10 Bizarre Songs Which Prove That The 1950s Were Crazier Than You Think
2. Nervous Norvus – Transfusion
Nervous Norvus, aka Jim Drake, released this 'novelty song' in 1958. It is a cheery tale of a man who gets himself involved in a series of terrible automobile accidents, happily receiving blood transfusions after each, thereby allowing him to drive on to the next one.
Thankfully, by the end of the song he appears to have learned his lesson. Ironically, Jim Drake earned his living as a truck driver, though we are not aware of his ever being involved in any accidents. The single was released by Dot Records, which ran from 1950 to 1974, who incidentally also released another entry on this list, Love Me by the Phantom.
Dot Records was also home to such luminaries as Pat Boone and Billy Vaughn but, as we can see from this offering, they weren't above a bit of diversity. As with The Thing (see below), it is the peculiarity of the subject matter, together with the unusual (for its time) use of sound effects, that makes Transfusion so odd. This is surely comedy at its blackest. If you need further encouragement, Mark E. Smith of The Fall was a fan.