Weird Al songs excluded

It seems that "food" is one of the more popular subjects not just in this site but in the whole State. I come to this conclusion because I cannot think of any song, besides the ones sang by local groups, Weird Al, and commercials, that is about food.

Can you?

btw: By now we all know that music is the other popular category here.

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Man, that "Fish and Poi" song by Sean Na`auao makes me so pololi every time I hear it...

Viva La Woman by Cibo Matto. "Cibo Matto" means "crazy food" in Italian, despite the fact two Japanese women based in New York City were the core members of the group. (They've since broken up.) That entire first album was about food.

Excerpt from "Birthday Cake":

Shut up and eat!
Too bad, no bon apetit!
Shut up and eat!
You know my love is sweet!

Yes, I'm cooking for my son and his wife
It's his 30th birthday
Pour berries into my bowl
Add milk of two months ago
"It's moldy mom, isn't it?"
I don't give a flying fuck though

Tangentially related to songs about food (sounds like the title of a Brain Eno album), does anyone know if the Mokettes ever released a CD of their hit song parodies.

The Mokettes was pretty much a 93FMQ in-house band. When Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" became a hit, the Mokettes recorded "Palolo Valley Girl". And when Robert Palmer hit the charts with "Addicted to Love", the Mokettes fired back with "Addicted to Lunch".

Anyone remember?

I was born in 1979, so I was probably too young to 'remember' the Mokettes. However, for some reason, I do know that they were the brain child of Wili Moku who, as you all probably know, was a prominent DJ of KQMQ for many years. (Maybe some of you got to read a recent article Midweek had on him. It was rather heartbreaking.)

Well, I guess my generation had its local food parodies with Lanai Boy and Jimmy da Geek collectively known then as the '2 Local Boyz.' (Sometimes it was 3, but I lost count after so many went through the revolving door.) In particular, I remember their song "Me So Hungry," a parody of that notorious song from 2 Live Crew.

I know that the post asked for food songs outside the local circle...but I just couldn't find any. Hmmm...

What, no Jimmy Buffett?

A thread like this with no mention of "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (and he did sue the original Maui restaurant - I don't know if it was because of the name or the fact that they used his lyrics for their cheeseburger recipe... they're still in business, and so is he, so what does that say?) is an incomplete thread. Unless, that is, you count Jimmy Buffett as a local.

I've never heard of that song. Could you post some of the lyrics in case WinMX can't come through for me?

I noticed that the word "Paradise" is in the title of the song.. perhaps there might be a deeper relationship between food songs and living in the islands??

I wonder if it is the tropical setting that inspires songs of food? What about other Pacific / Caribbean cultures?

This one's for you, Tom: the complete lyrics to "Cheeseburger in Paradise." - one out of the many sites that feature this song. If you load this page from a conventional desktop computer with speakers, you'll even hear the melody!

If that doesn't work, here are a few choice excerpts:

Tried to amend my carnivorous habits
Made it nearly seventy days
Losin' weight without speed, eatin' sunflower seeds
Drinkin' lots of carrot juice and soakin' up rays

But at night I'd had these wonderful dreams
Some kind of sensuous treat
Not zucchini, fettucini or bulghar wheat
But a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat...

And this is coming from someone who never was a Jimmy Buffett fan to begin with... *gulp*

J.B. spends a lot of time on Maui, and some of his songs do have somewhat Caribbean-sounding arrangements (not to mention that he did play a surprise gig at Duke's). - then again, we're talking about the same guy who once sang about "wastin' away again in Margaritaville" (he also spends time in Mexico) so you can definitely imagine what kind of paradise he's looking at.

Cheeseburger in Paradise
Makin' the best of every virtue and vice
Worth every damn bit of sacrifice to get a
Cheeseburger in Paradise
I need a Cheeseburger in Paradise
I'm just a Cheeseburger in Paradise

I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well good God almighty which way do I steer...

And in case you're wondering what could possibly drive a man like Jimmy Buffett to legal action, here it is:

Cheeseburger in paradise (paradise)
Medium rare with mustard 'be nice (paradise)
Heaven on earth with an onion slice (paradise)
I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise

The part about the lettuce, tomato, pickles, fries, ketchup, and beer you already know. :)

Which also reminds me: "Chizberger, Chizberger, Chizberger, Pepsi, Pepsi..."

Ha, ha, ha! "No coke!"

There's always "Bumblebee Tuna," by Mephaskaphales, a NY-based ska band. The entire song revolves around this verse:

I love Bumblebee, Bumblebee tuna...

Good call on "Cheeseburger in Paradise", since that one really is about food in the same way "Fish and Poi" is. Of course, now that it's been brought up, "Fish and Poi" will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Thanks, Ryan!

The only other non-Al non-local food songs I can think of are "I Want Candy" (was it by Bow Wow Wow?) and maybe the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar". Somehow, I don't think Mick Jagger was actually singing about food, though.

I wonder what accounts for the difference. Maybe it's because most pop songs are about love and relationships, and food seems too pedestrian a subject matter. But local music is often as much about establishing a sense of place as it is about love, and local food is an easy way to do that. (The other way is to mention some combination of island, ocean, beach, or the sunset.)

Anyway, interesting topic.

"Brown Sugar" is a song about drugs. That goes double for both Mick Jagger AND D'Angelo (and, no, his song wasn't about sex either: "See, we be makin' love constantly/ That's why my eyes are a shade blood burgundy.") As for "I Want Candy," that song was an oldie way before Bow Wow Wow got to covering it.

Speaking of D'Angelo: One of the reasons why I bought his Voodoo album was a song called "Chicken Grease." That one turned out to be a song about sex. ;)

Which goes to the other point I was about to make with Jimmy Buffett: Ever noticed that those two songs of his that I've mentioned actually refer to hedonism? I mean, what could be more sin-inducing - or at least to many overworked Mainlanders - than cheeseburgers and margaritas, especially in the tropics?

Another food-related song, though I'm also suspecting this one's about sex, too: "Peaches" by the Presidents of the United States of America.

Peaches come from a can
They were put there by a man
In a factory downtown...

And to think I used to sing this to my niece when she was a baby. Yikes.

weird al is asome

I know this thread is getting old, but I just had to add "Banana Split for my baby" by Louis Prima. He also did a version of "Pennies from Heaven" wherein he inserted a line about some sort of pasta falling from the sky towards the end.

In the realm of really oldies, there is also "Everybody Eats at My House" which has been done by a number of people.

I also stumbled on this list, although most of them deal with food only tangentially:
http://www.mixedup.com/foodsongs.htm

That is all.

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