Entertainment For Lively Minds
What's your favourite nonsense song?
Posted by David Hepworth on 19 February 2009 - 5:18pm.
I've just received a double CD of the best of Nick Lowe. It contains "Shting Shtang", which goes as follows:
Shting Shtang, Shting Shtang, Shting Shtang, Shting Shtang, Shting Shtang, Shting Shtang...etc"
There are some verses as well, of course, but shting and, what's more, shtang are in essence the twin poles of its meaning. I love it. You can get an even clearer idea here.
What's your favourite nonsense song? Give us a sample.
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Louie Louie
is the daddy of the brood. I know there's some nonsense about a sailor but even the FBI couldn't find any meaning in the song and they used the best 1950's cold war listening devices.
BTW Mr H,
is this a new Best Of Basher?
I have an old Demon best of and the re released Jesus Of Cool but the rest of the catalogue is deleted pre the 90's albums.
And as far as i know not available to download or spotify.
Surely one of our finest deserves better treatment than this?
I'm betting it's the one referenced here:
http://www.yeproc.com/artist_info.php?artistId=54#
Ta for that
with a live n promos DVD to boot. Lovely! Hope they reissue the rest of his stuff in time
Yip song
Bound to annoy the recent correspondent, railing against the affected mannerisms of Robyn Hitchcock. Strangely, it is the one that endears him to me most!
"Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
This old man, he was flesh -- they wheeled him in upon a trolley
Vera Lynn, Vera Lynn
Draw a window on his skin now
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
This old man, he was next -- blindfolded to face the volley
Vera Lynn, Vera Lynn
"Love will come of all our sins"
Painted on my tail fin now Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
This old man persevered -- in his mind he lay with Molly
Vera Lynn, Vera Lynn
Cleanse us with your healing grin
Septicemia always wins, now
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
Coma high, coma low
Blood is precious, yes or no?
I believe in surgery -- and that's a fact
I believe in making it easy
I believe in surgery, but I never act
I believe in making it easy
Easy Easy Easy
Easy Easy Easy
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
This old man, he was gone -- he was gone and I was sorry
Vera Lynn, Vera Lynn
Down I spiral, down I spin
Forces sweetheart, I'm your twin now
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
Vera Lynn nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin nin
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip
Yip!"
Your red scarf...
Your red scarf matches your eyes
You closed your cover before striking
Your father has the shipfitter blues
Loving you has made me bananas.
Oh, you burned your finger that evening
While my back was turned.
I asked the waiter for iodine,
But I dined all alone.
Your red scarf matches your eyes
You closed your cover before striking
Your father has the shipfitter blues
Loving you has made me bananas.
Loving You Has Made Me Bananas, by Guy Marks
Guy Marks
Genuinely one of my all-time favourite records.
'Stairway To Heaven'....
it's gibberish, but wonderful gibberish.
Ying tong ying tong ying tong ying tong ying tong
tiddle - i- po..
Who put the mow in the ooma-mow-mow?
"Surfin' Bird" - the big crescendo after it grinds to a premature halt. Great fun to sing whenever you're feeling blue:
"Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow..."
Etc.
Flop Eared Mule
An excellent music blog I frequent (apart from this one, of course), and the title of a song
http://flopearedmule.net/mp3/flopearedmule.mp3
(No subject)
But...
You stole my entry.
Piggy In The Middle, then.
Totally agree and was goinng
Totally agree and was going to post the same. Basically, it is the best and obvious choice, but I like the way some earlier posts went for the needlessly obscue to prove their muso chops.
"Chicken Payback" - The Bees
A few years ago, sixties revivalists The Bees resuscitated the mid-level nonsense song with the wonderful "Chicken Payback":
That's a belter
and it's the best song to sing on Singstar as well :D
Hot Poop
It's Hot Poop by Andy Fairweather Low for me, a song in which the lyrics consist entirely of its chord changes.
Armed with this and my Bert Weadon Play In A Day book maybe one day ....
Can I offer two?
Ministry's awesome Jesus Built My Hot Rod (video not on Youtube oddly enough), this is the best I can find. Brilliant nonsense lyrics from about two minutes in...
This one is another cracker. Shaggy Dog by Mickey Lee Lane
"Like a frog on a log do the shaggy dog with a gah gah googa googa goo googa gah gah!"
Wimoweh - Karl Denver
"Great Googa Mooga - These words don't make no sense!"
A compilation of songs in fluent gibberish:
http://tinyurl.com/c2eev3
The kids have it right....
The muppet version on youtube was a bit weak (musically) so here’s the original from a porn film?
Right said Fred....
....both of us together
one each end and steady as we go.
tried to lift it,
couldn't even shift it,
we was gettin' nowhere,
and so we had a cup of tea.
Right said Fred, lets call for Charlie,
up came Charlie from the floor below etc etc
ooh ee ooh ah ah ting tang wallah wallah bing bang
"Martian Hop" - The Ran-Dells
All together now:
"Ba-ba-mm-meh-meh,
Ba-ba-mm-meh-meh,
Ba-ba-mm-ba-ba-mm-ba-ba-ba-mm-meh-meh"
Love that record
is all I'm saying. I have it on a great CD called 'Golden age Of Rock N Roll' alongside this
which is a close cousin of this
but this bit of nonsense just has me howling when Jim Backus gets going. I even like the cork!
Now then, now then...
10 points for the artist, 10 points for the song....
Taumatawhakatangihangakoayauo-
tamateaturipukakapikimaungahoro-
nukypokaiwhenuakitanatahu
The Lone Ranger by Quantum Jump
the least famous person from the 11 O'clock show, Iain Lee, plays it on his radio show
"Rubber Biscuit" by The Chips
Harvey Keitel just can't quite get into this one:
We have to lose that sax solo...
Ladies and Gentlemen be upstanding please
for Mr Terence Alan Milligan
The video
Should be available on the National Health as a tonic for the chronically poorly.
Tom Lehrer - Elements
Al Stewart - Small Fruit Song
http://open.spotify.com/track/0DtEYZXu46DiiphYqNsOIx
.
.
Joy Division Oven Gloves. Half Man Half Biscuit
...not sure about the video.
The lyrics are here at this rather daft and wonderful site http://www.chrisrand.com/hmhb/achtung-bono-2005/joy-division-oven-gloves...
(rummage around in the lyrics of HMHB and you'll find nonsense a'plenty
"Boob Boom Boom -Let me hear you say hosepipe ban")
Yes Tonight Josephine
by (poor old) Johnny Ray, had the fabulous refrain-
"Yip! Yip! Whip out the bum-diddy bum-diddy"
A firm favourite in our house when I was a lad.
Lieutenant Pigeon...
Zappa - Wowie Zowie
"I don't even care if you brush your teeth..."
"Little Demon" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
"Mupmmupbemupmemupmupbemupmupmemup - that cat was mad."
Let’s not forget the great Gilbert
and his forays into charming gibberish
No, let's.
.
R-A-G-G-M-O-P-P - Ames Brothers (or Treniers)
M
I say M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P
Mop
M-O-P-P
Mop Mop Mop Mop
R
I say R-A
R-A-G
R-A-G-G
Rag
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop!
It’s glossolia, innit?
I loves me some authentic musical gibberish. “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da/Is all I want to say to you…”. You could strap a lute to that lyric and its genius would still come shining through to tie you up and rape you. Not necessarily my favorite Police song, but the chorus more than makes up for the cringeworthy verses.
and no mention of
the voutest hepcat of them all, Slim Gaillard, you disappoint me
Imagine - John Lennon
Nice sentiment mate but complete nonsense
Horses by Be Good Tanyas
When they were on Charlie Gillett's show he said he found it hard to make out any of the lyrics and Frazey Ford said that there weren't any real words in it, just made-up sounds.
Sam the Sham - what a philosopher
I could have chosen Tutti Frutti
but I prefer this one for some reason
"Bibbidi bobbidi boo" - Louis Armstrong
Oh, now that's just silly.
Possibly revealing my child-care background...
...but I can't go past this for joyful nonsense.
On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!
Introducing the under 5s to Spike Milligan - what could be better?
Nothing.
I recite this to my 3 year old daughter every night.
That or 'The Bumbley-Boo'
Surely...
I haven't heard that in over
I haven't heard that in over twenty years! My daughter loves this song - and that's just from me singing her the chorus. Will she like the original, or will she be creeped out? I'll get back to you...
Milligna
Got to be the 'Q' theme tune by Milligan. A couple of minutes of absolute heaven.