The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart
Encyclopedia
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart is a 1960 live album by comedian Bob Newhart
. The debut album by Newhart, the album was number one on the Billboard Pop Album chart, topping an album by Elvis Presley
and the cast album of The Sound of Music
.
It won Album of the Year
at the 1961 Grammy Awards
and Newhart was named Best New Artist
. It was the first comedy album to win Album of the Year and the only time a comedian has won Best New Artist.
Newhart wanted the title to be The Most Celebrated New Comedian Since Attila the Hun
. But Warner Bros. executives created the album's title and Newhart had to settle for his idea as a subtitle
.
The album was a 2006 entry into the Library of Congress
' National Recording Registry
. According to an NPR interview with Newhart, it is the 20th best-selling of all-time on Billboard's charts. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17561805
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
. The debut album by Newhart, the album was number one on the Billboard Pop Album chart, topping an album by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and the cast album of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
.
It won Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
at the 1961 Grammy Awards
Grammy Awards of 1961
The third Grammy Awards were held on April 13, 1961. They recognized musical accomplishments by the performers for the year 1960. Bob Newhart and Henry Mancini each won three awards.-Award winners:*Record of the Year...
and Newhart was named Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
. It was the first comedy album to win Album of the Year and the only time a comedian has won Best New Artist.
Newhart wanted the title to be The Most Celebrated New Comedian Since Attila the Hun
Attila the Hun
Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...
. But Warner Bros. executives created the album's title and Newhart had to settle for his idea as a subtitle
Subtitle (titling)
In books and other works, a subtitle is an explanatory or alternate title. For example, Mary Shelley used a subtitle to give her most famous novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, an alternate title to give a hint of the theme. In library cataloging the subtitle does not include an...
.
The album was a 2006 entry into the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
' National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
. According to an NPR interview with Newhart, it is the 20th best-selling of all-time on Billboard's charts. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17561805
Track listing
- "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue"– 7:31
- "The Cruise of the U.S.S. Codfish"– 5:01
- "Merchandising the Wright BrothersWright brothersThe Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
"– 3:12 - "The KrushchevNikita KhrushchevNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
Landing Rehearsal"– 4:47 - "Driving Instructor"– 8:03
- "Nobody Will Ever Play BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
" – 3:21
In popular culture
- In the Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
episode "The Brain That Wouldn't DieThe Brain That Wouldn't DieThe Brain That Wouldn't Die, also known as The Head That Wouldn't Die, is a 1962 science-fiction/horror film directed by Joseph Green and written by Green and Rex Carlton. The film was completed in 1959 under the title The Black Door, but was not released until May 3, 1962, when it was renamed...
", Crow T. RobotCrow T. RobotCrow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Crow is a robot, who, along with others, quips and riffs upon poor-quality B movies.- Overview :...
quotes the Driving Instructor routine during a scene where a man is speeding. In the episode "The Human DuplicatorsThe Human DuplicatorsThe Human Duplicators is an American science fiction film released in 1965 by independent company Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc.-Plot:The plot involves a giant alien named Dr. Kolos who is dispatched to Earth from a faraway galaxy on orders to create android doppelgängers by employing the...
", Dr. ForresterDoctor Clayton Forrester (MST3K)Dr. Clayton Deborah Susan Forrester is a fictional character on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Named for the hero of the 1953 film The War of the Worlds, Dr. Forrester was the chief mad scientist on the show from its inception in 1988 through the seventh season in 1996, and...
refers to "the button-down mind of TV's FrankTV's FrankTV's Frank, played by Frank Conniff, is a fictional character, mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester's lab assistant in the television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000. He appears at the beginning of Season 2, with the departure of Forrester's earlier co-scientist Dr. Laurence Erhardt, and...
" during the invention exchange.
- Stewart CopelandStewart CopelandStewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
of The PoliceThe PoliceThe Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
titled his song, "The Other Way of Stopping" from the album Zenyattà MondattaZenyatta MondattaZenyattà Mondatta went to #5 in the U.S. and #1 in the UK and Australia, spurred by the success of the Sting-penned singles "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"...
, after a line from "Driving Instructor."
- In the television program, Mad MenMad MenMad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, several characters are seen listening to the album in Pete Campbell's office.
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200) (mono) | 1 |