Ah, the golden days when William Bolcom and Joan Morris toured the land with their knock-out recitals. I believe both have now retired from university teaching (Ann Arbor, Mich., was it?) and maybe they don't tour like they did when I was a university student. I attended more than one of their evenings.

This song was usually done near the end of the show. Much of its appeal is based on the shock value of hearing it the very first time. Once you have made the song's acquaintance, the experience changes completely. I learned the song well enough to use it for an audition -- passed it too.

So now, when I hear "Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese SURPRISE!!", I sit back, anticipating every sucker-punch in the lyrics, and watch the audience -- the newbies, anyway -- jumping about like marionettes on strings.

Mr. Bolcom and Ms. Morris remarked, introducing the song one evening, that after several seasons of singing it, and having the song requested, and so on, people started cooking the stuff that was described in the song, and the statement from the stage was:
"I believe we have now eaten every dish mentioned in this song. "

This reminds me of the "Company" showstopper sung by Elaine Stritch:
"Here's to the Ladies Who Lunch...."