Best Telephone Songs

[AndyM]

I'm not sure it warrants inclusion in a list of 'best' of anything, but "Alexander Graham Bell" by The Sweet qualifies in terms of subject matter.

That's a song I haven't thought about for over thirty years. Such happy years.

We need to add: What's A Telephone Bill ? - Bootsy's Rubber Band ("I guess you could say I'm an obscene phone caller...")

[Rob Hall]

Wicheta Lineman, Glen Campbell
Call Me Up In Dreamland, Van Morrison
Beechwood 45789, The Marvelettes
Operator, Grateful Dead
Apolitical Blues, Little Feat

[Des]

Any track from Francophone Africa.

[taiyo no otosan]

This has to be one of my favourite telephone songs. It sounds like the missing link between Creation-esque jangly pop and African pop bliss:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFNOEK1PObY

[Martin Owen]

I'm in a phone booth Robert Cray
operator, operator Little Richard
Long distance, operator, get me Jesus on the line Lots of people - William Spivery wrote it.
Long distance, operator, get me Margret Thatcher on the line Alexi Sayle

and I am woefully ignorant of all African languages... and I can not believe that the mobile phone is not the subject of current African music as it is such a significant part of culture- but I can't tell

[Jamie Renton]

You've Got My Number - The Undertones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQFrhPxSf9s

[john poole]

There must be hundreds, but the first ones that came to mind -

The Rolling Stones - Off The Hook
The Kinks - Party Line
Aaron Neville - Wrong Number

[Des]

I've Got Your Number Written On The Back Of My Hand - Jags
You Know My Name, Look Up The Number - Beatles

[Ian M]

Judy Clay and William Bell's Private Number - sublime, no?

And for the punk rockers, Elvis C's No Action was rather good, managing to get the word bakelite into the lyrics - suck on that, modern mobile phone wielding posers!

[john poole]

Yes, Private Number, about as good as it gets. But I'm still going to list -

Big Bopper - Chantilly Lace
Big Bob - Your Line was Busy
Slim Harpo - Buzz Me Babe

[AndyM]

Very much not sublime at all:

Tut Tut Tut Tut - Gillian Hills

(GH was the Brit ''''''dolly bird'''''' starlet of British 60s film Beat Girl & had, weirdly, a side-career in French-language pop; TTTT is, allegedly, the sound in French of an engaged telephone tone)

[john poole]

And Bob had a Theme Time Radio Hour -
http://www.notdarkyet.org/tt-telephone.html

[Rob Hall]

Yeah, but he missed out "Switchboard Susan" by Mickey Jupp.

[gary booth]

and...Rikki Don't Lose That Number: Steely Dan
Telephoning The Blues: Victoria Spivey
No Telephone In Heaven: The Carter Family
Ring My Phone: Tyrone Davis
If Your Phone Don't Ring You Know It's Me: George Jones
Telephone Is Ringing: Pee Wee Crayton
777 9311: The Time
Had To Phone Ya: The Beach Boys
Standing In A Broken Phone Booth: Primitive Radio Gods - worth it just for the B.B. King sample.

[Jamie Renton]

You've Got My Number - The Undertones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQFrhPxSf9s

More phone related lates 70s Northern Irish sounds

Don't Ring Me Up - Protex

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFzTA5rbAj4