My Favorite Fun Songs

I like lots of different music. I like country, all types of rock, the blues, classical, some opera, some pop, some rap...well I guess you get the idea. I like all kinds of music. Music is good for the soul, and good for the tapping foot, and the dancing legs, and the smile on my face.

There are certain songs that are thought pretty silly, maybe stupid even, by many people. I don't care, I love silly. I have been known to be silly. I love fun.  But most of all I love a good laugh and nothing feels better on my face than a smile. (Except maybe a kiss now and again!)

Johnny Cash first sang this song live at the San Quentin State Prison in California on February 24, 1969. The concert was recorded for his "Johnny Cash at San Quentin" album. It stayed in the #2 slot of the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks that year.

The song was written by Sil Silverstein, singer/songwriter, poet, cartoonist and author of children's book. He wrote "The Giving Tree" in 1964, one of my favorite poems/children's stories of all time! Sil's inspiration for this song was Jean Shepherd. Sil and Jean, or Shep as he was more commonly known, were long time friends. Sil often teased Jean about his female sounding name. Jean Shepherd was the man who co-wrote and narrated the Christmas Classic, "A Christmas Story".

Is it any wonder this song became on of Johnny Cash's greatest hits? The first time Johnny sang the song he had only read it over a few times and did not know it. They say you could see him looking down, again and again, at a piece of paper. Maybe this is why the song is more spoken than sang.

Uneasy Rider was recorded and produced by Charlie Daniels in July 1973.  His rise as one of the Southern Rock greats began with this song.  In an interview with Shawna Ortega from Songfacts.com, Charlie says the inspiration for this song came to him while playing at a rock festival in Baton Rouge, LA.  The movie, "Easy Rider" had recently been released. 

Here they were, all these long haired hippies in a town deep in the south.  Although Charlie had been raised in the south, some were not so familiar with it.  He could tell that some of the people believed if they wandered off a couple of blocks someone would be waiting to cut their hair and offer to kill them. He found this thought amusing.  Uneasy Rider grew from his musings.

According to Songfacts.com, this song speaks of a true event. Ronnie Van Zant, at age 18, was at a place called The Little Brown Jug courtesy of a fake ID. He was dancing with a girl named Linda. Her boyfriend was not happy and confronted Ronnie. When he reached to his boot for something Ronnie told him "gimme a few steps and I'll be gone".

He ran out to his friends, Gary Rossington and Allen Colins, who were waiting in a truck. He told them the story out of breath from his run. That night the three friends sat down and wrote this song. Rumor has it that they wrote it on the drive home.

Ronnie once said, "To me, there's nothing freer than a bird, you know, just flying wherever he wants to go. And, I don't know, that's what this country is all about, being free. I think everyone wants to be a free bird." I loved his music. The band was the epitome of free spirit. I had tickets to his concert at Madison Square Garden and would have seen him live, but he died in a plane crash prior to getting there.

The Love Shack actually existed. It is said that a shack in Athens, GA, that burned down in 2004, was the actually Love Shack building. The cause of the fire was unknown, and the building was not hooked up to any utilities. This 5 room shack was the home to the infamous Kate Pierson.

According to legend, this shack is the same place hits such as Rock Lobster were composed. The home was a place for the B-52's to hang out and have fun. The song, Love Shack, became #3 on the American Charts, and has been loved since then.

My older sister had a friend who introduced us to the B-52's. We found the music fun and useless, which only made it more fun. We loved their songs. Love Shack, Rock Lobster, and Shake that Cosmic Thing are all fun songs! Love Shack turned out to be their most famous. I love the video, the fun is infectious!

Laughing Mom met Garth Brookes in the early 1990's in New Mexico.  You can read about it in her "Yea, I Know Who You Are" hub.  So, Laughing Mom, this one's for you!

This song sung by Garth Brookes is the song that put him on the map. Written by Earl Bud Lee and Dwayne Blackwell, the title of this song was spoken by Lee months before the song was written. One day when Lee had forgotten his money at a restaurant, he told the people he was with, "Don't worry, I have friends in low places, the cook".

Unlike Gimme Three Steps, this song was not written immediately. Several months later, the thought came up again. They wrote the song and let Garth Brooks read it...the rest is history. The song became #1 on the American charts and stayed #1 for weeks. Believe it or not, Garth Brooks actually made up the 3rd verse to the song on a whim.

Werewolves of London was written by LeRoy Marinell, Robert "Waddy" Wachtel and Warren Zevon.  Phil Everly suggested the title.  One day the three writers were goofing off and someone asked what they were playing.  Warren said "Werewolves of London" and they began bantering lyrics back and forth.  The next thing they knew a new song was born.

Werewolves of London was recorded in 1978 by Warren Zevon.  John McVie and Mick Fleetwood play on the track.  Zevon's good friend, James Taylor was one of the producers for this hit.  Zevon would sometimes replace the lyrics, "I'd like to meet his tailor" with "And he's looking for James Taylor" when playing live in concert.

This is a fun song with no social value, other than to give you a smile and make you tap your foot.  It reached #21 on the American Top 40 charts back in 1978 and stayed there for over a month.  In 1986 it was featured in the film "The Color of Money".  Many outstanding artists have covered this song.

Walk Like An Egyptian was written by Liam Sternberg.  He got the idea for the song while riding a ferry boat and seeing all the people walking and trying to keep their balance.  The line "If they move too quick (oh whey oh)  They're falling down like a domino" refers to how all the people would fall over if the ship turned.

The song was filler for a new album.  The band needed a song to complete the lineup on their new album.  This filler turned into a number one hit that topped the charts in 1987.  The Bangles became the first all girl band to have a song top the charts for four weeks.  Walk Like An Egyptian earned them the "Single of the Year" award and "Best MTV Video Performance" award.

I could keep going, but this hub seems to be getting a little long. I would love to hear what funny, useless songs are your favorites! Tell me in the comments, and if possible post a link to them. Then we can all share our favorites with each other. I would never say no to a smile and I look forward to your input. :))