Eleven Yummy Songs About Food and Drink: A Prompt for the Hungry
Grab a fork and let’s go
I have said on numerous occasions that I have a pathological inability to avoid a writing prompt, especially when it involves music, and this article proves it. A stronger person would have been able to resist a prompt involving songs about food, but when both Kevin Alexander and Alex Markham joined in, the peer pressure was too great. The original prompt comes from Nichola Scurry, and you can find it below:
Looking at the three articles I’ve seen so far, I was worried that I couldn’t come up with enough original choices to make it worth doing (though I am not opposed to duplicating one or two). Fortunately, there are still a number of good “foodie” songs out there for me to highlight (I only did 11 rather than the 14 from the original prompt; I’m a rebel). Just don’t blame me if you’re hungry afterward.
“Ice Cream Man” — Van Halen
This one inspired my choice of an ice cream cone at the top of this article. It’s just an incredibly fun song, from the days when Van Halen was still, well, Van Halen. There will never be another like you, Eddie.
“I Want Candy” — Bow Wow Wow
Ah, the ’80s. This one has the somewhat dubious distinction of being #8 on the VH1 list of the 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s. What most of us didn’t know in 1982 was that this is a cover of a 1965 hit by The Strangeloves (their version reached the Top 20 in both the US and Canada). The Bow Wow Wow version is, in my opinion, far superior.
“Rock Lobster” — The B-52's
You may not have immediately thought of this classic when you saw the title of the article, but yes, lobsters are indeed food. Along with popcorn, they are easily the greatest way to eat gallons of melted butter ever invented. The song is awesome too, especially this early live version.
“Banana Pancakes” — Jack Johnson
Does it get any more chill than this song? You can never, ever go wrong with banana pancakes, so it’s a double win. I really need a hammock and some palm trees after this one…and some syrup.
“Green Onions” — Booker T. & the M.G.’s
The only instrumental here, and a far better song than a bunch of dumb onions deserves.
“It Ain’t the Meat (It’s the Motion)” — Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Southside Johnny should be a legend, but he had the misfortune of starting out in Asbury Park in the 1970s, which put him squarely in the shadow of a Jersey god. He gives that Jukes soul treatment (the horns!) to this cover of the 1951 original by The Swallows that was made even more popular after the 1974 version by Maria Muldaur. Supposedly there’s also a double entendre here somewhere.
“Glass Onion” — The Beatles
While I wouldn’t recommend trying to eat a glass onion, it still falls broadly into the “food” category. As an added bonus for you “Paul is dead” conspiracy theorists who might still be alive, it has that wonderful “the walrus was Paul” clue.
“Summer Wine” — The Corrs and Bono
Food totally aside, hearing these two together begs only one question: how have the Irish not conquered the entire world? Andrea Corr can offer me strawberries and cherries anytime, even without the wine. And yes, wine is a food. You were silly for even asking.
“Guacamole” — Texas Tornados
A song about one of the four food groups (enchiladas, tacos, guacamole, and queso). Given my love for both Tex-Mex food and the Texas Tornados, I obviously had to include this one. Now I’m really hungry…time for tacos.
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” — Def Leppard
This is going to be ’80s teen heresy, but I’ve never much liked Def Leppard. The only exceptions are this song and “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” with the latter being their best by far (seriously, check out the link here and then try to tell me I’m wrong). Still, the song fits the prompt and I’m running with it.
“Queen of the Supermarket” — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
I was tempted to go with “Hungry Heart,” but Alex had claimed it already. “Queen of the Supermarket” is obviously not on the same level as his greatest songs, but it does have a food-ish theme and he drops a rare F-bomb near the end. Besides, if I did a list without Bruce you’d start to worry.
That’s eleven foodie songs for your weekend. Alex and Kevin’s musical foodie articles are below (Alex was more creative with his than I could ever dream of being). Why not try one yourself? Bon Appétit.
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