Word(s) that only ever appeared in one (hit) song, ever.

I was recently doing an NYT crossword and got the clue "oil-based paste mentioned in 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.'" Plasticene.

This led me on a slight detour through some Elvis Costello lyrics that include Bakelite and cellophane ("No Action" - not a hit - and "Watching the Detectives" - which reached #15).

"The Other End of the Telescope" barely charted but has a line about "a shellac of Chopin."

"Cellophane," beyond "Lucy" and "Watching the Detectives," also pops up in the opening line of SR-71's "Right Now" (#2 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart).

"hen fap"

Doctor C., upon reflection, "cellophane" is also in "Abacab."

In this regard it may be one of the more common uncommon words in hit songs.

To stick with the topic of industrially useful chemical compounds, "Tramp the Dirt Down" includes "tarmacadam," which may be its only appearance.

How do we feel about proper names? Sting has Krushchev and Pinochet; Costello has Chamberlain and Oswald.

Benny Hill's "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" has 'clatter', 'milkcart', 'pasturized', 'macaroon', 'crumpets', 'goldtop'.

... no. 1 single in the UK btw.

In general proper names might be a little too 'easy,' but they can be still fun imho. "Khrushchev" is on both "Killer Queen" and "We Didn't Start the Fire," sadly.

Surely "pasteurized" shows up somewhere else --- isn't in some sneering 60s and/or new wave song about the minds of people with dumb mainstream ideas, etc.?

Bravo for finally unseating "macaroon" from "Sweet City Woman," which I put forth almost ten years back!

How about "anaesthetized" from "Radio Radio"?

Or, rather, "anaesthetize"?

tbh 70's UK novelty hits (like "Ernie") are a gold mine for this thread, just off the top of my head there's "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" by Brian and Michael - another no. 1, folks - yes, you read that right, matchstalk.

"Anaesthetize" has a couple of appearances upthread, I fear.

Two contenders from Ray Stevens' Mr. Businessman (US #28): 'sinuses' and 'harlot'.

The single didn't chart, but "harlot" appears in Dylan's "Jokerman", which received a lot of airplay and is probably his best-remembered song of the 80s.

If we're counting compound nouns, Nine Inch Nails' Wish is probably the only song that won a Grammy to include the word "fist fuck".

Electroencephalograph

"Makings," in Stevie Wonder's "Master Blaster (Jammin')." A much bigger hit than its present-day profile would suggest.

Nope, from Lou Christie's #1 hit "Lightning Strikes":

Listen to me, baby, you gotta understand
You're old enough to know the makings of a man

Damn!

Fish in a barrel here, but "hermeneutic" in Scritti Politti "Lover to Fall".

Hit single?

Fair point, though it seems like that ship has sailed several times upthread.

sideboard - Chas & Dave

I think Chas & Dave have quite a few of these.

“Sideboard” in “Come Together” also

But did that reach the dizzy heights of No. 55* in the charts like "The Sideboard Song" did?

(It only reached 55? What the hell?!?!)

Chas & Dave's "Snooker Loopy" (No. 6 in the charts) has:

snooker
baize
boggles
Taff
gaff
barnet
sod

The lyrics for Snooker Loopy are so precise and expressive. I love them.

'boggles' is in Starshaped by Blur (not a single, though)

"well-thumbed" in Bowie's "John I'm Only Dancing"?

Surely surely ba-burly this has already been mentioned, but in case not:

virtually every single word in "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis (U.S #6)

'jugulate' in Lisztomania

also, 'Lisztomania'

but was it a hit? yeah, sort of

It peaked at #11 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in the US[1] and as well as #15 in Belgium.[2] ... The song came in at #4 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2009,[3] making Phoenix the first French band to finish in the top 5 of the Hottest 100.

Also not a single but Gilbert has a 'The Mind Boggles' from his self-titled 2018 album - making this maybe the third or fourth time he's been mentioned here by me or houdinisaid.

Women of Country thread made me think of "Easy from Now On" and the word "fandangle"

Heard "Don't Sleep in the Subway" on the radio today: "wherefore."

Also has "deflated".

"allegorically" in Edwyn Collins' 'A Girl Like You'.

― PaulTMA, Thursday, December 3, 2009 7:04 AM (thirteen years ago)

Also, how about "metaphorically"?

Has any song besides White Town's "Your Woman" used the word Marxist, let alone "highbrow Marxist ways?"

― mike a, Thursday, January 24, 2008 1:43 PM

Just saw the video, wondered the same thing, and was compelled to check this thread… (late by 15.5 yrs)

Not the same but Bros' When Will I Be Famous has 'Karl Marx' (I'm guessing Marx is more common than Marxist).

'Dostoevsky' in Belle & Sebastian's 'This is Just A Modern Rock Song'.

Thankfully not a hit song.

xxp (to myself) Worth noting that personal (and ILM EOY poll!) fave "High School in Jakarta" went to #2 in Indonesia and #9 in Malaysia – and its lyrics, of course, include the phrase "Marxist girl with marijuana"

'time' by david bowie contains the word WANKING

not really a hit song tbf but it was on a hit album and off the top of my head i can't think of any other songs that feature that vile term

'I'm a wanker' (as in wanking, not the insult) is the chorus of Ivor Biggun and the Red Nosed Burglars' 1978 No. 22 chart smash "The Winker's Song (Misprint)"

Er, what is "wanking" if not a term to describe masturbating?

Wanker not wanking

I doubt that.

Has anyone other than the mighty Train ever had a hit song containing the words “soy latte”?

I don’t know but there is a lyric on the verve’s “comeback album” that goes:

“New York, I was Judas
She said 'A latte, double shot for Judas'”

Madonna's American Life hit number 37 on the Top 100. Does that count?

I'm drinking a soy latte
I get a double shotte