Werewolf Bar Mitzvah! Spooky! Scary!

The full song…. brilliant!

somesongsconsidered:

“Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” – Tracy Jordan
(Words/music: Jeff Richmond, available via NBC.com, 2007)

One of the more charming parts of “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah,” is the dialogue between Tracy Jordan (alter ego of comedian Tracy Morgan) and his producer.  In the world of the sitcom 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan is akin to Martin Lawrence, complete with ubiquitous semi-fame and an IMDB page full of stinkers.  It’s believable that Jordan would make a novelty cash-in record, but the premise of this one – somewhere between a Hebrew rite of passage and Halloween – even baffles the man cashing the paycheck.  Before the third verse, the producer warns Jordan that the song is losing steam and becoming “sweaty,” prompting Jordan to declare that “this whole premise is sweaty!” (Let’s be honest - it’s less than three minutes long and feels like it’s twice that length). Still, he soldiers on through another plot-driven verse and another spin through the chorus before ultimately declaring that it’s no “Dick in a Box.”

Like 30 Rock itself, “Werewold Bar Mitzvah” approaches comedy with the right blend of absurdity and self-awareness.  Jordan’s narrative delves deeper into bizarre details as he tosses aside every horror movie fact and Hebrew vocabulary word he can remember.  It’s the way a novelty song works – the hook is the only substantial part, yet it has to go away for a while before we can welcome it back.  So Jordan starts telling his ridiculous story and we’re generally ignoring it, waiting for the “spooky, scary” line to come back.  Meanwhile, Jordan and producer wink at us the entire way. 

Happy Halloween.  Mazel tov!

More on Tracy Jordan: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm