Why was this song a hit?

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I'm Henery the Eighth, I am,
Henery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She'd been married seven times before.
And every one was an Henery
She wouldn't have a Willie or a Sam
I'm her eighth old man named Henery
Henery the Eighth, I am!

From Wikipedia
"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (also "I'm Henery the VIII, I Am" or "I'm Henry VIII, I Am"; spelled "Henery" in references to the Herman's Hermits version) is a 1910 British music hall song by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston. It was a signature song of music hall star Harry Champion and became the fastest-selling song in history to that point when revived in 1965 by Herman's Hermits,becoming the group's second number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lead solo on the Hermits' version was played by the group's lead guitarist Derek "Lek" Leckenby.

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We all talk about lyrics, structure etc and it's nice to discuss these things, but why was Henery a hit?

It has no structure other than one verse which is the same as the first.

And what other quirky tunes like this one were hits?
 
I'm not sure why it was that popular. It wouldn't be my first choice for a # 1 or 2 or 150 or even 200 for that matter.
 
'Cuz they wore Henry the VIII outfits when they sang the song....? :D

I think it was the time period...you had the Monkees stuff going on, and a lot of R&R/Pop bands trying to be "different" and to fit into the new 60's/hippie vibe...so there was all kinds of silly, BAD, stuff being put out...and everyone was looking for the new "cool" or "groovy" act.

I always hated the bonafied lounge-type acts that tried to become 60's hip! :laughings:
 
It's all do to the hook of the song and the times of the era.
Someone could write I silly/stupid song with to days problems and morals and boom..........to #1 with a bullet. I can think of several right now off the top of my head.
So come on lets all write silly songs/videos and make a few million seems to be working just fine for OK GO, just to name one.
 
Yeah I agree that the timing was probably the most important factor. Those days seem so innocent now.

I remember this song when it hit and to me it was the clever way they spun the six wives of Henry VIII into I’m Henry the 8th, the 8th husband of the widow next door who only married guys named Henry. That simple spin is genius as it turned out.

I think too the simplicity was a big part. Even though those days seem mild by comparison they were not and I think people then and now want to hear songs they don’t have to think about. But you can’t help but get the cleverness of Henry.

So moresound
I can think of several right now off the top of my head.
Click to expand...

Can you list a few?
 
It may have something to do with the simplicity or "sillyness" of the lyrics. People could sing along with it. Audience participation. This song came out long before I was born but it would have worked in a party/dance atmosphere, too. We Will Rock You by Queen was a similar thing where people could just participate in the performance by stomping and clapping along the tune. I'd say We Will Rock You didn't have the typical hit structure, either. Just drums and vocals for almost the whole song then go out with a guitar solo. Nice. I was never the stomper/clapper, I would always wait for the solo and do some air guitar... Yay!

Cheers
Tim
 
Yep - We will rock you is another good one, though very different than Henry. I wonder how many people even know all the words.

Buddy you’re an old man, poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day
Click to expand...
Kind of deep.


I agree it’s the beat that grabs you and man, don’t you hear it at almost every game? Damn what a cash cow.
 
Henry the VIII was a hit for the same reason many other songs were hits in that period of time. In those days - the sale of 45s drove record sales and the demograpics for 45 sales was in large part young girls.

Peter Noone was very "cute" and certainly benefitted from the whole "British Invasion" obsession. So "the Hermits" had a large following based on Noone - wchich helped move records. Beyond that - the song had a catchy melody and relatively clever, easy to remember lyrics (although rather redundant).
 
Of all the songs I ever heard, none brings up the question "why the fuck was that a hit?" as much as this tune, perhaps the worst song ever written:


I remember when it came out. Me and my best friend, the bass player in my group had driven our bicycles to Maine and it was getting played every hour. Probably everyone has heard about Gary Glitter's escapades that have landed him in jail in Vietnam. He sounds like a world class idiot.

Even at the time when it came out, when I was 13, me and my friend couldn't believe that that song made any airplay, let alone be a huge hit, which it was. I have played it at gigs as a joke.

I still say that it was the shittiest song that ever became a massive hit. And this was in the day when the quality of the song had some bearing on if it was a hit. Nowadays it doesn't matter, it's entirely how much you pay to have it played. Today you could record a fart on a $20 cassette deck and if you had a few million to blow that could be the #1 song for as long as you had money to keep it there.

If you had a few more million MTV will make up a show about how you grew up in poverty and then were discovered when you let that fart. A few million more and you could have an award presented at a ceremony. Unfortunately we are the point now where the quality of the song has next to nothing to do with anything and it's entirely how much money you pay to have it pushed.

My gut feeling is that all of this is a result of the so-called 'drug war", that that money is what led to this. I'll even go further and say it's mostly marijuana money, since marijuana is by a landslide the biggest drug money out there (yes, way more than coke, ice and heroin combined).
 
who knows why ANY song becomes a hit?
Who knows what goes on in the brains of people that make them react positively to something?
The whole thing is a big giant mystery.

I like pretty much any kind of music and I have friends who DON'T like most music.
I HATE coffee ...... who knows why?

As for Henry the 8th ...... that was a way less sophisticated music era. Yeah, there were great things done back then but we weren't that far removed from Doris Day.
So a song didn't have to have any good musical content ..... people weren't generally aware of that aspect of recordings then .... the main thing was some catchy hook that would stick in the minds of even the least musical of people.
That's why "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor" was a big hit too.
 
dintymoore said:
Of all the songs I ever heard, none brings up the question "why the fuck was that a hit?" as much as this tune, perhaps the worst song ever written...He sounds like a world class idiot...me and my friend couldn't believe that that song made any airplay, let alone be a huge hit, which it was...I still say that it was the shittiest song that ever became a massive hit...
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like you're jealous. I'll bet you had (or maybe still have?) a silver body suit just like that...






:D
 
Xdrummer says personality and the cuteness factor. Yeah can’t argue with that.

Dintymoore – you know I never even knew who did that song but man it is a staple. Now it’s all about money – no argument here.

So basically all you need is a beat, a clever lyric, a charismatic front man, some money and lack of sophistication.

Wow - what is the problem?
 
Henry VIII is no sillier or more vapid than I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

It has no structure other than one verse which is the same as the first.
Click to expand...

That's all you need.
 
Maybe alot of peeps related to it because of the personal hook. I'm Henry..., I am, I am, I got... , I'm here eighth... I am and also because the popular noble name Henry. The music itself is kinda festive too.
 
There were a lot of novelty songs in the sixties, and a few have been mentioned, but others include:

Sadie the Cleaning Lady (John Farnham)
Tie me Kangaroo Down (Rolf Harris)
My Boomerang Won't Come Pack (Charlie Drake)
Itsy-bitsy Teenie-weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (probably late fifties, don't know who by)
Purple People Eater (don't know who)

There is a lot of vaudeville about these songs; they are upbeat, amusing and catchy, and had broad appeal to a comparatively less jaded audience.

Interestingly, there are hundreds of songs released each year, all clamouring for attention and being pushed by their respective interests . . . yet there are only a few that have that certain quality that resonates with enough listeners to make them hits. We tend to link hit-making to the marketing machinery . . . but in the end, it is the listeners who decide what they're going to buy.
 
Ray Stevens was a master of the novelty song.

Ahab, The Arab 1962

Along Came Jones 1969
("Along Came Jones" previously charted for the Coasters in 1959.)

Everything Is Beautiful 1970

Gitarzan 1969

Harry The Hairy Ape 1963

Jeremiah Peabody's Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green And Purple Pills 1961

Mr. Businessman 1968

Misty 1975
(Ray Steven's "Misty" is a countrified version of the famous jazz standard. This song previously charted for Johnny Mathis (1959), Lloyd Price (1963), the Vibrations (1965), and "Groove" Holmes (1966).)

The Streak 1974

Pretty sure I've got it all on vinyl out in the shed. Should make the effort to digify it one day.
 
That kind of verbal hook has been selling songs as long as there have been people to sing it while they were making a sandwich:

"Now Mary and her mother gang an awful lot together, and in fact you never see the one or the one without the other
And the fellas often wonder if it's Mary or her mother
Or the both of them together that I'm courtin'. "

"Now Mary Mack's father's makin' Mary Mack marry me,
And my father's makin' me marry Mary Mack
And I'm gonna marry Mary so that Mary can take care of me
And I'll be makin' merry when I marry Mary Mack"

Try that real fast. It's just a little leap of genius from that to the Table of the Elements by Tom Lehrer. Old Celtic songs like that are the foundation of the whole lyrical hook of Country music. What makes something a hit? Money, hype, and the memory of a worldwide audience that no one can predict.-Richie
 
Greg_L said:
Henry VIII is no sillier or more vapid than I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
That's all you need.
Click to expand...

But why was Henry a hit?

NYMorningstar said:
Maybe alot of peeps related to it because of the personal hook. I'm Henry..., I am, I am, I got... , I'm here eighth... I am and also because the popular noble name Henry. The music itself is kinda festive too.
Click to expand...
Yes the hook is infectious. I had the damn thing stuck in my head yesterday.

gecko zzed said:
There were a lot of novelty songs in the sixties, and a few have been mentioned, but others include:

Sadie the Cleaning Lady (John Farnham)
Tie me Kangaroo Down (Rolf Harris)
My Boomerang Won't Come Pack (Charlie Drake)
Itsy-bitsy Teenie-weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (probably late fifties, don't know who by)
Purple People Eater (don't know who)

There is a lot of vaudeville about these songs; they are upbeat, amusing and catchy, and had broad appeal to a comparatively less jaded audience.

Interestingly, there are hundreds of songs released each year, all clamouring for attention and being pushed by their respective interests . . . yet there are only a few that have that certain quality that resonates with enough listeners to make them hits. We tend to link hit-making to the marketing machinery . . . but in the end, it is the listeners who decide what they're going to buy.
Click to expand...
I've only heard of Yellow Polka Dot Bikini and Purple People Eater both amusing and catchy, critical qualities I think.

commanda said:
Ray Stevens was a master of the novelty song.

Ahab, The Arab 1962

Along Came Jones 1969
("Along Came Jones" previously charted for the Coasters in 1959.)

Everything Is Beautiful 1970

Gitarzan 1969

Harry The Hairy Ape 1963

Jeremiah Peabody's Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green And Purple Pills 1961

Mr. Businessman 1968

Misty 1975
(Ray Steven's "Misty" is a countrified version of the famous jazz standard. This song previously charted for Johnny Mathis (1959), Lloyd Price (1963), the Vibrations (1965), and "Groove" Holmes (1966).)

The Streak 1974

Pretty sure I've got it all on vinyl out in the shed. Should make the effort to digify it one day.
Click to expand...

Nice list, anything in the last 5 years come to mind?

Richard Monroe said:
That kind of verbal hook has been selling songs as long as there have been people to sing it while they were making a sandwich:
Click to expand...
Yep the hook.

So, we need a beat, a clever lyric, a charismatic front man, some money, lack of sophistication, a catchy hook and an element of amusement. Seems doable.

The last quirky song I can remember with out googling is Walking on the Sun by Smashmouth and that one had a 60s style to it. It was #1 in 97. (Yeah I googled)
And here again they took a common theme and spun it. The first line, It ain't no joke I'd like to buy the world a toke. A spin on the Coke commercial. Now the rest of the lyrical content is pretty deep but the music is very retro.

I know the world is getting more angry every day so is this prime time for another Henry?

We’re mad as hell and we’re not gona take it anymore?
 
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