Talk:Novelty song

Untitled
Wow, what's been going on over here? I can see not wanting too many examples, but now there's not hardly any, including a lot of well-known ones. Including ones that were red-linked. Which, if the criteria for talking about anything in Wikipedia is that it has to have a page of its own, well then we'd have a lot less content. Rufus Sarsaparilla 12:10, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

loser isn't a novelty song. people said it was but it wasn't MUHAHAHAHA! 07:57, 16 April 2007 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pastryback76 (talk • contribs) 01:57, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

I typed in comic song and got this, which is about novelty songs. They are not the same beast. A history of the comic song would encompass the French chanson tradition, perhaps Gilbert and Sullivan, music hall, Flanders and Swann, Tom Lehrer, maybe even Richard Stilgoe. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.132.35.196 (talk) 21:51, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Not on list? Cotton-eye Joe by Rednex, some stuff by the Coasters. Don't if relevant? 137.215.9.20 (talk) 10:41, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Rednex's "Cotton-eye Joe" is just a silly cover of an old bluegrass song; doesn't qualify. A novelty song is a novelty song because of the actual intent of the song, not how someone later parodies it. Temp4590 (talk) 06:47, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

I don't think "Puff the Magic Dragon" qualifies as a novelty song, and would like to see it removed from the list of sample novelty songs in this article.-- pcdunn2005 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 164.47.99.222 (talk) 18:48, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

Early history
This article is unclear on the early history; if this was a popular genre in the 20s and 30s, then the history section should mention that, and not start with the 40s.--Prosfilaes (talk) 02:19, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

TurtleShroom's edit
TS did add some, but removed some, mostly ones with profanity, Christianity insults, etc. I know the guy online, and know he hates Pokemon and anything the slightest bit offensive, so he will remove them. Should we add these back? -- Misterλ (TλLK) 21:34, 15 September 2009 (UTC)

"I Am the Walrus"
I never thought I Am The Walrus was a novelty song. If it was, then Glass Onion would be considered one too, as they were written for the same purpose. 75.142.54.211 (talk) 05:33, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Aserejé
Wouldn't you agree that the Ketchup Song is a novelty one? --213.130.253.61 (talk) 01:07, 20 March 2010 (UTC)

Frank Zappa
I only see one of his songs in the list, but Frank Zappa was one of the most notable writers of novelty music. How come he hasn't been mentioned in the History section? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.169.118.4 (talk) 09:15, 11 August 2010 (UTC)
 * He is now. Temp4590 (talk) 06:47, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

Telstar
What, exactly, is a novelty instrumental? And, if there is indeed such a thing, shouldn't "Wipe Out (The Surfaris)" and "Tequila (The Champs) also be included? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.81.28.204 (talk) 19:17, 30 August 2012 (UTC)
 * In any case I'm cutting Telstar out. Carptrash (talk) 14:44, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

Examples List
A number of the songs on this list do not name the original performers. "The Marvelous Toy" for instance is by Tom Paxton and was only covered by Peter, Paul, and Mary. 59.167.185.220 (talk) 05:41, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

Promotional edit
It appears that musician Al Casey or someone close to him has been editing this page in a promotional manner to insert aggrandizing, promotional, anecdotal, and thus generally unencyclopedic material about a questionably notable song and band. Temp4590 (talk) 06:47, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

Re: [quote] A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. [unquote]
Re: [quote] A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. [unquote] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novelty_song

Ah-hah ..!!!!

Finally - I have discovered a genre to "call" weird QUIX4U (youtube) videos and audio works.

Thank you Wikipedia..

This thoroughly describes QUIX4U's "extensive collection" of audio re-mastering (creative, derivative, transformative) WORKS such as "this" ...

A NOVELTY SONG (derivative work) - created entirely from the reuse of, and thus in itself a direct parody thereon, the parody derivative works of the world's best known Parodist (Weird Al Yankovic) if he'd actually EVER done a parody work (skit) on another great artist's work - being that of Danger Mouse's OWN: CRAZY

Re: K_RAY_Z (the totally novel derivative thereof) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsOvttls7Bs Entitled (simply) as: "K_RAY_Z ... ? CRAZY ? Z_YAR_K ? (or) G n a r l s _ B a r k l e y - REMIX REMASTERED "really" Crazy ?"

Uploaded onto Youtube by: QUIX4U •5 years ago •675 views … Silence (& sense) rules for just 28 "Seconds" ((( & ))) & then U2 - will become K_RAY_Z 115.188.57.151 (talk) 00:52, 27 October 2015 (UTC) (aka) QUIX4U.

Also: Re: [quote] Novelty songs are often a parody or humor song, and may apply to a current event such as a holiday or a fad such as a dance or TV programme. Many use unusual lyrics, subjects, sounds, or instrumentation, and may not even be musical. "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" has little music and is set to a rhythm tapped out on a snare drum and tambourine. [unquote] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novelty_song

Novelty Songs (themselves) can be further "Novelized" by merging two entirely different Novelty Songs into a creation which renders them both the same, yet different again (from each separate component part), to thus introduce a different aspect of nonsensical musical sense, into an otherwise non musical (original) Novelty Song, such as the one named in the above quotation: "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!"

Something which QUIX4U has also done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8dChjIvMdg Re: "Oh-No-! YTs Chip'd Monks R eatn 4King Nutz Again sewthayr com'n2Tak awl Em K_RAY_Z s'Aw'y Yhea" Also uploaded onto Youtube by QUIX4U •4 years ago •268 views … Remember when - they DID (their) YT tweeking IT'ies TW?IT "thingies" again ...

Thereby introducing the "missing" musical sense, into an otherwise non-musical piece, whilst creating yet a different form of the TWO original Novelty songs of: "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" & "K_RAY_Z ... ? CRAZY ? Z_YAR_K ? (or) G n a r l s _ B a r k l e y - REMIX REMASTERED "really" Crazy ?"

Thus proving the validity of the comic intention of transformativeness, with regards to the satirical parody of Novelty Songs (themselves) as a method of creating further Novelty songs, that can be created from virtually any audible medium.

Cheers. 115.188.57.151 (talk) 03:29, 27 October 2015 (UTC) (aka QUIX4U)

Can we cut this article down?
Or at least come up with a tighter lead. Right now, there are so many examples, many of them unnecessary. This kind of simple concept can be explained in a few paragraphs. Then we'll have prominent examples. Instead, it seems like the current state is for people to just had songs they like. CarolOfTheForest (talk) 02:12, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

I am going to start cutting
some unreferenced stuff out of here, starting with "It is regarded by both music scholars and Sinatra enthusiasts to be perhaps the worst song he ever recorded. " I'll settle for a reference to either music scholars or Sinatra enthusiasts. I will also look for a reference since this claim is pretty likely to be true, but. . . ... Carptrash (talk) 17:51, 14 November 2017 (UTC)

Blue Suede Shoes - really a novelty song?
I know that genre classifications are always debateable. I also realise that Carl Perkin's original of this song (the one listed here as an example) - is much less famous than Elvis Presley's cover which followed soon after, and that is was the Elvis recording that made the track a rock-and-roll / rockabilly standard - but...

...all that said, should Blue Suede Shoes really be listed here as a novelty song? Jmrichardson (talk) 12:48, 9 April 2023 (UTC)