  a novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. the term arose in tin pan alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. the other two divisions were ballads and dance music.hamm, irving berlin early songs, p. xxxiv: "the text of a novelty song sketches a vignette or a brief story of an amusing or provocative nature. ... noted for portraying characters of specific ethnicity or those finding themselves in certain comic or melodramatic situations, ..." novelty songs achieved great popularity during the 1920s and 1930s.axford, song sheets to software, p. 20: "as sentimental songs were the mainstay of tin pan alley, novelty and comical songs helped to break the monotony, developing in the twenties and thirties as signs of the times."tawa, supremely american, p. 55: "... in the 1920s, novelty songs offset the intensely serious and lachrymose ballads. nonsensical novelty songs, reproducing the irrational and meaningless side of the twenties, made frequent appearances." novelty songs are often a parody or humor song, and may apply to a current event such as a holiday or a fad such as a dance. many use unusual lyrics, subjects, sounds, or instrumentation, and may not even be musical. "they're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!" has little music and is set to a rhythm tapped out on a snare drum and tambourine. one novelty song, a remix of "axel f" by crazy frog, started as a mobile phone ringtone. ==history== novelty songs were a major staple of tin pan alley from its start in the late 19th century. they continued to proliferate in the early years of the 20th century, some rising to be among the biggest hits of the era. varieties included songs with an unusual gimmick, such as the stuttering in "k-k-k-katy", silly lyrics like "yes! we have no bananas", and invocations of foreign lands with emphasis on general feel of exoticism rather than geographic or anthropological accuracy, such as "oh by jingo!" and "nagasaki". a famous 1940s novelty song was the 1942 "der fuehrer's face", and the 1952 #1 single "[[(how muc
Comedy_songs Lists_of_songs Novelty_songs Popular_music Song_forms