We independently assess all our recommendations. Purchases through our links may earn us a commission.
Food. We all eat, some people like to cook it, and some people have fetishes involving it. Eating a meal with friends and family is a tradition as old as time and people today still invite each other out for business meetings over lunch, romantic dates over dinner, and, of course, snacks are a vital part of any movie night or Netflix-and-chill session.
Each culture’s food is representative of the environment they live in, the history of their people, and the ways in which they interact with other cultures. Most of all, eating some really good food just makes you feel happy.
What do you do when something makes you happy? Sing about it! So, it’s no wonder that there are a whole bunch of songs about food out there. Some are good, some are bad, and a lot of them will make you hungry. In honor of the real songs about food out there, I came up with a list of parody song titles involving food. Here you go:
- “Like a Rolling Scone” by Bob Dylan
- “Thyme” by Pink Floyd
- “I Will Always Love Stew” by Whitney Houston
- “Funyuns Calling” by The Clash
- “Boulevard of Molten Cheese” by Green Day
- “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor (Get it? Like the fish?)
- “Bad Romaine” by Lady Gaga
- “Jell-O Submarine” by The Beatles
Alright, I’ll admit that some of those were a stretch. Luckily, though, there are some real artists who have made some real songs all about food, so you don’t have to deal with my stupid puns any longer. There’s no question that food deserves all of our love and respect. So, let’s look at # of the best-ever songs about food that make our fruits, veggies, soups, and salads proud.
1. “Cherry Pie” by Warrant
“Cherry Pie” is an absolute gem from the American glam metal era. This song came out in 1990 as the single from an album also titled “Cherry Pie.” Apparently, the president of Columbia Records requested that Warrant come up with a rock anthem, and so frontman Jani Lane wrote the song on a pizza box in 15 minutes, which begs the question: why was the song called “Cherry Pie” and not “Pizza Pie”? I suppose that after you have a savory slice of pizza, the best thing would be a sweet slice of pie, so that’s probably where his mind was at.
As much as the entire world loved the song, it seemed the band didn’t feel the same way. Apparently, many of the band members felt that some of their more personal songs were overshadowed by this commercial mega-hit.
In fact, in an interview with VHS, Jani Lane even went so far as to say, “I could shoot myself in the fucking head for writing that song.” Jeez. I didn’t know anyone could have such negative feelings about cherry pie.
2. “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson
While many of the songs on this list involve foods as euphemisms for other things, it would seem that “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson is, in fact, quite simply a song about breakfast.
According to Jack Johnson, the song started as a tune that he would play for his wife when he wanted to hang out with her in the morning. Eventually, the tune was set to the now-iconic lyrics about banana pancakes and the song was born.
There is truly no greater song to listen to when you’re cooking breakfast on a sunny day, whether you’re actually cooking banana pancakes or you opt for some other breakfast food. Personally, I prefer a nice bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich to sweet and syrupy pancakes. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still listen to Jack Johnson while I’m frying my eggs. Some songs don’t need to be symbolic and deep. Sometimes you can just sing about your favorite foods.
By the way!
Did you know we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign? In the next few months, our campaign for ‘Gentle Jack: The Party Game for Bad Friends‘ goes live! Visit the official website or follow the Kickstarter page to stay in the loop.
3. “Hot Dog” by Limp Bizkit
How could I not include at least one song from the Limp Bizkit album that might just have the best name of all time. “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” debuted at number one on the Billboard charts when it came out in 2000, probably because everyone was so intrigued by the name that they had to give it a listen. And, of course, “Hot Dog” was the first song after the intro, and what an introduction it was.
There is one word that reappears in “Hot Dog” more than any other word. I don’t think I should write that specific word here, so you’ll just have to listen to the song to find out what it is.
I’ll give you a hint, though: the word is not “hot dog.” In fact, the words “hot dog” only appear once in the song at the very beginning. The reason for the song being named “Hot Dog” is a complete mystery, but that just makes the song even better in my opinion.
4. “Chocolate” by The 1975
Apparently, in Manchester (where The 1975 is based) the term “chocolate” is actually a euphemism for weed. While I didn’t know that before writing this article, the whole song makes a whole lot more sense in that context. Even when I didn’t understand what they were talking about, I still absolutely loved this song. It’s a bop. That’s what the kids are saying these days, right?
According to Matthew Healy, the band’s lead singer, the song is “a love letter to the authority figures in our town — you know about small town boredom, both by the kids and by the police.”
So, admittedly, this song isn’t really about food; it’s more of a song about getting stoned and running from the cops. But you eat a lot of food when you get stoned (or so I’ve heard), so I’d say it still counts.
5. “Ice Cream” by Raekwon
There’s a lot of songs about ice cream out there. I mean, who doesn’t absolutely adore this frozen treat. Selena Gomez, Sarah McLachlan, Tom Waits, Blur, and Van Halen all have songs about ice cream.
However, my personal favorite is “Ice Cream” by Raekwon. This song is classic ‘90s New York hip-hop as Raekwon joins forces with his fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man, Cappadonna, and Ghostface Killah to create the most menacing song ever made about dessert.
I absolutely love the chorus of this song in which Method Man, a true rough and tough gangster, is singing about different flavors of ice cream. It’s not every day that a guy singing about delicious frozen treats gives you the sense that he would kill you with no remorse. Apparently, this song is an ode to the fact that these Wu-Tang members love women of all skin complections. However, I certainly wouldn’t consider this song feminist.
6. “Chicken Attack” by Takeo Ischis
This one is more of an honorable mention considering that the song is not really about eating chicken, but more so about Takeo carrying around a pet chicken that kicks the shit out of evildoers. However, there is a point in the song when he gives a chicken to a thief and tells him to eat its eggs for dinner and save its legs for next winter, so I think this can be considered a song about food.
If you haven’t heard of the viral sensation known as “Chicken Attack,” hop on YouTube and check it out.