A nonsense song is a type of song written mainly for the purpose of entertainment using nonsense syllables at least in the chorus. Such a song generally has a simple melody and a quick (or fairly quick) tempo and repeating sections. [1]
History
The roots of this song type can be traced as far back as " Shoo, Fly, Don't Bother Me" and " Jimmy Crack Corn" to the 1890s " Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay".[ citation needed]
Every era has had its own nonsense songs. The turn of the 20th century had " Row, Row, Row", with lines like:
And then he'd row, row, row,
A little further he would row,
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
And then he'd drop both his oars,
Take a few more encores
And then he'd row, row, row.[ citation needed]
The jazz age created many nonsense songs, such as " Ja-Da".
Ja-da, ja-da
Ja-da, ja-da, jing, jing, jing [1]
Examples
- " Sarasponda", a children's folk song
- "Nonsense Song (Titine)" a song written by Charlie Chaplin, used in Modern Times (1936)
- " Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood Mama)", written by Edward Robinson; Jerry Brandow; Lenny Kent; Leonard Ware; Willie Spottswood in 1938
- " Three Little Fishies", written by Josephine Carringer and Bernice Idins; with music by Saxie Dowell in 1939
- " Mairzy Doats", composed by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston in 1943
- " Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", written by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston in 1948
- " Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo", written by Helen Deutsch in 1952
- " Rubber Biscuit", written by Charles Johnson and first recorded by The Chips in 1956; later known from the Blues Brothers cover version.
- " Chim Chim Cher-ee", written by the Sherman Brothers in 1964
- " The Name Game", written by Shirley Ellis in 1964
- " Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", written by the Sherman Brothers in 1968
- " I Am the Walrus", written by John Lennon in 1967
- " Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", written by Paul McCartney in 1968
- " Dig a Pony", written by John Lennon in 1969
- " Surfin' Bird", written by Al Frazier, Carl White, Sonny Harris, Turner Wilson Jr. in 1963. Performed by The Trashmen and the Ramones.
- " Prisencolinensinainciusol", written by Adriano Celentano in 1972
- The Israeli rock band Kaveret, active 1973–1976, are known with their songs with nonsense, wordplays and surrealistic stories.
- "Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot", by novelty band Caramba, released in 1981 on the self-titled album. Other songs on the album are also of the same nonsense song genre.
- The closing theme song of the 1970s-80s sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati by Jim Ellis features gibberish lyrics.
- "Gibberish", from the 2003 Relient K album Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...but Three Do.
- " Chacarron Macarron", written by " El Chombo" in 2006
- " Why This Kolaveri Di", an Indian song by actor Dhanush that skyrocketed him to international fame in 2011.
- "Ja Ja Ding Dong", a song from the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga