The Purple People Eater amongst the Purple Heather with a Purple Sun in the Purple Sky!

Hello my favorite Monday peeps! We here in the Pacific Northwest are in the middle of yet another heat wave. I am so ready for fall to get here already! But here we are, another Monday – and Monday means music! This week’s theme is “In recognition of The purple heart creation in 1782 of this month, let’s share songs of honor or purple inspired song picks “. Alrighty then! Let’s get this purple party started!

Let’s start with a song that definitely fits in – and lots of people might be sharing this one this week – it’s a novelty song that reached number one on the Billboard pop charts in 1958. The premise of the song came from a joke told by the child of a friend of the artist’s, a fellow songwriter:

What has one eye, one horn, flies and eats people? A one-eyed, one-horned, flying people eater. 

The artist finished the song in just an hour, later referring to it as “undoubtedly the worst song he had ever written.” He noted that MGM Records had originally rejected the song, claiming it didn’t fit the kind of music they aimed to promote. Nevertheless, an acetate of the song found its way to MGM Records’ New York office.

The acetate became a hit among the younger employees in the office. Up to 50 people would gather to enjoy the song during their lunch breaks. This piqued the interest of the front office, who then reconsidered their previous decision and chose to release the song.

Get ready for some fun, here’s Sheb Wooley with “The Purple People Eater”:

Next up is a Scottish/Irish folk song. The lyrics and melody are a variant of the song “The Braes of Balquhither” by Scottish poet Robert Tannahill (1774–1810) and Scottish composer Robert Archibald Smith (1780–1829), but were adapted by Belfast musician Francis McPeake (1885–1971) into “Wild Mountain Thyme” and first recorded by his family in the 1950s.

The song is essentially a love song, with the line, “Wild Mountain Thyme grows among the Scottish heather,” perhaps being an indirect reference to the old custom of young women wearing a sprig of thyme, mint, or lavender to attract a suitor. In British folklore, the thyme plant was the fairies’ playground, and often the herb would be left undisturbed for their use.

There have been multiple recordings of this song, dating back to 1914, all the way to now, 2025. Pretty wild! I, of course, chose one of my favorite artists’ recordings of this song.

Get ready to be charmed, here’s the inimitable Ed Sheeran with “Purple Heather (Wild Mountain Thyme)”:

Next up is a song from this American indie pop band that was formed in 2013 in Los Angeles. This futuristic new single is literally on another planet making it the perfect track to pump in a cocktail beach bar far, far away from us packed by robots drinking an odd mix of alcohol and car fuel. The artist said:

“As we’re rewriting our lives since the start of this pandemic, ‘[This Song]’ it’s not just another track on the wall. [It] is a song that transports you into a warm, lighthearted world where reality and dreamworld intertwine, sparking the desire to love and enjoy the moment fearlessly.

It’s about embracing new possibilities as much as different realities but missing lighter times from 3 years ago, and interestingly Pantone’s new “Very Peri” pattern was born under similar intentions.”

Give a listen to Cannons with “Purple Sun”:

Last but certainly not least, is a song from this artist, who, although the album this song is on did well, this particular song never charted. Poor guy. I couldn’t find any background info on this song, other than the artist was quoted as saying:

“That was started by Jason Boland, a country singer, Oklahoma/Texas guy. I always enjoyed his stuff. I found that song, it was called ‘Telephone Romeo,’ it wasn’t quite there yet. I switched it around and made it about what I perceived to be a relationship about the girl you grow up next door to, she’s really the one you’re supposed to be with, but you’ve got to go out and see it all first yet to realize that.”

Give a listen to Kid Rock with “Purple Sky”:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday! See you on the dance floor!

Now, onto the particulars of Monday’s Music Moves Me:

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!