King Tut
Steve Martin & The Toot Uncommons
It was 100 years ago today that archaeologist Howard Carter broke the seal on the tomb of Tutankhamun. The artifacts that were discovered by Mr. Carter and his team were shipped around the world as a part of a global museum tour that reached the United States in 1976.
On April 22nd, 1978, Steve Martin paid tribute to the King Tut craze that was sweeping the United States in the late 70's when he performed this song on Saturday Night Live. The band that performed with him was billed as "The Toot Uncommons" for the song, but they were actually The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, plus Lou Marini on saxophone.
The song was released as a single later in 1978 and sold over a million copies. It also reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the few comedy singles to chart in the Top 40 in the decade.
Now when he was a young manHe never thought he'd seePeople stand in line to see the boy kingHow'd you get so funky?Did you do the monkey?Born in ArizonaMoved to BabyloniaKing TutNow, if I'd knownThey'd line up just to see himI'd taken all my moneyAnd bought me a museumBuried with a donkeyHe's my favorite honkyBorn in ArizonaMoved to BabyloniaKing TutDancin by the NileThe ladies love his styleRockin for a mileHe ate a crocodileHe gave his life for tourism.Now, when I dieNow don't think I'm a nutDon't want no fancy funeralJust one like ol' King TutHe coulda won a GrammyBuried in his jammiesBorn in ArizonaMoved to BabyloniaHe was born in ArizonaGot a condo made of stone-aKing Tut
