Singer and talent agent Jerry Samuels, who in 1966 had an unexpected novelty hit with "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" under the name Napoleon XIV, passed away on Friday at the age of 84.
"They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" was a spoken word performance accompanied by percussion about a man descending into madness over losing his girlfriend. It would become a Top 5 hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
This spooky song sparked several sequels including "I'm Glad They Took Him Away" by Josephine XV, a backwards version of the song titled, "!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT" and a 1988 sequel called, "They're Coming To Take Me Away Again" though none had the success of the original. Nevertheless, Napoleon XIV did reign however briefly. R.I.P.
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