Although I’m not a big fan of the fervor surrounding Mad T Party, watching the band can admittedly be pretty fun… especially when they have to change the lyrics to popular pop songs to pass Disney censors. When Disney announced that Mad T would be making a comeback following the disappointing Freeze the Night (I guess you can’t freeze it and paint it at the same time, can you?), they also said that it would be part of Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration. Clearly this means they need to add some “diamond” songs to their repertoire and pronto.
Sure, there are the easy one’s like The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and (most likely to actually make an appearance) Rhianna’s “Diamonds.” — And only 2 of those are about drugs! I set out to think of 60 new songs that would fit the bill, but instead here are 6-T diamond songs I think the Hatter and his friends should consider learning this summer.
“Diamonds are Forever” – Shirley Bassey/ “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” – Kanye West
Starting off with one of the more obvious choices, “Diamonds are Forever” from the James Bond film of the same name is a classic. When Kanye sampled the song for his 2005 hit “Diamonds from Sierra Leone,” he highlighted just how bangin’ the original really was. These could easily be mashed up into something performable on the Mad T stage (Sidenote: Man, Kanye was great back then, wasn’t he?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFSAWiTJsjc
“This Diamond Ring” – Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Let’s face it: This song is a smash. It would be a smash at T as well if they gave it a shot — there’s even a keyboard solo! Released in 1965, “This Diamond Ring” is two minutes of pop perfection. I could listen to this all day long and would love to hear a modern take on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeuYdkxS7DA
“Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)” – John Fred & His Playboy Band
So there are probably two things you’re thinking right now: 1) Hey, there’s no “diamond” in this title 2) There’s another band with “Playboy” in their name?! Yes, well…I can’t explain the Playboy thing (made even more confusing by the fact that Gary Lewis & The Playboys covered the song) but I think this song should count given its obvious allusion to the aforementioned “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” But, seriously, if you listen to the intro to this song and can’t picture a live crowd getting amped then I don’t know what to tell you.
“Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show” – Neil Diamond
If you’re going to utilize the songbook of Neil Diamond to make a joke about the theme, one would assume you’d just go for “Sweet Caroline.” After all, that song has become a bar and sporting event staple since drunk people who can’t sing can still go “bomp bomp bahhh.” However, “Brother Love…” is just a better song and will surely work well on those hot August nights.
“Diamonds and Guns” – Transplants
OK, clearly I’m kidding on this one (like all of these, really). While the shampoo commercial seen below made this song somewhat mainstream, the real song is not exactly Disney appropriate. Still, the instrumental is amazingly catchy and awesome. I believe the band should actually consider playing at least a snippet of the song, even if it’s just as an intro to another. Alternatively, one those White Rabbit DJs should spin it with a different vocal track ;)
“Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” – Paul Simon
This may be a weird choice, but I think an arrangement of the first part of the song would be really cool to see. The rest of it I could take or leave, but stick the first part of this into the bridge of some other song — It’ll be the “a little bit softer now” portion of the set. It may just be from hearing this song a bunch as a kid, but I think of it whenever “diamonds” are discussed so…
*Honorable Mentions*
“Diamond Dogs” – David Bowie
This totally would have made the list if it didn’t have a swear word in the middle of it.
“Meet in the Middle” – Diamond Rio
Cus why not?
What “diamond” songs would you like to hear the Mad T band perform? Comment below.