Van Halen Meets Motown Mashup
Eddie Van Halen's legendary Frankenstein guitar (photo by Tom Weschler)
Imagine combining Van Halen with The Miracles. Motown meets Diamon Dave. Eddie Van Miracle…I can keep going. Check out this amazing mashup by the one and only Bill McClintock:
The Magic of The Rock and Roll Mashup
So you’ve heard what happens with combining Van Halen with The Miracles. But over the years we’ve had some amazing mashups and content creators. But NO ONE has done it like Bill McClintock. For example:
Paul Stanley meets J Geils
Or Earth, Kiss and Fire
Or my personal favorite with Metallica and Huey Lewis
And one other with Metallica and Leo Sayer.
The First Musical Mashup?
I started thinking about musical mashups and where they started. A lot of us remember the combination of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” with actual dialogue from “Titanic”. Then there was Springsteen doing “Secret Garden” with scenes from “Jerry Maguire”.
But I can go even further back. There was this silly song on the radio in the 1970s called “Mr Jaws” – and all it was a GIANT mashup. Right?
How many TV/movie clips in one song…let’s go to the lyrics:
We are here on the beach
Where a giant shark has just eaten a girl swimmer
Well, Mr. Jaws, how was it?
(Dyn-o-mite)
And what did she say when you grabbed her?
(Please, mister, please)
I know sharks are stupid
But what did you think when you took that first bite?
(How sweet it is)
Mr. Jaws, before you swim out to sea
Have you anything else to say?
(Why can’t we be friends? Why can’t we be friends?)
With me now is the local sheriff
Sheriff Brody, the shark will be back for lunch
What do you intend to do?
(Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight)
Just arriving is oceanographer Matt Hooper
Sir, if someone is attacked by a shark
What should they do?
(Do the hustle)
We are going aboard the fishing boat of Captain Quint
Captain, will you be able to catch this giant shark?
(I will, I will, I will)
Thank you, captain, captain
(I will, I will, I will)
Captain, captain
When you catch one of these sharks
What do you feel like?
(Like a rhinestone cowboy)
We’ve just sighted the shark again
He’s coming straight for us
Captain Quint is shouting something at him
(Get you, baby, one of these nights)
Hey, Jaws, the captain says he’s going to catch you
What do you think of that?
(Jive talking)
Uh-oh, here he comes again
They’ve hit him
Mr. Jaws, why doesn’t anything seem to hurt you?
(Big boys don’t cry, big boys don’t cry)
He’s coming right onto the boat
Mr. Jaws, why are you grabbing my hand?
(Wouldn’t you give your hand to a friend?)
Classic Rock Songs That Started as Jokes
Inspiration for songs comes from SO MANY places. Songs that started as jokes are some of my favorite stories. KISS has a couple, plus GNR, BTO, Elton John, and Stealers Wheel. If you don’t know the story behind “Stuck in the Middle With You,” please read on. That happy-go-lucky ditty has an extremely sarcastic side.
If you’re looking for jokes not related to classic rock, Big Jim and Ryan lead the world in DAD JOKES.
If you know of a song and a story that fits this topic please let me know! I’d love to expand the list! [email protected]
Classic Rock Songs That Started as Jokes
Jim O'Brien is the Host of "Big Jim's House" Morning Show at 94.7 WCSX in Detroit. Jim spent eight years in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service, has appeared on Shark Tank (Man Medals Season 5 Ep. 2), raised over two million dollars for local charities and is responsible for Glenn Frey Drive and Bob Seger Blvd in the Motor City. Jim's relationship with Classic Rock includes considering Bob Seger, Phil Collen from Def Leppard, Wally Palmer of the Romantics and many others good friends. Jim writes about ‘80s movies, cars, weird food trends and “as seen on TikTok” content.