They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV

"They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" is a novelty record by Jerry Samuels, recorded under the name Napoleon XIV. Released on Warner Bros. Records, the song became an instant success in the United States, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in August 1966. At the time the song was written, Jerry Samuels was a recording engineer at Associated Recording Studios in New York. Using a device called a VFO (Variable Frequency Oscillator), he was able to alter the pitch of a recording (voices higher or lower, for example) without changing the tempo. From this came the idea for a song based on the rhythm of the old Scottish tune "The Campbells Are Coming". The flip or B-side of the single was simply the A-side played in reverse and most of the label affixed to the B-side was a mirror image of the front label (as opposed to simply being spelled backwards).