Week 2: Hellooooooo, baby (Telephone songs part 2)

The second half of this week's list includes several more people pestering the operator, a couple misguided attempts to connect to old lovers, and an all-time great cheating song.

The videos feature a big-hair showdown between the monster afros of The Sylvers, the leonine excess of Jeff Lynn & ELO, the Jheri curled smoothness of Midnight Star, the hippie grubbiness of Dr. Hook, and the classic Muppet yarn of Little Jerry and the Monotones. Pick your own winner!


11. "Chantilly Lace," The Big Bopper

Hello baby
Yeah, this is the Big Bopper speaking
ha ha ha ha ha ha
Oh you sweet thing!
Do I what?
Will I what?
Oh baby, you know what I like

12. "Operator," Midnight Star

Operator, this is an emergency
Operator baby, burning up on me
Operator, this is an emergency
Operator

13. "Operator," Manhattan Transfer

Operator
Information
Give me Jesus on the line
Operator
Information
I'd like to speak to a friend of mine

14. "Telephone Operator," The Leftovers

Telephone operator
Give me to my girl girl girl girl
Telephone operator
Give me to my girl

15. "Hot Line," The Sylvers

Hot line, hot line
Calling on the hot line
For your love, for your love
Hot line, hot line
Calling on the hot line
On the hot line

16. "Telephone Line," Electric Light Orchestra

Hello
How are you?
Have you been all right
Through all those lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely nights

17. "Diamonds and Rust," Joan Baez

Well I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon was full
And you happened to call

18. "Sylvia's Mother," Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show

Please Mrs. Avery I just got to talk to her
I'll only keep her a while
Please Mrs Avery I just want to tell her
Goodbye

19. "Yes, Mr. Peters," Roy Drusky & Priscillia Mitchell

—Hello dear, will the same place be all right?
—Yes indeed, Mr. Peters, I can work late tonight
—Dear, is she near? Can she hear what you say?
—You're right, Mr. Peters, and I'm leaving right away

20. "Telephone Thing," The Fall

I hear you telephone thing listening in
I hear you telephone thing listening in
How dare you assume I want to parlez-vous with you?

21. "Bad Connection," Yaz

Can you hear me?
I've been calling all day
Can you hear me?
I'd wish they'd fix the wires 'cause my baby don't know
That I'm leaving in the morning and I'm ready to go
Can you hear me? Can you hear me at all?
Gotta get the operator make a telephone call

22. "As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone," Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty

—Darling I knew it was you
—Loretta there's something I just got to tell you
—Oh please tell me what to do
—I don't really know how to say this but I want to tell you that I
—You gave me the will to go on
As soon as I picked up the phone

23. "Telephone Rock," Little Jerry and the Monotones (Sesame Street)

Hey operator, please give us a hand
You gotta help us out 'cause we're the telephone band
We're calling all people that are sitting at home
With some rocking and rolling on the telephone