Do you know this old song?!
Question:
Do you know this old song?
I thinks it's by like Napoleon Bonapart or some name like that. The lyrics are " They're going to take me away ha ha he he ho ho"
Answers: "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" is a hit 1966 novelty song by Napoleon XIV (aka Jerry Samuels).
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Song structure
3 Covers and other appearances
4 Sequels
5 References
6 External links
[edit] History
Released on Warner Bros. Records, the bizarre depiction of mental illness became an instant hit in the United States that summer, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart.
However, it was highly controversial at the time. Some groups protested the apparent mockery of mental illness, while other groups attacked the apparent comparison of Napoleon's wife to a "mangy mutt". The protesters put pressure both on radio stations directly and on the stations' advertisers.[1] This was especially felt in New York City, where Top 40 stalwarts WABC and WMCA soon dropped the record from airplay and skipped it during their countdown shows, much to the confusion of the young teens who made up a large part of those broadcasters' audience. The record was soon banned from airplay at radio stations in a number of other markets as well. As a result, it quickly sank back down the charts, spending a total only five weeks in the Billboard Top 40.[2]
The record was also a success in United Kingdom, reaching number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
[edit] Song structure
The song, mostly set to a rhythm tapped out on a snare drum and tambourine, deals with mental illness, seemingly brought about by the singer's lover.
Musically, "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" could be called a very early rap record. The singer speaks rhythmically rather than singing the lyric, over a spare, multitracked percussion track dominated by drum kit and tambourines with a siren sounding in and out of the "chorus". According to Samuels, the vocal glissando, signifying the vocalist's plunge into insanity, was achieved by Samuels manipulating tape recording speeds, a variation on the technique used by Ross Bagdasarian in creating the original Chipmunks novelty hits. Supposedly the song's thumping beat derives from or was inspired by the Scottish marching song "The Campbells Are Coming".[3]
Furthering the theme of insanity, the flip or B-side of the single was called "!Aaah-aH yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT" and the singer billed as "VIX noelopaN". It was the A-side played in reverse; in fact, most of the label affixed to that B-side was printed backward, including the letters in the "WB" shield logo. Only the label name, disclaimer, and record & song master numbers were kept frontward. The backwards version does not appear on the original Warner Bros. album, although the title is shown on the front cover. Sure, it's by Napoleon XIV. According to the website I linked, it's sold 1.2 million copies. That's a lot of craziness. sorry I don't