Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea was a big hit for Max Bygraves in 1954 and everyone has sung along with Supercalifragilisticexpiallidocious at one time or another.

The songwriters must, however, have had a very hard time convincing the powers-that-be of the hit potential of such titles.

The subject matter of songs must also have proved a problem for song-pluggers when trying to sell a song to an artist or record company.

Max Bygraves must have thought long and hard before saying yes to Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer and also before agreeing to record I'm A Pink Toothbrush.

I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts was a big hit for Billy Cotton's band when sung by Billy's vocalist, Alan Breeze.

One of 1959's biggest hits was a song about chewing gum, Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On The Bed Post Overnight? Lonnie Donegan got us all chewing like mad with his enthusiastic rendition of this great but unusually-titled song.

The plant world is well catered for by those who write songs and Gracie Fields made millions smile when she sang about The Biggest Aspidistra In The world, a plant so large it had to be watered by the local fire brigade, such was its thirst.

Gracie also famously sung about the contents of her bottom drawer which contained a variety of items including a set of Priestly's works, a case of eggs from Pearks and a motto for the door saying Heaven help us all.

Surely no one would consider a hole in the road as chart potential but Bernard Cribbins did, and zoomed straight into the top ten in February 1962 with The Hole In The Ground.

My own favourite song is Roy Orbison's Penny Arcade as it brings back memories of happy visits to Brighton Pier's own penny arcade in the Fifties.

-Michael Parker, Brighton