Disco Duck

What would pop music be without novelty songs? The likes of "Wooly Bully," "Hot Rod Lincoln," "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron," and "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" invariably evoke pleasant memories. Collins tells the background stories of many such songs, keeping firmly in mind that most were created for just two reasons: to make us smile and to make money. Proceeding from those motives, Chuck Berry scored his only number-one hit on the pop charts with "My Ding-a-ling" --" not at his greatest," Collins opines, "but at his most vulgar." Collins also reviews the nonobscene truth about "Louie Louie," the inanity of "Disco Duck," and the venerable insights of "They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha Haaa!" Collins' coverage extends beyond rock, so that as well as getting the inside story of "Y.M.C.A.," readers can learn about "Mairzy Doats" and "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport." Vital reading for the light of heart--but how could Collins omit "Jolly Green Giant" ? Mike Tribby