At my friend's cabin this weekend we rifled through some of her family's old tapes and unearthed something called Pac-Man Fever by a duo calling themselves Buckner and Garcia from the early '80s. I don't know when it was listened to last, but we decided to pop it in and give it a go because it seemed so novel. Songs included "Do the Donkey Kong," "Froggy's Lament," and "Ode to a Centipede," and each one began with sounds from the arcade games that they were inspired by. It was all hilariously bad - although relatively catchy, every song sounded more or less the same and went on far longer than necessary. The thing that made it so damn funny to us was that each song was sung with emotion - even if insincerely. The last song even began with piano and strings! Some sample lyrics that I can remember (though probably not perfectly) from the song "Mousetrap": "A mouse can eat some cheese / A cat can eat a mouse / A dog can eat a cat / If you trap them in a house!" ...... You get the idea. We decided it was a candidate for worst album ever and, at the same time, a pop cultural gem.

I'm glad that we listened to it.

"Pac-Man Fever" was a nominal hit in 1982.

  Egads..!  I bought this when it was released and wore it out...

  Nowadays, I don't think I could ever be stoned enough to make it through the first song...

 

"Unearthed?" "Unearthed?"
Didn't you ever see "Raiders of the Lost Ark"?
SOME THINGS ARE BEST LEFT ALONE!!!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/09/smhair1.gif

"Unearthed?" "Unearthed?"
Didn't you ever see "Raiders of the Lost Ark"?
SOME THINGS ARE BEST LEFT ALONE!!!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/09/smhair1.gif


Whatsamatta, you?
Have you never heard that history repeats itself?
If not, look at the "Mortal Kombat" soundtracks.

Personally, I plan to nail these kinds of nostalgia & memories firmly to my mast, and flaunt them in the faces of all who say, "The '80s Must DIE!!!"

So, like, anybody wanna pizza?

Whatsamatta, you?
Have you never heard that history repeats itself?
If not, look at the "Mortal Kombat" soundtracks.

Personally, I plan to nail these kinds of nostalgia & memories firmly to my mast, and flaunt them in the faces of all who say, "The '80s Must DIE!!!"

So, like, anybody wanna pizza?


Do I see two sly references to two other '80s novelty hits:
Joe Dolce: Shaddap You Face
Crazy Joe & The Variable Speed Band: Eugene
("eh, whatd'ya say we go down to Louie's Pizza?")

I have gone out of my way to add '80s novelty records to my collection, but "Pac-man Fever" is a bridge too far. It had a terrible refrain that got stuck in your head:
"Pac-Man fever, Pac-Man fever/
Drivin' me crazy, Drivin' me crazy..."
PMF was overplayed, and it was D-U-U-U-U-U-MB!

What saved Jo Dolce's "Shaddap You Face" was that it played on vulgar ethnic stereotypes, and was in bad taste.

Do I see two sly references to two other '80s novelty hits:
Joe Dolce: Shaddap You Face
Crazy Joe & The Variable Speed Band: Eugene
("eh, whatd'ya say we go down to Louie's Pizza?")

I have gone out of my way to add '80s novelty records to my collection, but "Pac-man Fever" is a bridge too far. It had a terrible refrain that got stuck in your head:
"Pac-Man fever, Pac-Man fever/
Drivin' me crazy, Drivin' me crazy..."
PMF was overplayed, and it was D-U-U-U-U-U-MB!

What saved Jo Dolce's "Shaddap You Face" was that it played on vulgar ethnic stereotypes, and was in bad taste.


Every other song on the album is just like "Pac-Man Fever" - ear-wormy and dumb. But neither my friend nor I had any previous experience with this music, so listening to it was a hoot. :)

Every other song on the album is just like "Pac-Man Fever" - ear-wormy and dumb. But neither my friend nor I had any previous experience with this music, so listening to it was a hoot. :)

Those guys were radio DJs. Back then radio DJs did real schtick, as opposed to now when they just tell AIDS jokes and and get porn stars to come in and and shake it. Uh, anyway, I don't think Buckner and Garcia had musical ambitions beyond "Pac-Man Fever," but you know record companies! So that might explain why the rest of the album sounds all the same!

Speaking of novelty records by radio guys, this is a longshot, but if you can find a song called "No More Madonna" by The Slightly Twisted Disappointer Sisters, snap it up! This song, as I recall, had kind of a Weird Al 3/4 rhythm whith lyrics protesting media saturiation with Madonna ("Went to the movies recently, didn't really care what I would see, there on the screen in front of me, was somebody seeking Susan desperatelyyyyy....It was Madonna, NO MORE MADONNA...). Mind you, this was 1985! Perhaps somebody will track down the video and post it on YouTube. The video was a "hoot," as you would say! Picture big fat dopey-looking radio dudes in Madonna drag!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/director2.gif

Bucker and Garcia had previously recorded under the name Willis "The Guard" and Vigorish.  They had a minor 1980 hit called "Merry Christmas in the NFL" which I still love to hear come Christmas time :)

I loved Pac-Man Fever! One of the most fun novelty songs ever! :) I was a big Pac-Man fan when it was at it's height of popularity. Which is also when the song came out. I also remember hearing the Frogger song and Ode To A Centipede on the radio a few times. I liked them too. Obviously, the album was done so the record company could cash in on the video game craze at the time. But, I guess I have a weird sense of humor, I like that kind of stuff, but Pac-Man Fever is my absolute favorite of those songs. I wish I could find a copy of that album somewhere. I see, I'm in the minority here. Most of you seem to hate this stuff. Oh well, I like it. I think it's just good silly fun. It was all really catchy music too. And, I still think Pac Man is the best video game ever. It's simple, but it's challenging trying to avoid being killed by the ghosts. And I loved the sound effects of the game. It was always fun trying to beat my own highest score. Ah, memories from when I was a kid! I've sometimes wondered what became of Buckner and Garcia, their careers obviously never took off like Weird Al Yankovic's! ::) But they gave us a some fun songs about some 80s pop culture that I think will be remembered for a long time.

"Unearthed?" "Unearthed?"
Didn't you ever see "Raiders of the Lost Ark"?
SOME THINGS ARE BEST LEFT ALONE!!!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/09/smhair1.gif


There also was a song called SPACE INVADERS c. 1980 whose bass line (at least in the verses) was copied verbatim by Gnr on PARADISE CITY.

You know what?

Perhaps Buckner & Garcia weren't the best on the wax, but they managed to make an LP that sold millions. (Which is more than many of us out here can say. I AM working on it, though.)

Perhaps "Pac-Man Fever" wasn't the best example of music, but it gained a berth in the Top 10.
It was popular enough to go Gold status. (Back then, Platinum status was far harder to reach.)

I know that if someone starts a thread in our Pop Culture Society, then there must be something to it.
Besides, the duo admitted that they did the LP because the company wanted a whole album about video games.
Go to bucknergarcia.com for full details.

(And, oh yeah! I agree with the comment about DJs doing more than AIDS jokes & porn stars.)

You know what?

Perhaps Buckner & Garcia weren't the best on the wax, but they managed to make an LP that sold millions. (Which is more than many of us out here can say. I AM working on it, though.)

Perhaps "Pac-Man Fever" wasn't the best example of music, but it gained a berth in the Top 10.
It was popular enough to go Gold status. (Back then, Platinum status was far harder to reach.)

I know that if someone starts a thread in our Pop Culture Society, then there must be something to it.
Besides, the duo admitted that they did the LP because the company wanted a whole album about video games.
Go to bucknergarcia.com for full details.

(And, oh yeah! I agree with the comment about DJs doing more than AIDS jokes & porn stars.)


Well, although there is a note of derision in my original post, I also called the album a "pop cultural gem" and said that I was glad that I listened to it. I meant it, too. I obviously found it unusual and memorable enough to warrant posting about, and it's so deeply rooted in the early '80s that it's actually rather fascinating to listen to in 2006. :)