In 2006 Jonathan Coulton released a song a week (hence thing a week) and ultimately put together all of the songs in a collection spanning four albums (for the younger, “albums” are a bunch of songs collected together that were originally available in quaint formats such as cassette tape and compact disc). You can (and should) buy them here: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/store/downloads/ because they are funny, fun and “funny.”
Need 12 more reasons to buy these albums? Maybe you just like lists of songs? I’ve got both covered directly below.
- W’s Duty (samples of George W. Bush using the word “duty” set to a grungy beat. It’s funny because Bush consistently makes the word sound like “doody.” It’s also juvenile, which is precisely why it is funny)
- Shop Vac (catchy skewering of suburban life and the fan-made kinetic typography video is pretty good, too)
- The Town Crotch (a surprisingly warm reminisce about growing up in a small town and a loose woman with big hair)
- A Talk with George (the serious side of Coulton features George Plimpton telling you to live your life. There is no mention of Intellivision.)
- Re: Your Brains (obligatory [?] zombie song featuring lines such as “I’m not a monster, Tom/Well, technically I am”)
- Tom Cruise Crazy (good thing he’s not gay anymore)
- Famous Blue Raincoat (a mesmerizing cover of Cohen’s song that ups the tempo but remains haunting)
- Creepy Doll (effective use of spooky music/sound, complete with twist ending)
- Under the Pines (jaunty tale of a Leonard Nimoy/Bigfoot love affair)
- Mr. Fancy Pants (short, funnier than it should be–pants are just inherently funny, I think–and toe-tappingly catchy)
- I’m Your Moon (more hooks than Saturn has rings, this song about Pluto is weirdly touching)
- Pull the String (Coulton would probably be considered a “serious” artist if he put out entire albums of songs like this. I’m glad he doesn’t but equally glad he indulges himself with this kind of straightforward but compelling songcraft)
Anyone familiar with these albums will notice I only included one cover (“Famous Blue Raincoat”) because while most of the others are quite good (he sounds almost eerily like Paul McCartney on “I Will” and you’re probably wearing suspenders and have your pants hiked to your nipples if you don’t find his delivery in “Baby Got Back” amusing) his original songs are better. And “Don’t Talk to Strangers” is still a lousy song, even when being covered by Jonathan Coulton.
But enough with the negative. Go buy these albums, and if his website is offering plush dolls of George Plimpton and Bigfoot, buy those, too. Funny, intelligent and musically talented is a rare combination to be treasured–and rewarded.
Here’s the breakdown of songs I picked from each Thing a Week album:
- 1, 2, 3
- 4, 5
- 6, 7
- 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (yes, I do think he saved the best for last)
