Is there a music genre less respected than novelty music? Well, disco, but we weep not for the dead. The novelty song, which for our purposes here is defined as "a comical or nonsensical song," is ...

This week, the novelty radio host Dr. Demento announced that, after nearly 40 years on the air, his final broadcast would be this weekend. Even to those with fond memories of listening to Demento’s ...

I know novelty or gag songs are written more to tickle the funny bone than stir the soul, but there are a few joke songs out there that I honestly enjoy beyond the point where I just think they’re ...

If you were alive at any point in the 20th century and love some good ol’ campy comedic rock and roll music, you’ve definitely heard “The Purple People Eater” from 1958. And, surprisingly enough, the ...

Jim Lauderdale’s new album, When Carolina Comes Home Again, finds the country/Americana star making one of his periodic visits to his bluegrass roots. The hook for this project is that Lauderdale is ...

I ‘m still listening to “Thrift Shop” and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. Well, maybe I’m a little red in the face. You see, the song and my opinion of it are at a weird point in the novelty hit hype ...

For the newly launched P-pop band Blvck Ace, the goal is to promote Tagalog songs and introduce novelty music to the young audience. Composed of Rhen, Jea, Ely, Twinkle and Anasity, the five member ...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about novelty music. Mostly, I was thinking about "Weird Al" Yankovic and the Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle." I wasn't, however, thinking about Weezer. But I should have ...

This is the third and infal article in a three-part series on the history of holiday music. The first article described the origins of holiday music and the second covered the 19th-century reinvention ...