Flying Saucer (Parts 1 And 2)

Buchanan And Goodman

Part 1

Instrumental opening--“Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” Joe Turner

(spoken) We interrupt this record to bring you a special bulletin. The reports of a flying saucer hovering over the city have been confirmed. The flying saucers are real.

"Too real when I feel what my heart can´t conceal..."--“The Great Pretender,” The Platters

(spoken) That was The Clatters recording, Too Real. We switch you now to our on the spot reporter downtown.

"C´mon baby let´s go downtown..."--“The Wallflower,” Etta James

(spoken) Take it away John Cameron Cameron. This is John Cameron Cameron downtown. Pardon me madam, would you tell our audience what would you do if the saucer were to land.

"Jump back in the alley..".--“Long Tall Sally,” Little Richard

(spoken) Thank you and now that gentleman there.

"What I´m gonna do, is hard to tell..."--“I’m Walkin’” Fats Domino

(spoken) And the gentleman with the guitar, what would you do, sir.

"Just take a walk down lonely street..."--“Heartbreak Hotel,” Elvis Presley

(spoken) Thank you. We return you now...screech...This is Drak (?) your outer space disc jockey with a request for earth.  

"Earth angel, earth angel..." --“Earth Angel,” The Penguins

(spoken) That was The Pelicans outer space recording, "Earth." I´ve just been handed a bulletin. The flying saucer has just landed. We switch you again downtown.

(spoken) Here we are again. We have with us Professor Sir Cedric Pentingmode (?) of the British Institute and the professor is approaching the saucer to see if there´s possibly any sign of life aboard. ´Well I´m sure something...are you there?´

"I hear you knocking, but you can´t come in..."--“I Hear You Knocking,” Smiley Lewis

(spoken) That was Laughing Lewis´ record, Knocking. This is John Cameron Cameron on the spot. And now I believe we´re about to hear the words of the first spaceman ever to land on Earth.

"Womp bop a loo bop a womp bam boom..".--“Tutti Frutti,” Little Richard

(spoken) And now here are the ball scores. Four to three, six to two, and eight to one. The impact of seeing the first spaceman has this reporter reeling.

"Here I go reeling, uh-oh, uh-oh..."--“(You've Got) The Magic Touch,” The Platters

(spoken) That was The Clatters again with their big one, Uh-Oh. This is John Cameron Cameron again downtown. The spaceman has returned to his ship and is taking off. We return you now to our studios. The flying saucer has gone. There is no threat of an invasion. However, the flying saucers are still around.

"Still around..."--“The Great Pretender,” The Platters

Part 2  

Scat Opening--“Band of Gold,” Don Cherry

(spoken) We are not going to interrupt this record. Yes, we are. The flying saucer has landed again. Washington: The Secretary of Defense has just said,

"Ain´t that a shame..."--“Ain’t That a Shame,” Fats Domino

(spoken) That was Skinny Dynamo´s record, That´s A Shame. This is John Cameron Cameron, part two. Gathered around me are several of the spacemen. Tell us, have you come to conquer the world? (Gibberish) And now would you repeat that in English?

"Don´t want the world to have and hold..."--“Band of Gold,” Don Cherry

(spoken) Hey, why don´t you go back where ya came from?

"Don´t be angry and drive me away..."--“Don’t Be Angry” Nappy Brown

(spoken) We return you now to our studios. Here is a news item from Washington. The President has just issued a statement to the spacemen and we quote,

"You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes..."--“Blue Suede Shoes,” Carl Perkins

(spoken) That was Pa Gherkin´s record, "Shoes." We switch you again downtown. This is John Cameron Cameron downtown. Professor Sir Cedric of the British Institute, tell us how were the saucers able to land? Well, you see...

"The motor cooled down, the heat went down..."--“Mabelline,” Chuck Berry

(spoken) That was Huckle Berry´s recording, "The Moter Cooled Down." This is John Cameron Cameron again. I believe the spaceman has a final parting word.

"See ya later alligator..."--“See You Later, Alligator,” Bill Haley and the Comets

(spoken) We return you now to our studios. The spacemen have gone again but look to the skies. The saucers will always be there.

"Always be there..."--“My Prayer,” The Platters

(spoken) Good bye earth people.  

With limited resources and, perhaps, limited inclination, Buchanan and Goodman did not seek permission for the songs they used.  With the success of "Flying Saucer" generating increased sales for all the songs used within, none of the artists chose to sue.  A few music publishers did, however, leading the duo to create another break-in--again without permission--"Buchanan and Goodman on Trial."

For several years, Buchanan and Goodman continued making break-in and novelty records, sometimes together, sometimes apart.  Bill Buchanan recorded a remake of bandleader Phil Harris' 1950 hit "The Thing."  After parting ways permanently, Dickie Goodman continued making break-in records with varying degrees of success until his suicide in 1989.  Bill Buchanan died of cancer in 1996.  For a more detailed discussion of the duo see The Golden Age of Novelty Songs, by Steve Otfinoski.

"Flying Saucer (Parts 1 and 2)" was the duo's first and biggest success.  The break-in record was truly a novelty and like many-a-novelty enjoyed huge, but ephemeral success.

In addition to the use of cutting and splicing, "Flying Saucer" used a speeded up human voice to create the voices of the aliens, a technique that would appear in such other intergalactic classics as "The Purple People Eater," but would be brought to its greatest height by Ross Bagdasarian aka David Seville first in his 1958 number one "Witch Doctor," then in his perennially enduring characters The Chipmunks.