Thursday, April 21, 2022

April 16, 2022 - JH: Novelty Songs

 April 16, 2022

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)

Spotlight: Novelty Songs


Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)

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Playlist


·     songs with * were requests
·     all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted
·     a glossary of terms is below the playlist

6:00 - 7:00

OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi Hendrix)

Background music: The 'Pink Panther' Theme - Henry Mancini (1964 - #31: song won Pop Instrumental Grammy and was from the movie starring Peter Sellers)

First, some songs for the season:

Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean (1971 - #2: million-seller by the Canadian group was kept out of the top spot by Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World")

Day By Day - Original "Godspell" cast (1972 - #13: Robin Lamont provides the lead vocal)


One Toke Over the Line - Brewer & Shipley (1971 - #10: song was banned in parts of the country for its references to Jesus and Mary; Jerry Garcia played steel guitar on the song)

Superstar - Murray Head (1971 - #14: hit song from the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber)


Novelty Songs:

Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright (1973 - #16: one-hit wonder for the singer who appeared in three episodes of TV's "MASH")

Wild Thing - Senator Bobby (1967 - #20: "Senator Bobby" was really Bill Minkin of the Hardly-Worthit Players)

May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose - Little Jimmy Dickens (1965 - #15: country crossover and one-hit wonder for the diminutive singer)


Guitarzan - Ray Stevens (1969 - #8: Stevens would later hit #1 with songs "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak")

The Jolly Green Giant - The Kingsmen (1965 - #4: besides "Louie Louie" the only Top 10 song by the Portland, OR band)


45 Corner:

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) - The Beatles (1970 - DNC: the flip side to "Let It Be", the song was a 1967 outtake from "Sgt. Pepper" sessions with Rolling Stones' Brian Jones on saxophone with overdubs added in 1969)


Wildwood Weed - Jim Stafford (1974 - #7: one of four Top 40 singles from Stafford's first LP)

Beep Beep - The Playmates (1958 - #4: the musical technique in the song is called accelerando: its tempo increases as the speed of the cars increase)


You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd - Roger Miller (1966 - #40: Miller was an accomplished musician on multiple instruments; his cousin's husband was Sheb Wooley [see below], who taught him his first guitar chords and bought him a fiddle)

Ding Dong! the Witch Is Dead - The Fifth Estate (1967 - #11: song was recorded in 5 different languages and was a world-wide hit)


Birthday Calendar:

Background music: Dented Fender - Roy Clark (1962 - DNC: guitar stylings from the future "Hee Haw" star)

April 10:

Sheb Wooley - b. 1921
Nate Nelson (The Flamingos) - b. 1932 
Bobby Smith (The Spinners) - b. 1936

April 11:

Richard Berry - b. 1935

April 12:

Tiny Tim (born Herbert Khaury) - b. 1932
John Kay (Joachim Krauledat) - 78
David Cassidy - b. 1950

April 13:

Horace Key (The Tams) - b. 1934
Lester Chambers - 82
Jack Casady - 78
Al Green - 76
Max Weinberg (E Street Band) - 71

April 14:

Bill Harris (The Clovers) - b. 1925
Loretta Lynn - 90
Tony Burrows - 80
Ritchie Blackmore - 77

April 15:

Roy Clark - b. 1933

April 16:

Henry Mancini - b. 1924
Roy Hamilton - b. 1929
Ed Townsend - b. 1929
Bobby Vinton - 87
Dusty Springfield (born Mary O'Brien) - b. 1939
Gerry Rafferty - b. 1947

The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley (1958 - #1: Wooley wrote the song that spent 6 weeks at #1, he later recorded other novelty songs under the name 'Ben Colder'; he was also an actor, with roles in movies The Outlaw Josie Wales, Silverado, and Hoosiers)


I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos (1959 - #11: Nate Nelson provided the lead tenor vocal on this doo-wop classic, which ranks #157/RS500)

I'll be Around - The Spinners (1972 - #3: Bobby Smith sang the lead vocal for this hit for one of the biggest R&B acts of the '70s)

Riot in Cell Block #9 - The Robins (1954 - DNC: written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Richard Berry supplied uncredited lead vocals; Berry also penned the song "Louie, Louie")

Tiptoe Through the Tulips - Tiny Tim (1969 - #17: Tiny Tim was a cultural phenomenon of the late '60s, appearing on "Laugh-In" and getting married on the Johnny Carson Show)


Rock Me - Steppenwolf (1969 - #10: John Kay wrote the song and was the lead singer and guitarist for the heavy metal band)

I'll Meet You Halfway - The Partridge Family (1971 - #9: David Cassidy and real-life stepmother Shirley Jones starred and sang for this TV family modeled on the Cowsills)


Untie Me - The Tams (1962 - #60: Horace Key was lead vocalist for the group that was named for their trademark tam-o-shanters; Joe South wrote the song)

Time Has Come Today - The Chambers Brothers (1968 - #11: Lester was lead singer for the interracial group; the LP version of the song is over 11:00, we heard the 4:51 single edit)


The Ballad of Me & You & Pooneil - Jefferson Airplane (1967 - #42: live performances of this tune allowed bassist Jack Casady an opportunity to solo)



Tired of Being Alone - Al Green (1971 - #11: Green wrote the song which ranks #293/RS500)

Badlands - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (1978 - #42: "Mighty Max" Weinberg's dynamic drumming opens this lead track from the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" LP)

Love, Love, Love - The Clovers (1956 - #30: Bill Harris played guitar for the rhythm and blues/doo-wop group)

Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn (1970 - #83: Lynn is a country music legend whose career spans six decades)


White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin' (1970 - #13: session singer Tony Burrows sang lead on several one-hit wonders, including "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)", "Beach Baby", and "United We Stand")

Hush - Deep Purple (1968 - #4: Ritchie Blackmore was lead guitarist for the heavy metal pioneers; song was written by Joe South)


Don't Let Go - Roy Hamilton (1958 - #13: song is the first Top 40 hit ever recorded in stereo)

For Your Love - Ed Townsend (1958 - #13: Townsend wrote this hit as well as co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye)

Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton (1964 - #1: "The Polish Prince" had 44 singles chart on the BB Hot 100)

The Windmills of Your Mind - Dusty Springfield (1969 - #31: track from her classic "Dusty in Memphis" LP; the song, but not her version, won an Oscar for Best Song)


Star - Stealers Wheel (1974 - #29: Gerry Rafferty formed the folk rock group with school friend Joe Egan, who wrote the tune)


Back to our Spotlight Feature:

*Witch Doctor - David Seville (1958 - #1: Seville, real name Ross Bagdasarian, a was also famous for the Chipmunks)

The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor - Joe South (1958 - #47: cover of song written by the Big Bopper, which was his flipside to "Chantilly Lace")

Rubber Biscuit - The Chips (1956 - DNC: original version of song that was later covered by the Blues Brothers [1979 - #37])

King Tut - Steve Martin (1978 - #17: members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, called "The Toot Uncommons", backed Martin on this million seller)


They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV (1966 - #3: another million seller, "Napoleon XIV" was really Jerry Samuels, who wrote the hit)

Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen (1964 - #4: song has achieved notoriety on the TV show "Family Guy")


Leader of the Laundromat - The Detergents (1965 - #19: song features Ron Dante, later the voice of the cartoon group The Archies, as well as The Cufflinks)


Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport - Rolf Harris (1963 - #3: Australian Harris wrote the song, which was recorded in England with George Martin as the producer)


Stranded in the Jungle - The Cadets (1956 - #15: one-hit wonder for the Los Angeles group)


CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks; brothers Santo [steel guitar] and Johnny [rhythm guitar] Farina from Brooklyn)

dnc = did not chart
nr = not released as a single at the time
AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records
BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts
Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100
C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records
R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records
RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time


Host April 23, 2022: Gregory James (GJ) with a spotlight on brother/sister acts.


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