Kids Nonsense Songs

By definition, truly great pop should be "popular" with the whole family, which makes our Kids Nonsense Songs playlist the daddy of all party mixes. Every little rascal in the land will sing along ad infinitum to the catchy gibberish of "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" by the Rivingtons, and the surreal lunacy of "Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers.

These tracks might appear nutty on the outside, but there's a solid core of classic rock 'n' roll that runs through the playlist, from "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs to "Be-Bop-a-Lula" by Gene Vincent, one of the great rebel pioneers of rock. Skiffle hero Lonnie Donegan asks "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour?"

The best of our Kids Nonsense Songs cuts have titles that sound better the more you shout them, preferably while pogo-ing and turning a pucer shade of red. The Troggs' "Wild Thing" works on this level, as does "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis, and one of the all-time easiest lyrics to remember: "Woo-Hoo" by the Rock*A*Teens.

The eternal kid in all of us loves a hearty dollop of nonsense every now and then, so we're delighted to offer you a playlist in which gibberish, gobble-de-gook, and fun-filled lunacy take center stage. The entire compilation pays homage to an era when artists could indulge their imagination and celebrate simple pleasures like taking a bath (Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash") or putting one foot in front of the other (Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'").