This morning at Open Door Coffee Co., Nigel was wearing a Beatles T-shirt (and not a new one!). He's a superior musician (guitarist)--I've heard/seen him play--and we got to talking a little about the Beatles, about how, when I was young (!) and in college, my friends and I would gather in someone's dorm room to listen to the last LP the Beatles had dropped (a term not in our vocabulary then).
I started talking this morning about the differences between 33 and 45 rpm, and I told him I still had a few of the latter, including Nervous Norvus singing "Ape Call." Nigel had not heard of that one (or of Norvus), so I found it quickly on YouTube, and we listened. A little. (A little bit goes a long way.)
Here's a link to it.
Norvus dropped (!) the song in the summer of 1956 (I had just finished sixth grade in Oklahoma, but we would move to Hiram, Ohio, later in the summer), and I loved the song, promptly memorizing it.* Uncle Ronald--my mom's older brother--was a church historian, preacher, seminarian (he taught at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis), and when in my still-soprano voice I sang "Ape Call" (a cappella) for him, he laughed so hard he wept--especially at the verse about Adam and Eve (see lyrics below).
Norvus had an earlier and even bigger hit (the same year)--"Transfusion"--which I also liked but not nearly so much as "Ape Call."
Here's a link to the song, and the lyrics are below "Ape Call."
"Nervous Norvus" was, of course, a pseudonym--in this case for Jimmy Drake (1912-1968). I think it would have alarmed me back in Oklahoma if I'd known that my hero was a year older than my dad! I mean, my dad was definitely not hip, you know?
And both songs qualify for the label "novelty songs"--but then I'm a novelty kind of guy, so I loved them. So did America. "Transfusion“ finished the year at #47 in Billboard's top 100 (five others were by Elvis--stiff competition!); "Ape Call" reached #28 at one point, but did not finish the year in the top 100. Sigh.
1956 was a transition year in popular music. Although Presley had five hits, there were others who would surprise you that year: Dean Martin, Patti Page, Perry Como, Vic Damone, Bing Crosby ...
Norvus--according to trusty Wikipedia--never hit it again. As I've just said, it was Elvis' time--Pat Boone's (!), Fats Domino's--and many others, and silly songs about apes just weren't gonna cut it.
Still, as I told Nigel this morning, I still have a 45 of him singing. Now ... if I just had a record player!
*I sang a verse for Nigel this morning--I'm positive he was dazzled.
Ape Call, by Nervous Norvus
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Ze-ze-ze-zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom.
Back in history before time began
All the real cool cats had a solid plan
When they dug a nervous chick they all, to a man, went
Aaaaah - eee - yaaah!
Ape call, doodly - ah - bah
You wanna be cool man? Go ape!
The almighty Joe swingin through the trees
Was the king of everything that roosted in the leaves
But when he saw a girl ape, a-hangin in the breeze, he went
Aaaaah - eee - yaaah!
Ape call, doodly - ah - bah
You like to be hip boy? Go ape!
A big dinosaur was a long, tall lizard
He drift through the jungle like a slow blizzard
But when he got a double take at a lady lizard, he did
Aaaaah - eee - yaaah!
Ape call, doodly - ah - bah
You wanna be sharp cat? Go ape
A pterodactyl was a flyin fool
Just a... - I thought I'd break
In and tell you what a pterodactyl was. Well, it was sort of a stork
Lookin bat with sharp teeth that cruised around lookin for... Say, we
Haven't changed a bit, have we cats?
A pterodactyl was a flyin fool
Just a breeze flappin daddy of the old school
But a mama dactyl could sure make him drool
Aaaaah - eee - yaaah!
Ape call, doodly - ah - bah
Don't be square Joe. Go ape!
Now old papa tiger was the boss of the Nile
Just a sport model cat with a solid style
He was old King Cool til a girl tiger smiled
Aaaaah - eee - yaaah!
Ape call, doodly - ah - bah
Be zorts daddio, go ape!
Adam was the first boy in the land
A big malaroony daddy with an iron hand
But when little Eva said, Hiya Man
Aaaaah - eee - yaaah!
Ape call, doodly - ah - bah
Don't be a cube, rube. Go ape!
So remember to ape!
Call today... Yeah!
Aaaaah - eee - yaaah!
Transfusion, by Nervous Norvus
Transfusion
Nervous Norvus
Zoooommm
Tooling down the highway doing seventy-nine
I'm a twin pipe papa and I'm feelin fine
Hey man dig that was that a red stop sign
Transfusion transfusion
I'm just a solid mess of contusions
Never never never gonna speed again
Slip the blood to me Bud
I jump in my rod about a quarter to nine
I gotta make a date with that chick of mine
I cross the center line man you gotta make time
Transfusion transfusion
Oh man I got the cotton pickin convolutions
Never never never gonna speed again
Shoot the juice to me Bruce
My foot's on the throttle and it's made of lead
But I'm a fast ridding daddy with a real cool head
I'ma gonna pass a truck on the hill ahead
Transfusion transfusion
My red corpsickles are in mass confusion
Never never never gonna speed again
Pass the crimson to me Jimson
I took a little drink and I'm feelin right
I can fly right over everything everything in sight
There's a slow poking cat I'm gonna pass him on the right
Transfusion transfusion
I'm a real gone paleface and that's no illusion
I'ma never never never gonna speed again
Pass the claret to me Barrett
A rollin down the mountain on a rainy day
Oh when you see me coming better start to pray
I'ma cuttin up the road and I'm the boss all the way
Transfusion transfusion
Oh doc pardon me for this crazy intrusion
I'm never never never gonna speed again
Pump the fluid in me Louie
I'm burning up the highway early this morn
I'm passing everybody oh nothing but corn
Man outta my way I don't drive with my horn
Transfusion transfusion
Oh nurse I'm gonna make a new resolution
I'm never never never gonna speed again
Put a gallon in me Alan
Oh barnyard drivers are found in two classes
Line crowding hogs and speeding jackasses
So remember to slow down today
Hey daddy-o
Make that type O huh
Atta-boy
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