“I took a fish head out to see a movie…”

July 20, 2019 2:00 PM

He did the monster mash, he explained why bird is the word, and now…
Fish heads, fish heads, roly-poly fish heads. Fish heads, heads heads, eat them up, yum!
David Buck returns to Tedium to write about Barnes & Barnes’ classic weirdo tune: “Eat Them Up, Yum!”
Tired of reading? Perhaps you’d like to watch the band’s semi-autobiographical / music video collection VHS tape: “”Zabagabee: The Best of Barnes & Barnes”
posted by Going To Maine (14 comments total)

Bill Mumy from "It's a Good Life" wrote that song? Well, then ... it's a good thing he wrote that song. A *very* good thing.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:08 PM on July 20, 2019 [11 favorites]

Oh, man, I just had an MTV flashback there.
posted by tavella at 3:17 PM on July 20, 2019 [1 favorite]

My childhood memory of this song is that someone spliced it onto/recorded it on top of the end of some entirely different video my family rented from the video store when I was a kid. It was one of my earliest memories of some completely bizarro, unexpected video I saw just blowing my mind.
posted by limeonaire at 3:18 PM on July 20, 2019 [1 favorite]

I too have childhood memories of the video to this being on television. I think it led me down that tiresome teenage path toward novelty records instead of "cool" music.

Oh well, at least Weird Al didn't go hungry!
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 3:27 PM on July 20, 2019 [2 favorites]

*pours one out for Bill Paxton*
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:41 PM on July 20, 2019 [7 favorites]

My mom used to sing this when I was being annoying about what was for dinner. I'm considering teaching it to my story time regulars (just the chorus and they can't play baseball/they don't wear sweaters verse.) Needs hand motions.
posted by blnkfrnk at 5:59 PM on July 20, 2019 [2 favorites]

It is very strange that this video is a link from Babylon 5 to Aliens.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 6:31 PM on July 20, 2019 [4 favorites]

For some reason, I thought Miguel Ferrer was the other Barnes, but it turns out he was in Mumy's other band, Seduction Of the Innocent, whose other members were Steve Leialoha, inker, and Max Allen Collins, mystery writer.
posted by dannyboybell at 4:52 AM on July 21, 2019 [4 favorites]

I had to sing while changing my son's diapers because it stopped the whining and well you gotta pick the right song and wow, 12 years later kiddo gets a very far away look when he hears Fishheads.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 8:37 AM on July 21, 2019 [6 favorites]

I have Fish Heads on fish-shaped 7" vinyl. The B side is Party in my Pants iirc.
posted by flabdablet at 8:38 AM on July 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Mumy on Fish Heads
posted by flabdablet at 8:47 AM on July 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

"It's been a wonderful year, and we'd just like to say hiktober luzanteen, which means 'thank you one and all' in our native tongue, Lumanian. Yeah!" - B&B on Dr. D back in the 70s.
posted by whuppy at 12:23 PM on July 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

Voobaha!
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:37 PM on July 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Is there a word for the feeling of starting to sing what you think is a light-hearted goofball song and getting partway into it before remembering that there are some outdated, potentially offensive terms in it?

Anyhow, here are some substitute goofy phrases that one can substitute that preserve the cadence of the song while hopefully maintaining the wackiness of the original:

"Roly-poly fishheads are never seen drinking cappuccino in Italian restaurants with...

...Orthopedic Surgeons"
...Sanitary Napkins"
...Artificial Yogurt"
...Adolescent Pumas"
...Questionable Lyrics"
posted by subocoyne at 3:34 PM on July 23, 2019