History Music / NapoleonXIV

* ManChild: "I'm In Love With My Little Red Tricycle". From the narrator's simple speaking patterns and obsession with riding around on his tricycle, it at first can be inferred that he is supposed to be a young child. But then this line comes in near the end of the song:

* ManChild: "I'm In Love With My Little Red Tricycle".

* ADateWithRosiePalms: ''One'' interpretation of "The Explorer". The least disturbing, actually.

However, Napoleon XIV met his Waterloo when a follow-up single ("I'm in Love With My Little Red Tricycle") and an album (titled after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") both flopped, and a second album intended for 1968 release (which would have been titled ''For God's Sake, Stop the Feces!'') was canceled. Since then, Samuels has worked as a booking agent, although Napoleon XIV briefly resurfaced in TheNineties with ''The Second Coming'', a compilation that combined the 1966 album with tracks intended for ''Feces'' and a few new recordings.

* SplitPersonality: "I live in a split level head"

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York).

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York). Samuels started out writing and performing normal love songs; he released a few pop records in TheFifties, and Creator/SammyDavisJr's version of his song "The Shelter of Your Arms" became a Top 20 hit in 1963.

However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of aggressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy -- and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 3 hit in 1966 for two weeks. It dropped not due to lack of interest, but due to mental health experts stating the song was ''too real'' and that Samuels was being ''exploited'' somehow, and got it ''banned'' on radio.

-->--'''"Bats In My Belfry"'''

-->-- "Bats In My Belfry"

However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of aggressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 3 hit in 1966 for two weeks. It dropped not due to lack of interest, but due to mental health experts stating the song was ''too real'' and that Samuels was being ''exploited'' somehow, and got it ''banned'' on radio.

However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 3 hit in 1966 for two weeks. It dropped not due to lack of interest, but due to mental health experts stating the song was ''too real'' and that Samuels was being ''exploited'' somehow, and got it ''banned'' on radio.

* {{Ramping}}: An auditory variant: his voice gets higher and higher pitched on the chorus to "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" thanks to a variable-frequency oscillator, allowing him to gain a chipmunk voice without changing the tempo.

* MadnessMantra: ...[[CaptainObvious Yes.]]

->''Thoughts that need thinking like spring has been sprung''

->''So who's there among us to say who is normal?''

However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 3 hit in 1966 for two weeks. It dropped not due to lack of interest, but due to mental health experts stating the song was ''too real'' and that Samuels was being ''exploited'' somehow.

However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 5 hit in 1966.

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York). Samuels started out writing and performing normal love songs; he released a few pop records in TheFifties, and Creator/SammyDavisJr's version of his song "The Shelter of Your Arms" became a Top 20 hit in 1963. However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 5 hit in 1966. However, Napoleon XIV met his Waterloo when a follow-up single ("I'm in Love With My Little Red Tricycle") and an album (titled after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") both flopped, and a second album intended for 1968 release (which would have been titled ''For God's Sake, Stop the Feces!'') was canceled. Since then, Samuels has worked as a booking agent, although Napoleon XIV briefly resurfaced in TheNineties with ''The Second Coming'', a compilation that combined the 1966 album with tracks intended for ''Feces'' and a few new recordings.

* ManChild: "I'm In Love With My Little Red Tricycle"

* [[spoiler:ManChild]]: "I'm In Love With My Little Red Tricycle"

** FridgeHorror: Who says this is the ''backwards'' version?

* WordSaladLyrics: "Bats in my Belfry". That quote up there is probably the most sensible lyrics in the whole song.

!!"They're Coming to Trope Me Away, Ha-Haaa!"

!!This musician features examples of:

* NapoleonDelusion: Implied. After all, a man who calls himself Napoleon XIV writing novelty songs about insanity? Two songs, "Do the Napoleon" and "The Nuts In My Family Tree" explicitly reference this.

* OneHitWonder: As noted his attempts to follow up "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" didn't sell. Chances are you've never heard of his other songs unless you're a fan.

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York). Samuels started out writing and performing normal love songs; he released a pop record ("Puppy Love") under his own name in 1956, and Creator/SammyDavisJr's version of his song "The Shelter of Your Arms" became a Top 20 hit in 1963. However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 5 hit in 1966. However, Napoleon XIV met his Waterloo when a follow-up single ("I'm in Love With My Little Red Tricycle") and an album (titled after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") both flopped, and a second album intended for 1968 release (which would have been titled ''For God's Sake, Stop the Feces!'') was canceled. Since then, Samuels has worked as a booking agent, although Napoleon XIV briefly resurfaced in TheNineties with ''The Second Coming'', a compilation that combined the 1966 album with tracks intended for ''Feces'' and a few new recordings.

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York). Samuels started out writing normal love songs; he released a pop record ("Puppy Love") under his own name in 1956, and Creator/SammyDavisJr's version of his song "The Shelter of Your Arms" became a Top 20 hit in 1963. However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrressively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 5 hit in 1966. However, Napoleon XIV met his Waterloo when a follow-up single ("I'm in Love With My Little Red Tricycle") and an album (titled after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") both flopped, and a second album intended for 1968 release (which would have been titled ''For God's Sake, Stop the Feces!'') was canceled. Since then, Samuels has worked as a booking agent, although Napoleon XIV briefly resurfaced in TheNineties with ''The Second Coming'', a compilation that combined the 1966 album with tracks intended for ''Feces'' and a few new recordings.

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York). Samuels started out writing normal love songs; he released a pop record ("Puppy Love") under his own name in 1956, and Creator/SammyDavisJr's version of his song "The Shelter of Your Arms" became a Top 20 hit in 1963. However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrrssively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 5 hit in 1966. However, Napoleon XIV met his Waterloo when a follow-up single ("I'm in Love With My Little Red Tricycle") and an album (titled after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") both flopped, and a second album intended for 1968 release (which would have been titled ''For God's Sake, Stop the Feces!'') was canceled. Since then, Samuels has worked as a booking agent, although Napoleon XIV briefly resurfaced in TheNineties with ''The Second Coming'', a compilation that combined the 1966 album with tracks intended for ''Feces'' and a few new recordings.

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York). Samuels started out writing normal love songs; he released a pop record ("Puppy Love") under his own name in 1956, and Music/SammyDavisJr's version of his song "The Shelter of Your Arms" became a Top 20 hit in 1963. However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrrssively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 5 hit in 1966. However, Napoleon XIV met his Waterloo when a follow-up single ("I'm in Love With My Little Red Tricycle") and an album (titled after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") both flopped, and a second album intended for 1968 release (which would have been titled ''For God's Sake, Stop the Feces!'') was canceled. Since then, Samuels has worked as a booking agent, although Napoleon XIV briefly resurfaced in TheNineties with ''The Second Coming'', a compilation that combined the 1966 album with tracks intended for ''Feces'' and a few new recordings.

Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer and songwriter Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York). Samuels started out writing normal pop songs; he released a pop record ("Puppy Love") under his own name in 1956, and Music/SammyDavisJr's version of his song "The Shelter of Your Arms" became a Top 20 hit in 1963. However, the material he recorded as Napoleon XIV is ''very'' different. It consists of agrrssively weird novelty songs focusing on mental illness[[note]]and in a few later numbers, marijuana[[/note]], often featuring unhinged vocals, atonal "melodies", and minimalistic accompaniment. These songs are about as entertaining as they are creepy--and they can be pretty creepy. One of them, his SignatureSong "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", was actually a Top 5 hit in 1966. However, Napoleon XIV met his Waterloo when a follow-up single ("I'm in Love With My Little Red Tricycle") and an album (titled after "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") both flopped, and a second album intended for 1968 release (which would have been titled ''For God's Sake, Stop the Feces!'') was canceled. Since then, Samuels has worked as a booking agent, although Napoleon XIV briefly resurfaced in TheNineties with ''The Second Coming'', a compilation that combined the 1966 album with tracks intended for ''Feces'' and a few new recordings.