Today is National Opposite Day and this might be the perfect song for the Occasion. We think this live version from 1997 is best but Kit And Kaboodle recorded it again for a studio album.
In English, negation works like multiplication. Two negatives equal a positive. Three equals a negative again. This song is about “nothing but not”. Count the negations. Are they really singing about nothing? What is NOT nothing? Is that automatically something?
Also it is important to remember that an argument is not just contradiction. Or is it?
I am still trying to confirm all the details but this is what I believe to be true at the moment.
Sometime back in the year 2000, I was 25 years old and very much enjoyed going to nightclubs. I had previously visited the now legendary nightclub in Hamtramck Michigan called The Motor and I liked the place.
I don’t remember why I decided to go there again that particular night. I think I was just bored of the other places that I frequented at the time. I went alone.
When I got there, it looked like a party was wrapping up. The song was on the speakers. I had never heard it before. I didn’t know anything about Detroit Grand Pubahs.
There was a table with a large club-sub sandwich. Most of it had been eaten. I’m talking about the kind you might get at a work lunch. Something like this photo.
I had no idea what was going on exactly. It was not until much later when I encountered the song online that I pieced together that I might have inadvertently attended its release party!
The song ended up on the dance music charts in both the US and UK. Then they made the goofy video you see at the top of this blog.
The track makes use of a pitch-shift effect on the vocals that produces a chipmunk-like voice. For that reason alone it made it to rotation here at FunHouse Radio.
The 12 inch single cover12 in single labelCD “maxi” single
Who decided that a Snowman should have arms? Why a nose? Is he going to smell something? Why a mouth? Is he going to sing to us? I personally don’t see why a snowman should go without a penis. It’s just another body part.
Some snow-people might have a preference for one gender or the other. We shouldn’t give them a hard time just because they are a little different. I am kind of mad that I didn’t think of this when I was a kid. I could have got a lot of the neighborhood kids to laugh.
This wacky track was first released as a single in 1978. I first heard it on a 1996 Christmas Music Compilation from Rhino Records called Just Can’t Get Enough: New Wave Xmas. When it’s not Christmas, we also play “Boogie Till You Puke” on the live stream. Root Boy Slim was a strange dude.
But what about K-Mart? If you are older than 30 you may remember a discount retailer called K-Mart. They were headquartered in the Detroit Area until a merger Sears corporation in Chicago.
Back in the 60s, 70s, & 80s, K-Mart was a great place to shop for Christmas gifts. I always enjoyed going there as a kid. The music on the PA and all the merchandise was exciting.
They had small cafeterias to get sandwiches, pretzels, soda, pie, gelatin or coffee. It was however very nasty that people smoked cigarettes indoors. There were disposable ashtrays everywhere.
The Christmas Tree’s on fire It’s burning down the house Flames are getting higher And I’m try’na put it out
I’m beatin’ it back with a tube sock And a cushion off the couch The Christmas Tree’s on fire And it’s burning down the house
Those are some of the lyrics to “Christmas Tree’s On Fire” by Holly Golightly The events of the song actually take place shortly after Valentine’s day, but we’re calling it a Christmas song anyway.
I discovered this catchy track surfing YouTube about 9 years ago. At first I thought this was a recording from the 60s. It tunes out it actually came out in 2006. There’s something about the drum sounds in this recording that makes it sound retro to me.
This is the kind of wacky holiday music we are playing right now on FunHouseRadio.com so if you liked this, tune in to the live stream for more!
We’ve been sleeping on this one folks. I checked the notes. The Christmas Jug Band released the album that contains this track all the way back in 2002. Amazing. I first heard the song only a year ago. How did this stay under the radar for so long!?
The band has been around since the 1970s and the first album Mistletoe Jam, was released in 1987. They are still an act today releasing new material and playing live shows. The majority of their songs are original compositions in the Skiffle genre. Their CDs are fun and collectible.
Sometimes you stumble upon things while doing research. Here is a little gem I discovered in the process of researching Johnny Cash. It was performed live to video and uploaded 12 years ago. As the moment it’s gotten 9,000 views. Maybe this is the year it goes viral.
Keith Coleman is a Johnny Cash impersonator and he got creative with one of Cash’s biggest hits to create this track. We love it. In the video he claims that the Christmas lyrics were the original lyrics, but we think that’s a big fat fib.
The real Johnny Cash also recorded Christmas music but there are no holiday parodies of his hit songs to be found. His version of “Blue Christmas” is humorous in how much unalike it is compared to the Elvis Presley version.
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