Purple People Eater

"Purple People Eater" was a novelty song, written and performed by Sheb Wooley (1921-2003), that reached #1 in the pop charts in 1958. The song has remained popular for over forty years, and sold over one hundred million copies.

Related Topics:
Sheb Wooley - 1921 - 2003 - 1958

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Purple People Eater" is a bouncy, happy song whose style is very much of its time and genre, reflecting both the simple early rock and roll that was hugely popular and the public fascination with flying saucers and aliens. The rather silly lyrics tell how a strange monster (described as a "one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater") descends to earth because it wants to be in a rock'n'roll band.

Related Topics:
Rock and roll - Flying saucer - Alien

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One eternal question about the song is caused by an ambiguity in the English language: is the eponymous creature a one-eyed, one-horned flying purple creature that eats people, a creature that eats one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people, or somewhere in between? The lyrics clarify matters somewhat: the creature is described as having one eye and one horn, and it comes out of the sky (presumably by flying). However, it is also stated that the creature eats purple people, so one can conclude that it is a one-eyed, one-horned, flying creature that eats purple people. (The exact color of the creature is therefore open to debate, but most artwork assumes that it, too, is purple.)

Related Topics:
Ambiguity - English language - Eponymous

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was used as the basis a feature film in 1988, with an all-star cast ranging from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ned Beatty, Shelley Winters and (a very young) Thora Birch, to musicians like Little Richard, Chubby Checker, and Wooley himself.

Related Topics:
Film - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Ned Beatty - Shelley Winters - Thora Birch - Little Richard - Chubby Checker

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~