Novelty Songs

As much as we love tapping our tear ducts with a tender power ballad or two, some days call for a mood-stabilizing mix of novelty songs. Not just that master of parodies "Weird Al" Yankovic, either; we're talkin' the peculiar pitch-shifting of "Fish Heads" and "The Chipmunk Song," gut-busting holiday revues like "Monster Mash," "The Chanukah Song," and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," and the endearing eccentricities of They Might Be Giants' entire catalogue.

That's not the last we'll hear of Uncle Al and his smile-seizing associates, either; our Next Steps are spiked with more merry melodies than a Looney Tunes marathon.

The satire-slinging absurdity of "Weird Al" Yankovic, Dr. Demento, and Dickie Goodman is just the beginning of our Novelty Songs Essentials. We've also included a slew of songs that go easy on the ba-da-bump punch lines but still manage to amuse, including the "watch it now!" warnings of "Wooly Bully"; the infectious, horn-blasting nonsense of "Walk the Dinosaur"; the syllable-chomping poetry of Shel Silverstein; and the wave-catching rock 'n' roll of the Trashmen.

How are your sides feeling? They'll be splitting in a second — once our Deep Cuts are done distilling the greatest yuk-yuk cuts of yesterday and today.

A canine chorus line ("Jingle Bells Boogie")? The dry, swinging-'60s wit of a Vulcan ("Highly Illogical")? Dollops of soda-shop pop and a puppy price check by Patti Page? Are you as lost as we are? Don't be. Succumb to our final playlist of lightly sweetened novelties instead, from the lip-twitching, range-cruising lunacy of Nervous Norvus and Leroy Pullins to the playful, hip-wagging rhythm & blues of the Kingsmen, the Coasters, and the Cadets. And what's that somewhere in the middle? Why, it's a burst of Brandy Bunch sunbeams and smashed disco balls (the comedic country of "Disco S***s").

Like a novelty gift or game, the following tracks are built to break through the iciest of exteriors and tickle every funny bone within. Which won't be too hard considering the inclusion of note-nailing joke jams (Steve Martin, Adam Sandler, Monty Python), over-the-top pop (Aqua, Crazy Frog), pitch-black punch lines set to song ("Der Fuehrer's Face," "Dead Puppies"), ever-golden oldies ("Wooly Bully," "Charlie Brown," "I Put a Spell on You"), and cowpoke country suitable for city slickers (Roger Miller, Dana Lyons, Ray Stevens). And then there's Dickie Goodman's restless radio-dial approach, an uproarious mix of classic records that has as much in common with stand-up comedians as it does with the mash-up DJs who came decades later. "Weird Al" would be proud.