A dial turner in search of music these days is likely to encounter a shrill, nasal voice spewing at triphammer speed sentiments something like these:
Oooh-eee-oooh-aah-aah Ting-tang Walla-walla bing-bang.
The lyrics are from a jukebox hit called Witch Doctor, by Ross (Come on-a My House) Bagdasarian, and in the pop industry, which apes itself with witless intensity, they have contributed to a recent style in novelty numbers: the use of speeded-up or doctored tape to achieve nonsensical vocal effects. The Little Blue Man climbed the charts briefly because it had a whiningly metallic voice whispering "I wuv you" at periodic intervals; a new...