Every time I hear an ice cream van go by, I'm reminded that my brother-in-law's mother told him as a child that they only played that song when they were out of ice cream. Wish I'd thought of that ...
Rebecca! Great to hear from you! I hope you are doing well. I would hate to have this earworm with me for all of eternity. I guess if the casket had a quick release lever so every time it said "pop" the body would pop through the ground zombie-like, then I approve.
Interesting side note on a different children's song: My grandmother was living in Shreveport, La., and knew Jimmie Davis, the erstwhile songman/possible crookster and later governor of the state. Jimmie apparently would sing every time their peer group got together, and she claimed to have heard him perform one he was "working on" long before it was released on record.
Do I detect an emerging trend? From rats in the kitchen to weasels...what's next? I hope a velociraptor, just for laughs. This article was a sort of earworm orgy. So, mission fulfilled!
Ha - I didn't realize my appreciation for the underserved animal population! I don't think my next one is animal based but it's in the early stages, so who knows! Earworm orgies are my bread and butter, so high praise indeed!
It’s funny, the number of times I’ve sang the chorus to that 3rd Bass song and I never knew who sang it! I’d also somehow never made the connection of the ice cream truck music to PGTW but now of course it’s obvious!
A couple weeks ago a heretofore unknown (to me) earworm invaded my gray matter. For about a week, only when in the passenger seat of our car with my wife driving, I’d begin whistling “It’s a Small World After All”.
It was the most bizarre thing! I visited the It’s a Small World ride at Disney in 1977 and even came home with a picture disc of the song on vinyl but I’m sure I haven’t heard the sing in over four decades. It only lasted for about a week and thankfully there’s been no recurrence!
Ha - I love when I get a song lyric in my head and it doesn't occur to me who originally sang the song for a long time. The ice-cream truck part is super common. I'm pretty sure I heard it from a truck last summer. I also know I heard it growing up. Also, "La Cucaracha." But I grew up in So Cal, so it makes sense. I bet there are ice cream trucks that play "It's a Small World After All" as well! Though I'm not sure Disney would allow it.
It is a tough earworm to get rid of, so congrats on doing so. Unless writing about it brought it back!
For some reason, this reminded me of the Men Without Hats song "Pop Goes The World," which is an ear worm of the first degree. And tbh, I much prefer it to "Safety Dance," even though it only hit #20 in the U.S.
This is a first degree earworm song and now it’s stuck in my head. And the video is even cheesier than the song which I didn’t think was possible. Thanks?
Another great one, Steve......this song probably is added onto the pile of reasons why I, largely, ignore lyrics in popular songs....dating all the way back to '64 (when I was 8) and first heard The Beatles chirp, "yeah, yeah, yeah"!
My immediate love for the Fab Quatro always focused on their melodies and harmonies, anyway, but as I'd hear Mummy'n'Daddy bemoan (on that one "Ed Sullivan Show" night), "yeah, yeah, yeah? What kind of a lyric is THAT?" they'd sniff, I must've also gathered that words, in this incredible new music, were secondary, if not completely irrelevant. "I'll not be wringing my hands deciphering YOUR mumbling verbosity, Bob Dylan!"
I know I heard PGTW around this time and earlier, too (Dad, in his 20,000-unit LP & 78 collection, must've had at least one iteration, if not a boogle o' weasels in his possession)! BTW, a boogle of Google searches painfully yields the following terms for a group of weasels (along with "boogle"): "pack" and "gang", among other terms. Other collective nouns for weasels, they proudly assert, include "colony", "confusion", and "sneak."
I'm guessing there's no truth to the occasional rumor that a family reunion of the late Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor was ever called a boogle or a colony of Wiesels, but I've been known to be wrong before!
I can't imagine zoologists (or newscasters) have ever needed to refer to more than one weasel at a time, as in: "This just in...it seems a veritable confusion of weasels has managed to escape the city zoo, although one zoo official claims it was only a single weasel. Authorities are now attempting to eliminate any confusion.......uh, I mean....back to you, Sandra, at the I'm Witless Too news desk!".
Thanks for the always-appreciated name-drop, too, Steve! ("Norm Crosby....come in, Norm Crosby.....over"):
🧵As having been one to tie a knot in thread on more than one occasion, I can affirm with conviction that doing so has been the skein of my existence, darn it! In fact, why I felt the need to do so more than once seams to prove what an utter spool I've been! At the risk of appearing to be selvedge, and wishing to avoid a sticky wicket, I'll excuse myself, leave you in stitches, and retire to the backyard for a quick game of crochet. "Fore!"😁👍
Brad, I knew I could count on you for some inappropriately inappropriate Elie Wiesel puns. And there are so many more in your comment that I'm almost as overwhelmed as I was researching the history of PGTW! What is the "Norm Crosby" reference? I am too lazy to look it up. I did dangle the proverbial carrot for you to punverize this post into submission.
Norm Crosby....nightclub comedian and talk show mainstay, he was the "Master of Malaprop".....I dropped his name, as what I "left on your 'Stack step" was less a preponderance of puns, as it was a confusion of malaprops! Glad you enjoyed....and, thanks for the lay-up!
True all dat, Charles! My brother dabbled in stand-up, mid- and late-'70s, and I helped him write his act. He moved from Houston to L.A. around '77, and would do open mics at The Comedy Store and other storied haunts. He'd tell me about chatting with Mitzi Shore regularly (Pauly Shore's mum, and owner of The Comedy Store). Clint would also tell me that these were still the early-enough days of Letterman's and Leno's careers that they'd still be doing sets there, late-'70s, prior to their big network breaks!
But, seeing that Crosby set (shockingly long at 7-some minutes! Shortly thereafter, if you could get a spot on Johnny, Leno, Letterman...any network talk show....you'd be cut off at the 4-minute mark! Commercials, y'know!), and Andy Kaufman's bit (which I'd seen before)....such immaculate set-crafting....comedy writing. Again, both were really creating a character, and the dedication and commitment to that craft was awe-inspiring!
And, you're right about what passes for "comedy" nowadays (and the last several decades)....with all the cussing and political furor, lately, most comics sound like today's ranting DC-dems who think they can all just band together, throw a good-ole foot-stomping, 8-year-old's tantrum, and cuss the president out of existence...and, that, apparently, is what's passing for their policy these days! And, for the last decade, all the late-night talks shows have become nothing but political rallies, where all the Jimmys hope for, now, is thunderous applause with their activist-driven writing staff churning out diatribes...."laughter? What's that?"
For 3 decades, Johnny was smart enough to never let his political leanings seep out over the air...he wanted ALL of America to watch the show. Plus, he was a brilliant comedian with split-second timing, with, always, a crack writing staff whose goal was, not applause, but (imagine!) laughter!
Let me know when you figure out what it is -- it doesn't ring a bell for me. I think those kids songs and melodies are the most insidious. It could be a theme song from a cartoon or an add for Hot Wheels or Barbie.
Ha - I played it on YouTube and did not recognize it at all. Which is surprising as I would have been 6 when it came out, which is an age I would have heard it. I wonder if it was as well known in the US as in Canada and Europe.
Is that a comment on the goings on of the country or an actual song you are aware of? And I realized I forgot to delete last post's header and I'm kicking myself because I know many subscribers won't read it because it says it's from the archives. I'm really out of practice with this stuff.
It was intended to be playful - lobbying off your prescient comment. The measles is a veritable scare and insane we are now contending with an outbreak when immunization is available via vaccine. 💉 I love your work always. And there is always something I screw up. That’s what editing post publishing is for. I know the email newsletter is a timestamp and once it’s out it’s out so no way to edit that but remember your stuff has a long shelf life on the website where you can restack Ad Infinitum. Always excited when I get a Steve Goldberg ear worm
Every time I hear an ice cream van go by, I'm reminded that my brother-in-law's mother told him as a child that they only played that song when they were out of ice cream. Wish I'd thought of that ...
What comes to mind when I hear 'Pop Goes the Weasel' is the fellow I heard joke on the radio once:
"When I die, I want a casket with a lever on the side that plays 'Pop Goes the Weasel'"
I remember cackling to myself then, and again now!
As always, a great read, Steve! (grain of basmati--hahahaha)
Rebecca! Great to hear from you! I hope you are doing well. I would hate to have this earworm with me for all of eternity. I guess if the casket had a quick release lever so every time it said "pop" the body would pop through the ground zombie-like, then I approve.
This was a great read. Learned a lot. Thank you!
Interesting side note on a different children's song: My grandmother was living in Shreveport, La., and knew Jimmie Davis, the erstwhile songman/possible crookster and later governor of the state. Jimmie apparently would sing every time their peer group got together, and she claimed to have heard him perform one he was "working on" long before it was released on record.
The song: "You Are My Sunshine."
Cool story, Glenn! And the part you left out was that he was singing the song to a wad of hundred dollar bills!;) Thanks for reading.
Do I detect an emerging trend? From rats in the kitchen to weasels...what's next? I hope a velociraptor, just for laughs. This article was a sort of earworm orgy. So, mission fulfilled!
Ha - I didn't realize my appreciation for the underserved animal population! I don't think my next one is animal based but it's in the early stages, so who knows! Earworm orgies are my bread and butter, so high praise indeed!
I’d listened to this quite a it back in the day, but never clocked the “Eminence Front” sample until you mentioned it. Thanks for that!
Yeah - I love the way the song uses all 3 classic songs. It's noticeable but not obvious.
It’s funny, the number of times I’ve sang the chorus to that 3rd Bass song and I never knew who sang it! I’d also somehow never made the connection of the ice cream truck music to PGTW but now of course it’s obvious!
A couple weeks ago a heretofore unknown (to me) earworm invaded my gray matter. For about a week, only when in the passenger seat of our car with my wife driving, I’d begin whistling “It’s a Small World After All”.
It was the most bizarre thing! I visited the It’s a Small World ride at Disney in 1977 and even came home with a picture disc of the song on vinyl but I’m sure I haven’t heard the sing in over four decades. It only lasted for about a week and thankfully there’s been no recurrence!
Ha - I love when I get a song lyric in my head and it doesn't occur to me who originally sang the song for a long time. The ice-cream truck part is super common. I'm pretty sure I heard it from a truck last summer. I also know I heard it growing up. Also, "La Cucaracha." But I grew up in So Cal, so it makes sense. I bet there are ice cream trucks that play "It's a Small World After All" as well! Though I'm not sure Disney would allow it.
It is a tough earworm to get rid of, so congrats on doing so. Unless writing about it brought it back!
Thankfully writing about it doesn’t seem to have brought it back. Unless I start whistling it out on the trail today. We’ll see!
As soon as I saw your title, I thought of 3rd Bass! 😆 Thanks for that. 👍🏾
One of my favorites! I love the way they mix samples and beats. "Herbalz in Your Mouth" is another favorite. Thanks for reading!
For some reason, this reminded me of the Men Without Hats song "Pop Goes The World," which is an ear worm of the first degree. And tbh, I much prefer it to "Safety Dance," even though it only hit #20 in the U.S.
https://youtu.be/3zUUtf7gOe8?si=E8ntldB8ev8bYL7B
It’s definitely the better of the two songs!
This is a first degree earworm song and now it’s stuck in my head. And the video is even cheesier than the song which I didn’t think was possible. Thanks?
Another great one, Steve......this song probably is added onto the pile of reasons why I, largely, ignore lyrics in popular songs....dating all the way back to '64 (when I was 8) and first heard The Beatles chirp, "yeah, yeah, yeah"!
My immediate love for the Fab Quatro always focused on their melodies and harmonies, anyway, but as I'd hear Mummy'n'Daddy bemoan (on that one "Ed Sullivan Show" night), "yeah, yeah, yeah? What kind of a lyric is THAT?" they'd sniff, I must've also gathered that words, in this incredible new music, were secondary, if not completely irrelevant. "I'll not be wringing my hands deciphering YOUR mumbling verbosity, Bob Dylan!"
I know I heard PGTW around this time and earlier, too (Dad, in his 20,000-unit LP & 78 collection, must've had at least one iteration, if not a boogle o' weasels in his possession)! BTW, a boogle of Google searches painfully yields the following terms for a group of weasels (along with "boogle"): "pack" and "gang", among other terms. Other collective nouns for weasels, they proudly assert, include "colony", "confusion", and "sneak."
I'm guessing there's no truth to the occasional rumor that a family reunion of the late Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor was ever called a boogle or a colony of Wiesels, but I've been known to be wrong before!
I can't imagine zoologists (or newscasters) have ever needed to refer to more than one weasel at a time, as in: "This just in...it seems a veritable confusion of weasels has managed to escape the city zoo, although one zoo official claims it was only a single weasel. Authorities are now attempting to eliminate any confusion.......uh, I mean....back to you, Sandra, at the I'm Witless Too news desk!".
Thanks for the always-appreciated name-drop, too, Steve! ("Norm Crosby....come in, Norm Crosby.....over"):
🧵As having been one to tie a knot in thread on more than one occasion, I can affirm with conviction that doing so has been the skein of my existence, darn it! In fact, why I felt the need to do so more than once seams to prove what an utter spool I've been! At the risk of appearing to be selvedge, and wishing to avoid a sticky wicket, I'll excuse myself, leave you in stitches, and retire to the backyard for a quick game of crochet. "Fore!"😁👍
Brad, I knew I could count on you for some inappropriately inappropriate Elie Wiesel puns. And there are so many more in your comment that I'm almost as overwhelmed as I was researching the history of PGTW! What is the "Norm Crosby" reference? I am too lazy to look it up. I did dangle the proverbial carrot for you to punverize this post into submission.
Norm Crosby....nightclub comedian and talk show mainstay, he was the "Master of Malaprop".....I dropped his name, as what I "left on your 'Stack step" was less a preponderance of puns, as it was a confusion of malaprops! Glad you enjoyed....and, thanks for the lay-up!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Crosby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnX-EPaAIdU
Loved Norm Crosby. That was a different era of comedy, much funnier than today's obscenity-soaked stuff.
True all dat, Charles! My brother dabbled in stand-up, mid- and late-'70s, and I helped him write his act. He moved from Houston to L.A. around '77, and would do open mics at The Comedy Store and other storied haunts. He'd tell me about chatting with Mitzi Shore regularly (Pauly Shore's mum, and owner of The Comedy Store). Clint would also tell me that these were still the early-enough days of Letterman's and Leno's careers that they'd still be doing sets there, late-'70s, prior to their big network breaks!
But, seeing that Crosby set (shockingly long at 7-some minutes! Shortly thereafter, if you could get a spot on Johnny, Leno, Letterman...any network talk show....you'd be cut off at the 4-minute mark! Commercials, y'know!), and Andy Kaufman's bit (which I'd seen before)....such immaculate set-crafting....comedy writing. Again, both were really creating a character, and the dedication and commitment to that craft was awe-inspiring!
And, you're right about what passes for "comedy" nowadays (and the last several decades)....with all the cussing and political furor, lately, most comics sound like today's ranting DC-dems who think they can all just band together, throw a good-ole foot-stomping, 8-year-old's tantrum, and cuss the president out of existence...and, that, apparently, is what's passing for their policy these days! And, for the last decade, all the late-night talks shows have become nothing but political rallies, where all the Jimmys hope for, now, is thunderous applause with their activist-driven writing staff churning out diatribes...."laughter? What's that?"
For 3 decades, Johnny was smart enough to never let his political leanings seep out over the air...he wanted ALL of America to watch the show. Plus, he was a brilliant comedian with split-second timing, with, always, a crack writing staff whose goal was, not applause, but (imagine!) laughter!
5 points for the Knot pun!
I was hoping for 10....Knot!
Steve…
You just got your other five points!
Yes!
Oh, goodness-you just reminded me of a song I heard over and over on a single (and long) car ride when I was little.
My cousin had a toy that repeated one song, and the lyrics were:
"My name is Michael, I got a nickel
I got a nickel, shiny and new
I'm gonna buy me all kinds of candy
That's what I'm gonna do"
Never even thought to look it up until now, but totally an earworm.
Let me know when you figure out what it is -- it doesn't ring a bell for me. I think those kids songs and melodies are the most insidious. It could be a theme song from a cartoon or an add for Hot Wheels or Barbie.
I just found this web page that says it’s from Clint Holmes' "Playground In My Mind." The article even has a picture of the toy my cousin had….
https://www.torontomike.com/2007/01/my_name_is_michael_i_got_a_nic/
Ha - I played it on YouTube and did not recognize it at all. Which is surprising as I would have been 6 when it came out, which is an age I would have heard it. I wonder if it was as well known in the US as in Canada and Europe.
I don’t recall ever hearing it anywhere else. 😂
Pop goes the measles is already in development
Is that a comment on the goings on of the country or an actual song you are aware of? And I realized I forgot to delete last post's header and I'm kicking myself because I know many subscribers won't read it because it says it's from the archives. I'm really out of practice with this stuff.
It was intended to be playful - lobbying off your prescient comment. The measles is a veritable scare and insane we are now contending with an outbreak when immunization is available via vaccine. 💉 I love your work always. And there is always something I screw up. That’s what editing post publishing is for. I know the email newsletter is a timestamp and once it’s out it’s out so no way to edit that but remember your stuff has a long shelf life on the website where you can restack Ad Infinitum. Always excited when I get a Steve Goldberg ear worm