The 60's had some profoundly weird records that people actually bought. This might be the most obnoxious of them all, yet it made the Top 5. Recording engineer Jerry Samuels used the alias of Napoleon XIV here with only a seven-second snare drum loop, a tambourine and some very odd vocal effects. He said he smoked some weed before coming up with the idea - and it showed. I remember seeing kids dance to this on "American Bandstand." Hilarious. It took off rapidly but fell off the charts faster than any previous record, as a lot of radio stations quickly stopped playing the single. They feared a backlash over possibly goofing on mental illness. The even more obnoxious B-side was the A-side played backwards, so the label's preferred "song" would be featured. It was titled "!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT"
Napoleon XIV - They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
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