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"Weird" Songs That Were Hits
- Thread starter Bunk McNulty
- Start date
i thought everything was about sex!
except for when a cigar is just a cigar.
I, and about 300,000 other folks, first heard Melanie on Friday night at Woodstock. She came on before Arlo Guthrie, if I remember correctly. She totally blew the crowd away! She was absolutely amazing.
When I heard that she had died, I immediately thought about her songs, especially “Brand New Key.” When it came out, I and everyone I knew did think it was mild and rather innocent sexual innuendo, somewhat surprising, given the persona Melanie projected from stage. I also remember some of the outrage that was directed at the song and at her. I understand that it was banned by a few radio stations, but not here in the NY/NJ greater metropolitan area (hmm, and here we are some 50 years later…sigh).
I had always thought that she wrote “What Have They Done To My Song” in response to the uproar over “Brand New Key”, but I was wrong. I was reading her Wikipedia entry last night and found out that she wrote “What Have They Done…” earlier, and that she had performed it that night at Woodstock.
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No Matter What Shape Your Stomach’s In
One of my favorites from the Alka Seltzer commercial.
One of my favorites from the Alka Seltzer commercial.
How is that weird, as opposed to any other instrumental hits of the time period, like “Out Of Limits” or scores of surf songs? What makes it ‘weird’ or novel?
I think Bill married Johnny Cash's, Sue.
And now we all KNOW it is!
It is!
They did (release the sone) and it did (dominate the radio for months*). There is a whole generation of us still bearing the scars!!
* back in those days records took a few weeks to climb the charts and several more to fall out again - my memeories are that it was an almost permanent fixture in radio-land for the entire summer.
Wow some weird stuff coming out there.
Not sure if these have been mentioned but personal favourites are:
Joe Dolce - Aww Shaddup Your Face
David Bowie - Laughing Gnome
10CC - Don't Squeeze me Like Toothpaste (always thought the title was weird though the song is fairly normal)
Not sure if these have been mentioned but personal favourites are:
Joe Dolce - Aww Shaddup Your Face
David Bowie - Laughing Gnome
10CC - Don't Squeeze me Like Toothpaste (always thought the title was weird though the song is fairly normal)
I was also about nine, but I don’t remember anyone thinking it was about sex, either.
I do remember my baby sister giggling and smiling and jiggling about in her baby bed every time it came on the radio.
"Blue Monday" by New Order might be a valid addition to the list:
- no chorus
- takes two minutes before there are any vocals
- bass line cribbed from a spaghetti western
- written as a bit of a joke so the band didn't have to do an encore but could instead hit PLAY on the sequencers and go backstage for a drink
- no chorus
- takes two minutes before there are any vocals
- bass line cribbed from a spaghetti western
- written as a bit of a joke so the band didn't have to do an encore but could instead hit PLAY on the sequencers and go backstage for a drink
This got to number 2 on the UK singles chart in 1981.
Glad to know that. I could swear I saw an Obit a few years ago...
The bullet is the part that gets me the hottest!
I'm eternally grateful to my Dad for raising me on Just Another Band from LA and Fillmore
