I've been working on this story for months, because I wasn't sure which songs I should include and which songs I should leave off the list. And then I finally decided what the rules would be: only songs that are about food or drink or have them in the title. In other words, just because a song mentions food or drink doesn't mean it's about food or drink, so I'm leaving those off the list. Here we go:
1. "Black Coffee" (Julie London): OK, I'll admit it, this is a truly personal choice. I'm a big fan of standards, and also a big fan of film noir. And this song has noir written all over it. Julie London (you might remember her as the head nurse from the TV show Emergency) sings it so seductively and in a sultry manner you just want to run out and buy some coffee and take up smoking (several people have covered this song, including Sarah Vaughan and k.d. lang, but London's version is the best). Really cool song.
2. "Food, Glorious Food!" (from Oliver): The ultimate "let's celebrate food!" song.
3. "Eat It" (Weird Al Yankovic): A lot of Weird Al's parodies focus on food, but this is the one to judge all the others by.
4. "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" (George Thorogood): Another song that was done by several artists, but there's something edgy and nasty about Thorogood's version.
5. "The Coffee Song" (Frank Sinatra): Any song that has contains phrases like "coffee ketchup gives 'em flavor," "coffee pickles way outsell the dill" has to be on this list.
6. "One For My Baby" (Frank Sinatra): The ultimate sad, drinking-alone-in-a-bar song.
7. "The Candy Man" (Sammy Davis, Jr.): Some might think this is a trivial, silly song, and maybe it is, but the whole song is about candy candy candy, and Davis really does a great job with it.
8. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (Jimmy Buffett): Actually, I don't even like Buffett that much, but there's no denying this is a catchy, iconic song.
If you're wondering why I didn't list instrumental songs with food in their titles it's because that's more of an abstract thing. They might have food in the title and were inspired by food, but instrumentals are a hard thing to judge.
A fraking amazing Battlestar Galactica cake
Iced Tea 101
Pierogies + cheese + onions + kraut = Parmageddon!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-28-2007 @ 5:15PM
Susan said...
What about Rum and Coca Cola by The Andrews Sisters?
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3-28-2007 @ 5:41PM
sarah said...
All these coffee songs make me think of Black Coffee in Bed by Squeeze.
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3-28-2007 @ 6:06PM
Otis said...
The March playlists at Selective Service were all about food. Worth a look-see.
And "Weird" Al has so many good food parodies - including a lot that never made it to albums due to lack of clearance from artists. And he's got quite the knack for being omnivorous in his lyrics, even though Al is a vegan through-and-through.
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3-28-2007 @ 6:24PM
Lee said...
Any list of this ilk that does not include Cibo Matto, "Know Your Chicken" is bullshit. That's all I'm saying.
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3-28-2007 @ 6:33PM
abbe said...
what about holla back girl? B*A*N*A*N*A*S!
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3-28-2007 @ 9:38PM
Adriane said...
Fav foodie song: Either "Eggs and Sausage" or "Warm Beer and Cold Women", by Tom Waits. Both about those late night diners and bars- coffee, booze, lonliness. Ack they are so perfect!
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3-28-2007 @ 10:03PM
Chrissy said...
I like Colorblind by the Counting Crows--it mentions food in there :)
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3-28-2007 @ 11:28PM
David said...
No food song compilation is complete without "Everybody Eats When They Come To My House" by Cab Calloway! "Have a bannana, Anna!" Etc. Search it out, it's definitely worth it.
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3-29-2007 @ 7:07AM
yatesy said...
how about:
One Cup Of Coffee by Bob Marley
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3-29-2007 @ 7:58AM
Pam said...
What about Monty Python's Spam song?
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3-29-2007 @ 8:26AM
PghEats said...
"Dinner Bell" by They Might Be Giants. All about food, and darn catchy.
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3-29-2007 @ 9:42AM
vandalay said...
"Breakfast Blues" by Trout Fishing in America
"I donut love you anymore.."
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3-29-2007 @ 9:49AM
Lemons said...
Eubie Blake (I think)'s "Gimme A Pigfoot And A Bottle 'A Beer".
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3-29-2007 @ 10:26AM
Sara said...
Don't forget Louis Prima! "Beans and Cornbread" was featured at the beginning of Malcolm X, and he has lots of other food-themed songs.
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3-29-2007 @ 10:34AM
John said...
What about the Banana Boat Song, by Harry Belafonte? Granted, it it's only about ONE food. How about "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (potato, po-tah-to)?
Do commercial jingles count as songs? If so, I think the Oscar Mayer Bologna song deserves an Honorable Mention.
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3-29-2007 @ 10:40AM
Whitman said...
Hoagy(!)Carmichael's "Bread and Gravy"
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3-29-2007 @ 10:40AM
MamaMe said...
What about Red, Red Wine by UB40? A fav of mine :)
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3-29-2007 @ 11:52AM
noreen said...
Speaking of Louis Prima, my favorite song by him is Banana Split for My Baby. I sing it every time I eat ice cream (I sing it a lot).
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3-29-2007 @ 12:05PM
craig chin said...
i recorded an EP of songs about animals and food a few years back. its downloadable for free at: http://craigchin.com/SOUNDS/animalsandfood.htm
i'm also sad that cibo mato is not on the list. they have many absurd food related songs.
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3-29-2007 @ 1:37PM
Elena said...
how about: Hold Tight (want some seafood mama, shrimps and rice) sung by the Andrews Sisters
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