In the 1950s, as rock and roll was beginning to take hold as the dominant musical genre, scaring parents with its rebellious attitudes and hip-shaking dance moves, other musicians took a few aspects of the sounds and made the music more funny and less dangerous.
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Enter: the novelty song. With tracks about purple monsters and baked cakes and performers who make nests in trees (read: chipmunks), there was much about the novelty song that was appealing. Here, we dive into a handful of such songs that were popular in the 1950s.
[RELATED: Behind the Rock Novelty Song “The Purple People Eater”]
1. “If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake,” Eileen Barton (1950)
Released in 1950, this song was written by Hoffman, Bob Merrill and Clem Watts. Eileen Barton made the song famous in the U.S., hitting No. 1 on the Billboard charts that year. On the track, Barton sings about preparedness and confections, offering,
Well, well, well, look who’s here.
I haven’t seen you in many a year.
If I knew you were comin’ I’d ‘ve baked a cake,
baked a cake, baked a cake.
If I knew you were comin’ I’d ‘ve baked a cake.
How-ja do. How-ja do, How-ja do.
Had you dropped me a letter I’d ‘ve hired a band,
grandest band in the land.
Had you dropped me a letter I’d ‘ve hired a band
and spread the welcome mat for you.
2. “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts,” Merv Griffin (1950)
This novelty song was written in the decade prior in 1944 by Harold Elton Box, Desmod Cox and Irwin Dash. The song is meant to highlight the coconut toss at fairs. And it was made popular in 1950 by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra and vocalist Merv Griffin, who later created game shows like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Griffin’s version of the song sold three million copies. On the song, also highlighted in The Lion King, Griffin sings,
Down at an English fair, one evening I was there
When I heard a showman shouting underneath the flair
I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts
There they are, all standing in a row
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head
Give them a twist a flick of the wrist
That’s what the showman said
3. “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?” Patti Page (1953)
Recorded in 1952 and released the following year by singer Patti Page, this cute tune about seeing a pup in a store window went on to hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart, staying there for eight weeks and selling two million copies. Later, Lita Roza recorded a popular version in the U.K. On the Page rendition, she sings,
How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie’s for sale
I must take a trip to California
And leave my poor sweetheart alone
If he has a dog, he won’t be lonesome
And the doggie will have a good home
4. “The Purple People Eater,” Sheb Wooley (1958)
This song also hit No. 1 on the charts. Written and performed by Sheb Wooley, this song was all the rage at the end of the decade. The track, which tells the story of a monster from space with one horn and one eye who eats (purple?) people, remains a lark today. On the song, Wooley sings,
Well I saw the thing comin’ out of the sky
It had the one long horn, and one big eye
I commenced to shakin’ and I said “Ooh-eee”
It looks like a purple people eater to me
It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater
(One-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater)
A one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me (one eye?)
Well he came down to earth and he laid in the tree
I said Mr. Purple People Eater, don’t eat me
I heard him say in a voice so gruff
“I wouldn’t eat you ’cause you’re so tough”
5. “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” Alvin and the Chipmunks (1958)
With the idea of raising the pitch and speeding up the vocals, millions of dollars were made and Alvin and the Chipmunks were born. With brothers Simon and Theodore and bandleader Dave, the Chipmunks released their debut album in 1959, Let’s All Sing with The Chipmunks. On it was this original song, written by Ross Bagdasarian, which helped spark a revolution (and myriad cartoons). Sings Alvin and his group,
Christmas, Christmas time is near
Time for toys and time for cheer
We’ve been good, but we can’t last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
Want a plane that loops the loop
Me, I want a hula hoop
We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don’t be late
Photo: Gettyimages.com
