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The James Allenspach Songbook

The James Allenspach Songbook

By James Allenspach

The ongoing catalog of the random songs produced by James Allenspach, a citizen of Chicago, Illinois.
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Three Sausages

The James Allenspach SongbookJan 07, 2020

00:00
00:18
We Are The World

We Are The World

Hey, happy Podapalooza! This episode comes out in the middle of the Coronavirus epidemic, in celebration of the virtual podcast festival Podapalooza. This my version of a charity single, and is a response to the odd fact that, after Band-Aid sang "Feed the world" in their single, USA for Africa sang "We are the world". Makes you think!
Apr 25, 202000:25
Pokerface #4

Pokerface #4

Ha you thought I was done with the Pokerface and the thing and the hey hey.
Feb 20, 202000:17
Bread and Butter

Bread and Butter

I sincerely apologize for whatever you are about to hear. In my defense I can only say that I have to get this nonsense out of my head so that my wife doesn't hear it every day for the rest of our lives.
Feb 19, 202000:52
For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only

I did a couple of new James Bond songs in the previous season, so here's another one! I can't imagine why I haven't been called by the James Bond people yet to sing a new theme for the next movie...
Feb 18, 202001:02
The Old Gray Mare

The Old Gray Mare

Three fourths of a classic public domain song!
Feb 17, 202000:14
Punch It

Punch It

Hey this is one of those songs that appears to have no origins. So whatever.
Feb 16, 202000:10
Sugar Round

Sugar Round

One of those melodies that I got from a dream. There have been a couple of these, which I will post in later seasons.
Feb 15, 202000:12
Southern Man

Southern Man

Recorded live on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois! Another use of the versatile "Spiderman" melody, this song is my tribute to the beautiful men and women of the great South. I think.
Feb 14, 202000:13
The Ronald Reagan Man

The Ronald Reagan Man

I think I dreamt this song, or it just came to me pretty quickly. I soon realized that it's a rewrite of the song "I've Been Everywhere" but by then it was far too late.
Feb 13, 202000:48
Wean My Baby off the Rock 'n' Play

Wean My Baby off the Rock 'n' Play

Inspired by a Lifehacker article with the title "How to wean your baby off the Rock 'n' Play". Some songs just write themselves, you know?
Feb 12, 202000:13
I'm Gonna Make a Movie

I'm Gonna Make a Movie

Welcome to the 5th season! This song was, I guess, inspired by the song "Act Naturally" but who knows for sure.
Feb 11, 202000:37
Hamilton Mixtape Part 3

Hamilton Mixtape Part 3

Yes, this is the year of the Hamilton! To commemorate Mr Miranda's triumphant new movie, here's a remix of the Hamilton song with another "classic" Broadway song.
Jan 10, 202001:31
Skyfall

Skyfall

Hey, a second James Bond theme! Yes, I might just be working my way through the entire film catalog. Or maybe not. Who's to say?
Jan 09, 202000:19
Sturdely Purt

Sturdely Purt

Well, now this is just singing nonsense. Sometimes you just enjoy the sound of certain syllables and you have to celebrate them in a singing fashion.
Jan 08, 202000:17
Three Sausages

Three Sausages

Yes, the melody is from the classic Dokken song "Dream Warriors". Who doesn't love a good Dokken reference?
Jan 07, 202000:18
Rehab

Rehab

Much love to the late great Amy Winehouse for the original concept. Can you imagine what the future would be like if she had actually gone to rehab?
Jan 06, 202001:08
Staycation

Staycation

Why has no one ever written a song about the new trend of the staycation? Let me be the first to do so, and thereby dominate the field.
Jan 05, 202000:21
Call Me Maybe

Call Me Maybe

This of course is inspired by the famous Taylor Swift song of a few years ago. The lines about bowling pins are the product of a common literary device that I use, which is to think of something completely random that doesn't relate to the song at all, as long as it provides a decent rhyme. Wordplay!
Jan 04, 202000:30
Ugly in an Elevator - remix

Ugly in an Elevator - remix

Yaay, our first remix! This song originally premiered in season two and let me tell you it never really left my mind. So I hope you enjoy this re-imagining of the song.
Jan 03, 202000:22
Where'd you get that hat?

Where'd you get that hat?

One time my wife got on a bus, and a woman exclaimed, "Where'd you get that hat!" Of course my wife thought it was a legitimate question, and she told the woman where she got it. The woman replied, "No, it's just a saying, like 'Where'd you get that hat'."
Jan 02, 202000:16
No Time to Die

No Time to Die

Welcome to the 4th season! To kick things off, here's the new theme song for the next James Bond film, due in 2027.
Jan 01, 202001:15
Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman

This song goes way back to my early years, when an aunt made us laugh by singing the first verse with Frosty having bowling pins instead of eyes. And there the joke ended, until I thought of adding more lyrics when I was in my teens. And that's my Christmas story!
Dec 20, 201900:37
The Thanksgiving Song

The Thanksgiving Song

Hello! While I'm still taking some time off, here's a song for Thanksgiving that came to mind when I was thinking about spelling the word "Thanksgiving" for some reason. Enjoy this, and keep your podcast apps open for a possible Christmas song next month!
Nov 25, 201900:52
Pokerface #3

Pokerface #3

Is this the last song with this title? One can only hope. With that, that's a wrap on season 3. I'm taking the rest of the year off, because I've given you so much content already. Look for some holiday specials, and season 4 in January, if I can be bothered to record it!
Oct 20, 201900:08
Old Town Road

Old Town Road

An attempt to fool listeners into thinking this is an actual song.
Oct 19, 201900:45
No Scrubs

No Scrubs

Sure, I've heard the song before. This is totally how it goes. I heard it once in the 1990s...
Oct 18, 201900:17
You Can't Touch This

You Can't Touch This

It's amazing what you can do with a lunch hour, isn't it? This was of course inspired by the MC Hammer song, and is one of the longest songs I've come up with yet.
Oct 17, 201901:12
Grub

Grub

I think this was inspired by an old Bob and Ray sketch, "Grub: The Story of Food". Who knows?
Oct 16, 201900:45
Pokerface #2

Pokerface #2

Back to the pokerface well!
Oct 15, 201900:08
Mr. Tambourine Man

Mr. Tambourine Man

What would it sound like if you replaced the word "telephone" in the New Edition song "Mr. Telephone Man" with the word "tambourine"? What indeed.
Oct 14, 201900:22
Biddie Bankalone

Biddie Bankalone

Or "Bankelone", I can't decide. This song follows the pattern "my first name's ___ and my last name's ___" and is one of the few songs of this type that can be considered a complete song.
Oct 13, 201900:11
Pokerface #1

Pokerface #1

It's right there in the title. "Pokerface". Combining "poke" and "face ". This title has inspired a lot of random singing, as we will see throughout this season.
Oct 12, 201900:26
Big Faces

Big Faces

Welcome to season 3! This song was recorded live at the Glenwood Sunday Market in Rogers Park, Chicago.
Oct 11, 201900:08
Birthday

Birthday

Lennon/McCartney/Allenspach
Sep 20, 201900:20
Don't Call It A Comeback

Don't Call It A Comeback

Remember the MTV Unplugged performance that LL Cool J did? And there was that one guy in the front of the audience who was obviously waiting for that song so he could stand up, take his shirt off, and start boxing? This song is dedicated to that guy.
Sep 19, 201900:15
You're a Grand Old Flag

You're a Grand Old Flag

Nothing to say about this one
Sep 18, 201900:35
Doodley Doop

Doodley Doop

Singing "High Hopes" with the lyric "doodley Doop" is surprisingly addictive
Sep 17, 201900:12
Over There

Over There

Another old song that probably nobody remembers anymore.
Sep 16, 201900:08
Hamilton Mixtape Part 2

Hamilton Mixtape Part 2

Any song gets better if you add "Hamilton"
Sep 15, 201900:09
Bad Romance

Bad Romance

The first major entry in a long list of songs written by just knowing the title and not the song.
Sep 14, 201900:27
Walk This Way

Walk This Way

I was just struck by the two lines from Aerosmith's song, and wrote some more rhymes to go further.
Sep 14, 201900:15
I Put It Away

I Put It Away

Another song recorded almost immediately after it was written. The inspiration for this song: I went to the local market, and when I was leaving said market I checked my pockets to confirm that I had the credit card that I used for the transaction. I had, in fact, put it away.
Sep 12, 201900:10
Ugly in an Elevator

Ugly in an Elevator

Welcome to the second season! This song was written about a minute before the recording, and was recorded in an actual elevator for verisimilitude.
Sep 11, 201900:09
The Bear Went Over the Mountain

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Fun with public domain songs!
Aug 20, 201900:07
Baby Don't Do That Thing

Baby Don't Do That Thing

Inspired by Achewood, sort of
Aug 19, 201900:09
If You're Blue

If You're Blue

One of the many variations on the lyrics of "Puttin' on the Ritz"
Aug 18, 201900:07
Don't Pay the Ferryman

Don't Pay the Ferryman

Another classic!
Aug 17, 201900:05
Hamilton Mixtape Part 1

Hamilton Mixtape Part 1

If you record this song onto a mixtape, it will officially become a Hamilton mixtape!
Aug 16, 201900:12
Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar

More of a joke than a song that I created, but I'm all about the old standards, as we will see.
Aug 15, 201900:08
When Frankie Sinatra Came to Town

When Frankie Sinatra Came to Town

Based on a true story
Aug 14, 201900:45