The Most Far-Out Songs Ever Written.

"Barbie Girl" by Aqua (1997)

If you want to hear a song where the singer weirdly objectifies herself (quite literally) by saying she is a Barbie, then look no further. It’s odd because it’s unclear whether the song is meant to be a critique on perceptions of women or if it’s actually about a promiscuous Barbie. Regardless, it’s safe to say that in the height of this song's popularity, it was taken at face value, which makes it all the stranger.

"I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred (1992)

Everyone knows this one. This tragic ballad follows a man who is just too sexy. Too sexy for his shirt, for his love, his car (by far), for Milan, for Japan—for everything. Poor guy.

"Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen (1963)

This song is comprised of about three full sentences and the rest is just scatting and saying the word bird. The band had, just prior to releasing this song, success with a song called “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow,” so they doubled down and made another song that leaned heavily on sounds rather than words. This technique clearly made an impact, though, as this song has come up in several TV shows and movies since its release.

"I Am the Walrus" by The Beatles (1967)

This crazy, seemingly nonsensical song has quite a simple explanation: drugs. The lyrics are, by admission, the result of several acid trips. It’s also said to be a jab at--or an homage to--Bob Dylan, whose songs often featured nonsensical phrases. Lennon also learned before writing the song that a teacher at his old school was having students analyze Beatles lyrics. He certainly gave them a lot to analyze.

"I Love Onions" by Susan Christie (1966)

Even die hard folk fans have to admit how odd some folk songs can be. Case in point: "I Love Onions" by Susan Christie. This song is exactly what it sounds like: a song about a woman’s love for onions. It also mentions things she doesn’t like just for contrast. Riveting stuff.

"Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart" by Johnny Cash (1968)

It’s probably a testament to how smooth Johnny Cash was that he can get away with singing a song like this while making it sound cool. Though he didn’t write it, Cash made this song his own and released it on his album At Folsom Prison. It follows the format of many of the breakup songs of the time, only this one features an interesting euphemism in the chorus.

"Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" by Tom Lehrer (1953)

Unlike most on this list, this song is intentionally funny. What makes it “strange” is just how funny it is, even today, given how old the song is. If you’re looking for a good laugh, check out Tom Lehrer’s work. This one is about one of the loveliest spring pastimes: poisoning pigeons in the park.

"Horse With No Name" by America (1972)

So, this song’s about how in the desert you don’t remember your name, but also horses don’t have names there either? Okay. Catchy tune, but it doesn’t make perfect sense. Like of the rest of these songs, it’s a much more enjoyable song if you don’t think about it too hard.

"Having My Baby" by Paul Anka (1974)

There are more efficient ways to let someone know you love them than having their baby. Unless that someone is Paul Anka—he’s totally into that. Need proof? Listen to this song, which goes into great detail describing how his “seed” is “growin’” inside his lover. The song is actually pretty catchy, but when you stop and think about it, it’s quite strange.

"Muskrat Love" by Captain & Tennille (1977)

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the song surely can’t be exactly what the title makes it sound like, but no, it is. It’s not that a tale about two dancing muskrats isn’t heartwarming, it’s just not something you’d expect to hear a soft-rock love song about.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something (1993)

Plenty of songs have been made about two people in love who are just soul mates. Deep Blue Something decided to take the path less traveled with this song and talk about a couple that’s “falling apart” and has nothing in common. Oh, except they both “kinda liked” the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" by Bryian Hyland (1959)

This song is strange by today's standards for how mundane and harmless it is. It was strange by late 50s standards for how bold and risqué it was. Bikinis were considered too racy for mainstream media in those days, so to make a song about one, not to mention an itsy bitsy one, really riled up the masses.

"Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States of America (1995)

This song has two short verses and the rest is just the band saying “Movin’ to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches.” The first verse is just a short bit about the life cycle of a peach, and the second verse is about… poking a hole in a peach so an ant can hide in it? It’s probably best not to analyze this song, but instead just laugh at its strangeness and enjoy it.

"Cotton-Eye Joe" by Rednex (1995)

This song has a strange and catchy chorus, mixing old folky sounding lyrics and violins with the bass and beat of a club song. The song itself is much older than this rendition, predating the civil war. That’s what makes its emergence as a popular dance song in the mid-90s a bit odd.

"The Twa Sisters" by Anonymous

Since this song is an old folk song, it doesn’t belong to any one artist, but Clannad popularized it in 1976. The murder ballad follows to young sisters, though it’s no children’s song. It’s about one sister pushing the other into a creek and watching her drown. After the sister perishes, her body floats ashore and someone makes an instrument out of it (usually a harp or fiddle). The instrument then plays itself and tells the tale of the sister's murder.

"Pac-Man Fever" by Buckner and Garcia (1981)

Today, it’d be hard to make a song about a popular video game and have it sell records. But during the early 80s video game craze it worked all too well. The album this song is on has the same name, showing just how well this association worked. Buckner and Garcia followed it up with the release of “Do the Donkey Kong” in 1982.

"MMMBop" by Hanson (1997)

Talk about an easy song to learn. Not only is half of this song chorus, it’s all super repetitive nonsense words. The other half is actual words, but it’s unceasingly repetitive and also pretty nonsensical. It even weakly tries switch gears and use Mmmbop as an actual word in a sentence and not just a sound to sing. This is done by using it as a synonym for a very short period of time: “In an Mmmbop it’s gone.” Weird.

"Turning Japanese" by The Vapors (1980)

The songwriter has said that “'Turning Japanese' is all the clichés about angst and youth and turning into something you didn't expect to.” It’s safe to say, however, that most people missed that point and thought this song was actually just about turning Japanese. Other interpretations of the lyrics are slightly less wholesome (look it up).

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65 (1999)

This is a song about a blue man—a “little guy,” as he’s called—living in a blue world with a blue car and a blue girlfriend and literally everything is just blue. Even watching the music video, it’s unclear whether this band takes itself and this song very seriously. Regardless, it’s hilarious and strange like the song and both are certainly worth viewing. Fair warning, though: it will get stuck in your head.

"Summer Girls" by LFO (1999)

This song is chock-full of seemingly nonsensical one liners. It seems that the desire to rhyme overrode the artist’s need to make a song that made any sort of sense. It gained quite a bit of popularity after its release due to its catchy nature, but that exposure has secured its place as one of the worst lyrical songs ever.