Eddie Lawson He was definitely a trend-setter. While not the first of the parody songwriters, he was the first to make it mainstream. And while admittedly, not every song hit bulls-eyes, he did help contribute to launching Weird Al's career as an inspiration. And if you launched one of my all-time favorite songwriters, albeit indirectly, you get a thumbs-up from moi! :D

From us American Jews, you're welcome

Tom Lehrer

I guess he wrote this song from the perspective of the devil

1:19

Allan Sherman was an AWESOME TALENT! The last time I saw him was on "The Mike Douglas Show" in 1973!

teddibearsworld And to his credit, he helped found the careers of countless parody artists, including Weird Al Yankovich. So, it's hard to fault him for paving the way for stronger material.

Actually, before Allan there was a man named Mickey Katz, who also happened to have been Joel Grey's father (and therefore he is also Jennifer Grey's grandfather). Because Mickey Katz was even more clearly "ethnic" than Allan Sherman -- he sometimes used full Yiddish lyrics interspersed with English -- he didn't become as famous among the general public as those two did. But Sherman, Weird Al, and others owe him a big debt for popularizing this form. That said, Mickey Katz worked with Spike Jones and his City Slickers, a group that performed all kinds of musical parody and comedy, although I don't know that it was of the exact same type. Katz and Jones were both born in the early 1900s. You can find videos of both men on KZfaq.

Happen to remember any of them? I'd love to hear 'em!

@@doc9600 Wrote them all down. There's an even dozen now, including two women ( who certainly ought to be represented ). And I truly don't know what to do with them. Like his version, they call for a full orchestral treatment - which is beyond my power. And I'm afraid I don't have the confidence to just go online and blurt them out a capella. So for now they'll just remain in the notebook. Funny, though, how many famous names immediately fit the tempo. And all you need is the hook - the singular achievement they're know for - and the lyrics seem to follow pretty naturally.

@@cliffchristie5865 I've got no orchestra sadly, but 've been meaning to learn this song on piano for awhile now. I perform regularly at a downtown float shop. It's mostly old folks that come in so I'm sure some would recognize Allan :) If you want I could use your lyrics for the song to shake things up lol

@@doc9600 I'll keep it in mind. Until then, here's one verse ( and the chorus ) - not necessarily the best one, but representative. Bear in mind, this is not so much a poem as song lyrics. But if you know the melody, trust me, they fit. Charles Lindbergh hoped to fly the ocean alone but wasn't sure just what to call his plane. He had a superstition about things with city names but wanted one that wasn't inane. Like Denver omelet, Hong Kong flu, or Boston baked beans, I said rely on me and take a chance. Just name it for St. Louis and in no time at all you'll wind up in Paris, France. And that was good advice, good advice, good advice costs nothing and it's worth the price. Every now and then you should listen to your friends for good advice. (as silly as all the original verses, but consistent )

Don't forget Laugh-in.

Lehrer means teacher in German

Don't forget Homer and Jethro!

My parents added bob Newhart to that mix. Beautiful legacy. Timeless humor

I LOVED THEM ALL! BEST TIMES!

I know. It's truly one of the saddest endings to anyone in history. A few others I'd add to the list of brilliant people who made it big but died with sad endings are Edgar A. Poe, Socrates and Robin Williams.

Allan Sherman also created "I've Got A Secret"! A VERY TALENTED MAN!

You and me both! I would have loved to do this song in a college voice class I took!

A friend of mine figured out the chords well enough for me to do it in a cabaret.

chordify.net/chords/good-advice-allan-sherman-cputb1

I'm naming my first ten children after you. Thanks!

We all do. Unfortunately Allan isn't an exception. I wish tho he did live older then 47. I'd like to see what he'd be doing today at 96.

A GREAT TALENT!

GREAT TIMES! I MISS COMEDIANS WITH TALENT!

NO! DON'T!!!!!!

TeachESL What about this would be considered inappropriate for modern audiences? It seems pretty innocent, IMo

Not inappropriate, just not funny and not appreciated. It's a shame too, because I think it's fantastic and a lot more clever and funnier than a lot of the comedy today. But no doubt, times change, and the comedy that IS funny today is a lot different than what top comedians (including Allan Sherman) were putting out 50 years ago..... Music is seldom timeless, and comedy even less so........

"Round off those corners, and buy a set of tires/And Ookie baby, that's a wheel!"

me and dr who

"Mr. Bobby Thomson was a Scottish engineer Who put some air in a rubber hose. He said, 'I don't know just what good this is,' 'Till Mr. Dunlop showed him how it goes. This Irish J.B. Dunlop was from old Belfast And told him, 'Tie the two ends together. Then get three more, put them on two axles, And you can drive out in any weather."

It was known for many centuries before Columbus' time that the earth was a sphere--look at the shadow the earth casts on the moon during a partial lunar eclipse. And Eratosthenes calculated the probable circumference of the earth--about 21,500 miles--assuming the earth to be a sphere, before the birth of Christ. (Also cf. Job 26:10.) Columbus didn't know of the existence of North and South America. Had they not been in his path, his voyage could have ended with him and his crew starving to death on a seemingly endless sea (the Pacific Ocean).

nice flat earth reference

Joel Lafargue that was meant to be a joke

That's The Joke.