Dent May‘s new album, What’s for Breakfast?, is another tasty treat, and he knows that songs, like omelettes, benefit from just a little cheese. He showers these dozen pop eggs with just enough parm — in the form of nods to ’70s and ’80s soft rock and twisting well-worn phrases to his own means — to make them delectable. Listen to the whole thing below.
To keep the food analogies going, Dent offered us a list of his favorite food-themed songs. This 12-course feast includes creations by Prince, Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, Cibo Matto, The Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett, and more. Check out his list and listen to a playlist with all his picks (we added a Dent song, too) below.
DENT MAY’S 12 FAVORITE FOOD SONGS
The Kinks – “Maximum Consumption”
What better way to kick off a list of food songs than with The Kinks’ ode to consuming as much food as humanly possible? The opening verse alone name-drops 10 different foods.
Jay & The Techniques – “Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie”
This was one of the inspirations for my 2020 song “Sea Salt & Caramel,” which I neglected to include here, because that would just be gauche, right? Let’s just say I’m no stranger to writing songs about food myself.
Gwen Guthrie – “Peanut Butter”
Can we all agree that the flavorless, runny “natural” peanut butter is inferior to the classic unhealthy variety we all grew up with? Choosy moms choose Jif for a reason.
of Montreal – “Pancakes For One”
I made my first fake ID so I could go see Of Montreal at Martin’s Lounge in Jackson, MS back in 2004. Anyway, here’s a song about how pancakes are always best shared between two or more individuals.
Prince – “Starfish & Coffee”
I’ve never had starfish for breakfast, but I’ll try anything twice.
The Beach Boys – “Vegetables”
This is by far the best song about food that features Paul McCartney percussively munching celery in the studio. That story is unconfirmed according to Wikipedia, but it will always be real in my heart.
The Presidents of the United States of America – “Peaches”
No list of songs about food is complete without this ’90s alternative rock classic about peaches, which for the record, “come from a can.” This was one of my favorite CDs as a kid.
Cibo Matto – “Birthday Cake”
“Shut up and eat!” are the opening lines to “Birthday Cake” by Cibo Matto, and honestly I completely agree.
Harry Nilsson – “Coconut”
Some music theory nerd will probably debunk me here, but as far as I can tell, “Coconut” only has one chord (a C7) throughout. The first song I ever wrote also used only one chord, but it wasn’t as good as this one.
Hank Williams – “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)”
I grew up a few hours from New Orleans, and jambalaya is one of my all-time favorite foods. Probably the worst part of living in Los Angeles is lack of access to such southern delicacies. I haven’t had a crawfish pie in a minute.
Jimmy Buffett – “Cheeseburger In Paradise”
Jimmy Buffett (RIP) was the purveyor of a wildly successful chain of restaurants with 23 locations at the time of publishing, and I plan to one day follow in his esteemed footsteps when I finally launch my Dent’s Diner™ brand.
Dusty Springfield – “Breakfast In Bed”
My new album is called What’s For Breakfast?, and we all know there’s one superior location for a morning feast, and that is from the comfort of one’s own bed. In fact, I may celebrate completing this list of food songs by doing just that tomorrow.
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Dent will be on tour with Jimmy Whispers (who appears on What’s for Breakfast? song “Let’s Take it From the Top”) later this spring, including a Brooklyn date at Market Hotel on May 10.
Dent May – 2024 Tour Dates
4/25: Palm Springs, CA @ ACE Hotel
4/26: Costa Mesa, CA @ Tiki Bar *
4/27: Phoenix, AZ @ The Dirty Drummer *
4/30: Las Cruces, NM @ The Range *
5/2: Austin, TX @ The 13th Floor *
5/3: Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves *
5/4: Jackson, MS @ Hal & Mal’s *
5/5: Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s *
5/7: Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House Music Hall *
5/8: Washington, DC @ DC9 *
5/9: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas *
5/10: Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel *
5/11: Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
5/12: Detroit, MI @ Lager House *
5/13: Toronto, ON @ The Baby G *
5/15: Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
5/16: Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
5/17: St. Paul, MN @ The Green Room *
5/19: Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive *
5/31: Ojai, CA @ Deer Lodge #
6/2: San Francisco, CA @ Chapel #
6/3: Santa Cruz, CA @ Moes #
6/5: Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall #
6/6: Seattle, WA @ Madam Lou’s #
6/7: Boise, ID @ The Shrine Social Club #
6/8: Salt Lake City, UT @ International Artist Lounge #
6/9: Fort Collins, CO @ Lyric #
6/11: Albuquerque, NM @ Sister #
6/13: Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress #
6/14: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar #
6/15: Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room #
9/30: Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
10/2: Trix, Antwerpen, Belgium
10/3: Le Pop Up, Paris, France
10/5: Lexington, London, UK
10/7: Rough Trade, Bristol, UK
10/8: District, Liverpool, UK
10/9: Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, UK
10/10: Rum Shack, Glasgow, UK
10/11: YES, Manchester, UK
10/13: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
* Jimmy Whispers
# Sedona
