Thursday, February 11, 2010

Jango Song Of The Day-Napoleon XIV

Artist:Napoleon XIV
Song:They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
Album:Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collecrion: The Greatest Novelty Records Of All Time





This ode to mental health is quite possibly the goofiest top five pop hit ever. It's just unbelievably silly and it's still a popular song today. The man behind Napoleon XIV was recording engineer Jerry Samuels (born May 3, 1938 in New York City). So the whole Napoleon XIV character and They're Coming To Take Me Away came out of Samuels messing around with tape speeds, loops and sound effects while he was working at Associated Recording Studios in New York. There are no live instruments on this record. The result is a song about a guy going crazy after his girl left him. The flip side of the single was the same song backwards. The song became a hit when New York DJ Cousin Brucie played it. Warner Bros. picked it up for distribution and it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The success didn't last long due to mental health advocate protests. Radio stations stopped playing it. Warners sent Samuels into the studio to record an album with Jonathan Winters' former head writer Jim Lehner and veteran songwriter Bobby Gosh. He even recorded a second album that wasn't released. But novelty songs generally are difficult to follow up and this was no different. Samuels' recording career was short lived. You can get this and other novelty classics on this Dr. Demento comp. Samuels now lives in Philadelphia and claims he's the most popular entertainer in nursing homes and senior facilities in the area. I'm not making that up. Here's a pretty good fan video for They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! by Napoleon XIV.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous9:19 PM

    The song is about a man who's upset his dog ran away........ really. That confusion was part of the controversy.


    "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha Haaa!" :

    Remember when you ran away
    And I got on my knees and begged
    You not to leave
    Because I'd go berserk?
    Well!
    You left me anyhow and then
    The days got worse and worse
    And now you see I've gone
    Completely out of my mind.
    And

    They're coming to take me away, Ha-Haaa
    They're coming to take me away, Ho-ho
    Hee-hee-haa-haa
    To the funny farm
    Where life is beautiful all the time
    And I'll be happy to see those
    Nice young men in their clean white coats and
    They're coming to take me away, ha-haa!

    You thought it was a joke
    and so you laughed, you laughed,
    when I had said that losing you
    would make me flip my lid.
    Right?
    You know you laughed
    I heard you laugh
    You laughed, you laughed
    and laughed and then you left but
    Now you know I'm utterly mad
    And

    They're coming to take me away, ha-haa,
    They're coming to take me away, ho-ho,
    hee hee, haa haa
    To the happy home
    With trees and flowers and chirping birds
    And basket-weavers who sit and smile
    And twiddle their thumbs and toes
    And they're coming to take me away, ha-hahaha...

    I cooked your food, I cleaned your house,
    And this is how you pay me back for
    All my kind, unselfish, loving deeds,
    Hah?
    Well you just wait, they'll find you yet
    And when they do they'll put you in the ASPCA you mangy mutt!
    And

    They're coming to take me away, Ha-haa
    They're coming to take me away, Ho-ho
    Hee-hee-haa-haa
    To the funny farm
    Where life is beautiful all the time
    And I'll be happy to see those
    Nice young men in their clean white coats and
    They're coming to take me away, ha-haa!

    To the happy home
    With trees and flowers and chirping birds
    And basket-weavers who sit and smile
    And twiddle their thumbs and toes
    And they're coming to take me away, ha-hahaha...

    To the funny farm
    Where life is beautiful all the time

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