I thought it would be hard to find ten. But the struggle came in the whittling down of a brutally long list of food songs. Who knew there were so many and that I’d have had to spend hours on youtube listening to ensure that I’ve happened upon the right selection. I don’t know that I have. I loosened my criteria. Weird Al was disqualified. I closed out anything from Sesame Street or Raffi. And while Taco Wagon by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones is right up there for great music, it had no lyrics. The good news is, that while there are oodles of old songs about savory morsels, the new genre is keeping up just fine. This however, is a sort of an oldies list.
I’d never heard this song before and thought that it was quite fitting for my own story.
Agrigirl’s List of Food Songs
1. Canned Goods by Greg Brown
2. Ice Cream – Sarah McLachlan Food as a metaphor for love. Yeah, that works for me.
3. Cheeseburger in Paradise – Jimmy Buffett What’s not to like about Jimmy Buffett and I don’t even eat cheeseburgers.
4. Animal Crackers – Melanie She first came on the seen at Woodstock and it’s pretty apparent why the crowd fell in love with her.
5. Jambalaya on the Bayou by Hank Williams Maybe a stretch in being about food but it doesn’t matter what he sang. This belongs in a historic preservation museum.
6. Caramel – Suzanne Vega This also qualifies as good dinner music.
7. Food Glorious Food It is just so obvious that I fought not to include it. The funny thing is that my kids hadn’t heard it before so it was fun to dust off afterall.
8. Chicken Cordon Blues – Steve Goodman A songlist wouldn’t be complete without a bit of blues. This is fun and rounds out the list.
9. Boutenkos Raw Food Rap – Goofy and fun. I hadn’t heard this before but you have to admit that the Boutenkos take it to the extreme. This family is a leader in the raw food movement and the legendary “firsts” for taking their kids raw.
10. I Don’t Eat Animals – Another Melanie tune and I’ll be you’ve never heard it. Since there are so many vegetarians or very near vegetarians who read this blog, I thought this was fitting.
What’s your favorite food song?
Agrigirl's Blog 
gweneverenewell
/ January 22, 2011Ohhh! I love number two! An awesome song! I would’ve never thought to try to find food songs! I’ll be listening to these now!
Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011I hope you enjoy them. Originally, I thought it was sort of a fun idea but it really did take a lot of time.
Cindy
/ January 22, 2011Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011I love Little Feat! Great addition Cindy.
Paula Tohline Calhoun
/ January 22, 2011“Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost over night?”
Oddly enough the first song that came to my mind when I saw your post today! (I guess if you “swallow it in fright” it’s food!) Wonderful post, and a couple of totally new songs for me – plus I love Jimmy Buffet. . .
Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011I actually did listen to that chewing gum song in compiling my list.
Todd Pack
/ January 22, 2011See, now that you’ve mentioned, not only is the song “Jambalya” stuck in my head, but I’m now hungry for jambalya. Since there are no good Cajun places around here, I’m going to have to make it myself, which means I’m going to have to clean up afterward. I hope you’re happy, Tammy McLeod! 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011Ha! oh the repercussions! Blame it on Hank.
Estrella Azul
/ January 22, 2011Oh my, what a lovely and fun list 🙂 I just loved #6 Caramel!
Haven’t even thought of a food song before, so I don’t have a favorite yet. But I’ll get on it 😉
Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011I love it too and I’m not even a big Suzanne Vega fan but that is a great song.
nrhatch
/ January 22, 2011FUN post. Thanks, Tammy.
This must have taken AGES. I know that sometimes just picking a single song to post takes forever because there are so many different (and scary) versions out there.
Love #2 & #3 ~ Sarah is terrific and Buffet is classic
When I saw #4, Melanie’s selection, I immediately thought of Shirley Temple singing:
Animal Crackers in my soup
Monkeys and lions loop de loop
Gosh, oh, gee, but I have fun
Swallowing animals one by one
In every bowl of soup I see
Lions and tigers watching me
I gulp them down loop de loop
Those Animal Crackers in my soup
Loved Cindy’s addition too ~ Little Feat is awesome.
I’m going to go eat for real . . . I’ll listen to the rest later.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011it did take me a really long time. In retrospect, perhaps not worth the effort but sort of fun. Do check out the link to the Del-Tones also.
nrhatch
/ January 22, 2011Great picks. I got a kick out of Raw Foods song, and the intro to I don’t eat Animals.
The Del Tones sounded a bit like the Beach Boys would have if they surfed on the Mexican Riviera.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011Yeah, or if they would’ve cut the sound track for Pulp Fiction. I have that Raw Food song stuck in my head.
Hannah
/ January 22, 2011Wow. I don’t know a single one of these songs! And the only food song I can think of is The Wiggles’ Hot Potato…
Tammy McLeod
/ January 22, 2011Oh Hannah, the Wiggles were disqualified too. But I was counting on you to give me some good ideas.
Jguno
/ January 23, 2011I accidently stopped by. There really exists? I should google them, thanx! I like the title “Cheesburger in Paradise”
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011Yes, they are real songs. You should listen to all of them. The links are there.
nursemyra
/ January 23, 2011Hot Burrito #1 originally performed by Gram Parsons but the Black Crowes do a nice version too. Such a sad song
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011That was really lovely. I have never heard it before.
nursemyra
/ January 23, 2011I found the original (or part thereof). You can see why Gram Parsons was so popular in his day, he had such soulful eyes and looked like he was really feeling the pain of lost love.
Sadly, he was probably just really out of it on heroin. Another talented musician who died tragically young.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011He does have really sad eyes.
kateshrewsday
/ January 23, 2011Ah, we were children of the early nineties, pale, gothic and proud: the Smiths had an anti-meat song we sung with all the angst we could summon while I cooked bean fritters on the stove: Meat Is Murder…
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011I’ll go take a listen.
kateshrewsday
/ January 23, 2011Its an acquired taste 😀 Very studenty…
Squirrel Queen
/ January 23, 2011I ran across this fabulous list of food songs during the Thanksgiving holiday.
NPR compiled a lengthy playlist of songs about food.
Maybe there are some on here you didn’t come across or might have overlooked. We turned it on and danced our way through the preparation of our dressing.
Enjoy!
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/23/120711823/songs-for-stuffing-a-thanksgiving-mix
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011Thanks for this. I can’t believe I didn’t come across it and look forward to hearing it.
Bob Champagne
/ January 23, 2011Being from ‘Nawlins, I’ll have to go with #5. Lots of good ones every year at the Jazz Fest, but I think you nailed the one that is the most iconic.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011I forgot that you were from New Orleans. You should see my post on the 9th ward. It is a classic.
Robin Mullet
/ January 23, 2011What a fun post! Thanks for finding “Canned Goods” – I forwarded on to my sisters who all ate our mother’s canned goods when they were younger, but I am the only one who does it now.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011Yes, that song really resonated with me also.
nessa
/ January 23, 2011I am amazed that there really are so many.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011More than you can imagine.
Kath (Eating for Living)
/ January 23, 2011Very nice! I love good music! 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011Let me know which ones you like.
nursemyra
/ January 23, 2011I hope none of your more genteel readers find this offensive. It’s a cautionary tale about the American Dream featuring a puppet made out of meat. It’s funny but pretty gross…. maybe it could be classed as frat boy humour… regardless, it’s definitely a song about food
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011Too funny. You are the only one that could find something like this Myra. Amazing.
shrinkingthecamel
/ January 23, 2011Greg Brown! I used to listen to a folk station when I lived in Boston many moons ago, and I well remember that song by him. Good choice!
And it’s high time for Melanie to see a comeback, doncha think?
A fun compilation, agrigirl.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011Yes, I’m all for Melanie’s comeback! So fresh and so much youth.
OysterCulture
/ January 23, 2011Great list, and I see that I have to listen to a few of these as they are new to me. You definitely have me thinking to see if I can come up with any additions.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 23, 2011See if you can. I’ve been impressed by what others have suggested so far.
SherryGreens
/ January 24, 2011“Taste a little of the summer, grandma put it all in jars”…. I have never heard that song before either but I love that! I am trying to learn everything I can about canning, as I plan to do a lot of it this summer/fall. In fact, I have two canning how-to books beside me as I write! I am getting back to basics and really want to eat more local food.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 24, 2011It is a great song, isn’t it? I also had not heard it before but I really like it.
Paige
/ January 24, 2011How fun! I’ve heard of (and like) more of these than I thought! Surprised you didn’t choose “I want candy!” Oh, wait…that’s me. 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ January 24, 2011Don’t know that one but there are an awful lot of sweets songs.
dianescholten
/ January 24, 2011Hank Williams, hands-down. Like the gentleman above now I’ve got ol Hank ringing through my head on Radio Diane – but that’s a good thing. And if you’re gonna have Hank playing in your head might as well be something cheerful like Jambalya than I’m so Lonesome I could Cry. Good job, Tammy!!!
Tammy McLeod
/ January 25, 2011Thanks Diane. I thought you might like this one.
nancy at good food matters
/ January 26, 2011Very fun post—let’s see—I would add Carole King’s “Chicken Soup with Rice” and Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant”
Tammy McLeod
/ January 26, 2011Nancy,
both of those were on the list at one time. I let Alice’s Restaurant go because it really never ever speaks to food and the video is 18 minutes long so you have to want to watch it. Carole King is a favorite of mine and I thought maybe I was just too biased since my kids grew up reciting it.
Mark Lyons
/ January 27, 2011Speaking as an avid vegetable gardener, my favorite food song would be “Home Grown Tomatoes” by Guy Clark
Tammy McLeod
/ January 28, 2011That is a new one that I have to look up.
Hopie
/ January 28, 2011Oh man, I bet this took you forever, but what a great list! And some great ad ons by commenters. I bet you could do a whole song list just about ice cream or lollipops – so many songs about those. (Not that I’m suggesting that ;-)) Or a list of Beatles songs with food in them, Strawberry Fields Forever? A Taste of Honey? Ok, I’ll stop.
My favorite food song is Dan Hicks’ “I Don’t Want Love.” Can’t find his version on youtube, but here’s a decent cover:
Tammy McLeod
/ January 28, 2011That is really funny Hopie!
Naomi
/ January 28, 2011What a cool idea! The only one I know is #7 from childhood – clearly giving my age away 🙂
croquecamille
/ January 28, 2011What a fun idea! My all-time favorite food song is “Dinner Bell” by They Might Be Giants. I actually posted it on my blog a little over a year ago. I also love “Savoy Truffle” by The Beatles.
Tammy McLeod
/ January 28, 2011I’m going to check it out.
Rosa
/ January 29, 2011Cool! I love Hank Williams.
Cheers,
Rosa
Tammy McLeod
/ January 29, 2011It IS a great song.
Sophie33
/ February 2, 2011Oooh Tammy! These food songs are so cool!
What a lovely post!! hahahahahahaha,..!
Tammy McLeod
/ February 2, 2011Glad you liked it Sophie.
Inger Wilkerson
/ February 3, 2011This is too funny! Made me remember a holiday song called Fruitcake that one of the choirs sang back when I was a middle schooler. Browsed youtube and found the following (funnier than our middle school version..)
(Wish I knew how to embed this properly…)
Tammy McLeod
/ February 3, 2011Funny funny song!