Ain't That Peculiar: Answer Songs, Novelty Numbers, One-Hit Wonder Hits, and More

Despite widespread charges about commonality and uniformity among "Hot 100" hit recordings, there is a strong case to be made on behalf of peculiar songs that have invaded U. S. pop charts over the past century. This volume illustrates, honors, and promotes the realm of idiosyncratic audio releases. It highlights zany musicians, novelty tunes, bizarre musical arrangements, unusual instrumentation styles, flamboyant vocal presentations, and of-the-wall lyrical constructions. Borrowing its title from the very popular 1965 Marvin Gaye song, this collection of books, essays, and record lists screams "Ain't That Peculiar" from every page. The specific sonic peculiarities explored include answer songs and cover recordings as well as unconventional Christmas tunes and scary Halloween hits. Other topics addressed are audio absurdities about cats and dogs, salutes to space travel and short-lived dance trends, politically incorrect observations about various ethnic groups, and sexually suggestive lyrics. This literary adventure also tracks down artists who have been labeled One-Hit Wonders. It also flips over established hit recordings to determine whether B-Side songs might also deserve pop chart status. This volume explores the short-lived music chart successes of instrumental recordings by jazz performers, studio session players, rock guitarists, R&B keyboard artists, and pop orchestras between 1945 and 1975 as well. Finally, the issue of contemporary lyricists borrowing melodies from classical music composers to create "Top 40" hits will be investigated.