Get on a rollercoaster of weird tracks from my music library. Here is another ninety minutes of sheer entertainment!
| Title | Artist | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| How Bizarre | OMC | “How Bizarre” is OMC’s quirky 1996 hit, written by Pauly Fuemana and Alan Jansson, blends pop and Polynesian influences into an infectious concoction. OMC stands for Otara Millionaires Club after the neighbourhood in Auckland, New Zealand, a suburb of Otara, a ghetto/slum, where lead singer Pauly Fuemana grew up. Fuemana was a gang member in Auckland and received his musical training in a New Zealand juvenile prison. |
| They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! | Napoleon XIV | They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! is a 1966 novelty record written and performed by Jerry Samuels (billed as Napoleon XIV). A twist in the final verse reveals that the man is addressing a runaway dog. |
| Mouldy Old Dough | Lieutenant Pigeon | ‘Mouldy Old Dough’, originally released in the UK on 18 February 1972, written and produced by Nigel Fletcher and Rob Woodward was recorded in the front room of Woodward’s semi-detached house in Coventry, and featured his mother Hilda Woodward, a music teacher, on piano. In Belgium the song became a hit after being used in a currents affair program. Sales of “Mouldy Old Dough” began to soar after the recording had been used every weekday evening to introduce a Belgian nationwide news and current affairs Television program since the spring of the year. |
| Tchip Tchip | Cash & Carry | ‘Tchip tchip’ by Belgian band ‘Cash & Carry’ (pseudonym for Bobby Setter Band) was released in 1973. The Belgian music producer Louis van Rymenant heard the song, composed by the Swiss accordionist from Davos Werner Thomas in 1955. The song was initially called ’Der Ententanz’, later ’Der Vogeltanz’ and ‘Tchip tchip’. Van Rijmenant re-arranged the melody using a moog synthesizer together with the Bobby Setter Band (lead by Bob Verhelst, a.k.a. Bobby Setter). On some recordings “Thomas/Rendall/Hoes” are credited with Rendall refering to Van Rymenant’s pen name Terry Rendall and Hoes refering to the Dutch singer/producer Johnny Hoes, who re-arranged the song for the Electronicas recording. |
| Killy Watch | The Cousins | Kili Watch was written by Gus Dersé (born Gustave Dereze) in 1960. The Cousins were a Belgian rock band active during the sixties (1961-1967), most known for their song “Kili Watch” which was covered by Johnny Hallyday. The band name is taken from the Brussels club “Les Cousins” were they performed. They had huge success in Argentina where they were known as Los Primos (The Cousins in Spanish). |
| The Yamasukis | The Yamasukis | The Yamasukis by The Yamasukis, sounds like Japanese, but makes no sense for Japanese native speakers. It was written by Daniel Vangarde and Jean Kluger blended Japanese cultural elements with Western pop, resulting in a unique sound that was influential in both Europe and Japan. The Yamasukis was a fictional Japanese band created by French composer Daniel Vangarde (born Daniel Bangalter in 1947 and father of Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk) and Belgian producer Jean Kluger (born March 31st, 1937 in Antwerp, Belgium). |
| Yummy, yummy, yummy | Ohio Express | Ohio Express served as a brand name used by Jerry Kasenetz’s and Jeff Katz’s Super K Production to release music by several different musicians and acts, including their highest charting single, “Yummy Yummy Yummy”, the work of an assemblage of studio musicians working out of New York, including singer/songwriter Joey Levine. |
| The lion sleeps tonight | The Tokens | The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens, was initially written by South African musician Solomon Linda as “Mbube”, Zulu for “the lion”, performed by Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds in 1939 making him a South African star. A copy of the record made its way to New York City in the early 1950s, where it was saved from the slush pile at Decca Records by the legendary folklorist Alan Lomax who shared it with his friend Pete Seeger a famous folksinger at the time, who transcribed the central chant as “Wimoweh,” and that became the name of the song as recorded by the Weavers and released in early 1952. Eventually, Jay Siegel, the teenage lead singer of the Tokens, would hear and fall in love with “Wimoweh” through the Kingston Trio’s cover version of the Weavers’ song. |
| Hooked on a Feeling | The Ooga Chakas | Hooked on a Feeling by The Ooga Chakas, written by Mark James and originally performed by B. J. Thomas, got its “Ooga Chaka” chant added by British musician Jonathan King in 1971, when he recorded a cover version of the song. King described it as “a reggae rhythm by male voices”. That may have been because he cut the track on the same night as a novelty song called “Johnny Reggae”. Blue Swede, a band from Stockholm, Sweden, fronted by Björn Skifs, changed the original lyrics and eliminated any references or allusions to drug use when they covered the song in 1974. |
| Zabadak | Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | Zabadak by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, written by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley released in 1967 is a great example of the playful and experimental spirit of late 1960s pop music. |
| Yakety Yak | The Coasters | Yakety Yak by The Coasters, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, released in 1958, “Yakety Yak” is a humorous rock and roll song that humorously depicts teenage rebellion and parental discipline. The Coasters were an American Doo Wop and early Rock & Roll group, formed in September 1955, in Los Angeles. |
| Yummy, yummy, yummy | Ohio Express | Ohio Express served as a brand name used by Jerry Kasenetz’s and Jeff Katz’s Super K Production to release music by several different musicians and acts, including their highest charting single, “Yummy Yummy Yummy”, the work of an assemblage of studio musicians working out of New York, including singer/songwriter Joey Levine. |
| Cinderella Rockefella | Esther & Abi Ofarim | Cinderella Rockefella by German-Israeli husband and wife Esther & Abi Ofarim, written by the comedy writers Mason Williams and Nancy Ames, released in 1968, blends folk music with humorous, playful lyrics, with a catchy melody and distinctive yodeling section. |
| Johnny Reggae | The Piglets | Johnny Reggae by The Piglets, released in 1971, was a studio project created by Jonathan King. The Piglets were a British female outfit, and one of the pseudonyms Jonathan King used in the 1970s to release some of his songs, including lead vocalist Barbara Kay. |
| Egyptian Reggae | Jonathan Richman | Egyptian Reggae, is an instrumental track written and performed by Jonathan Richman, released in 1977 by Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, blending reggae rhythms with Middle Eastern musical influences. |
| The Whistling Scout | Marc Winter Band | The Whistling Scout by Marc Winter Band, written by Dutch musician Adriaan J. Kraamer (a.k.a. Marc Winter) is a whimsical instrumental track known for its catchy whistling melody. |
| I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) | The Proclaimers | I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Scottish rock duo The Proclaimers, written by twins Charlie and Craig Reid, released in 1988, known for its infectious chorus and heartfelt lyrics, became their signature song. |
| Speedy Gonzales | Pat Boone | Speedy Gonzales, written by Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee and David Hess, was a hit for Pat Boone (born Patrick Charles Eugene Boone) in 1962. The song is a humorous take on the popular Looney Tunes character, featuring fast-paced, Latin-inspired music and playful lyrics. |
| J’aime regarder les filles | Patrick Coutin | J’aime regarder les filles, which translates to “I Love Watching the Girls”, written and performed by Patrick Coutin, released in 1981, became a French rock anthem. |
| Yellow Submarine | The Beatles | Yellow Submarine by The Beatles, written by Lennon-McCartney, released in 1966, is a whimsical, childlike tune that features Ringo Starr’s lead vocals. |
| Ça (Je t’aime, moi non plus) | Bourvil | Ça (Je t’aime, moi non plus) by French comedian Bourvil and French theater actress Jacqueline Maillan, is a light-hearted parody of the controversial Serge Gainsbourg song “Je t’aime, moi non plus”. |
| Just A Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody | Louis Prima | Louis Prima’s medley of “Just A Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody”, written by Leonello Casucci and Irving Caesar (Just A Gigolo); Roger Graham and Spencer Williams (I Ain’t Got Nobody) became a massive hit in the 1950s. |
| Cokane In My Brain | Dillinger | Cokane In My Brain written and performed by Jamaican DJ Dillinger (born Lester Bullock), released in 1976, uses a sample of People’s Choice’s “Do It Any Way You Wanna” and describes the effects of cocaine in the “rude boy” reggae style, |
| Because I Got High | Afroman | Because I Got High written and performed by Afroman (Joseph Foreman) became a stoner anthem about the consequences of marijuana use. |
| Bam Bam | Sister Nancy | Bam Bam by Jamaican dancehall DJ Sister Nancy (born Ophlin Russell-Myers), written by Winston Riley and Sister Nancy, released in 1982, is one of the most iconic reggae tracks of all time. The melody and cadence of the “Bam Bam” refrain in the chorus of Sister Nancy’s version closely follows the original background melody of Toots and The Maytals’ “Bam Bam”. |
| Sticks Man | Black Slate | Sticks Man written and performed by Black Slate, released in 1976, is a reggae anthem discussing issues of racial discrimination and social injustice. Black Slate is a British reggae band formed in 1972 by musicians from England, Jamaica, and Anguilla. |
| How Much Are They? | Jah Wobble, Holger Czukay & Jaki Liebezeit | How Much Are They? Written and performed by Jah Wobble, Holger Czukay & Jaki Liebezeit, released in 1988, blends dub, krautrock, and electronic music. How Much Are They? is a dub track from Jah Wobble’s 1981 collaboration with Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit of the genius, German experimental rock group Can. John Wardle was a college friend of Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious who gave him the nickname Jah Wobble. The female voice asking “How much are they?” throughout the track was one of the junkie girls who wandered into the studio during recording and asked where they were. That was her response when Wobble told them it was a microphone shop. Having caught this on tape, they decided to use it. |
| Psyche Rock | Pierre Henry | ‘Psyché Rock’ comes from ‘La Messe pour le temps présent’ a dance suite written by Michel Colombier & Pierre Henry for the ballet of the twentieth century by Maurice Béjart and performed in 1967 at the Avignon festival. Fatboy Slim, who must have been four years old at the time, made a brilliant remake of it 33 years later. The song from 1967 still sounds futuristic. Pierre Henry was a pioneer of ‘musique concrète’, a form of sampling. He started doing it in the forties, long before samplers and synthesizers existed. |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
