<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> B - side </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Label of the original 7 - inch issue </Td> </Tr> <P> They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha - Haaa! is a 1966 novelty record written and performed by Jerry Samuels (billed as Napoleon XIV), and released on Warner Bros. Records . The song became an instant success in the United States, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 popular music singles chart on August 13 and reaching No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart . </P> <P> Jerry Samuels was a recording engineer at Associated Recording Studios in New York at the time when the song was written . He had learned a way to alter the pitch of a track using a Potentiometer (a tape speed control). After recording the drum track at the standard speed, he played it back through headphones while recording the voiceover . As he did this, he gradually reduced the tape speed and slowly returned it to normal speed while reciting the lyrics in time with the relative speed of the drum track . This gave him the idea for a song based on the rhythm of the old Scottish tune "The Campbells Are Coming". </P>

Who did the song they're coming to take me away