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Chapter 42: Cocktails for Two

Comedy & novelty

Comedy famously ages poorly (how did anyone ever think the Three Stooges were funny?) but a great novelty song can endure long after the joke goes stale. Don’t get me wrong, some of these jokes still work! “The Thing” escalates like a well-constructed sketch, and Tom Lehrer’s wordplay is ageless. Other tracks shine through sheer goofy verve, like the insane ‘orchestra’ concoctions of Spike Jones or Bobby Pickett’s spooky shindig. Seriously, whatever did happen to the Transylvania Twist?
1. Spike Jones & His City Slickers

Cocktails for Two

2. Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

Monster Mash

3. Brian Hyland

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini

4. Tom Lehrer

The Masochism Tango

5. Rolf Harris

Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport

6. Phil Harris

The Thing

7. Spike Jones & His City Slickers

Der Fuehrer's Face

8. The Bonzo Dog Band

I'm The Urban Spaceman

9. Andrea Carroll

Please Don't Talk to the Lifeguard

10. The Four Lads

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)