The Champs “Too Much Tequila” / “Twenty Thousand Leagues”

I admit that I didn’t know it was The Champs who wrote and recorded the song “Tequila” (released in 1958)—the only song you’ve heard more than “Happy Birthday” and “Hotel California” combined. It’s a fun song, but I’m sorry, it’s not as fun as drinking Tequila. If there was ever a song that had been covered and used in TV, movies, and during happy hour TOO MUCH, it would be “Tequila”—but I doubt if The Champs foresaw this in 1959 when they put out “Too Much Tequila.” Well, maybe they did—they’re pop/tequila geniuses, after all. I’m sure you’ve heard this one, too, I’ll bet, as well, as I sure have—I just didn’t know the name. I admit that when I found this record in the “last chance” bin, I was hoping this would be a twisted hillbilly saga of excess and woe—but no dice. I mean, it’s a great song—I like it better than “Tequila”—and there isn’t much I like better than Tequila.  The B-Side, “Twenty Thousand Leagues,” however, takes it to another level—it’s a weird one. It starts out with some burbling, gurgling, bubbling water, then a repetitive groove with a ridiculously extreme reverb-heavy guitar playing a psychedelic surf riff—nice. But the best part, there’s a barely recognizable sax, punctuating, blowing more air than notes—so it sounds like oxygen escaping a deep-sea diving suit. It borders on creepy—but is ultimately just pretty funny. I’m sure this song must have been used to great effect in some Lynch/Tarantino/whoever movie somewhere, but I’m not going to impinge upon my evening digging up that info—let me know in the comments.