When doing some research into that whole backstory for Rock and Roll thing, one of the songs I touched on in my research was “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” by Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGs6TDeXo8E
This was a song that was released in 1946 and hit it huge. It was one of the top (what we now call) R&B Songs of 1947 and one of the most played jukebox songs of its time.
My introduction to the song was on the Muppets, though. You might remember it too:
That aired in 1980 (it was the Loretta Swit episode) which puts it somewhere around 34 years after the song was initially popular that I was introduced to it (and, yes, drove my parents nuts by singing it).
Which then made me think. Let’s say that the Muppet show came out with a song that was popular 34 years ago. What’d be a good choice of song for them to use?
So I checked the R&B charts and saw what was #1 somewhere around this date and thought “okay, so this song will be about as far from us right now as Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens was to the people watching the Muppet Show that night.”
Here you go:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0hZG-zNOk
So… what are you listening to?
Been listening to this a lot lately:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBWS3BJSNtQReport
Thats nice, hits that sweet spot real well.
Do you ever listen to these guys?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev0yILvCdMMReport
Right now my life is so hectic-buying another house, putting out a map of antique shops on deadline- that I really just want chill music, but with a melancholy twist!
So, Rykarda Parasol!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjaqBb5aiXwReport
Apropos of nothing, if you like Chickens, you should check out Jordan’s Choo-Choo-Ch-Boogie, which in addition to being highly addictive is the only song I know of where every line ends with “ack.”Report
Likewise apropos of nothing, last week I stumbled across this gem, which if anyone reading this hasn’t watched before, I highly recommend. You’re a fantastic storyteller, dude (but I’m sure you knew that already); I showed it to my folks when I dropped by their place on Sunday and we laughed our asses off.Report
Ha! That’s a deep dive find!Report
And also: Thank you, @zac-black !Report
Also, the distance from Nobody Here to the Muppets seems way, way longer than the distance from Muppets to Beat it.Report
We’re within a few months of the Muppet Show being as distant from now as the Muppet Show was from the first regular broadcast commercial television programs.Report
This video was also made 34 years after the song’s initial release, though the song has re-entered pop culture in a big way about halfway between those two dates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqYReport
“Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” was a novelty song. “Beat It” isn’t a good parallel. “She Blinded Me With Science” is a better comparison. It’s an upbeat and successful song that some people would remember, but it hasn’t been a part of our culture in the past few decades the way Michael Jackson’s music has. Besides, wouldn’t you love to see Professor Bunsen Honeydew singing it? He doesn’t have eyes! It’d be perfect.Report
Other 1983 novelty-ish songs: “Down Under”, “The Safety Dance”, “Electric Avenue”, and “Stray Cat Strut”. And think what the Muppets could do with Hall and Oates’s “Maneater”.Report
Hey, when I checked the R&B charts, I automatically checked the date today (at the time, the 23rd) and looked at the R&B chart for May 23rd. the closest date to that on the chart was May 21st.
If I wanted the most novelty-ish song closest to what was on the R&B charts, I would have jumped back a couple of weeks to Atomic Dog by George Clinton.
Another song that, theoretically, the Muppets could have a ball with… were the song not somewhat filthy.Report
“Atomic Dog” is less risque than “Lydia the Tattooed Lady”.Report
Lydia the Tattooed Lady is avuncular as it plays with double entendre.
Atomic Dog is playing with single entendres.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Atomic Dog is a much richer song with all sorts of stuff going on such that listening to an instrumental version would be only slightly less rewarding than listening to the original while Lydia is a fair-to-middlin’ vaudeville song raised to nose-bleed heights by the talent of Groucho and an instrumental version would have little to recommend it.
But the muppets could totally get away with Lydia the Tattooed Lady (indeed, they did!) while I don’t see them getting away with Atomic Dog.
Not even in the current year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXZA_5XMJ4Report
“Beat It” brought this to mind, which has been making the rounds lately:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epXN1eUkFGUReport
So, a friend of mine and I are watching Gotham.
Albert is good for a lot of funny britishisms, and one of the good ones is “I’ll tuck you up, just like a kipper”
… he started filking that to “Like a virgin”
It was brilliant.Report
It’s been around, but stumbled across it recently:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zul3CjAc6y8Report
Speaking of annoying your parents with song, Junior will not stop singing this Dr. Doofenshmirtz song from Phineas and Ferb. I’d post a video if I could find one, but you don’t want to hear that crap any way.Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVCrD72sUeI
Here it is, here it is! It’s actually a cute song if you don’t have to listen to it a million times.Report
Great Scott, I couldn’t make it through that the first time. You got some skills.Report
Not even going to try.
The Gummi Bear song ruined my brain.
I will never look at Gummi Bears the same way again.
Sure, they come in bright colors with lots of fruit flavors, but they are diabolical evil.
Dammit! And I just remembered how that song goes.
I was doing pretty good at forgetting about it until now.Report
There was a bit of a comic meme going around about Haribo sugar-free gummi bears. The reviews on Amazon were amazing.Report
Those reviews are amazing. I saw them about a year ago. Priceless!Report