Retro Redux: Song Titles That Might Tickle Your Fancy

I guess I've always been a fan of country music, stretching back to the days of listening to it on my grandparents' old Philco, enjoying all the "Hanks" (Williams, Snow, Locklin, Thompson, etc) and their counterparts. But there were long periods in my life where I really didn't think that I was much into it. I thought I was too sophisticated (don't laugh) because I was interested in jazz and other kinds of music, and country music was - well - for hicks. Of course, I was wrong. It was only with hindsight that I eventually realized that a lot of the music I enjoyed as an adult was very definitely country music, even if I didn't always recognize it at the time.

Like all genres, country music went through a lot of changes over the years, cycling among various sounds and styles. As a result, you could usually find anything from traditional to the glitzier pop-influenced "modern" sound. However, it seems to me that there is one type of country music that's always been around, and it's almost uniquely country. Other genres might occasionally produce an example, but country music is home to the vast majority of songs with nutty and unusual titles — songs that "tickle your fancy". (Well, at least they tickle mine — you'll have to answer for yourself.)

I'm not talking about something like Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job And Shove It", which - aside from the popular sentiment - is really just a one-trick pony. What I'm describing are songs that have long, funny titles that make you want to dig for more. To make the case, all I have to do is mention Little Jimmy Dickens, who had hits with "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" and "Truckload Of Starvin' Kangaroos", and you'll begin to get the idea.

Article Author: Big Geez

Big Geez is a retiree who takes time off from trimming his ear hair to write about music -- occasionally writing reviews, but most often using his regular music feature, Retro Redux, to share his opinions about how something resonates with his memories and those of his generation. …

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