“Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps
The “goo goo muck”, as relayed, is some type of a beast who is also a human teenager. When this song was originally dropped during the early 1960s, it would have been more acceptable for a mainstream band to release a track about actually transforming into some type of “monster” and prowling the night accordingly.
There is one line in the second verse which implies that said transformation may be metaphorical for the vocalist’s horniness, if you will. But the rest of the song depicts him more generally along the lines of the young man being out, up to no good basically.
Obviously, judging by the nature of the title for instance, this piece is meant to more humorous than literal. But of course in contemporary times, the wording would likely be interpreted as being more sinister than perhaps originally intended. But in any event, the vocalist is actually warning the listener to basically be on the lookout for figures like himself. Or put otherwise, there are some “teenage goo goo muck(s)” out there, “cruis(ing) through the city” and looking for some type of trouble to get into, whether it be romance-oriented or otherwise.
When did The Cramps release “Goo Goo Muck”?
In May 1981, The Cramps released their second album which goes by the title “Psychedelic Jungle”. The album contains a total of 14 tracks, including “Goo Goo Muck”. And since this song was a non-single, it and the album have the same date of release.
That said, it should be stated that “Goo Goo Muck” was originally recorded and performed by Ronnie Cook. Owing to this, Ronnie is credited as one of the writers of the song. So is one Ed James.
Popular Usage
“Goo Goo Muck” has been featured in the following American TV series and movie:
Soundtrack of 1986 black comedy slasher movie “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2”.
Pilot of drama series “Reprisal” in 2019.
2022 coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror series “Wednesday” season 1, episode 4. The track played during a school dance scene and Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) stole the show with her moves.
This song’s usage in “Wednesday” created a lot of buzz to the point where it went viral. Fans are happy that both the band and this track are getting the recognition once again.
No matter how long you’ve been a fan of The Cramps, it’s undeniable that Wednesday’s weird dance has embodied the song perfectly, making it popular again.
The “Psychedelic Jungle” Album
“Psychedelic Jungle”, a 14-track set, was released as a follow-up to The Cramps’ 1980 debut project “Songs the Lord Taught Us”.
This album is a product of I.R.S. Records, and its official release date was in May of 1981.
The members of the group were solely responsible for producing the entire album. On this project, the band featured various cover versions of songs by other artists, including “Goo Goo Muck”. This album also features the band’s cover version of Jim Lowe’s 1956 hit single “Green Door”.
