Novelty Songs

Hey everybody, it's Christmas time again! If you're like me, you're one of those happily deranged people who looks forward to the time of year where you can revel in nonstop Christmas music - and holy crap, there sure is a lot of it. I've covered a lot of specific songs in this blog, and have many more in store, but I figured I'd kick off the Cavalcade this year with a look at a special (and oft maligned) subgenre, the novelty song.

A novelty song is, according to Wikipedia, a "comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect". And yes, while these songs often attempt to be "comical", I'd add some other specifications to the description. They are usually performed by artists who are never heard from again (like, say, Buckner & Garcia), and they are just plain weird and unique - one might even go so far as to call them "novel". As in, "It certainly is novel to write a song about a girl asking for a giant, deadly water mammal for Christmas". Speaking of which, let's get to our first entry.

"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is probably the Christmas novelty song that I hate the least, if only because it's so goddamn adorable. It was recorded by 10-year-old Gayla Peevey from Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1953. The unexpected hit shot up to number 24 on the Billboard charts and earned Peevy the ultimate symbol of 50s showbiz success - an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. A local campaign raised $4000 for the purchase of a baby hippo - mostly in dimes and nickles sent in by children - which was presented to the Oklahoma City Zoo on Christmas Eve. Matilda the hippo lived to the ripe old age (for a hippo) of 48.

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is one of the most polarizing Christmas novelty songs ever, in that there are actually some people who legitimately like it. In fact, a 2007 study found that the song ranked high among both the most "liked" and "disliked" Christmas songs. It certainly is dark - an elderly relative getting drunk and trampled to death isn't the usual stuff of holiday music - but that's not enough to keep it from being really repetitive and annoying. Then again, making repetitive and annoying music has been a pretty solid business plan since the dawn of time.

Not many people know this, but actor Joe Pesci started his career singing with vocal groups in the 60s, eventually releasing an album called Little Joe Sure Can Sing! in 1968. I guess somewhere along the line he got nostalgic for those simpler times, or maybe some brilliant producer or agent wanted to capitalize on the success of My Cousin Vinny, because in 1998 he released Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You. A baffling combination of standards and profanity-laced "funny" songs highlighting his tough guy persona, it just so happens to contain a Christmas song that oddly never became a holiday classic.

And finally, here's the classic tale of Santa Claus' friendly donkey pal, Dominick. This is probably the most beloved Christmas novelty song that everyone says they hate. Like most novelty songs, it sure is catchy - the "hee-haw, hee-haw" chorus sees to that - and it's so dumb it's hard not to love. The song, recorded by singer Lou Monte in 1960, tells of a beloved toy-delivering donkey that "climbs the hills of Italy". Donkeys are a common sight in southern Italy, due to their ability to climb rugged terrain. The song is more popular in New York than in any other state, perhaps due to the state's high Italian-American population or its shout out to "Brook-a-lyn".