Sixty years ago on this date, Elvis Presley recorded a song for Southern Maid Donuts. This wasn't just any old advertisement: It was the only commercial that The King would ever do, reflecting an integrity that many have forgotten he had (and rumor had it he was a huge fan of the brand, so he wasn't just doing it for the cash either).
Presley wasn't the last performer to sing about the most unhealthy of breakfast confections. Check out tracks from five other performers paying homage-somewhat-to the bagels that your doctor doesn't want you to eat.
"Coffee, Donuts, & Death" by Paris (1992)
San Francisco rapper Paris wasn't to be taken lightly in his militant approach to social ills. Body Count might have drawn more ire for its hit "Cop Killer" but Paris took the theme even further. The donuts in the track title refer to the popular pastime of police officers, not the emcee wanting a snack. The song is especially brutal, opening with a spoken word narrative where it's implied a young black woman is raped by two cops. The event is reportedly based on true occurrences (according to Paris of course) and sets the stage for the violent tirade he's about to go on.
"Doughnut Song" by Tori Amos (1996)
Tori Amos is not one to write a simple song, about donuts or anything for that matter, and "Doughnut Song" is no exception (heck, she even used the complicated spelling of "donut"). The only reference to the titular pastry throughout the track is the line "you'll never gain weight from a doughnut hole," which seems to suggest that actions conducted without meaningful purpose won't help you at all in the end (as true donuts have air at their core). Or at least that's how we read it. Feel free to chime in the comment section.
"Time: The Donut of The Heart" by J Dilla (2006)
Of all musicians in history, it's doubtful that any were as committed to donuts as J Dilla. The hip-hop producer released this acclaimed collection of beats just three days before his tragic passing (he suffered from a blood condition...his cardiac arrest had nothing to do with his appetite). The album featured three tracks featuring donuts in the title: "Donuts (Outro)," "Last Donut of The Night" and our personal favorite, "Time: The Donut of The Heart." As for the choice of the album's title, his mother confirmed that Dilla simply enjoyed the snack. If you're looking for some deep philosophical meaning behind the song title, you may have to wait to ask.
"Doughnuts" by Yelawolf (2007)
Obviously those in the hip-hop sect have more of a taste for donuts, or at least singing about them. We're kind of cheating with this entry however: Yelawolf isn't referring to the baked good when he refers to "Doughnuts" on his Ball of Flames mixtape...he's referring the the acts of leaving black circles on parking lots by peeling out. The song serves as both a biography for the relatively new performer (the track was released during 2007) and a statement that he plans on leaving a mark in your conscious.
"Donuts Only" by Parquet Courts (2012)
Parquet Courts aren't always the easiest band to read, but we're fairly sure this donut reference has something to do with religious intolerance in the group's home state of Texas. There's plenty of reference given to "Baptist fervor" and the plot seems to take place at a funeral. Whose funeral we'll never know but the line "As for Texas: donuts only...you cannot find bagels here" almost certainly refers to some sort of prejudice in the state. Could the church imagery suggest that donuts are Christians and bagels are Jews? We're stretching here, we know.
