These 3 Songs From 1963 Have Incredibly Odd Lyrics, but We Can’t Stop Listening to Them

1963 was an interesting year in rock music. In 1963, classic rock songs like Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” were released. But some songs also came out that year that we keep listening to, even though they don’t make sense, including these three hit songs.

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“Puff, The Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul And Mary

Peter, Paul And Mary, a trio made up of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers, had their first No. 1 hit with “Puff, The Magic Dragon”. Written by Yarrow and Leonard Lipton, the song is based on Ogden Nash’s poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon”. It appears on their sophomore Moving album. The song was intended to be a children’s song but instead became one of the biggest hits of their career.

“We put it on the album, without any thought that it might ever become popular in any important way,” Yarrlow tells Songfacts. “Yet, it happened spontaneously at some point, because a DJ somewhere in the Northwest started to play it on the radio, and it just took off, and it’s the song that it now is.”

“Puff, The Magic Dragon” says, “Puff, the magic dragon / Lived by the sea / And frolicked in the autumn mist / In a land called Honalee”.

Although Peter, Paul And Mary had other hit singles, “Puff, The Magic Dragon” remains their signature song.

“Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” by Rolf Harris

“Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” actually first came out in 1960 by Australian artist Rolf Harris, who also penned the song. It gained new life in 1963 in the United States, where it became a multi-week No. 1 single in 1963.

Inspired by an early 1900s Australian song, “The Dying Stockman”, “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” says, “Watch me wallabies feed, mate / Watch me wallabies feed / They’re a dangerous breed, mate / So watch me wallabies feed / Altogether now! / Tie me kangaroo down, sport / Tie me kangaroo down.”

“Martian Hop” by The Ran-Dells

The Ran-Dells had one hit single, and it’s “Martian Hop”. An electronic-sounding rock song that came out years ahead of its time, band members John Michael Spirt, Robert Lawrence Rappaport, and Steve Millman Rappaport wrote “Martian Hop”.

Most of “Martian Hop” is actually just sounds that a Martian might make. But the song does say in part, “I got into my rocket ship to see the Martian Hop / I saw the planet shining red, so there I made my stop / But as I opened up the door and climbed the ladder down / I saw the Martians on the floor a-dancin’ to this sound.”

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