"Weird" Songs That Were Hits

[DownRound]

Pre-Alvin.
My wife I were just singing this a couple of days ago.
Sometimes novelty transcends genre to become Art.
But not this time.

 

[factory presets]

Bloke is obviously too young to be writing about novelty songs if he got through his article without mentioning Ray Stevens. I know it's just padding for his Melanie obituary. But the early 60s I remember was so full of "weird songs" that it would negate his whole premise.

He could have filled his whole piece just listing them.

 

[DownRound]

If there was any justice, or if the world made any sense, these would have charting hits...with a bullet.

 

[Rib 13]

So I have a (slightly ashamed lol) guilty pleasure that I wont admit to my friends: I am a HUGE fan of 60s/70s Bubblegum Music and Sunshine Pop. I even have the Buddha Records anthologies Vol 1 and 2 on CD as well as many many recordings by 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Lemon Pipers, Ohio Express, early Sweet (Im a Sweet fan anyway), etc.....and I get what the attraction is: there was a very unpopular war going on, riots were in the streets, there was generational dissention, the threat of nuclear war was always looming about, and all this happy music came out anyway, with no apology to anybody....just as interesting and entertaining as the music is the backstory behind some of these "bands" (many were manufactured by Kasenetz/Katz) and the songs themselves.

 

[SDC1-ClickClack]

Unless I overlooked it earlier in this thread, I cannot believe that no-one has mentioned this catchy idiotic novelty hit from 1970:

 

[turf3]

This guy was mentioned, but not his song:

 

[The Owl]

 

[GodsLove66]

First time I heard this was 45 minutes after I had placed a psychedelic stamp on my tongue;

RATS!!!! Beat me to this gem! Well, here's a couple from my generation lol

 

[pbass74]

 

[Michedelic]

So I have a (slightly ashamed lol) guilty pleasure that I wont admit to my friends: I am a HUGE fan of 60s/70s Bubblegum Music and Sunshine Pop. I even have the Buddha Records anthologies Vol 1 and 2 on CD as well as many many recordings by 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Lemon Pipers, Ohio Express, early Sweet (Im a Sweet fan anyway), etc.....and I get what the attraction is: there was a very unpopular war going on, riots were in the streets, there was generational dissention, the threat of nuclear war was always looming about, and all this happy music came out anyway, with no apology to anybody....just as interesting and entertaining as the music is the backstory behind some of these "bands" (many were manufactured by Kasenetz/Katz) and the songs themselves.

Ain’t no shame in that; “Bubblegum” has always existed, way before the term was coined…


There will always be a prepubescent market for that sort of thing, and in reference to what you mentioned, sure, an 11-year old in 1968 wouldn’t care less about Vietnam, unless an older brother didn’t come home.

I’m definitely into Sunshine Pop, Baroque Pop, Freak Beat, Mod, Power Pop, Psych Pop, Garage Punk…all the Children Of Nuggets. One avenue in particular, the entire Sagittarius lineage…The Ballroom, The Millenium, incredible creative stuff that was criminally overlooked.

If you can find it, this is a great collection:
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[getBAK]

This list is incomplete without

This was a top 40 song and a top 20 video
…. I miss the 90’s

 

[pbass74]

 

[mdlewis]

One of my FAVE minor hits from back when!! The riffing guitar tone is just teh KILL!!
LOVE how the bass run in the verse walks down and hits the root early!
Still have my RCA transistor radio = KOL, KJR, KYAC!!!

Great song. Was hearing it today on the radio by the Rattlers. But this is my favorite cover, close to the Nightcrawlers version but with a nice loose garage-y bass and drums.

 

[mdlewis]

I’m not sure whether we’re talking about weird songs or novelty songs, but this one is probably one of my all time favorites:



On a later cut on the album devoted to songs with nursery rhyme themes, Sam manages this genius rhyme:

Mary is my little lamb, that’s what she am.

 

[faulknersj]

A VERY UNLIKELY HIT INDEED...

 

[Lowbrow]

Oh hey — Blue Cheer’s Summertime Blues was huge

 

[bolophonic]

Paul Hardcastle - Nineteen

 

[Michedelic]

Oh hey — Blue Cheer’s Summertime Blues was huge

How was that ‘weird’?

 

[Slevage]

The author apparently has never heard the term "novelty songs." What a load of pretentious nonsense. And as I was there at the time, I can say I do not remember anyone suggesting "Brand New Key" was about sex.

Invalid Link Removed

Everyone in my neighborhood though the roller skates were the girl part and the key was the boy part.
We were a bunch of degenerates attending Catholic school.

 

[fourstringdrums]

This is the weirdest popular song I remember