Shave every day and you'll always look keen

March 23, 2010 9:05 AM

I have a sad story to tell you
It may hurt your feelings a bit
Last night when I walked into my bathroom
I stepped in a big pile of ______

A large collection of novelty music from Benny Bell is available free to download at the Internet Archive, including his most famous song, "Shaving Cream" (MP3). The audio quality isn't the best but then again it's been recorded off a collection of 78 RPMs from the '40s.

posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis (32 comments total)

comeon that is totally dr dementos song i got it on napster
posted by yhbc at 9:10 AM on March 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

Odd bit of coincidence I posted this right after another post about novelty songs by Weird Al (featuring Dr. Demento). It's a good day for goofy music.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 9:16 AM on March 23, 2010

In 1975, when the song went to #30 on the Billboard Charts, I was 12 and I remember that summer distinctly, specifically a bus trip to northern Arizona. There were about 40 of us kids on that bus, wearing big grins singing along.

Completely and totally awesome!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:16 AM on March 23, 2010

this was actually a top 40 hit in the 70s - you couldn't get away from it
posted by pyramid termite at 9:20 AM on March 23, 2010

This takes me back to the days when staying up late to catch a radio show was a treat.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:20 AM on March 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

Ah, yes. I remember my parents shushing me as I tried to sing Shaving Cream on one summer camping trip... only to greet our next-campsite neighbours, who also had a little boy, who was merrily singing the same thing. (cue what-you-gonna-do gesture of futility from mom and dad)
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:28 AM on March 23, 2010

Lyrical excellence:

"Oh, don't touch my Fanny

Please don't ever try

My little Fanny

Is reserved for just one guy"
posted by idiopath at 9:46 AM on March 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

There was an old sailor, who sat on a rock, Waving and shaking his big hairy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Wdvw9dXSY
posted by mnsc at 9:50 AM on March 23, 2010

Needs more Gene Rayburn
posted by humboldt32 at 9:51 AM on March 23, 2010 [3 favorites]

I was singing this yesterday, for absolutely no reason. I can't wait to download these tracks. Thank you.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:52 AM on March 23, 2010

Oh man. Shaving Cream! When I was about ten I would stay up late listening to Dr. Demento on my little "digital" (flip-flop digits) clock radio. Nothing made me giggle the way Shaving Cream did. It was probably the dirtiest thing I was exposed to at that age.

"hehe! They almost said S-H-I-T! They almost said it again! And again!"

Now my son is pretty much always a click away from 2 girls 1 Cup.

Technology rules.
posted by bondcliff at 10:09 AM on March 23, 2010 [7 favorites]

Wow - horrific, but true: out of curiosity I cut and pasted mnsc's link into a new tab and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then I went back to work and accidentally pasted the same link into an email to the security and sysadmin teams: "see this link for more details about the compromised server".

They're all Ukrainian - I'm dying to see how they react.
posted by micturator at 10:36 AM on March 23, 2010 [10 favorites]

Right after I posted that link I facepalmed over that un-anchored url. But never could I have imagined the true repercussions! Give my apologies to the sysadmins, or if they turn out to like the Judge (I honestly like big 9) have em thank me.
posted by mnsc at 11:25 AM on March 23, 2010

Oh, heavens, bondcliff! I very nearly read that as "my son is pretty much always a dick away from 2G1C."
posted by Madamina at 11:46 AM on March 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've never gotten beyond the first six seconds, but I was under the impression there were no dicks in 2G1C.

Unless they sculpt one out of, well, you know.
posted by bondcliff at 11:57 AM on March 23, 2010

Shaving cream?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 12:00 PM on March 23, 2010 [7 favorites]

Tee hee.
posted by bondcliff at 12:02 PM on March 23, 2010

Fond memories of this from Dr. Demento. Fish Heads and Dead Puppies Aren't Much Fun got a lot of play too.
posted by cj_ at 12:13 PM on March 23, 2010

Oh man, or My Dead Dog Rover. Dead dogs were the pinnacle of goofy comedy back then.
posted by cj_ at 12:22 PM on March 23, 2010

NSFW
bah....i read that as "A large collection of novelty music from Benny Hill is available free to download". I'm only a little disappointed i guess ;P
posted by winston smith at 12:34 PM on March 23, 2010

This song may be dull but it's certainly clean.

(Aside: It's pretty amazing how many artists I was introduced to by Dr. Demento: Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, John Hartford, Moondog, the Beat Farmers, etc.)
posted by usonian at 1:38 PM on March 23, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Wdvw9dXSY

Judge Dredd was so awful. Cross Max Romeo with Benny Hill and you get Judge Dredd.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:39 PM on March 23, 2010

Also, that Benny Ball was no Lucille Bogan.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:42 PM on March 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I heard a dymnamite calpso version of this back in the 90s that I have been jonesing for every since.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:23 PM on March 23, 2010

AZ: Was it this cover by The Fabulous Five?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 2:48 PM on March 23, 2010

I loved the Dr. Demento show when I was young. For best song, Wet Dreams wins, hook, line and sinker...
posted by Ghidorah at 3:00 PM on March 23, 2010

When my dad asked me where I had heard some baudy song (think it was shaving cream or perhaps "Dead Puppies"), I told him: Dr. Demento. When it became clear that he was displeased with me listening to such a show on the radio ("The reason they call him Dr. Demento is because he is demented."), I took to listening under the blankets with my shiny new radio headphones. Good think he wasn't listening at the door and couldn't hear my giggling after 9:00 on Sunday evenings.
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 4:07 PM on March 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

Dr. Demento was also an advocate of Science via the excellent Tom Lehrer.
posted by ovvl at 4:07 PM on March 23, 2010

The Winsome Parker Lewis: "AZ: Was it this cover by The Fabulous Five ?"

That cover is incredible, thanks!
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 4:08 PM on March 23, 2010

[Slight derail...] Dr. Demento was as my college reunion last year. Talked about how Weird Al got started.
posted by Araucaria at 4:18 PM on March 23, 2010

s/as/at/
posted by Araucaria at 4:18 PM on March 23, 2010

Finally got a chance to listen to more of those songs. "Take a Ship for Yourself" split my sides, although my wife didn't think it was very funny. Thanks for this great post, TWPL!
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 10:19 AM on March 31, 2010