A nonsense song is a type of song written in fun using nonsense syllables at least in the chorus. Such a song generally has a simple melody and a quick (or fairly quick) tempo.
The roots of this song type can be traced as far back as "Shoo, Fly, Don't Bother Me" and "Jimmy Crack Corn" to the 1890s "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay". This last was a kind of can-can with an obvious accent on the "boom." Mostly it was a way of letting off steam.
Every era has had its own nonsense songs. The turn of the 20th century had "Row, Row, Row", with lines like:
The jazz age created many nonsense songs, such as "Ja-Da."
"Sarasponda", a children's folk song
"Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", written by James F. Hanley in 1934
"Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood Mama)", written by Edward Robinson; Jerry Brandow; Lenny Kent; Leonard Ware; Willie Spottswood in 1938
"Three Little Fishies", written by Saxie Dowell in 1939
"Mairzy Doats", composed by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston in 1943
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, written by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston in 1948
"Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo", written by Helen Deutsch in 1952
"The Purple People Eater", written by Sheb Wooley in 1958
"Chim Chim Cher-ee", written by the Sherman Brothers in 1964
"The Name Game", written by Shirley Ellis in 1964
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", written by the Sherman Brothers in 1968
"I Am the Walrus", written by John Lennon in 1967
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", written by Paul McCartney in 1968
"Surfin' Bird", written by Al Frazier, Carl White, Sonny Harris, Turner Wilson Jr. in 1963. Performed by The Trashmen.
The Israeli rock band Kaveret, are known with their songs with nonsense, wordplays and surrealistic stories.
"Chacarron Macarron" - A hit Panamanian song written by "El Chombo"
"No Words" - by Hopsin
