Top 10 Songs About Food

In my book, food and music go together hand in hand. However, food-inspired songs are not necessarily great dining music, but they are fun, sometimes sad and usually tell a story. My top ten songs about food are:

Banana Boat Song (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte, 1957
A fun Jamaican folk song about banana workers working the night shift, and wanting to finish up and go home when daylight came.

Lollipop by The Chordettes, 1958
I love this song ever since I heard it on the 1986 film Stand By Me.

Watermelon Man by Mongo Santamaria, 1962
Great Jazz dinner music. Composed by Herbie Hancock, "Watermelon Man" was a big hit for Cuban-born percussionist/bandleader Mongo Santamaria.

Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto, 1963
A beautiful sad song that has nothing to do with the dish Sukiyaki, a Japanese one-pot meal cooked at the table.

Strawberry fields forever by The Beatles, 1966
This is one of my favorite Beatles songs. It sounds so carefree. As a kid, John Lennon loved hanging out at Strawberry Fields, an orphanage near his home in Liverpool.

American Pie byDon McLean, 1971
A long song at over 8 minutes about life in America during the volatile sixties, as Don McClean saw it. Now a classic, it is loved by many, and has inspired others to write songs as well.

Honey Honey by ABBA, 1974
For those who love the Swedish group Abba, the recent film Mama Mia brings back sweet memories.

Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffet, 1978
The title of the song conjures images of a juicy cheeseburger at a shack on a beautiful island somewhere.

Sugar Shack by Marcia Griffith, 1990
One of the original backup singers for Bob Marley, Marcia Griffith is the queen of reggae. Her song "Electric Boogie" created the dance craze "Electric Slide."

Two More Bottles of Wine by Martina McBride, 1995
Anyone into country music would love the beautiful voice of Martina McBride.