Interesting songs

March 15, 2006 3:10 PM

Looking for funny/lighthearted/danceable songs about non-love non-relationship stuff (like politics).

The reason being I just heard Dopeman by Less Than Jake and it played like a sendup of Schoolhouse Rock. Very well done.... and it had a great groove! Not a humorous topic, I know, but still.

I guess stuff like "Star Trekkin'" would qualify, but I'm not really looking in the Dr. Demento genre... rather stuff by established artists.

What else is there? I know Billy Bragg, who's good. It's a bit serious in tone but I'm sure it qualifies somewhat.

posted by chef_boyardee to media & arts (30 comments total)

They Might Be Giants
posted by idiotfactory at 3:26 PM on March 15, 2006

Barenaked Ladies
posted by clh at 3:31 PM on March 15, 2006

Arrogant Worms
Doctor Hook
Wierd Al Yankovich
Doug and the Slugs


I'm sure that there are more, but I'm having a brain stall....
posted by fox_terrier_guy at 3:34 PM on March 15, 2006

Momus
posted by idontlikewords at 4:06 PM on March 15, 2006

M.I.A?
posted by lemuria at 4:15 PM on March 15, 2006

Deirdre Flint - The Boob Fairy (and others which I haven't listened to)

Bree Sharp - David Duchovny
posted by MsMolly at 4:23 PM on March 15, 2006

Midnight Oil
posted by flabdablet at 4:27 PM on March 15, 2006

Almost forgot!

Dan Bern is great for this kind of thing.

Try Marilyn, or Shakespeare's Got a Gun, or Tiger Woods.
posted by MsMolly at 4:30 PM on March 15, 2006

How about Oingo Boing's Dead Man's Party.
yes I'm old
posted by small_ruminant at 4:39 PM on March 15, 2006

Not particularly danceable, but for funny songs I like Loudon Wainwright III. Country music is full of funny songs as well. I love songs where just the concept is enough to make you chuckle, like "I Married a Woman Who Talks Like Jerry Reed". David Allan Coe has a few funny ones as well.
posted by teleskiving at 4:41 PM on March 15, 2006

How about relationship-y things that aren't in English? Are you just trying to avoid reminding someone of something painful? Or is this an exercise to find these songs?
posted by small_ruminant at 4:41 PM on March 15, 2006

Oldie: King Missile
posted by davejay at 4:42 PM on March 15, 2006

A lot of Talking Heads songs are about things other than love and relationships, and quite danceable.
posted by padraigin at 4:48 PM on March 15, 2006

The Housemartins and The Beautiful South which share a lead singer in Paul Heaton. I find their songs are oftentimes boppy and funny in a dark, ironic way. Happy Hour and Bow Down immediately come to mind.
posted by phoenixc at 5:05 PM on March 15, 2006

Most 3rd-wave ska songs are funny, lighthearted, danceable, and have great grooves. Less Than Jake happens to be my favorite group, but there are plenty of others that are outstanding.

Where to begin? We'll start with the "alive and kicking" ska bands.

(preamble: If you're looking for more Less Than Jake, I'd suggest the albums Hello Rockview and Anthem. If you get one song, it should be "The Science of Selling Yourself Short," off Anthem. Less Than Jake also, by the way, puts on the best live show I've ever seen. Their peak was on the Ska Against Racism tour ('98?), but every time I've seen them, they've been incredible.)

I'd start with the Aquabats. The Return of the Aquabats! is great. They're a little jokey, so if that's not what you want, move on. But they're a lot of fun.

Streetlight Manifesto is an absolutely incredible band, and they're relatively new (ex-members of Catch 22 and other NJ bands). They have an outstanding live show, and their musicianship is really impressive.

The Pietasters have some outstanding songs, but I don't know if they have many "lighthearted" songs. Certainly danceable. And "soulful." They do a really great show, too.

Now on to the dearly departed ...

Five Iron Frenzy has some great lighthearted, danceable stuff.

The Bruce Lee Band (or The B. Lee Band) / Skankin' Pickle are good.

And if you like soulful ska, definitely find The Checkered Cabs. Let me know when you do, since I'd love to get some of their stuff.

For jazzier stuff, Skavoovie and the Epitones were really solid. Their last album, The Growler, had some quirky topics (Space Lone Ranger, zombies, "tiny machines,"). If you get one song off that, I'd go for "Salad Days." Maybe "Tiny Machines."

An easier band to get ahold of would be The Toasters. Their sound is a little dated, but might be what you're looking for. [A Google search shows that they're still touring and whatnot, but I wouldn't put them at the top of your list.]

The Velveteens had some wonderful stuff, but their stuff would be harder to locate, since they came on the scene just after the wave crashed.

One more good DC band was The Instigators, but I think they had even less commercial success than the Velveteens.

Moving further back in the day ...

Fishbone has some okay stuff. See "Party at Ground Zero."

Madness was good, although I don't think they're as upbeat or poppy as the later stuff. Same goes for the Specials, The Selecter, and other 2nd-Wave British bands. Fun, but I prefer the punkier stuff, and if you liked Dopeman, I think you'll agree.

If you have any questions about ska or punk (3rd wave ska in particular), feel free to e-mail me.

on preview: The Housemartins are good, too. Obviously, not ska, but, as phoenixc said, boppy.
posted by Alt F4 at 5:19 PM on March 15, 2006 [1 favorite]

Tom Lehrer... a genius
posted by shivohum at 5:20 PM on March 15, 2006

Bobby Conn and the Glass Gypsies' "Homeland." Best political, danceable glam rock I've ever heard.
posted by lunalaguna at 5:23 PM on March 15, 2006

Chumbawamba. Way more political than that silly Tubthumper would have you believe.
posted by fuzzbean at 5:31 PM on March 15, 2006

The Beastie Boys?
posted by Alt F4 at 6:07 PM on March 15, 2006

Moxy Frouvus
posted by nuclear_soup at 6:13 PM on March 15, 2006

Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
posted by TwilightKid at 6:14 PM on March 15, 2006

Jonathan Coulton
posted by smt at 6:17 PM on March 15, 2006

Start with "Vietnam" by the Minutemen, and work your way from there.
posted by saladin at 6:34 PM on March 15, 2006

Fountains of Wayne: Red Dragon Tattoo, Bright Future in Sales, Mexican Wine, Valley of Malls come to mind. (And I have to put in a plug for The Girl I Can't Forget, even though it's about love, kinda, and a relationship, kinda, but is cleverly written and a really happy song.)
posted by SashaPT at 6:45 PM on March 15, 2006

oh
& some of the faint & metric
posted by nuclear_soup at 6:54 PM on March 15, 2006

Speaking of Fountains of Wayne, Robbie Fulks' "Fountains of Wayne Hotline" is hysterical and moves through multiple fun grooves as the singer gets advice from the various hotline operators.
posted by nicwolff at 9:18 PM on March 15, 2006

If punk/pop/rockabilly sci-fi sounds appealing, you can't go wrong with The Phenomenauts.
posted by Aster at 10:14 PM on March 15, 2006

Corn Mo. Try the songs "Busey Boy" and "Robert Holiday" (though my favorites are "I'll Be Your Platypus" and "Lollipop", semi-relationship themed if you can even call it that).
posted by superfem at 11:23 PM on March 15, 2006

Nobody's mentioned Soul Coughing yet? For shame. They don't necessarily qualify as "funny", but they're definitely light-hearted and eminently danceable.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:10 AM on March 16, 2006

http://www.stonesoupdancing.com

This band is now defunct, they are called stone soup, but two of their members have formed a duo called Stitch Craft. http://www.stitchcraftmusic.com/

You can probably buy CDs at either website. Very fun music, very danceable, not all about love.

stitchcraftmusic.com
posted by bilabial at 7:21 AM on March 16, 2006