The Voices invite you to sing, tap, twist with them as they lighten us up with “The Purple People Eater” and other upbeat songs in “Live, Love, and Sing,” on Friday and Sunday, May 2 and May 4 at 2:30 p.m. in Cribari Auditorium. To order tickets for this concert, click here.
“The Purple People Eater” emerged from a child’s imagination. In 1958, a 4-year old kid made up a joke. The kid’s dad wrote songs. So did his pal Sheb Wooley. Inspired by the zaniness of the kid’s humor, Wooley composed a song, describing it as “undoubtedly the worst song he had ever written.” MGM rejected the song. Yet at lunch, young people in the MGM office danced and sang to the acetate copy of the silly song. MGM reconsidered their decision and released “The Purple People Eater.” For weeks, “The Purple People Eater” tickled audiences and lit up the charts. Even Ed Sullivan grinned hearing Wooley warble about the “one-eyed, one-toed purple people eater.” The popularity of “The Purple People Eater”’ endured. The Minnesota Vikings, whose team color includes purple, added a touch of whimsey to their hard-charging defensive line of the 1970s. They nicknamed the fearsome foursome the Purple People Eaters. Toy companies, novels, and films built the song into their creative products. In 2022-2023, the staid USDA Agricultural Research Service invited the public to name newly developed varieties of ornamental peppers. Their purple pepper spiced with cayenne pepper kick became “Purple People Heater”!
In 1958, the world felt on edge as Nikita Khruschev took office and brandished threats. The Berlin Crisis erupted. US troops landed in Lebanon; Egypt and Syria joined forces with the United Arab Republic. The silliness of “The Purple People Eater” infused the country with much needed joy.
Be filled with joy yourself. Join the Voices in Live, Love, & Sing this May 2 and May 4 in the Cribari Auditorium. Buy your tickets from Voices members—$20 cash, check, or charge to your house. If you’re from Minnesota, bring a Viking with you to “Live, Love, & Sing.”
