@sammydog01 Some of us actually lived through hearing these things on the radio. That 2525 song was weird to me even as a kid. Loved “Sugar, Sugar,” but I logged a lot of time with Archie cartoons. Team Betty, because Veronica was stuck up as hell. Looks don’t mean everything, bitch!
You should be thankful you live in the USA otherwise you would have had songs like these to choose from the UK chart. a) b) or c) and they are #1’s not just chart and I didnt even try to search
@azdarkknight They played the first one on KROQ in LA all the time when I was a kid (20s). The UK has a long history of novelty music topping the charts.
@azdarkknight That grandma song is nice enough, but that girl sounds like she just came from the dentist and is still numb from novocain and still has cotton wads stuffed in her cheeks.
Who remembers “The Purple People Eater” song written and performed by Sheb Wooley? It reached #1 in the Billboard pop charts in 1958 from June 9 to July 14.
@heartny I don’t “remember” it, in terms of when it went #1, but I am very familiar with the song.
I don’t classify it as “weird”, because it wasn’t atypical in that time period for a novelty song like that to chart so high. e.g. “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Purple Polka Dot Bikini”, “Witch Doctor”, and “Monster Mash”. Even Purple People Eater had an in-song reference to “Who Wears Short Shorts” from the previous year.
Kiss From A Rose sounds “weird” because it’s in 6/8 time, as opposed to 99.9% of popular music which is in 4/4.
But there have been hits in weird signatures. Funnily, both Hey Ya by Outkast and Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers are in the very unusual 11/4 time. In fact, I Say a Little Prayer by Dionne Warwick is 10/4 for verses and 11/4 for choruses.
@droopus This one only made it to 41 on the Billboard chart:
Dionne Warwick had motr hits with funky time signatures thanks to Burt Bacharach, but the one you mentioned was the oddest and the highest charting (#4)
This only made it to #13, but it’s in 5/4, except for the guitar solo.
@LaVikinga And not David Soul, too? I think that was supposed to be an intergenerational dreamboat show, with Joan Blondell added for quality acting and comedy.
@f00l One of the more fun parts of riding around the back roads with my friends was waiting for the whiff and breaking out in a few choruses of this. (yes, I’m that old)
@sgrazi When my nieces were younger I gave them each Sansa Clips that I loaded with songs I thought they might like and were age appropriate. My sister-in-law deleted some songs, but that’s another story.
Of all the four-hundred or so songs I gave them, “Dead Skunk” was the favorite of both of them. Who knew? Now they are teenagers, but I can still call them and say “Guess what I just saw?” and they’ll answer “A dead skunk in the middle of the road.”
I’m genuinely a fan of the theme from the Third Man, but I wanted to vote for the Singing Nun…What a pretty song! Looking forward to part two, this was fun.
Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini. (A favorite of Andrew Lloyd Weber, according to Sarah Brightman) But peeked at number 4. 12 weeks on t chart. Same with “Beep Beep”.
@LittleLulu While I just consider “Bikini” a product of its time (not so different from “Who Wears Short Shorts” or “Purple People Eater”) , “Beep Beep” was indeed weird.
I don’t see (hear) what is so “weird” about “Kiss from a Rose”. It seems to be a pretty standard pop ballad to me.
I certainly remember that I thought “Stars on 45” was quite weird at the time. A medley of Beatles covers By a Dutch "band? Maybe. With a single “Archies” song (and the opening riff to Venus) thrown in at the beginning? What the f? Throw in the weird genesis of the song: a bootleg medley that was subsequently re-recorded with sound-alikes, and I thought it was just the most unlikely #1 imaginable.
I watched “SWAT”. Every week. Ooh, Robert Urich.
@sammydog01
4 minutes in and 40+ votes. Somehow I don’t think anyone listened to all those songs.
@RiotDemon Some of us have heard them before.
@sammydog01 Some of us actually lived through hearing these things on the radio. That 2525 song was weird to me even as a kid. Loved “Sugar, Sugar,” but I logged a lot of time with Archie cartoons. Team Betty, because Veronica was stuck up as hell. Looks don’t mean everything, bitch!
You should be thankful you live in the USA otherwise you would have had songs like these to choose from the UK chart. a) b) or c) and they are #1’s not just chart and I didnt even try to search
@azdarkknight They played the first one on KROQ in LA all the time when I was a kid (20s). The UK has a long history of novelty music topping the charts.
@azdarkknight That grandma song is nice enough, but that girl sounds like she just came from the dentist and is still numb from novocain and still has cotton wads stuffed in her cheeks.
@azdarkknight I love “Da Da Da” (a)…
A minimalist masterpiece and a study in the power of a catchy hook (or something).
The other two, I don’t even…
What about " O Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers? It’s an incredibly uplifting song, but weird for a pop hit.
Who remembers “The Purple People Eater” song written and performed by Sheb Wooley? It reached #1 in the Billboard pop charts in 1958 from June 9 to July 14.
@heartny
@heartny
@heartny I don’t “remember” it, in terms of when it went #1, but I am very familiar with the song.
I don’t classify it as “weird”, because it wasn’t atypical in that time period for a novelty song like that to chart so high. e.g. “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Purple Polka Dot Bikini”, “Witch Doctor”, and “Monster Mash”. Even Purple People Eater had an in-song reference to “Who Wears Short Shorts” from the previous year.
@Barney watch out barney, that thing eats purple people.
@thismyusername Never fear, I can run pretty fast.
@heartny Aaaaiiii!!!
How does one embed YouTube videos? Obviously I don’t participate in the forum often enough.
@craigthom Check it out here:
https://meh.com/forum/topics/meh-style-guide-learn-how-to-post-good
@heartny Thanks. I couldn’t find a link to that or even Google it up. I’ve bookmarked it now, though.
Kiss From A Rose sounds “weird” because it’s in 6/8 time, as opposed to 99.9% of popular music which is in 4/4.
But there have been hits in weird signatures. Funnily, both Hey Ya by Outkast and Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers are in the very unusual 11/4 time. In fact, I Say a Little Prayer by Dionne Warwick is 10/4 for verses and 11/4 for choruses.
Just saying…
@droopus This one only made it to 41 on the Billboard chart:
Dionne Warwick had motr hits with funky time signatures thanks to Burt Bacharach, but the one you mentioned was the oddest and the highest charting (#4)
This only made it to #13, but it’s in 5/4, except for the guitar solo.
@droopus now there’s some satisfying trivia!
Technically it didn’t make it to #1, in the countries what matter at least, but the answer is still Tubthumping.
For weird, try DOA, by Bloodrock.
@corkscrew
Loved this one.
@f00l
The 45 version. There are longer versions.
@corkscrew Haven’t heard this one since I was a kid. I loved this song! Thanks for reminding me of it.
No admits to liking this, but it was #1 here, along with several other countries.
@conandlibrarian It’s one of those bad earworms, like The Macarena.
In the year 2525 by futurama
Peaked at #3
They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/They’re_Coming_to_Take_Me_Away,_Ha-Haaa!
@f00l I loved Dr. Demento. He played that all the time.
The Purple People Eater
@cranky1950 Bobby Sherman. The only reason I watched “Here Come The Brides” as a kid.
@LaVikinga And not David Soul, too? I think that was supposed to be an intergenerational dreamboat show, with Joan Blondell added for quality acting and comedy.
@craigthom Starsky and Hutch- another favorite of mine.
@craigthom Joan Blondell over Shelley Winters any day! Even as a kid, I was rooting for Shelley not to survive “The Poseidon Adventure.”
I suspect Stars on 45 inspired all the Weird AL polka medleys, and for that it deserves a place of honor.
Hahahah! A dragon net!
“The Ballad of Irving” (the 142nd fastest gun in the west) by Frank Gallop.
@parodymandotcom Another Dr. Demento classic!
I liked “St. George and the Dragonet” though maybe it’s funny now in a different way than it was funny in the 50’s.
My vote is for “Want Me” by Intrygue feat. Bohagen. It peaked at #2 on the charts, and I just happen to be married to her! #wonatlife
@wickhameh We’re in the presence of Number Twoness!
@wickhameh Link please, because am lazy.
@LaVikinga Here’s the link
Dead skunk in the middle of the road.
Loudon Wainwright III 1972
@sgrazi
And
Various roadkill cookbooks. A bunch of them. Even Victoria Beckham has one.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=roadkill+cookbook&sprefix=Roadkill+%2Caps%2C780&crid=XSIYA1XY17TS
@f00l One of the more fun parts of riding around the back roads with my friends was waiting for the whiff and breaking out in a few choruses of this. (yes, I’m that old)
@sgrazi When my nieces were younger I gave them each Sansa Clips that I loaded with songs I thought they might like and were age appropriate. My sister-in-law deleted some songs, but that’s another story.
Of all the four-hundred or so songs I gave them, “Dead Skunk” was the favorite of both of them. Who knew? Now they are teenagers, but I can still call them and say “Guess what I just saw?” and they’ll answer “A dead skunk in the middle of the road.”
(Guess where I bought their Sansa mp3 players?)
I’m genuinely a fan of the theme from the Third Man, but I wanted to vote for the Singing Nun…What a pretty song! Looking forward to part two, this was fun.
Dominique; The singing nun:
https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/what-you-didnt-know-about-that-song-you-hear-on-american-horror-story-every-week
Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini. (A favorite of Andrew Lloyd Weber, according to Sarah Brightman) But peeked at number 4. 12 weeks on t chart. Same with “Beep Beep”.
@LittleLulu
Remember that as a kid. Sing-along.
@LittleLulu While I just consider “Bikini” a product of its time (not so different from “Who Wears Short Shorts” or “Purple People Eater”) , “Beep Beep” was indeed weird.
@f00l Thanks. You made wootmom smile!
Man never realized the “in the year 2525” was actually a song. I like the Futurama version too.
Forgive the German(?) And doubled video, Wanted one with the propor video
#1 in 1966
A whole day and no Cleopatra 2525 references? You mehricans are slippin’
I don’t see (hear) what is so “weird” about “Kiss from a Rose”. It seems to be a pretty standard pop ballad to me.
I certainly remember that I thought “Stars on 45” was quite weird at the time. A medley of Beatles covers By a Dutch "band? Maybe. With a single “Archies” song (and the opening riff to Venus) thrown in at the beginning? What the f? Throw in the weird genesis of the song: a bootleg medley that was subsequently re-recorded with sound-alikes, and I thought it was just the most unlikely #1 imaginable.