Songs that are so bad they're brilliant

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Hagbardr
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 04:02 PM

There's one I heard a couple years ago, "Concrete Roads", parodying John Denver's "Country Roads". Don't remember any of the lyrics though. Pabst Blue Ribbon does that to you.....

Hagbard

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 02:32 PM

Well, Joe Offer, I think kendall has you sussed: "That is a great song for anyone over 40. Perhaps when you grow up you will learn to appreciate it."

Actually I reckon "Those were the Days" is a great song, and one of the great things about it is you can sing iut totally tongue in cheek, or totally sincerely. I think to qualify of this kind of thread, that has to be true of a song.

You don't have tomtake sides on a song and decide it's ridiculous, or above ridicule. Lots (most?) really good songs hover on the border between the two, and can tip over to either according to how they're sung, and how the people listen are feeling. Some singers can even play with moving a song back and forth between the extremes - yiou suddenly realkise in the middle of some song you've thought of as a cheerful singalong song, andnrealise mthere's real pain in there.The Titanic. Engine 143.

Hank Wangford is a great man for having it both ways with songs.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: GUEST,Jesse's girl
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 10:40 AM

I'll submit the 1970s song "Run Joey Run" as a so-bad-its-fun song. It's the one about a guy who wants to do right by his pregnant girlfriend, but her mean old dad is gunning for him. Dad accidentally shoots the girlfriend, who goes to heaven with a chorus of fake-portentous "aaawww-aaaahhhs."

I find truly over-the-top songs such as this more enjoyable than mediocre songs such as "My Heart Will Go On."

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Clinton Hammond2
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 09:56 AM

Well... this one might qualify, because many people think of it as great, but I just can't take it at all... "There Were Roses"... what a heavy handed, clumbsy, overly sentimental, pile of crud...

Now, I know I've likely offended EVERY Celtic and psudo-celtic here, but I'm allowed to have my own opinions and proclaim them publicly...

For my tastes, there's one good song about the garbage going on in Ireland, and it applies to the Middle East and just about any other "hot spot" I can think of... It's called "House Of Orange" by Stan Rogers...

"Donald Where's Yer Trousers" always sorta got to me as the Sinefeld (sp?) episode of folk music... pointless but kinda funny...

That's Been My 0.02

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Amos
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 09:22 AM

Back when I was a teenager cruising for burgers at 3 AM we used to pick up WWVA from 600 miles away and chortle at the antics of a DJ calling himself "The Coffee Drinking Night Owl"; his gimmick was unscrewing a jar of Nescafe next to the mike and stirring up a cup of instant coffee. Back then there were some pretrty undescribably thick songs in the country circuit, and I have never forgotten the one called "Window Shopping", which went:
Yore jes' winder shoppin', jes' winder shoppin'
Fer anyone who's fool enough to fall.
You don't want real love
You never feel love
Yore jes' winder shoppin', is all !

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 09:45 AM

One of the Toronto morning shows had a beauty called "Fishin' Worms", I have no idea who it was by and can't recall many of the lyrics, can anyone help?

It was complete parody, but what about the bovine lounge lizard in the HP Sauce commercials crooning "You'll never know, how much I love you, moo moo moo moo" One of my favourite commercials ever.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Owlkat
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 11:23 PM

This one just flashed me, so I thought I'd fire it off, before I forget. It's not really bad, just kind of goofy. I got this one when I used to tape (for archival reasons only) syndicated Dr.Demento shows when I lived in Toronto. For some reason, it's stuck with me. c f Send me to glory in a glad bag g c Don't waste a fancy coffin on my bones c f Just set me out with the trash next Tuesday g c And let the sanitation local take me home.

...and there's more where that came from.

hoots meow. Owl.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 04:44 PM

Rick,

Love "Fightin and Snortin For Jesus" reminded me of this past summer when I was visting relatives in New York State. I asked my cousin's husband if he had gone to Woodstock as it was about twenty minutes away from where they live. His answer was 'No, I was killing commies for Christ" I pursued this and apparently his Chaplain in Viet Nam had 'Kill a commie for Christ' painted on his Jeep.

OwlKat, I completely agree about some of the most brilliant parody I've ever heard. A great song.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Jeff Spurlin
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 11:14 AM

Owlkat...You are correct about "The perfect country and Western Song". It was the last verse, which as far as I know was only sung by David Alan Coe, that was quoted. DAC did give Steve Goodman credit for it though.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Owlkat
Date: 07 Oct 99 - 01:31 AM

Re: the October 2 reference to the perfect country and western song... John Prine and Steve Goodman wrote it in reply to all the hurtin'country songs they came across. It was picked up by David Allen Coe who sang it so often that it was thought to have been written by him. I believe it's called "You never even called me by my name", and can be found on one of Steve Goodman's earlier albums. Far from being terrible; it stands as one of the most brilliant examples of parody that I know. Not that any of the country audiences I sang it for actually got the joke. Goofy, silly, funny? Yup. Terrible? I don't think so.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Barry Finn
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 11:26 PM

A few weeks ago at our local singing session someone sang a song about Somerville (Next to Boston) & all it's charms ("where the traffic light turn from green to red,,,,,, and back to green again"). Sorry, Somerville has no charm. Well a few of us started saying where'd he get that song from, it's awful, a few minutes later he had some of us chuckling by the end everyone was in stiches & gasping for air with all the laughter. It was really awful never heard anything as bad but never heard anything as funny either. Don't know the name of it (maybe just Somerville) but I was telling a friend on mine about it & he said he hadn't heard it in over 20 years, he came upp with the guy's name who wrote it but dam me if I can recall it. Barry

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 06:30 PM

Har Har Har (my equivalent of "grin"). The worst part of "If Jesus was a Picker" is that it's always been my most requested song! I wrote part of it while watching the "Jim and Tammy" hour (this was before Jim went away for cheating the true believers) and seeing Tom Landry (then coach of the Dallas Cowboys) talkin' about Jesus being his "football coach in the sky". On the same program Glen Campbell said that "he was pickin' fer Jesus now". Shortly after, Glen met Tanya Tucker and from both their autobiographies it seems they started "fightin' and snortin' for Jesus as well". The song is not a shot at religion at all (hear that Jesse Ventura) only the hypocracy of those who use it to support their greed or bigotry.
Hang on to that 45 Steve, it may be worth a dollar some day.

Rick

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 06:09 PM

I think Steve was having some fun with Mr Fielding, MAG. I would still like to hear Ray Stevens do it, though. Now if we can just get rid of that "grass" reference...

LEJ

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 05:57 PM

Er - all y'all know "If Jesus was a Picker" is on rick's disc, right?

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: M
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 05:50 PM

MAG--

Fish heads, fish heads, rolly polly fish head, fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

And you must sing this song in front of the fish heads at the supermarket! A friend and I use to make a beeline in this one particular store (that only had one aisle--it was a maze, literally) to the fish section and sing softly to the fish heads while swaying at the waist. I don't remember who wrote it, though it was on MTv for awhile and there are actually more lyrics...a great song (sigh).

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 02:29 PM

LEJ,

Thanks, I think I even had this on vinyl at one point. I'll search cowpie for the rest of the lyrics.

Steve

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 01:53 PM

Steve..."Uneasy Rider" was a top 40 hit for The Charlie Daniels Band.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 11:00 AM

Just to set the record (no pun intended), I am not saying 'If Jesus Was A Picker' is a bad song, I was just rambling a bit. Any guesses as to who the artist is.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Pelrad
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 10:54 AM

Anyone care to theorize about why so many of these "bad songs" are about Jesus?

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 06 Oct 99 - 10:37 AM

I vaguely remember a song from the early to mid seventies called 'Uneasy Rider' about a long hair whose car or bike breaks down in a redneck town. In describing the inhabitants of the town he refers to 'some old fella with green teeth' anyone remember anything more about this one, artist, more lyrics etc?

My collection of 45's included such classics as Troglodyte, Guitarzan, The Streak and one that I think most qualifies for this thread, Jerry Reed's Amos Moses. I should dig those out. Believe it or not, I got a brand new 45 a few months ago, "If Jesus Was a Picker" by an artist who gets a lot of ink on the 'cat, anyone know who it is?

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Tincap
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 07:04 PM

Can't remember the words but I had I think it was the title song from a Sneezy Waters (is he still around?) called "You've got Sawdust on the Floor of my Heart."

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 09:16 AM

Well, I'm sure Bobby Bare did the song, but my lasting memory is the version by Kinky Friedman and his Texas Jewboys. On his first album I believe. Kinky, who now writes mystery novels, seemed hell-bent on offending anyone he could (my kind of guy). It also had a version of that anti-feminist anthem "Get Your Biscuits in Oven and Your Buns in the Bed." After I married my first (and now ex-) wife, this album disappeared. She always swore she had nothing to do with its disappearance. Me, I just bought another copy.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Stewie
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 05:10 AM

Seed, 'We Need a Lot More of Jesus' was written by Wayne Raney. It would be hard to know whether he was serious. I have always seen 'Drop Kick Me Jesus' credited to Paul Craft, not Bobby Bare as you suggest.

Cheers, Stewie.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: SeanM
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 03:14 AM

Number 3 is called "Beep Beep"... *shudder*

M

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Ely
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 01:54 AM

Besides the "Five Pounds of Possum" one (which, down here, is "Forty Pounds of Possum", since everything is bigger in Texas)? I always get a chuckle out of the Holy Modal Rounders' "Mister Space Man", a parody of a really bad early '60's pop tune called "Mr. Bass Man". I don't think my father ever could remember a full set of lyrics to something if it wasn't absurd. These are some of the gems on which I was raised: 1) "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" (Beatles) 2) Hostile Baby Rocking Song ("there's an island way out in the sea, where the babies they all grow on trees"). 3) the one about the Cadillac and the Nash Rambler ("Hey, buddy, how can I get this car out of second gear?") 4) "Merchant's Lunch" by the Red Clay Ramblers.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Songster Bob
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 12:37 AM

Came across this in a songbook I found in a friend's guitar case the other day, and it put me in mind of the man who wrote it, Jon Eberhart. I'm doing this chorus from memory, and I can't say the song is so much "bad" as just a more-than-enough-extended metaphor, exactly in keeping with the genuine article (this one being self-conciously constructed).

She's read her final issue, there was nothing we could do,
We could see the end a-coming, as she turned its pages through.
Now a halo lights her reading, and her days are free from strife,
Death has cancelled her subscription to the magazine of life.


From "Magazine of Life," copyright 1980 by Jonathan Eberhart

I don't remember if this is on his Folk Legacy recording or not, but it's one in the spirit of that recording's title song, "Life's Trolley Ride."

Songster Bob

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: HattieLou
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 11:31 PM

Harold, I think the some of the words are "I've got tears in my beard 'cause I've been crying for you dear, I've got lonely on my mind. That's all I can remember. Does anyone remember the singer?

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Harold
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 11:11 PM

How about: "I've got tears in my ears from lying on my back in my bed while I cried over you." I remember hearing this on a "Cowboy Radio program" many years ago. If someone remembers the words or can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

Here's to good bad songs.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: lamarca
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:32 PM

"I'm proud to be a hippy from Olema
Where we're friends with all the squares and all the straights
We still take in strangers if they're Haggard
And we can't think of anyone to hate..."

Yep, it was the Youngbloods, but I don't know who actually wrote it...

How 'bout the hymn with the second verse that starts :
"By the light of burning martyrs..."

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Bert
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 02:29 PM

Everybody must get stoned

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Davey
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 01:00 PM

I think it was Kitty Wells that sang "I Gave My Wedding Dress Away" which tells of how she looked after her little sister since her mother died, and always gave her whatever she wanted, including, we find out, the man she was going to marry.
Eve Goldberg sings it here in Toronto, and it won second prize in the aforementioned Sentimental Song contest...

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Dan Evergreen
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:36 AM

Hey this is easy: "I'm Gonna Get a Wine-o to Decorate Our Home." "I'm gonna get a wine-o to decorate our home, So you'll feel more at home here, And you won't have to roam; Take out the dinning room table, Put a bar along that wall, And a neon light to show the way To the bathroom down the hall." How totally dumb. How totally clever."

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Bert
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:03 AM

This is a song that never ends.................

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 03 Oct 99 - 04:48 PM

"Hippie from Olema" was recorded by the Youngbloods, about 1970--My recollection is that it was written by someone other than the band members, but I can't find the record I have of it--I did send off an e-mail to the Jesse Colin Young website (he seems to own a coffee plantation in Hawaii!) to ask him about it, so maybe he will reply--

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: bob schwarer
Date: 03 Oct 99 - 03:43 PM

WyoWoman:
There was a thread on "20 Naked Pentacostals....." abit ago(last April). Do a search for "Pentacostals" and it should pop up. I posted the lyric near the end of the thread after I found the CD.

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 03 Oct 99 - 01:36 AM

I don't know about the "veritable" part of it, Leej: I'm wrong about half the time. --seed

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 03 Oct 99 - 12:53 AM

Damn, Seed, if you are not a veritable font of information!

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From:
Date: 03 Oct 99 - 12:21 AM

I heard a song on a public radio folk show that I wish I'd taped. It was exactly the kind of stupid political folk song I hate. All I remember is the refrain:

(righteously) "They didn't listen to Anita Hill, But she told the truth any-way."

Looking forward,

Elaine DiMasi ([e-mail])

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Michael K.
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 11:57 PM

I was surfing a couple of MP3 sites last night, and came across something that made me laugh out loud and at the same time, sort of blew me away.

A band called ''KLEZMER 2000'' had MP3 samples posted from their new album. We're talking about Israeli/Middle Eastern Music, with an acid jazz kind of a groove/production!!!!!!

I figure if the masses can accept RAP (which makes my skin crawl and sends me running for nitro glycerine tablets) they can handle Klesmer 2000.

Go to CD Now, search for them, and listen. See if their stuff qualifies for this thread. (I'm sure that some will most definitely think so.)

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 11:32 PM

I have the album it first appeared on, "'The Winner' and Other Losers." And Bobby Bare is definitely too smart to have had anything but parody in mind when he wrote it. That's what made it so funny when Monday Night Football adopted it--as if no one would be offended by the parody.

And Leej, it was "Hippie from Olema," a little town in Marin county, and it was a California group that did it, someone like "New Riders of the Purple Sage" or "The Doobie Brothers"--like them, but probably not them.

--seed

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Lyle
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 10:24 PM

Joe Offer said about Drop Kick Me Jesus, "Looks to me like it must be a real song, ..." and it is: It was a *hit* single for Bobby Bare (can't remember the year) and was on this album later. Check Song #14.

Bobby Bare - All American Boy-21 Greatest Hits 1994

TRACKS

0 1. All American Boy 0 2. Shame On Me 0 3. Detroit City 0 4. 500 Miles Away From Home 0 5. Miller's Cave 0 6. Four Strong Winds 0 7. Streets Of Baltimore 0 8. Game Of Triangles 0 9. (Margie's At) The Lincoln 10. Come Sundown 11. Please Don't Tell Me How 12 Ride Me Down Easy 13. Marie Laveau 14. Drop Kick Me, Jesus 15. Numbers 16. Tequila Sheila 17. He Was A Friend Of Mine 18. When I'm Gone 19. To Whom It May Concern 20. I Don't Believe I'll Fall 21. Bye Bye Lov

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 10:18 PM

Anything by Queen is pretty terrible, but their crowning achievement was

I see a little silhouette-o of a man
Scaramouche-Scaramouche- Can you do the Fandango?
Thunderbolt and Lightning, very very frightening me!
Oh Galileo,Galileo,Galileo let him go!
LET HIM GOMISS MILLER(she will not let him go)
Be-el-ze-bub has a Devil put aside for ME..for ME..for MEEEEEE

Completely ridiculous, yet fascinating

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: WyoWoman
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 07:11 PM

Bob S. -- Where, oh where, can I learn "Twenty Naked Pentecostals in a Pontiac?" This sounds like my kind of song.

WyoWoman

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 07:06 PM

Actually, "I'm glad to be an A**H*** from El Paso"

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 06:55 PM

Seed, remember the long-hair response to "Okie"? I think it was called "I'm Proud to be a Hippie from Olimo" or something like that, might have been by Arlo? Class? Anyone? Bueller?

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 06:49 PM

Mat...the Mason Williams thing was, I believe, on "The Mason Williams Listening Matter"...(I have 2 Mason Williams albums down in the catacombs, and have not gone & dug...)will check on it sometime if you need more info....

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 06:30 PM

Seed, I can assure you that when Wayne Raney sang "A whole lot More of Jesus..." in the 50s he MEANT it. Now I leared it from the Greenbriar Boys. As to their motives....well.

Rick

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 05:27 PM

"We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (And a Lot Less Rock and Roll)"--probably not written as a parody, but could have been. "Okie from Muskogee," supposedly written as a parody but got taken seriously, even by its writer, Merl Haggard (for whom it made a mint--and a career [for which I'm thankful; the guy can flat out sing]). And of course "OfM" is now probably played more as parody than straight.

--seed

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: SeanM
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 01:13 PM

Somehow, when I first saw this thread, I had a feeling that Ed Wood would rear his head at some point...

Not too long ago I used to work at a video store. Shortly after I arrived, a "remastered" version of Plan 9 was released.

I took great joy in making sure as many people as possible rented this film. Oddly enough, reaction was mostly favorable.

M

Subject: RE: Song that's so bad it's brilliant
From: Peter T.
Date: 02 Oct 99 - 11:52 AM

Plan 9 is good, but "Glen or Glenda" is the true masterpiece. The famous sweater renunciation scene may well be the greatest 45 seconds of celluloid ever. The first time I saw Glen or Glenda in a movie theater I became physically hysterical, and couldn't stay to the end, and missed the sweater scene. Later, when I came for the second show, I finally got to witness the full unfolding of the creator's genius. I have seen it dozens of times, and it remains an awesome testimony to the complete weirdness possible in the human mind.
yours, Peter T.