SHA LA LA #2 - It's not the FIRST, & it won't be the SHA LA LAST!

Jon is hard at work in the JOKONKY laboratories, and since I’ve got a surplus of completed CD-length comps, today’s share SHA LA LA #2 comes from The One Who Stinks.

The Grass Roots are first off the line with Let's Live For Today, Manfred Mann follows suit with Sha La La, & Small Faces go them one better with Sha-La-La-La-Lee (a song they didn’t want to record that turned out great!)

Jay Ferguson practically sets the standard for songs with SHA LA LA in them with his irresistible Thunder Island.  The Carpenters flex hard & add some whoa-whoa-woh’s to Yesterday Once More.  Movie stars Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper’s contribution; Shallow was captured live at The Oscars.  

Anyone familiar with Stinky Productions won’t be surprised to discover a Ringo Starr track, or one by The Kinks.  Less frequently represented are John Frusciante, Babybird, & The Pipettes.  

And Billie Joe Armstrong, Eddie Angel, & Rhett Miller step out on their respective groups with wonderful results.

SHA LA LA #1 turned out well, and SHA LA LA #2 might even be better!

Don’t be the Sha La Last one on your block to grab it!

Na Na Na, Sha La La

 

Stinky brings us a pair of mixes that go together: one with songs featuring the phrase "na na na" and another with "sha la la" songs. 

Don't underestimate the appeal of "na na na" in popular music! The J. Geils Band had a #1 hit called "Centerfold" with a catchy "na na na" intro, and "na na na" was the chorus of Blink 182's #1 hit "All The Small Things". Journey's first Top 40 hit might include the most na na na's of all. 

Joe South was a believer in the power of "na na na": he wrote "Games People Play" and covered Billy Joe Royal's song "Hush".

Of course, you've gotta include "Hey Jude" and "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" if you're making a compilation of "na na na" songs (and Stinky acknowledges that it may have been done before).

"Sha La La" is another vocal phrase with a rich musical history. There's "Sha-La-La" by The Shirelles, "Sha La La" by Thin Lizzy, and "Howling At The Moon (Sha-La-La)" by The Ramones. I like the way Stinky includes lesser known versions of some familiar songs. 

I lobbied for "B.Y.O.B." by The Fleshtones -- maybe it will make the cut if there's a Volume 2 of Sha La La. I also suggested "Street Waves" by Pere Ubu, but it turns out that David Thomas isn't singing "na na na" in the chorus, and Stinky isn't an Ubu fan. Who knew? Indeed, who knows what Stinky will put his mind to next -- maybe Tra La La, Ooh La La, or Shoo Be Doo?