No, I’m not talking about the classic Guaraldi tunes. It’s National Peanut Day! In recognition of one of my favorite nuts (technically it’s a legume) on its big day, I’m highlighting three fun songs entitled “Peanuts.” So grab a handful of peanuts, whichever way you like ‘em – raw, roasted, blanched, fried, powdered (I’m from the South so boiled peanuts are my fave) – and enjoy these “Peanuts” jams on National Peanut Day.
Little Joe & the Thrillers – “Peanuts”
Songwriter: Joseph Cook
Genre: Doo wop
Released: 1957
Little Joe & the Thrillers were an R&B vocal group from Philadelphia led by Joe Cook. Cook penned and lent his lovely falsetto to “Peanuts,” which reached #22 on the Billboard pop chart in 1957. Released on the Okeh label, the song spent 15 weeks on the chart and helped land the group an appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. Four years later, “Peanuts” was recorded by the Texas doo wop group Rick & the Keens. That version peaked at #60 on the pop charts.
Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass – “Peanuts”
Songwriter: Luis Guerrero
Genre: Latin pop
Released: 1965
This “Peanuts” is an upbeat and brassy two-minute instrumental number from the omnipresent 1965 Herb Alpert LP Whipped Cream & Other Delights. Written by Luis Guerrero, it’s primarily been recorded as “La Cacahuata” by a number of Tejano artists, including Doug Sahm and The Sunglows.
The Police – “Peanuts”
Songwriters: Sting and Stewart Copeland
Genre: Rock
Released: 1978
First released as the B-side to the “Roxanne” single in April 1978, this driving rocker was later included on the British power trio’s debut album Outlandos d’Amour. Sting has been quoted as saying “Peanuts” is about his disappointment with Rod Stewart. He told The Aquarian in 1979 that Stewart “became a big joke when he used to be a big hero.”
The song is quite the diss as it features such lyrics as: You sang your song/For much too long/There’s something wrong/Your brain is gone.
At a gig in Kansas in ‘79, Sting introduced the song with: “This is for you, Jimmy Carter…and Rod Stewart.”
