My Baby's Got a Crush on Frankenstein

     Released as a single on the Reprise Label in 1962 as well as the full length album "Up in the Air",Soupy Sales - My Baby's got a Crush on Frankenstein is a fantastic novelty song that has all you could want from a monster sing along. It's got Frankie,Dracula,Creature from The Black Lagoon,Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and A DINOSAUR??

      The song was Arranged by Jimmie Haskell and the song itself was written by Leonard Whitcup & Ted Lehrman who were renowned composers with Leonard Whitcup having a massive body of work that could fill a book by itself and won't be the only time this duo of songwriters makes it to this blog but we'll save that one for later.

       Frankenstein was no stranger to the novelty single at this time where he was seen as everything from a girlfriend thief to a dopey hopeless romantic but in this song...he's hot stuff and Soupy's girlfriend wants him bad....and Dracula...and Creature....my kind of girl !

       Two versions of the 45 single exist..one being the promo copy and the one shown above which is the stock copy. The stock copy is the tougher of the two to find,especially clean,which means this one was probably a favorite among the legions of Soupy fans back in 1962. 

       Soupy Sales career was beyond extensive and he is widely regarded as a top entertainer of his day and still has a legion of fans who still love his classic body of work thru old reruns and DVD collections but for me, this is one of the finest examples of his work and one of my favorite songs of the genre.

      

A Pumpkin Introduction

 

Welcome Boys & Ghouls to Beyond The Monster Mash.

      From the time I was born I was always a little monster kid. I loved monsters,music and most of all....Halloween. To me,it was the ultimate day of the year...with 30 days of spooky monster fun before it. I grew up in New England and when October hit,it was simply the perfect time of the year with the crisp fall breeze,the leaves changing color,the sweet smell of Pumpkin Spice everything in the air from the local Honey Dew donuts to the costumes and candy lining the shelves of our local department stores. I grew up in the last generation to have Ben Cooper & Collegeville Halloween costumes where it was truly a soul searching decision as to what one character you were going to be on Halloween Night.

      As far back as I can remember,I collected 45's. My father used to take me out record shopping when he was buying records to learn songs for the bands he sang with ( this was pre-internet kids,you had to learn everything the hard way lol ) and he would always let me pick out a record. My favorite songs when I was little were always the novelty songs...songs from before my time but yet somehow were still a part of pop culture....things like Steve Martin's King Tut...or Meco's Ewok Celebration.  I would play these songs on my little record player over and over again.  My favorite one,ever and still to this day my #1 all time favorite song..is and always will be...The Monster Mash.

      The Monster Mash is my perfect nostalgia vehicle,anytime i hear that song,I am transported back to the local Woolworth's where it's playing over the speakers while I stare at the countless Ben Cooper costumes or being in school on the day of our Halloween parade and the teacher playing the song in class while we sing along or being out on a date at Spooky World in Berlin,MA in line for the Haunted Hayride...that song means the world to me. It embodies everything I love about Monsters and most of all,Halloween. I can't pinpoint the exact moment I heard the song simply because it feels like it was always there,from day one.  I had the record before I turned 1,I know this because my mom would write my name on things and sometimes date them so I know I always had it. I knew every single word by the time i could talk because i could sing the song by 2 1/2 years old. I had several versions like the Kids Stuff record but nothing compares to the original.

    I had the honor of meeting Bobby "Boris" Pickett at Spooky World. I watched him sing the song live on the small outdoor stage,watching in total awe,as he made all the classic faces that he was so known for and singing my favorite song live.  That day is one of the best days of my life,sure it could be because I was out on a date with one of the the rival high school football teams cheerleaders,but no...it was because I witnessed Bobby perform the song and I was able to meet him during a meet & greet before the show. I told him how much that song meant to me and how much I loved it and he was gracious,humble and hilarious. It was a day I'll never forget.

    However,I was always searching for more...there had to be more songs like this. Songs that had "IT". I don't really know how to break down what "IT" is..but it's a certain feeling..and you know it when you hear it. I had heard the Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley or The Witch Doctor by Dave Seville etc...but they didn't have "IT".  There is a certain special thing that makes a song just jump out of the speakers,give me the goosebumps and take me back to a time I wish I had lived for myself...and most importantly...they have "IT". I have made it a big part of my life to archive and collect those songs. I am particularly attached to the "post Elvis,pre Beatles" era of rock and roll. The songs from this time period resonate with me like no others. I would have absolutely loved to have lived in this time and live vicariously thru old photos and conversations with those who recorded some of these songs or were a part of this time. I love the digging and discovering of a lost creepy monster song I have never heard..and when it's amazing...it adds another piece to my puzzle. I love this stuff.

 

   I am creating this blog to catalog and share these songs....some of them I am sure you will know...but my hope is that by creating this blog that I can maybe turn other people on to some of these classic long lost gems from Halloween Parties of Yesteryear.  I am always searching for more and hope that in doing this I can meet other people who love these songs the way I do and build a community to enjoy and share songs and stories.  So with that,let's get spooky and go Beyond The Monster Mash.

 

AH 1/23/21