History YMMV / RayStevens

* AcceptableTargets:
** The ''#1 with a Bullet'' album takes two very un-subtle jabs at Japanese. He uses a mocking JapaneseRanguage accent in "A Little Blue-Haired Lady" for no particular reason after suggesting that the title character is responsible for Pearl Harbor, and mercilessly pokes fun at [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld their technological advances]] in "Workin' for the Japanese". The latter also uses the accent heavily, along with repated uses of [[StandardSnippet the Oriental riff]] and female vocalists singing "ah so".
** A much more understandable one is UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden in “Osama-Yo' Mama”.
** MoralGuardians in “Nightmare Before Christmas”.

* {{Tearjerker}}:
** Ray Stevens recording a tearjerker? You'll hear one of his downright heart-wrenchers with his 1969 single "Isn't It Lonely Togther," where a young man regrets his decision to have sex with a young woman, gets her pregnant and then resolves the only way to atone is to marry her, even though they both know they are clearly incompatible with each other ... but is resigned to a lonely life despite their being married, all for the sake of the child. (Incidentally, the song's follow-up single was one of his goofiest: "Gitarzan.")

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: He's got a ton of them.

** His more politically charged music released in TheNewTens are beginning to suffer from this, particularly the ones targeted at the UsefulNotes/BarackObama administration.

** Many of his songs that rely on racial stereotypes, such as "[[ArabianNightsDays Ahab, the Arab]]" or "[[JapanTakesOverTheWorld Workin' for the Japanese]]", certainly wouldn't play as well today.
** "Bridget the Midget" has fallen victim to this too, as "midget" is now considered an offensive term for those with dwarfism.

** "America, Communicate with Me" decries BlackAndWhiteMorality and people becoming splintered due to petty political disagreements. Despite the lyrical references to assassinated leaders, it's otherwise aged pretty well in what it stands up against.

** "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex": The controversies surrounding televangelists in the late 80s, though present-day [[ScamReligion "Prosperity Gospel"]] preachers like Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn etc. show [[ValuesResonance this issue hasn't gone away]].

** "America, Communicate with Me"'s harsh criticisms of BlackAndWhiteMorality and people becoming splintered due to petty political disagreements has aged very well.

* {{Tearjerker}}: Ray Stevens recording a tearjerker? You'll hear one of his downright heart-wrenchers with his 1969 single "Isn't It Lonely Togther," where a young man regrets his decision to have sex with a young woman, gets her pregnant and then resolves the only way to atone is to marry her, even though they both know they are clearly incompatible with each other ... but is resigned to a lonely life despite their being married, all for the sake of the child. (Incidentally, the song's follow-up single was one of his goofiest: "Gitarzan.")

** The ''#1 with a Bullet'' album takes two very un-subtle jabs at Japanese. He uses a mocking JapaneseRanguage accent in "A Little Blue-Haired Lady" for no particular reason after suggesting that the title character is responsible for Pearl Harbor, and mercilessly pokes fun at their technological advances in "Workin' for the Japanese". The latter also uses the accent heavily, along with the Oriental riff and female vocalists singing "ah so".

** This is nothing new. Witness "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O-OAjz5Xgw America, Communicate with Me]]" from the early 1970s. Though that one’s criticism of BlackAndWhiteMorality helps make it for its bluntness.

* SecondVerseCurse: The last verse of "Ahab the Arab" (beginning with "All of a sudden, the Sultan walked in") is usually cut out. As a result, almost no lyric sites include it.

** ''America, Communicate with Me'''s harsh criticisms of BlackAndWhiteMorality and people becoming splintered due to petty political disagreements has aged very well.

** This is nothing new. Witness "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O-OAjz5Xgw America, Communicate with Me]]" from the early 1970s. Though that one’s criticism of BlackAndWhiteMorality [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped helps make it for its bluntness.]]

* ValuesResonance: "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex" came out at a time when corruptness in televangelism was still a novel concept. While no longer shocking and new, his derision of hypocrisy in televangelism ("Askin' me for $20 with $10,000 on his arm") still holds up against modern "prosperity gospel" preachers like Joel Osteen who are often derided for much the same reasons.

* ValuesResonance: "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex" came out at a time when corruptness in televangelism was still a novel concept. While no longer shocking and new, his derision of prosperity gospel ("Askin' me for $20 with $10,000 on his arm") still holds up against modern televangelists like Joel Osteen who are often derided for much the same reasons.

** This is nothing new. Witness "[[http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/america-communicate-with-me-lyrics-ray-stevens.html America, Communicate with Me]]" from the early 1970s. Though that one’s criticism of BlackAndWhiteMorality [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped helps make it for its bluntness.]]

** A much more understandable one is Osama Bin Ladin in “Osama Yo Mama”.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: At the end of "Deerslayer", after Ray calls the police for help when hunting dogs have him trapped on a phone booth, [[CavalryBetrayal only for the police to arrest him for having a deer out of season]], resulting in him getting thirty days, he declares he's never calling the police again.