The King of Weird
Who comes to mind first when you think about weird songs? Weird Al, right? His career started in the 80s! His first album in 1983 introduced us to his wonderfully weird style. The first album included the hits "Eat It" and "I Lost on Jeopardy", along with a bunch of other hilarious tunes. Most of the songs are not direct parodies of popular 80s hits, though. If you listen to the album, you will also hear songs that poke fun at films and television, such as "The Brady Bunch", and my personal favorite, "Nature Trail to Hell" (parody of slasher movies). The fact that Weird Al Yankovic remains a symbol of comedic weird songs to this day only proves that he is the king of weird.
Weird Al Music Video
The Queen of Weird
Unlike the king, the queen of weird is a singer you may not remember. Her biggest claim to fame is the song "Earth Girls are Easy", which inspired the 1989 film of the same name. The weird singer-songwriter I'm talking about is Julie Brown. Instead of her songs being parodies of other songs, like Yankovic's, her songs are parodies of 80s culture itself. Songs like "'Cause I'm a Blonde" and "I Like 'em Big and Stupid" were parodies of the culture of the 80s girl. She even adopted a Valley Girl persona to complement her wacky songs. Considering her first record, Goddess in Progress, was played over the air by Dr. Demento (official DJ of weird songs), you know that she is officially the queen.
Julie Brown Music Video
Offshoot of Weirdness
I'm talking about artists who do not normally sing weird songs, or left a band to create the song solo. They only have one or two songs which would fit in this article. This list is in alphabetical order by artist.
- "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie
- "Walk Like An Egyptian" by The Bangles
- "Wot" by Captain Sensible (former member of The Damned)
- "Monster" by Fred Schneider (member of The B-52's)
- "Je suis un rock star" by Bill Wyman (member of The Rolling Stones)
One Hit Weirdness
These weird songs were written and performed by artists who weren't popular, but had a hit among fans of weird, silly, comedic songs.
- "Fish Heads" by Barnes & Barnes
- "I Wanna Be a Cowboy" by Boys Don't Cry
- "I Eat Cannibals" by Total Coelo
- "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal
- "Shaddap You Face" by Joe Dolce
- "88 Lines About 44 Women" by The Nails
- "Marvin, I Love You" by Marvin the Paranoid Android
Celebrity Songs
Let's face it, when a celebrity decides to sing a song, it can easily make us laugh, even if it isn't supposed to be funny. This is a list of the funniest.
- "Treat Your Mother Right" by Mr. T
- "Rappin' Rodney" by Rodney Dangerfield
- "Howard the Duck" by Lea Thompson
Cool, but Weird, Bands
The 1980s was full of fun loving, crazy, weird bands, so I'm only talking about the funniest, silliest ones. This isn't subjective either. The bands on this list were trying to make us laugh with their funny lyrics, videos, and sometimes even their costumes.
- Eurythmics
- Twisted Sister
- Thomas Dolby
- Devo
- Oingo Boingo
- Was (Not Was)
- Frank Zappa
- The Buggles
- Mojo Nixon
- The Dead Milkmen
- The Cramps
- Camper Van Beethoven
- Josie Cotton
Vote for Your Favorite
What Do You Think?
Did I leave out any songs or bands that you think should be included in this topic? Leave a comment, and let me know.
Comments
Joel on September 20, 2016:
Oddest ones I can think of: Baby Judy - Hawaiian Pups, Ca Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand, 88 Lines about 44 Women - The Nails, AEIOU and sometimes Y - Ebn-Ozn and Heigh Ho - Fruer. Dream Kitchen - Frazier
Chorus gets an honorable mention. :)
Jean Bakula from New Jersey on January 12, 2014:
I remember Weird Al, and thought he was funny, he did some creative work with songs. I recall "Walk Like an Egyptian." I don't know why, but if it's played at parties or weddings, people always get up to do the silly dance that is part of it. Thanks for making me smile!
