Track 4: Blatz
A local Milwaukee beer, Blatz was awful. Blatz was swill. I’m from Milwaukee, and I ought to know. This one ran from the ‘40s into the ‘50s, unchanged. And I ran from Blatz.
I’m from Milwaukee, and I ought to know
It’s Blatz, Blatz, Blatz, Blatz, wherever you go
Blatz is the name you will always hear
Blatz is Milwaukee’s finest beer
Six brand-name reps!
Track 5: Castro Convertible
This came out of New York City in the 1960s, running unchanged on the radio for years. Oddly, it was just a guy playing guitar, singing:
Who was the first to conquer space?
It’s incontrovertible
The first to conquer living spaces
It’s Castro Convertible
Who conquered space with fine design
And saves you money every time?
Who’s tops in the convertible line?
Castro Convertible
Track 6: Cream of Wheat
I heard this on the Saturday morning kid’s radio show, Let’s Pretend, which featured fairy tales delivered by a cast of young voices, known as “the Tots”. Their version of “The Juniper Tree” used to spook me. I found that episode online and, at first, I couldn’t figure out just what it was that I found so spooky. The 1940s. Go figure. Then, come to think of it, I realized it was the song sung by the character who was changed into a bird. I could tell it had the feeling of an old folk song, although I didn’t know anything about folk songs then. Spooky. Now and then.
Cream of Wheat is so good to eat and we have some every day
We sing this song ‘cause it makes us strong
And it makes up shout, hooray!
It’s good for growing children and grown-ups, too, to eat
For all your family’s breakfast, you can’t beat Cream of Wheat
It’s way up in flavor
It’s way down in cost
It’s plenty good!
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