Friday Fun: One More Thing

For this week’s Friday Fun, we land on a thing that doesn’t swing - Phil Harris’ The Thing!

Here’s Phil’s big 1950 hit on RCA Victor:

This, to me, is exactly how a novelty record should work: a clever song, an engaging singer, and an arrangement that gets in, gets the laugh, and gets out. No wonder it was such a, ummm, monster hit!

There were a few cover versions of “The Thing,” but somehow it just doesn’t sound right unless Phil Harris is the one delivering the punchlines.

But here’s where it gets even more fun: a sly little reference to The Thing pops up in Homer and Jethro’s parody of Hank Williams’ Cold, Cold Heart, recorded as Cold, Cold Heart No. 2 for RCA Victor in 1951.

See if you can catch it:

Pretty clever!

Hank Williams was reportedly a fan of Homer and Jethro and loved hearing what the boys did to his songs. Honestly, who could blame him - they were masters of affectionate mischief!

And it just goes to show - one Thing leads to another…