Songs With Gibberish Lyrics
Why do so many musical artists and songwriters write songs with gibberish lyrics and nonsense phrases? Well, for one, they are fun to sing. (Sometimes to the point of becoming an annoying earworm.)
But maybe more importantly, gibberish phrases reflect the phonetic sound the artist wants to convey better than any real word can.
In fact, many songwriters use these phrases as placeholders until they figure out the exact wording of their song. And in some cases, the gibberish is left as-is and makes the final cut, as no other ‘real’ words are fit to replace it.
10 best songs with gibberish lyrics
So let’s take a look at ten of our favorite songs with gibberish lyrics. They’ll have you humming nonsense words all day long!
(Also be sure to check out the big list of nonsense lyric songs below.)
1. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Album: The Fame Monster
Date: 2009
Key lyrics:
“Ra-ra-ah-ah-ah
Roma, Roma-ma
Gaga, “Ooh la-la”
Want your bad romance”
Lady Gaga’s bold vocalizing of “Ro-mah ooh-mah-mah” at the beginning of “Bad Romance” isn’t just random gibberish.
The superstar singer is using the first syllables of the word “romance” to set the tone for the rest of the song, which gives it a fun and improvised sound throughout. Perfect!
2. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police
Album: Zenyatta Mondatta
Date: 1980
Key lyrics:
“De do do do de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do de da da da
Their innocence will pull me through”
You may think the lyrics to this song sound like baby talk. But when lead singer Sting wrote its distinctive lines, he was making a statement “about banality, about the abuse of words” by politicians and celebrities.
He called the song “an articulate song about being inarticulate.”
3. Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel
Album: The Graduate Soundtrack and Bookends
Date: 1968
Key lyrics:
“Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know
Whoa, whoa, whoa”
Paul Simon included the nonsensical line “Coo coo ca-choo” in “Mrs. Robinson” as an homage to “I Am the Walrus” by the Beatles (see #7 below).
Simon and Garfunkel included this number 1 hit song in their soundtrack to the coming-of-age film “The Graduate” in 1967.
4. Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink
Album: Moulin Rouge! Soundtrack
Date: 2001
Key lyrics:
“Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, da-da (hey, hey, hey)
Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, here (here)
Mocha Chocolata, ya-ya (ooh, yeah)”
Pop superstars Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink teamed up to cover Patti Labelle’s hit song from 1975 for the movie “Moulin Rouge!”
In addition to its famous nonsense lyrics, the song features one of the most famous French language lines in an English-language song, “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?”
5. Tutti Frutti by Little Richard
Album: Here’s Little Richard
Date: 1957
Key lyrics:
“Tutti frutti, oh rootie
A wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom”
Little Richard burst on the music scene with a blast of energy and soul previously unknown to mass audiences.
He wrote most of his songs while working in a kitchen of a Greyhound bus station in Macon, Georgia where his boss would bring pots and pans for him to wash.
As a way to express himself without offending his boss, he came up with gibberish phrases to sing. “So I wrote Tutti Frutti in the kitchen, I wrote Good Golly Miss Molly in the kitchen, I wrote Long Tall Sally in that kitchen,” he explained to Rolling Stone.
You’ll enjoy these songs with dance steps in the lyrics.
6. Rapper’s Delight by Sugar Hill Gang
Album: Sugarhill Gang
Date: 1980
Key lyrics:
“I said-a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie
To the hip hip hop-a you don’t stop the rock
It to the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat”
“Rapper’s Delight” is widely regarded as the first rap song ever released to a mass audience.
The term “hip-hop” at the time was largely unknown to most listeners. The band used the term as inspiration for the opening line “Hip-hop, hippie to the hippie, to the hip-hip-hop and you don’t stop.”
The rest of the lyrics are “basically a spoken drum roll,” according to songwriter Wonder Mike (Michael Wright). “I liked the percussive sound of the letter B,” he said.
7. I Am the Walrus by The Beatles
Album: Magical Mystery Tour
Date: 1967
Key lyrics:
“I am the egg man
They are the egg men
I am the walrus
Goo goo g’joob”
John Lennon penned “I Am the Walrus” with all kinds of confusing and intriguing lyrics.
It is conjectured that the song’s nonsensical lines are inspired by such literary sources as Lewis Carroll, James Joyce, and Humpty Dumpty.
Many die-hard Beatles fans believe the lyric “Goo goo g’joob” is a reference to the last words spoken by Humpty Dumpty before he fell.
8. Surfin’ Bird by The Trashmen
Album: (Released as a single)
Date: 1963
Key lyrics:
“A-well, a bird, bird, b-bird’s a word
A-well-a mow, mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, ma-ma, mow, pa-pa”
This innovative garage/surf rock hit is a combination of two earlier songs, “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” by The Rivingtons and “The Bird’s the Word.”
The Trashmen’s drummer and vocalist Steve Wahrer ad-libbed the nonsensical lyrics in the middle section of the song. Its stripped-down, raw sound helped lay the foundation for the punk rock movement of the 1970s.
9. Do-Wacka-Do by Roger Miller
Album: (Released as a single)
Date: 1965
Key lyrics:
“I hear tell you’re doin’ well
Good things have come to you
I wish I had your happiness
And you had a do-wacka, do-wacka, do-wacka, do-wacka, do-wacka-do”
Country artist Roger Miller is known for the catchy and humorous lyrics in his songs from the 1960s.
He used the line “Do wacka do” in this song as a way of saying “Do like I do.” It tells the tale of an envious man who is down on his luck, speaking to a friend who is doing quite well.
10. MMMBop by Hanson
Album: Middle of Nowhere
Date: 1997
Key lyrics:
“Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, oh yeah”
“MMMBop” was written by the Hanson brothers about how life is fleeting — a surprisingly deep topic for such a fluffy pop hit.
The catchy hook in the song came from another song the band was writing. It didn’t fit that song, so they decided to use it on its own and build a song around it.
List of songs with gibberish lyrics A-Z
#9 Dream by John Lennon
A
Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band
Adiemus by Karl Jenkins
Aiko Aiko by Grateful Dead
Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop) by Parliament
B
Bad Habits by The Last Shadow Puppets
Badibaba by Goat Girl
Baligaga by Tricky
Bawitdaba by Kid Rock
Be-Bop-a-Lula by Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps
Beetlebum by Blur
Better to Have a Drink to Think by Clarke:Hartnoll
Bingo Bango by Basement Jaxx
Bla Bla Bla by Gigi D’Agostino
Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65
Bow Chicka Wow Wow by Mike Posner
C
Cake By The Ocean by DNCE
Cat Turned Blue by Rusted Root
Chacarron Macarron by El Chombo
Cucurucu by Nick Mulvey
D
Da Da Da by Trio
Da Doo Ron Ron by The Crystals
Ddu-Du Ddu-Du by BlackPink
Do Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann
Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing by Stevie Wonder
Double Dutch Bus by Frankie Smith
Drinkin’ Wine by Jerry Lee Lewis
Dum Dum Diddle by ABBA
More songs with gibberish lyrics
E
Elvira by Oak Ridge Boys
Everybody Is A Star by Sly & The Family Stone
Everyday People by Sly & The Family Stone
Exhale (Shoop Shoop) by Whitney Houston
F
Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) by Otis Redding
Farmer John by The Premiers
Forgotten Love by Aurora
Frim Fram Sauce by Nat King Cole
Fu-Gee-La by Fugees
G
Genius Of Love by Tom Tom Club
Get a Job by Silhouettes
Gobbledigook by Sigur Rós
Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) by Donovan
H
Hooch by Melvins
Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede
I
I Exhale by Underworld
Iko Iko The Dixie Cups
Impacilla Carpisung by The Ting Tings
In A Gadda Da Vida by Iron Butterfly
Itchycoo Park by Small Faces
I Want To Take You Higher by Sly and the Family Stone
Izzo (H.O.V.A.) by Jay-Z
More songs with gibberish lyrics
K
The Ketchup Song by Las Ketchup
L
La Di Da Di by Doug E. Fresh
La, La, La, He, He, Hee by Prince
M
Mahna Mahna by The Muppets
Mairzy Doats by The Pied Pipers
Marrakesh Express by Crosby, Stills & Nash
Me Ol’ Bam-Boo by Dick Van Dyke
Minnie the Moocher by Cab Calloway
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Crash Test Dummies
My Coo Ca Choo by Alvin Stardust
My Ding-a-Ling by Chuck Berry
N
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam
Na Na Na by Pentatonix
O
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da by The Beatles
Oo-De-Lally by Roger Miller
Ooh Eeh Ooh Ah Aah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing by Witch Doctor
Ooh Wakka Doo Wakka Day by Gilbert O’Sullivan
P
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow by the Rivingtons
Pony Time by Chubby Checker
Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano
More songs with gibberish lyrics
R
Rama Lama Ding Dong The Edsels
Rama Lama Ding Dong by Rocky Sharpe & The Replays
Radio Ga Ga by Queen
Rock of Ages by Def Leppard
Rubber Biscuit by The Chips
Rump Shaker by Wreckx-N-Effect
S
Saturday In The Park by Chicago
Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root
Sha La La La Lee by Small Faces
Sh Boom The Chords
She Bop by Cyndi Lauper
(Shimmy Shimmy) Ko Ko Wop by The El Capris
Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop by Little Anthony & The Imperials
Skibidi by Little Big
Ski-bi Dibby dib yo DA dub dub Yo da dub Dub by Scatman John
Solar Prestige A Gammon by Elton John
Sookie Sookie by Don Covay
State of Independence by Donna Summer
Strangers in the Night by Frank Sinatra
The Streak by Ray Stevens
Sugar Baby Love by Rubettes
Sun King by The Beatles
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious by Julie Andrews
Sussudio by Phil Collins
T
Tunak Tunak Tun by Daler Mehndi
Twist by Korn
W
Wannabe by Spice Girls
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ by Michael Jackson
We Go Together by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
Whales Tails by Cocteau Twins
Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) by Barry Mann
Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
Witch Doctor by David Seville
Z
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah by James Baskett
There you have it, our big list of songs with gibberish lyrics and nonsense phrases. Be sure to also check out these other song playlists:
By Greg Johnson | Published 4/19/2022
