There are a lot of songs you hear on oldies stations these days. And there’s at least one type you almost never do – novelty records.
 
Back in the 60s and to a lesser extent the 70s, bizarre comedy records would not only hit the charts but the airwaves across the world. They’ve become legendary but almost never heard any more outside of, say, a Dr. Demento-type show.
 
And that’s a shame. Tunes (if you can all them that) like “Purple People Eater,” “The Martian Hop,” “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron,” “The Witch Doctor," “Mister Jaws,” and too many more to mention were all over the airwaves.

 Now nobody plays them and outside of a rare appearance by Weird Al Yankovic, nobody makes them.   
 
True, some of them spurred controversy even then. Charlie Drake’s “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back,” makes fun of Aboriginals. “They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha” and “I’m A Nut” were seen as being insensitive to the mentally ill and despite being big hits, quickly disappeared from the charts. Jimmy Cross’ “I Want My Baby Back,” was considered offensive and in bad taste, even in 1965.
 
And only a few get played to this day, most notably the Halloween perennial “Monster Mash,” which never goes out of style.
 
And then there were the very rare in-between artists, who wavered between novelty tunes and real songs. Ray Stevens is the all time master, managing huge hits with “Guitarzan,” “Everything Is Beautiful” and “Mr. Businessman.”
 
Roger Miller also skirted the line, hitting it big with the offbeat but still mainstream “King Of The Road” and “England Swings” but also issuing truly strange efforts like “My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died,” or “You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd.”
 
 I kind of miss these strange nuggets and I wish more oldies stations would occasionally play them. But they do tend to wear out their welcome pretty quickly and I guess they consider them tune-outs. Too bad. They were a wonderful addition to an era now lost, it appears, to history.

Looks like the "novelty" has forever worn off. 

Last edited by aflem (February 2, 2020 5:38 pm)