Nonsense and Novelty Songs (Part two) Quiz

Answer: Monster Mash

"Monster Mash" after first release in 1962 returned to the most played list four times, the last in 2014, and has been re-recorded by other groups at least thirty times. Pickett used to do a Boris Karloff impression as front man for his rock band and was encouraged to record in that voice. In 1965 Boris Karloff himself sang the song on the TV show "Shindig" as did Vincent Price in 1977. Rock legend Leon Russell played piano on the original recording.

"He did the mash, he did the monster mash
The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
He did the mash, it caught on in a flash
He did the mash, he did the monster mash"

Answer: Smoking in the boy's room

No, Charlie Brown did not smoke in the boy's room, that was Mötley Crüe or Brownsville Station. Charlie smoked in the auditorium. The Coasters were on a roll in the late 1950s with "Yakety Yak", "Along Came Jones", and "Poison Ivy". The line "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?" became a popular catch phrase of the day. The Coasters' "Charlie Brown" has been recorded by other groups an estimated eighty times.

"Fe-fe, fi-fi, fo-fo, fum
I smell smoke in the auditorium
Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown
He's a clown, that Charlie Brown
He's gonna get caught
Just you wait and see.
(Why's everybody always pickin' on me)"

Answer: The Name Game

If someone's name is Marsha, for instance, the lyric would be:

Marsha!
Marsha, Marsha, bo-bar-sha
Bo-na-na fan-na fo-far-sha
Fee fi mo-ar-sha
Marsha!

In 1964 the song rose to number three on the Billboard Chart.

Answer: Richard

"Open the Door, Richard" became the sensation of 1947. Orchestras, bands, singing groups, and individuals rushed to record it. However, each tended to adapt the song for their own message. Because there are so many versions and lyrics and both singing and recitation was used, it is difficult to pin down. This verse is found in most editions:

"Open the door, Richard,
Open the door and let me in
Open the door, Richard,
Richard, why don't you open that door!"

Often the adaptations were rooted in the African/American experience. Allusions to alcohol and drug use, poverty, and police actions were highlighted. It served as a framework for grievances that would find a clearer voice in the coming decades.

Answer: A plane that loops the loop

The "Chipmunk Song"(1958) is reoccurring holiday song always seems to capture a new audience each year. Ross Bagdasarian, (aka David Seville) sang the song himself through the magic of recording techniques but gave credit to three mythical chipmunks. At the Grammy awards that year the song won in three categories: Best Comedy Performance, Best Children's Recording, and Best Engineered Record.

"Want a plane that loops the loop
Me, I want a hula hoop
We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don't be late".

The Chipmunks have been revived in recent years in animated films.

Answer: "Alley Oop" the comic

"Alley Oop" began in the comics in 1932; the song came out in 1960. It is clear that the song was written about the comic character Alley Oop.

The comic still is found in many newspapers today. Cartoonist V. T. Hamlin was the original artist for the first forty years of publication.

Dallas Frazier wrote "Alley Oop" in 1957 but it did not reach popularity until 1960. It was recorded by the Hollywood Angels, a loose group of studio musicians. It reached one the Billboard Hot 100 and three on the US R&B chart.

The comic had a caveman but the plots were often satires on modern life. And so it is with the song:

"He rides thru the jungle tearin' limbs offa trees
(Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
Knockin' great big monstahs dead on their knees
(Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
The cats don't bug him cuz they know bettah
(Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
Cuz he's a mean motah scootah and a bad go-gettah
(Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)"

Answer: Hold Tight

The song, or versions of it, had been part of unwritten jazz history. The lyrics had to be 'cleaned up' due to general public tastes. Since it was traditional jazz, the success of the song had many claimers. These included Sy Oliver, Count Basie, Gene Krupa, Jerry Kruger, and Taps Miller. However, Sidney Bechet, a bandleader. claimed the song was taught to him in 1924 and is generally recognized as the 'composer'. The song was considered risqué.


"Hold tight, hold tight, a-hold tight, hold tight
Fododo-de-yacka saki
Want some seafood mama
Shrimps and rice they're very niiiiiiiiiiiiice
Bad da do daa, da de do da do daa, ba da da da do daaaa."

Answer: King Tut

The song must be understood in context. Tutankhamen's relics were making a tour of the United States at the time and the large crowds were triggering headlines. Martin introduced the song as a skit on "Saturday Night Live" and recorded it shortly after with the "Toot Uncommons", actually the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was the most expensive skit on "SNL" up to that time. Even though it's dated, it is still fun to look it up on YouTube.

"King Tut King Tut
Now when he was a young man,
He never thought he'd see
King Tut
People stand in line to see the boy king.
King Tut
How'd you get so funky?
Funky Tut
Did you do the monkey?
Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia
King Tut!"

Answer: Proud Mary

This was Darin's first hit song and propelled his short but productive career that included an Oscar nomination for his role in "Captain Newman, MD". But chronic heart problems and depression contributed to his death in 1967. He was married in 1960 to Sandra Dee, a teenage sex symbol.

It reached number three on the charts. Bigger hits were to follow including the Grammy award for "Mack the Knife' and haunting "Beyond the Sea".

"There was Lollipop with a Peggy Sue
Good golly, Miss Molly was-a even there, too
A- well-a, splish, splash, I forgot about the bath
I went and put my dancin' shoes on, yeah!"

Answer: The Deck of Cards

The soldier pleads that "my pack of cards serves me as a Bible, an almanac, and a prayer book".

"Ace: God.
Deuce: The Old Testament and New Testament.
Trey: The Holy Trinity.
Four: The four Gospels.
Five: The story of the two groups of five virgins wise and foolish.
Six: God created the Earth in six days.
Seven: God rested on the seventh day.
Eight: The eight righteous people whom God saved during the Great Flood.
Nine: Of the ten lepers whom Jesus cleansed, nine of them did not even thank Him
Ten: The Ten Commandments
King: God, the Father.
Queen: Blessed Virgin Mary.
Jack: Satan.
365 spots: The number of days in a year.
52 cards: The number of weeks in a year.
Thirteen tricks: The number of weeks in a season.
Four suits: The approximate number of weeks in a month.
Twelve face cards: The number of months in a year".