelty, too. | Do you have any more classic novelty tracks you think should be mentioned? Let us know in the comments below, and why not listen to our playlist of some of the best novelty, too. |
| • We're All Young Together is released on 13 May. | • We're All Young Together is released on 13 May. |