Decades before Weird Al Yankovic and other parody artists of today, there was a group called The Detergents, who specialized in song parodies. The band included Ron Dante, who would later become lead vocalist for the Archies, singing lead on that band's signature hit "Sugar, Sugar."
"Leader of the Laundromat" was released in 1964, as a parody of the Shangri-Las' then-recent hit, "Leader of the Pack". "Leader of the Laundromat" became a hit in its own right, reaching Billboard's Top Twenty. It wasn't without opposition, though, as the writers of "Leader of the Pack" filed a suit against the Detergents, which was settled out of court. The Detergents remained active until 1966. Two years later, Dante joined the Archies.
Below are both songs. The original is included for comparison. Both can be considered novelty songs.
I must confess I've never heard this one before.
ReplyDeleteWho knew that Weird Al was just following in the footsteps of the Detergents? :)
ReplyDeleteOh, that is too funny!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny...I kissed her goodbye and my clothes are finally dry...hahaaa
ReplyDeleteFunny:)
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of the Detergents, but I'll never forget "The Leader of the Pack." There was a family of kids that went to my school and did a funny lip-synched performance of that song when I was in sixth grade.
ReplyDeleteThis is a terrible song! lol
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The Detergents is a great name.
ReplyDeleteThis is a funny title
ReplyDeleteWow. That's funny. I guess Weird Al wasn't the first, was he? (Not that I really thought he was.)
ReplyDeleteOK, this did make me smile, but also made me shake my head at the same time.
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