Legendary ROCKSTAR Got Paid 10 Bucks to SING on CHEESY Song…Became His BIGGEST HIT-Professor of Rock

Man, I may be going against my better judgment on this one. In the crosshairs today, I’ve got a selection of cringe-worthy 80s novelty tracks that are “so bad, they’re good.” We’re talking songs like Pac-Man Fever, Party All the Time, and the Super Bowl Shuffle. But on the other hand, some of these songs killed it on Billboard Hot 100. So someone must have thought they were good back in the day. Will you admit to liking them? I have to admit I’m a sucker for Bad B-Movies and Bad B-Songs… Is that a thing? Get ready for a trip into the quirky, the bizarre, and the truly awful. But be warned… after you go down this rabbit hole, you will never be the same again… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
Thank you to this episode’s sponsor, Zenni
GET ZENNI Glasses HERE: imp.i279709.net/vn5gLd
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Craig M, James Smith, Ardashir Lea, j lee, Michael Bedenbaugh
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out my Hand Picked Selection Below
Professor's Store
- Van Halen OU812 Vinyl Album amzn.to/3tLsII2
- The 80s Collection amzn.to/3mAekOq
- 100 Best Selling Albums amzn.to/3h3qZX9
- Ultimate History of 80s Teen Movie amzn.to/3ifjdKQ
- 80s to 90s VHS Video Cover Art amzn.to/2QXzmIX
- Totally Awesome 80s A Lexicon amzn.to/3h4ilrk
- Best In Ear Headphones (I Use These Every Day) amzn.to/2ZcTlIl
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check Out The Professor of Rock Merch Store -bit.ly/ProfessorMerch
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check Out Patron Benefits
bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Help out the Channel by purchasing your albums through our links! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you, thank you for your support.
Click here for Premium Content: bit.ly/SignUpForPremiumContent
bit.ly/Facebook_Professor_of_...
bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of...
#classicrock #80smusic #vinylstory #onehitwonder
Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you remember the cheap rack toys that you begged your parents for at gas station that broke 2 mins after you opened them You’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia Make sure to, subscribe below right now. I promise that you are going to love this channel. also check us out on patreon!
So today we’re returning to a show on the channel that we haven’t done in a long time. It’s a program that covers the history of the odd, the kitschy, and sometimes the truly awful songs of the rock era. Usually based around songs that are a bit of a novelty, a bit of the bizarre, and somewhat gimmicky, the show is called NOVELTY MY DEAR WATSON? But on today’s episode, instead of covering just one song, I’m going to countdown five… That’s right, it’s my personal five cringiest novelty tracks of the 80s. Admittedly, I might actually like some of these. Songs that are so bad they’re good… See if you can guess which ones.
So first up at #5, it’s the song that took advantage of the phenomenon that swept arcades in the early 80s… it’s Pac Man Fever by Buckner and Garcia. Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia were a parody-slash-novelty song duo from Akron, Ohio who began recording in the early 70’s. Their first musical success came with a local rock group they formed called Wild Butter. However, the band never got more than a bit of regional attention. After Wild Butter broke up, Buckner and Garcia relocated to Georgia. There they put together a successful run, writing commercials and ad jingles. By 1980 they were back to their roots writing and producing original songs… just in time for the latest pop culture sensation… Pac-Man.
Pac-Man was developed in Japan and released there in May 1980. The following October, it hit American arcades and started gobbling up quarters. As Pac-Man gripped the nation, Buckner and Garcia likewise became addicted to the game. Said Jerry, “Everybody was playing it so we started playing it too. Well, we got hooked and we ended up sitting in there for two hours instead of going back and working. We did this for a while and I said, 'Hey, let's do a song about this,' … Because we were doing a lot of jingles and making pretty good money, we thought we could get play here in Atlanta and get our names out there…” The song Pac-Man Fever describes a guy that spends all his time at the arcade with a pocketful of quarters. Just about every part of the game is mentioned in the lyrics like getting chased by ghosts and chomping up cherries.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is your pick for the BEST or WORST Novelty song EVER?

[@peterd.9978]

Samantha Fox - I Wanna Have Some Fun 🤮

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

Disco Duck. best and worst

[@rogerdeahl9629]

Where's Captain Kirk? -- by the punk band Spizz Energi. 😅

[@TerrickTerran]

Best novelty.....if I don't count Weird Al stuff I'll go with Somebody's Watching Me. If I was voting Al, it would be White and Nerdy.

[@BillGraper]

BEST: The Streak- Ray Stevens My Girl Bill- Jim Stafford Spiders And Snakes- Jim Stafford

[@JoeBorrello]

The McKenzie brothers also did a parody of The Twelve Days of Christmas that was pretty popular at the time. “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me… a beer”

[@Whisper_292]

I loved that song!

[@ProfessorofRock]

I remember vividly!

[@TerrickTerran]

the important part was...beer.

[@duromusabc]

😂😂😂

[@shiroibasketshoes]

@@TerrickTerran "...two turtlenecks...and a beer....iiiin a treeeee!" ("see, there has to be more there...")

[@nebakanezer13]

Like Geddy said, “Ten bucks is ten bucks”

[@ProfessorofRock]

Right?

[@MrClassicmetal]

His voice sounds remarkable in that short bit. In his prime years Lee was a hell of a vocalist.

[@braindrill11]

@@MrClassicmetal that's what I was thinking. Geddy's voice was so pure and precise sounding.

[@BigSkippy1263]

There HAS to be video of this! Someone please post it!!!!

[@BigSkippy1263]

I'm talking about Take Off.

[@ericf5978]

I never thought of Somebody's watching Me, as a novelty song.

[@dalekidd420]

Agreed. I don't think it truly fits the definition.

[@SeptemberChild1835]

Yes, it wasn’t novelty, it was just a bad song.

[@busterbluesun]

Same

[@michaeluhler3474]

With references to Psycho and the the IRS wrapped in paranoia, it is as much a novelty song as Thriller was. And I think it was a great song! I perform it paired with “Every Breath You Take” and make references to Sting in the outro.

[@alexwestconsulting]

@@michaeluhler3474 ummmmmm, Thriller has fucking zombies in it, bro. And a senior citizen rapping. Talk about false equivalence.

[@hollyloomer7667]

Fish Heads by Barnes & Barnes. Total novelty song.

[@dad4ever-c90]

Whether it was intended as a JOKE or not, Bob and Doug McKenzie's music got a lot of air play in the early 1980's. This was years before Rick Moranis' movie career took off. Geddy Lee's recognizable voice certainly helped Take Off. But their "Canadian version" of The 12 Days of Christmas must have been played almost every hour on most radio stations during the holidays. They may have been novelty tracks, but they were definitely classics!

[@michaelz6555]

In the US, we got to hear “12 days” seasonally on the Doctor Demento show.

[@frustrateduser9933]

​@@michaelz6555and regular rock stations

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Indeed!

[@ginnyweatherbee7941]

Still played here

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

How l miss those days.

[@singrdave]

At the time, there was a Bloom County strip mocking "the recent trend of actors hiring a band and recording an album". Opus and Milo's band Deathtongue asked, "Well who's on the phone?" "Don Knotts"

[@adreanmarantz2103]

Who else had the Bloom County comic book that came with the 'floppy' 45' of two Deathtoungue songs? 'you stink, but I love you' and 'I'm a boinger'

[@toshirodragon]

@@adreanmarantz2103 YES!!!

[@ianobrien3248]

@@adreanmarantz2103 I had that album! YOU STINK! But I loooooove youuuuu

[@ziggyzigggfreed4604]

I had every Bloom County book, too! My mind is still recovering!😂😂😂

[@addisonesslinger3653]

Billy and the Boingers Bootleg!!

[@ellenstewart3720]

How could you forget Julie Brown classic songs "Homecoming Queen's got a gun" and "I like 'em big and Stupid". Fun times.

[@annen3706]

YES!!! 💯 I came here to say Homecoming Queen. How could I have forgotten Big & Stupid? Also "Cuz I'm a Blonde" 🤣

[@Suzette-gb7uj]

I loved Julie Brown! I especially liked Big and Stupid.

[@Emophiliac2]

I have a Julie Brown CD, with all her hits. Can't remember if it was autographed. In any event, I hadn't heard any of the songs from this video. I think I was mostly listening to 60s-70s stations during the 80s. But, thanks to the Dr., I have heard the 12 Days of Christmas.

[@freethebirds3578]

I can't believe "The Curly Shuffle" didn't make your list. #15 in early 1984.

[@LT-kq4bg]

Oh yes!!!!! Woob-woob-woob!!

[@SingBlueSilver357]

Was gonna say that one. CAN'T STAND THAT EARWORM!

[@solarflair2605]

Why soitenly!

[@tedflaig7546]

Agreed on this one

[@JackieSkellington]

"hey Moe! hey Moe!"

[@tonyr.546]

I work in a warehouse on the day shift which is all grizzled older fellas, like me, who don't have much of a sense of humor anymore. One guy is a joker though and he came into the break room at lunchtime one day and said loudly "Hey, hosers! How's it goin', eh?" and the whole shift lost it! Even the most miserable guys were quoting the McKenzie Brothers the rest of the day! Pure gold!

[@user-xh4gw1hr4b]

NICE!!! 😅😅😅

[@michellerobin5461]

That’s hilarious! Love it! 😂

[@davedecker1725]

Buncha hosers eh

[@matthewryan9323]

Beauty!

[@dr.robertjohnson6953]

I remember bringing in a coffee sandwich. That was a few of the things I did to try to stop a lunch room thief. Took a few tries, the coffee sandwich didn’t work though. Made a meatloaf sandwich. Used a special sauce, placed right in the center. Syrup of ipEcac. (Sp? Iphone keeps changing spelling. This one looked fun). The ipecac worked. He lost it right there.

[@thebarbecutioner6977]

Five gold touques, four pounds of back bacon, three french toast, two turtle necks, and a beer under the tree. Hoser. You're welcome eh?

[@darthmeow1370]

This should be just the two days of christmas, this is too hard for us!

[@dickdongler1044]

Good day

[@goatboy150]

*in a tree

[@radtech21]

I think that beer is empty!

[@oscarcanedo5188]

Don't forget Cheech and Chong, Adam! "Born in East L.A." had moderate airplay on MTV in 1985.

[@RhiTala]

Luv me some Cheech & Chong.. "Earache My Eye"!🤟

[@pip12111]

FAR OUT MAN

[@ednaatluxton4918]

Up in smoke much earlier was a hit. I seen them in concert/skits. 2018

[@AldousHuxleysCat]

Born in East LA was Cheech by himself

[@davidbowman5105]

There's a movie

[@RonKStevens]

I never thought Party all the Time or Somebody's Watching Me were novelty songs. And I didn't consider Pac Man Fever or Take Off as cringe-Worthy.

[@JoeBorrello]

When I would give my children a bath I used to sing to them “I always feel like, somebody’s washing me…”

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha ha! You've had a few of these!

[@michaelz6555]

That’s hilarious. While not quite thematically on point, I used to sing about the “five little piggies” during my daughter’s bath time, only I’d sing it to Folsom Prison Blues: This piggy went to market This piggy, he stayed home This piggy, he had roast beef But this piggy, he had none ‘Cuz he shot a man in Reno… just to watch him die… When I see that piggy runnin’ I hang my head and cry (All the way home)

[@maxcactus7]

You fellas are killing me! 😂

[@LazyIRanch]

You're an awesome Dad, Joe! I miss my dad and his corny jokes so much. He'll be gone 28 years this August, but I'm still laughing at his jokes. Your children will remember your humor fondly, too!

[@southernoregoncatmom6519]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@EmetYAHU]

DUDE 🫤 U missed “RAPPIN’ RODNEY” - Rodney Dangerfield, 1983

[@peterkerek4452]

I heard Dave Thomas say in an interview that Canada's national broadcaster wanted something more "authentically Canadian" so he and Moranis decided to do a parody of what most people think Canadians are like, which is why they over-used a lot of Canadian slang, drank Molson Canadian, wore toques n winter clothes all year, etc. It was meant to be a "fuck you" to the "Canadian Content" regulators who demanded a certain type of "art" in order to be considered Canadian Content.

[@cjk5115]

In Geddy's autobiography, he actually features a class picture that has him, Alex and Rick in it and he naturally talks about "Take Off." What makes that song great is how Canadian all three become and to me sets the stage for all of the funny films that would be included as part of Rush live shows. It may be a novelty track, but it has Geddy Lee, so that makes it great in my book.

[@Gumby-vx7ki]

Geddy Lee makes any song 5 times better.

[@solarflair2605]

​@@Gumby-vx7ki nah 2112 times better

[@ednaatluxton4918]

Become? Born Canadian, kept their Canadian roots. Geddy still around the GTA. He stayed true to us and his home.

[@cjk5115]

@@ednaatluxton4918 I meant with the eh and hoser stuff.

[@JoeBorrello]

The MacKenzie brother put the word “hoser” into our vocabulary

[@ProfessorofRock]

That's right!

[@Ed-R]

Take Off, Eh.

[@randytessman6750]

Take off eh ! Canadians already knew ....lol

[@bcd4562]

😂 hose head

[@user-yn4ww1yy2v]

👍🤣 Typical hosers, 'eh. 😂

[@shawndance1305]

Sam Kinison's Wild Thing featuring a who's who of 80's talent.

[@mickwinters3509]

Literally heard Somebody’s Watching Me in the grocery store yesterday. Couldn’t help but groove to it. That MJ sung hook is still 🔥

[@chrisvickers7928]

Dave Thomas' younger brother, Canadian singer/composer Ian Thomas, also appeared on the Great White North and composed the theme song for Strange Brew.

[@gregolder1713]

Ian Thomas also wrote and did the original version of the Mike and the Mechanic's hit "Silent Running" ; Ian got a bad contract with CBS Records who would take his music and give it over to other artists rather than release his albums in the states

[@chrisvickers7928]

@@gregolder1713 They did that to him repeatedly, Hold On for Santana, The Runner for Manfred Mann, and Right Before Your Eyes for America. I hope he at least got royalties.

[@sleazycarl]

He’s got a lot of hits and song writing credits to his name also. Talented brothers.

[@goatboy150]

I worked with his nieghbour. He was apparently a pretty cool dude.

[@theozarktrekker]

Listening to the Dr Demento top 10 countdown late at night on the car radio was a weekly ritual. ☺️

[@ProfessorofRock]

YES!

[@vcv6560]

For all of us, if he's make himself available that would be a interview to hear.

[@georgeharris6851]

Novelty songs and Weird Al

[@LazyIRanch]

@@vcv6560 That would be AWESOME! Dr. Demento is still around, real name is Barret Eugene Hansen (Barry Hansen). He's 83 and I think he's still working. I would LOVE for Adam to interview him, I know Adam would think of some great questions to ask, and we _need_ this interview for posterity!😍

[@marktait2371]

yeh we could get dr. demento on bros. cassette rafio sat..night

[@Cassie-pt7mt]

I grew up listening to Dr. Demento with my older brother. Parody was just such a normal part of our lives. In fact, my cat just caught a gopher and he didn't eat it. It just sat there until I finally disposed of it. Everytime I passed it, I'd sing "Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts."

[@marktait2371]

we did the same sat..night could get on his casette radio box was midnight i think

[@purplelove392]

Us too, in Taiwan it was on right after Casey Casem and before Wolfman Jack!

[@emom358]

Loved Dr Demento

[@user-kcrpine]

Nasty

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

I used to listen to Dr. Demento back in the 1990s.

[@shizackel]

Mexican Radio was one of my all-time favorites.

[@evelynbeverley2277]

I'm on a Mexican radio...

[@stefannelson]

Come on that is not a novelty song. It has some humor in it but that is a brilliant piece of weird pop music.

[@shizackel]

@@stefannelson Respetfully slightly disagree, but your point has merit. Maybe I just had too much barbecued iguana (on a stick

[@scottmuhlbaier1945]

I think that was the band of the very serious Stan Ridgway..

[@ludwigmises]

I’ve had some bad days where I wished I was in Tijuana eatin’ BBQ iguana.

[@red380zzz]

Take off hose head! Love it! Geddy is not human! Incredible talent and he only plays a few instruments. lol

[@mattmallecoccio8378]

When I got into Rush as a 30 something and I was talking with my Dad about Geddy, he said he wasn't familiar with Rush and he only knew Tom Sawyer and Take off by the McKenzie Brothers.

[@aaronpatalune4363]

It’s a beauty way to go

[@smdias65]

He wrote the song in fifteen minutes?! Geddy is a genius.

[@IheartDogs55]

😅

[@jjfromthebigland781]

Thats a pretty solid starter pack 👍✌🖖🤘

[@nicholasvinen]

​​@@smdias65have you heard any Rush albums? There should be no doubt he is a genius based on the 19 studio albums he, and the two other members of the triumvirate, created.

[@douglasdanke5779]

Bob and Doug were not just filler content. Canadian regulations insisted that SCTV included a bit that was specifically targeted towards a Canadian audience, so the McKenzie Brothers were a legal obligation or the show wouldn't get funding.

[@leeschaeffer3209]

The same country that may be putting people in jail for 99 years just for saying something “mean”………

[@nadermansour7487]

Does that explain the Red Green Show? They showed that on Public Television in Tucson AZ, and it was baffling to me.

[@douglasdanke5779]

@@nadermansour7487 As I recall, the entire cast and crew of The Red Green Show is in fact Canadian. As such, funding wasn't a problem

[@dubiousdistinction6500]

sctv was a canadian show, the mckenzie brothers were a parody of the fact that the crtc required canadian content

[@soultaker76]

I heard the opposite. That it was illegal to have an overly Canadian stereotype on TV. I may have heard wrong, but they threw everything they could into the characters to see what would happen.

[@georgeprice4212]

About Don Johnson: he actually was a musician first then an actor. He has a co-write on The Allman Brothers album, “Enlightened Rogues” - “Can’t Take It With You”.

[@johnnyjohnson1326]

Didn't know that! Thanks

[@kat021171]

I'm amazed that Adam mentioned the actors turned singers with Don Johnson and Bruce Willis but not the soap actors like Rick Springfield (who, in fairness, was a singer first, with his first US Top 40 hit all the way back in 1972), Jack Wagner, and Michael Damien. Of course, that wasn't an exclusively 80s phenomenon, given in the early 1970s you had the Partridge Family with a string of hits, and the Brady Bunch attempting to have them.

[@roddow612]

You missed out on "One Night in Bangkok", "Puttin on the Ritz", "Rock Me Amadeus"

[@jeffreypiek]

I had no clue that Take Off was the highest chart topper for any Rush member. Now i have a great trivia question to make my $10.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Boom!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

That’s INSANE.

[@thomasadrian9854]

My favorite music trivia question: Who sold the most LP’s in the U.S. in 1966?? The answer: Herb Alpert!!

[@marktait2371]

yes i didnt know that either until last summer i bought the lonely bull.deluxe cd reussue outsold the beatles hard to believe booklet said last month i found holy grail 5lp.set longines symphonette box half price 5 dollars collab. with a and m virgin vinly high quality mint condtiion plan to replace sleeves.but indie store out rsd last time i went

[@nicholasvinen]

​@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980it sure is, given how awesome the rest of their body of work is. I guess it's just too complicated to have a wide appeal.

[@user-nt4oy8cu1n]

"They're coming to take me away ha ha, they're coming to take me away ho ho, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time..."

[@bettyparker3317]

It’s an insane song, no pun intended but what can you say…but it was released and a big hit in the 60s…

[@IheartDogs55]

Amazing! My poor parents had to listen to us "sing" that over & over! Thanks for reminding me. Best/worse novelty song ever!

[@erikajames4592]

My husband remembered this song. It was playing on a radio while he and others were waiting to board a plane for Vietnam in 1966. He had a great and twisted sense of humor. One of the reasons we were together for 47.5 years.

[@oldiesgeek454]

That song came on the car radio when I was about 6 or 7, and it scared me and creeped me out. Now almost 60 years later, it still creeps me out.

[@IheartDogs55]

@@erikajames4592 Thankfully, my husband & I share the same humor & are fortunately still alive & well since 1980! Married since 1981.

[@johnfeeley5716]

Where's "Shuttuppa ya Face"?

[@ykook7000]

Ikr!

[@rollingthunder9579]

In the UK we also have a tradition of novelty songs.In the 80s, Black Lace brought out Agadoo and Superman, prompting the satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image to bring out The Chicken Song, which actually went to number 1. Joe Dolce with Shaddappa Your Face prevented Ultravox from reaching number 1 in 1981 . Later in the 80s we had songs like Star Trekking by The Firm. In the seventies of course we had classic punk novelty song Gordon Is A Moron by Jilted John. Benny Hill in the early 70s sang Ernie ( The Fastest Mikman In The West). Other US and UK novelty songs which deserve a listen to just because of the titles (from different decades and in no particular order): Don't Go Near The Eskimo byy Ben Colder, Ape Call by Nervous Norvus, The Funky Gibbon by The Goodies, Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour ( On The Bedpost Overnight)? by Lonnie Donegan And His Skiffle Group, A Pub With No Beer by Slim Fusty, Lop-sided, Overloaded ( And It Wiggled While We Rode It) by Bryan Hyland, My Boomerang Won't Come Back by Charlie Drake, I Bet You Won't Play This Song On The Radio by Monty Python, Marty Feldman Eyes, and Girl Machine by Johnny Walsh. Not normally considered novelty per se but just as wacky and quirky: Nellie The Elephant by Toy Dolls and the supremely wonderful Preposterous Tales by I, Ludicrous

[@RobinGlover50]

We Canadians pronounce the woolen hat (touque) as "TUKE" rhymes with Duke and Puke.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Sorry! I'd always heard it said the way I said it!

[@joef5528]

​@ProfessorofRock listen to the Christmas parody. Loved the Strange Brew movie. College days. 😆 🍺

[@DonByronDukeoftheArctic]

To this day, this Texan refers to them as touques, and Canada as The Great White North. So, like...take off...it's a beauty way to go...

[@DonByronDukeoftheArctic]

I am the 57-year-old hose-head who pretty much knew this album word for word. Still roll word for word with "Take Off." Canada has many bands that were criminally ignored. April Wine is my favorite all-time band. Triumph, Chilliwack, Coney Hatch, The Tragically Hip, Saga, Trooper, Honeymoon Suite, and many more. Thank you, Canada!

[@mindthependulum6245]

I had a dream that I was the most popular Canadian podcaster ever, and my show was called - it’s aboot time, eh?

[@StevenEveral]

Bob and Doug MacKenzie getting Geddy Lee to sing on a song? And Geddy was wearing a toque while singing it? Doesn't get more Canadian than that, eh?

[@mikeobryan1]

Beauty one! 🥶

[@michellerobin5461]

😂❤🇨🇦

[@SO-ym3zs]

Just popping in to say Bob & Doug were gloriously funny. Strange Brew is a cult classic comedy film any 80's kid should know, and their version of the 12 Days of Christmas is still one of the best holiday songs ever.

[@kd6msm]

'Party All the Time' and 'Somebody's Watching Me' were staple dance tracks at parties in college. I listen to both of them to this day!

[@rebeccacorbin1590]

I'm a Chicagoan who was in college during the Bears 85 win. This song was epic in Chicago. No liked it but it played constantly on the radio and we all sang it loud and proud. 😅

[@briantangen8568]

Same here. College in a Chicago suburb. Became a bears fan while I was there and remember this song often during their superbowl run.

[@ldy1va]

I am not even a Bears fan ( Browns here) and I loved the Super Bowl Shuffle and my dad liked it too

[@user-lh3dq4zt7u]

Same here too. Know somebody who has the newspaper article hanging on their basement wall and when I see it it brings back memories of all the hype the game had into it.....We need another Mike Ditka definitely!

[@_Azzychan]

I liked the song, too. I was still a kid, but still

[@greggvk]

I was sitting at a Hozier concert the other day waiting for it to start, talking with the “kids” around me. Every time someone mentioned his name (correctly pronounced as Hoser), I couldn’t help dropping references to Bob and Doug McKenzie. It made me laugh even though nobody around me got the joke. Oh well. Damn good concert.

[@SO-ym3zs]

When I first heard of him, literally, the first thing that popped into my mind was, "Take off, you hoser!"

[@Bullwinkle056]

There's an obscure song on "The Serpant is Rising" by Styx that I accidentally noticed at the very end of the album. If you don't lift the needle from the LP at the very end a song called "Don't sit on the Plexiglass Toilet" plays after about ten seconds of silence.

[@yappygm7433]

"Okay, everyone, like, this is ME on the DRUMS." I loved that Bob and Doug McKenzie track!

[@WordslingingStephen]

It is so!

[@mindthependulum6245]

Seriously, if I want to make my wife smile when nothing else works, I do a dramatic reading of the lyrics to Sugar Walls from Sheena Easton but in the voice of William Shatner. Look up the lyrics and imagine this in your head. Beat cringe ever!

[@jefft8138]

A Prince penned song for sure. She also provided vocals and video face time for his song "You've Got The Look"

[@normanbowers5669]

That's inventive

[@stan.pelfrey]

Sounds like a great interpretation of the Purple One's saucy suggestive song being read by Captain James Tiberius Kirk! 🤣

[@SingBlueSilver357]

I love that song! Written by Prince.

[@SingBlueSilver357]

😂

[@JoeBorrello]

When my daughter was toilet training I used to sing “My girl sits on the potty all the time…”

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha ha!

[@geraldwood9582]

I sing that to my dog when he does potty.

[@TheDopekitty]

I actually like Party All the Time.

[@LazyIRanch]

I LOVE Dad jokes, and that's a good one!

[@southernoregoncatmom6519]

Very cute.

[@leeschaeffer3209]

In 1981, The Afternoon Delights released “General Hospi-tale,” a parody of the soap opera which was extremely popular at the time. It also featured Rick Springfield in the cast. I also have a 45 single of “Take Off” in my collection.

[@BaraSchmidt]

"Take Off" was the call-to-battle song for all of us 80's party goers in Canada! Love it!

[@pdzombie1906]

The worst of the 80s is still better than the best of 2024... And Killer Klowns from out of space is more creative and funny than anything in theaters this year!!! Thanx, Professor!!!!

[@IheartDogs55]

Yea, today's music is slim pickings. And now I'm proving my membership in the Boomers Club 😊

[@user-ho7mc9dt2o]

wow

[@ldy1va]

My grandsons even love that movie. I own it and got the shirt as a gift last year

[@ldy1va]

@@IheartDogs55 Gen X. here and proud. My grandson says I am lucky to have lived in the 80s

[@nebakanezer13]

I took a fish head out to a movie. Didn’t have to pay to get it in.

[@user-yn4ww1yy2v]

🤣 A "roly-poly fish-head"? Nice!

[@Pete-tu7qg]

Lol.

[@fmmaj9noname332]

Did you know that one of the Barnes & Barnes duo was Billy Mumy, "Will Robinson" on Lost In Space, and a guest star on nearly every 1960s TV show out there, from Twilight Zone to Bewitched?

[@philsigman9088]

The video was directed by the late great Bill Paxton.

[@reneebennett643]

“they don’t wear sweaters”

[@NEPatriot]

The instrumental for "Party All the Time" served as the theme for a show later in the 1980's about the pro wrestling scene called "Pro Wrestling This Week" hosted by the late Joe Pedicino and Gordon Solie. it was taped at WATL-TV in Atlanta, GA which thanks to WTBS became a hotbed for pro wrestling in the decade.

[@marcusvaughn7019]

"One Night in Bangkok" was pretty cheesy, but I have to admit, I kinda liked it at the time. Anyway, I think your Novelty Song list was spot on. Great job, as always.

[@johnnyjohnson1326]

That's an awesome song.

[@juliusfrauenglass2411]

yes, but it was part of a musical called Chess

[@erikaswanson7072]

I love One Night in Bangkok

[@windwatcher11]

Written by Bjorn from ABBA.

[@windwatcher11]

"I get my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine..."

[@davesnothere8859]

The only thing that can be said about "party all the time" is cocaine is a hell of a drug

[@mournblade1066]

From my understanding, Eddie Murphy was always sober.

[@P0V3RTY09]

@@mournblade1066 He was referencing Rick James… whom was know to be good friends of Charlie and Eddie Murphy

[@mournblade1066]

@@P0V3RTY09 Right, I got that.

[@stumbling_buddhist2255]

😂

[@cooldudicus7668]

The song was created because Richard Pryer bet Eddie Murphy that he could not do good song. Eddie Murphy did a good song that did well on the charts. Needless to say, Pryer lost the bet. It just shows how truly talented Eddie Murphy is.

[@jeffallan3140]

I remember listening to Bob and Dougs album for the first time, not knowing who would be singing on this song, and was FLOORED to hear Geddy's voice. My friends and I broke out laughing and thought this was the best thing ever. Unless you're Canadian, I don't think you could understand how popular Bob and Doug were and how amazing this collaboration was to fans of comedy and rock. Kitchy, yes. Fun? Absolutely. Not all rock has to be serious (just ask Weird Al) and it was great to hear a rockstar known for his serious, progressive music do something light and fun.

[@SO-ym3zs]

We loved them in the US, too: Strange Brew, The 12 Days of Christmas getting played on rock radio during the holidays...

[@TomTobin67]

The Eddie Murphy song was done by Rick James to piss off Prince. James and Prince were bitter rivals and he gave the song to Murphy just to stick it to Prince.

[@Spitfirethedragon]

Other actors that released songs in the 80s were Frank Sinetra, Barbara Streistan which she did a duet with Don Johnson, Michael Damian with Rock on, Gloria Lorine (Robin Thicke's mother) with Friends and Lovers, Kylie Minogue with Locomotion, The Blues Brothers, Patrick Swayze with She's Like The Wind from Dirty Dancing, Matt Frewer aka Max Headroom on the Art of Noize hit, Tracy Ullman's They Don't Know, John Schnieder with Now or Never, Jack Wagner with All I Need, Rick Springfield, Lisa Whelchel, Mr T, Alan Thicke who cowrote the song Thank You For Being a Friend from the Golden Girls, Kim Fields, Alyssa Milano, Scott Baio, Tina Yothers, Corey Feldman, Phillip Michael Thomas, Cheryl Ladd, Danielle Brisboisne from Archie Bunkers Place, Sam Kinison, Rodney Dangerfield with rapping Rodney, Olivia Newton John, yes there are a couple that were singers, but they were not big in the US until they starred on tv shows or movies that propelled them big time, then later on in the 90s to today you got Joey Lawrence, The Heights, Jamie Foxx, Roy Rogers and latest is Ryan Gosling from the Barbie movie. We could do a whole video on the history of actors/singers starting with the likes of Judy Garland to Gene Autry to today. It is usually actors/singers are double roles back in the 30s to early 80s.

[@CaptainTedStryker]

I've always thought of Thriller as a "novelty" song. The long intro, the Vincent Price voiceover, the ridiculous video...

[@StoneXue]

How dare you , lol

[@timmmahhhh]

I first heard it in the album before it was a single. My mom loved Vincent Price so I instantly knew who was speaking, and I was thrilled, pardon the reference.

[@cherylbralick7110]

I love the video of thriller

[@CaptainTedStryker]

@@cherylbralick7110 Don't get me wrong, I find the video very entertaining, but its so over the top and campy that its funny.

[@StoneXue]

@@CaptainTedStryker Thats kind of the entirety of the 80s. Everything was campy.

[@davidbrankley1645]

She blinded me with SCIENCE!

[@billmittenzwey3021]

i also remember snl making fun of the bears shuffle from the perspective of the packers “brr green bay “

[@VictorLonmo]

As PoR said, the "Great White North" was added to the SCTV show for the CBC. The CBC is the Canadian broadcast corporation. The Canadian government tried to promote Canadian content on radio and tv so it was not surprising that they asked that the extra two minutes on SCTV get something distinctly Canadian. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas initially created the skit as a way of insulting the CBC and their request for Canadian content. I remember hearing "Take Off" on the radio. It included a long interview with the comedians but I thought the song was the funniest thing I had heard.

[@andjkh]

I believe this was at the time they were looking to have NBC carry the show in the states.

[@Amy-gr3xc]

I remember Weird Al's parody songs even more than these.

[@ericthuemmel5275]

The irony of Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time" was that he used to make fun of Michael Jackson's high voice during his stand-up. Then his first single comes out and Eddie is singing falsetto himself! I always thought it was a good song, teenaged me and my friends never thought of it as a bad song or a joke at the time.

[@buhnerboy1974]

I always thought it would have been funny if at the end of Shrek when they were doing karaoke if they would have had Donkey doing this song

[@Whisper_292]

​@buhnerboy1974 That would have been awesome!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ProfessorofRock]

@@buhnerboy1974 I ALWAYS thought the SAME thing!

[@paulwagner688]

The Eddie Murphy song that should be on this list is "Put The Boogie in Your Butt"

[@stan.pelfrey]

My personal number one would have been "City of Crime" from Dragnet featuring the rap stylings of Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks. Additionally, there is some Zappa stuff like Moon's "Valley Girl" and Dweezil's "Let's Talk About It" (featuring Moon). "She Blinded me with Science" was pretty novelty and just about any Oingo Boingo, but especially "Weird Science." Still a great list though! Cheers! 🎵

[@davebridges2212]

A funny piece of trivia, Dave Thomas's younger brother is singer-composer Ian Thomas. Dave Thomas's recording of "Take Off" charted higher than any of his brother's multiple songs that aired over the years.

[@FreddyKurganNimmo]

15:10 - Eddie's 2 stand-up specials, "Delirious" & "Raw", were the absolute pinnacles of his artistic & comedic genius! Although, "Party All The Time" will always hold a special place in my heart🤗

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Delirious is a classic in my household.

[@killrmillr]

I've been waiting my entire life for a Strange Brew sequel. I don't think it's going to happen at this point.

[@ProfessorofRock]

RIght? Me too!

[@jonwebster6172]

The Chocolate Milk scene where Moranis apologized for puking on her shoes...lol...and wasn't the nemis Ming from Flash Gordon? A Rush/Queen Connection professor...

[@richardkimpel6142]

Same! "LOOK OUT...MY BROTHER'S GOTTA TAKE A LEAK!!!"

[@mournblade1066]

@@jonwebster6172 Yep, and also Father Merrin from The Exorcist. Max von Sydow.

[@hops226]

Unfortunately it won't happen. Rick Moranis (Bob) quit acting after his wife passed away in the 90s :(

[@CousinWhatIsIt]

Bob & Doug's comedy album was great. When I got too old to Trick-or-Treat, one Halloween I got up on my roof with a stereo, and would play a bit with them saying "Take-off, eh!" every time someone would approach the house.

[@maryarnold1426]

As a Canadian, I’m ashamed that I didn’t know that Geddy Lee sang on Great White North. Thanks for educating me on that. Rockwell was a big hit and Some body’s Watching Me as well. What an enjoyable experience!

[@alukuhito]

You must be either too young or too old.

[@shanestewart4814]

The way Eddie Murphy sings the words "party all the time", it just makes me think of how Weird Al could've sang it as "Potty All the Time". He's done plenty of songs about food, just not about what becomes of it after digestion.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I was gonna say the same thing!

[@Out_of_My_Head]

He included it on one of his polkas.

[@danielmarquis5258]

That would have been great 👍!

[@Straight0uttaCrofton]

this was a good song - MUCH better than that god-awful 'Put Your Mouth On Me'

[@johnblossom8447]

Between Somebody’s Watching Me and Men At Work’s Who Can It Be Now, 80s kids learned to be paranoid.

[@mneugent7658]

Aaaaaand the cold war.

[@stephenwatkins7592]

And "Every Breath You Take"

[@mindthependulum6245]

My oldest brother would go on about a conspiracy theory and I’d play that song and his face would turn red. Good times!

[@EmetYAHU]

2024 me realizing they were actually PROPHETIC 🤪

[@LazyIRanch]

@@EmetYAHU RIGHT?? I don't think we were paranoid enough! My mom was born in 1920, and she loved watching "Soul Train" with me when I was a teen, and she considered Michael Jackson to be a better dancer (and person) than Gene Kelly. Momma was a good dancer, and she won jitterbug contests when she was young. She told me, circa 1978, "I'm glad when you get to be my age, racism will be a thing of the past!" She was @ 58 when she told me that. I was 58 in 2019, and it breaks my heart how much her prediction has NOT come true!😭 It would break her heart if she knew that my brother hasn't spoken to me since 2015, and it's because of "religion".

[@CanadianTimeLord]

I will not hear any negative words against "Take Off!" It's perfect.

[@GrumpyGrobbyGamer]

You were talking about Geddy Lee’s biggest hit with Rush being New World Man, and playing on my radio at the same time was New World Man by the same Rush.

[@j.tshark3313]

TOKE on his head? TOQUE!!TOOOK

[@beauxguss6321]

It's probably already been mentioned but the "10 bucks is 10 bucks" line was a call back from the start of the Great White North Album where Bob and Doug share that their pay for the album was, "10 bucks... each! So we're not morons." Fortunately for Geddy, the brothers McKenzie, while not morons, are just dumb enough to not realize that they got hosed getting paid no more for the whole album than Mr Lee was paid for a single track. Take off!

[@clockworkangel4026]

$10 was also what Rush got paid for their first show. 💰

[@JackieSkellington]

Great White North and "Take off" were beyond awesome...HUGE Rush fan here and "Strange Brew" on my watchlist

[@randydalmas]

I loved the song Take Off since it featured Geddy Lee, but even more so because it was always meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Rush were big fans of SCTV since they had characters from the show introducing songs via video during their concerts. I had no idea that it actually was a top 10 single in the US. Thanks for sharing, you hoser!

[@blortmeister]

The McKenzie bros where just so cool and the song rocks! They were sooooo surprised by how hard Canadians went in on The Great White North segments. It was just so darned Canadian, eh?

[@surlechapeau]

6. Tip Toe Thru' The Tulips With Me - Tiny Tim 7. Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy. rofl

[@Whisper_292]

8. I Wanna Be a Cowboy--Boys Don't Cry

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks!

[@RBS_]

@@Whisper_292 *....STOP TAKIN' MY SONGS!* ....I won't have anything for the comments! ...ha-HAA! >jus'kiddin'

[@TerrickTerran]

Tip Toe is awesome but it's also from the 60s.

[@Whisper_292]

@@RBS_ You can post them, too. Nobody will even look at you sideways. 😏

[@gxh020]

In 1982 I was OBSESSED with Doug and Bob McKenzie. Thx for the memories 😊professor.

[@crackerjack9320]

Great nostalgia Prof. Also in the 80s was Patrick Swayze (RIP) with "She's Like the Wind"

[@kwilliams1958]

"80's Cheesy music at its worst." What an apt description, Professor!

[@BillGraper]

"Party All The Time" is a great song. I never thought of it as a novelty hit. Now I'm going to watch this POR video. 😎 *EDIT:* Wow, "Somebody's Watching Me" is a terrific song!!! I never thought of that as a novelty hit.

[@TerrickTerran]

I love Somebody's Watching Me but I could see it as a novelty hit.

[@BillGraper]

@@TerrickTerran I just saw it as a song about paranoia, just like "Who Can It Be Now."

[@TerrickTerran]

@@BillGraper I think its more novelty due to the performer than the song itself.

[@BillGraper]

@@TerrickTerran Yeah, the video makes it look more novelty than serious.

[@TerrickTerran]

@@BillGraper the zombie mailman still cracks me up to this day.

[@flynnlightman4196]

Just imagine if Pac-Man fever came out with the character's original name of Puck-man. The censors would've had a field day. It was changed to avoid "hooligans" scratching out part of the P on the arcade console.

[@dk60ish]

"They're coming to take me away, ha! ha!"

[@coinraker6497]

Wow, that's pretty amazing that "Take Off" charted higher than any Rush song ever has. This channel is chock full of interesting factoids. 😁

[@ProfessorofRock]

RIght?

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I know! I could not believe it!

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

I remember when William the Refrigerator Perry and his wife were living here in Las Vegas around 2000. They were down on their luck. They were a nice couple!

[@michaelharnick4156]

Geddy Lee went to elementary school with Rick Moranis. There is a class picture in Geddy Lee’s autobiography.

[@richarddiaz1241]

Take off was one of my first 45’s. I loved it. My local radio station played it KIQQ recognize. It’s a beauty. Way to go.

[@e-dub6586]

Pac man fever was my first guess and it was your number 5. At the time it was fun. “ i got a pocket full of quarters and im headed to the arcade”

[@baldbull3637]

Return of Bruno, the album from Bruce Willis, was one of my favorite of all times. I still listen to it. I was always sad there was no follow-up.

[@LazyIRanch]

Bruce Willis was a talented singer, and I agree with you about that album. I love his version of "Good Lovin'" that he performed on "Moonlighting". One of my favorite episodes! Who else could combine Shakespeare and The Young Rascals, and have so much fun doing it?

[@ricksatterstrom7461]

One of my few cassette singles I owned was Bruce Willis. I love his voice.

[@mikeobryan1]

I had 2 albums at one point, Return Of Bruno and If It Doesn’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger (? something like that maybe). Bruce Willis also plays harmonica on Brian Setzer’s 2nd album Live Nude Guitars!

[@eauhomme]

I prefer his versions of "Respect Yourself" and "Youngblood" to the originals by the Staple Singers and the Coasters, respectively.

[@michaeledwards6197]

The "Superbowl Shuffle" reached #31 on the regional pop chart in Columbus, Ohio. I remember listening to that countdown show on Sunday afternoins here.

[@jlwalrus1]

OMG!!! I'm from Chicago the Shuffle is still great!!!! I still have my 45s of Take Off & Party All the Time. I still will dance to that (to the chagrin of my kids). Such a great episode tonight. Thanks Prof for such great memories. I was in my 20s in the 80s. Great times dude!!!!!

[@connienovak1011]

Still have The Superbowl Shuffle on VHS tape! Yeah, from the Chicago area, so this is still a favorite!

[@BrandonPGeneral]

ANYTHING off of The Wrestling Album from 1985… that’s a cheese ball gem

[@michaelcombs7809]

Thank you for covering Bob and Doug Mckenzie. Huge part of my youth.

[@karlepaul6632]

Fun Fact: The song "Puberty Love" in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was sung by Soundgarden/Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron.

[@elwood62]

I wouldn’t have called Somebody’s Watching Me a parody. It was immensely popular back in the day. And thanks for reopening the wound from the Patriots getting destroyed in Super Bowl XX. I was too young to realize that they didn’t stand a chance and I was devastated at the loss. 😂

[@kat021171]

Even better was when they took the 3-0 early lead and gave us that little bit of false hope. But now we have six Lombardis to look at and savor, while Chicago still has only the one, from nearly 40 years ago, so I can't be too bitter about the 46-10 shellacking any more.

[@TheDisneylover23]

OMG we rocked out to Pac Man Fever while playing the game! I was a regular listener of the Dr. Demento Show and even have one of the collections! When you mentioned Eddie Murphy, I thought you were going to bring out his song "Boogie in Your Butt". I still love that song! I'm glad you gave it a mention. I still have "Somebody's Watching Me" on my iTunes, lol! Yes, the mailman is watching you! I can not name all the novelty songs from the 80's that I love, but one was Steve Martin's King Tut. Fish Heads, and Pencil Neck Geek, those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

[@isabeld.paredes4923]

Me, too! I was in my early teens in 1981-82 and there were times I played the song while playing the game. Novelty nostalgia...

[@JackieSkellington]

"Grit eating freak"

[@royhandy8365]

I was in my teens when these songs came out and they really take me back! Thanks, Prof, for the trip back in time!

[@grandetaco4416]

The bob and Doug Mackenzie version of 12 days of Christmas lives in my soul every Christmas with such lines as "And a beer in a tree"

[@mochs3869]

Loved the 4 person arcade version of Guantlet: "Elf shot the food..." "Valkryie is about to die..."

[@ProfessorofRock]

YES!

[@DoctorPhobos]

In my group, I always played the Elf.

[@mochs3869]

@@ProfessorofRock Also, Bob and Doug's "12 Days of Christmas" is in regular yearly rotation around here, lol

[@TerrickTerran]

@@mochs3869 another song I listen to each Christmas.

[@michaelz6555]

We used to joke, “Valkyrie… needs sex… badly.”

[@sandijohnson2216]

The Mckenzie Brothers! I was very young but I remember staying up really late to watch The Great White North and John Candy on SCTV. I remember watching the Disney movie Brother Bear and I knew instantly the guys playing two moose characters in the movie were the McKenzie brothers! They were hilarious in the movie. No one else knew what I was talking about 😂

[@andjkh]

That Brother Bear movie was playing on a screen at a Blockbuster, my ears perked up when I heard them.

[@ericsmith1508]

I heard "Somebody's Watching Me" as a little kid and still to this day it affects me! That one line when he says "in the shower, I'm afraid to wash my hair. What if open my eyes...and see someone standing there!?!?!" Still today as 45 year old grown man I get a little weirded out if close my eyes in the shower! 😅