Sometimes, or even oftentimes, a musician's biggest hit isn't one of their personal favorites, or even a tune they expected to have any potential for success. Such is the case with acclaimed singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III's only song ever to hit the charts: "Dead Skunk."
Released as a single in 1972, "Dead Skunk" didn't catch on right away, but by the end of March in 1973, the track made it all the way to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Pretty impressive, especially considering the song was inspired by roadkill and written in mere minutes.
As Wainwright told A.V. Club in 2012, "Dead Skunk" is "a perfect example of how ridiculous show business is."
"I wrote that song in 12 minutes or something," Wainwright explained, adding, "I ran over a skunk that had already been run over."
Though fans and music critics at the time wondered if perhaps the lyrics had a deeper meaning behind them, the story is apparently as straightforward as it sounds:
Crossing the highway late last nightHe shoulda looked left and he shoulda looked rightHe didn't see the station wagon carThe skunk got squashed and there you are
You got your dead skunk in the middle of the roadDead skunk in the middle of the roadDead skunk in the middle of the roadStinking to high heaven
"Some of my songs are very nonsensical, and that was one of them," Wainwright said. "I went in and started to perform it, and I realized people loved it...So I became the 'funny-animal-guy songwriter.' Which got to be a drag after a while. But I certainly made a lot of money that year."
Even if it was kind of a drag, Wainwright went on to admit that it's "fun to have a hit."
"It’s really fun to be driving around and listen to yourself on the radio, and boy, that record got a lot of airplay at that time. So I’ve enjoyed that, but I don’t think it’s one of my best songs," he said.
As for why the "silly and goofy" song resonated with listeners, Wainwright said he didn't know, though he recognized it was "something everybody can relate to."
Ian Dickson / Getty Images
Indeed. Over 50 years since "Dead Skunk" was a radio hit, the song still brings up fond memories for fans, many of whom heard it for the first time during childhood road trips. As the comments on the above YouTube video of the song prove, it's become a kind of family tradition for some:
"My dad just passed away and he was the one who instilled the love of this song in me," one person wrote. "So darn catchy!"
"Sang it to my kids EVERY TIME we drove past the scent. They thought dad made it up until one day one of them found it online," a second commenter quipped.
"My dad always sang the chorus of this song growing up when we passed a dead skunk. This is the first time I've actually heard it," someone else commented, with another adding, "My dad used to sing this chorus on every single road trip...50 years ago. I looked up this artist I heard on a podcast. And there it was. I thought my dad made it up!"
"I remember playing at my cousin’s house in the early 80’s and my Mom and her sister thought it would be fun to call the radio station and request this song," yet another fan recalled. "I never heard it before and when they played it, we were all just laughing until we were crying. Such good memories!"
When asked if funny songs get taken less seriously, Wainwright was quick to point out the value of humor in music.
"If you think about it, to get a group of people to laugh all at the same time — I mean, this is if you’re performing a song live, and mostly when I write my songs, I think about how they’re going to work in a live performance setting — it’s a tricky little thing to actually grab people and make them laugh," he said. "Some of my absolute favorite songwriters are so-called 'novelty-song writers.' People like Tom Lehrer, Allan Sherman, Ray Stevens. I love to laugh, and it’s a wonderful feeling to make an audience laugh. I think of myself as a switch-hitter. I can go both ways. I can make people laugh, and then I can be rather serious. And in some cases, I can do it in the same song."
Now, like Wainwright sings...come on, stink!
Related: 1966 Classic Rock Anthem, Written in 10 Minutes, Was Sung by an 18-Year-Old
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