They were silly, ridiculous, and sometimes downright annoying—but America loved them. From Monster Mash and Disco Duck to Kung Fu Fighting and singing chipmunks, here are 10 joke songs that somehow became unforgettable hits.
In 1966, I walked into Busch Stadium with a press pass and an assignment from my uncle, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Jack Rice: find out what teenage boys really thought about Beatlemania. What followed was a night of rain, lightning, screaming fans, the Beatles—and a story that took me nearly sixty years to finally tell.
Behind the music was another side of rock ’n’ roll: groupies, backstage passes, roadies, hotel rooms, sexual freedom, and legendary excess. Welcome to Carnalgie Hall, where the concert ended—but the real show was sometimes just beginning.
On February 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and exploded into millions of American living rooms. In just a few unforgettable minutes, four young men from Liverpool helped reshape American music, fashion, youth culture, and an entire generation.