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"Pukatawagan Song" hits Tonight Show, earns blank stares

Sidney Castel’s “The Pukatawagan Song” has hit the big time, but for all the wrong reasons. The song was featured on the Tuesday, May 2 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , as part of the show’s “Do Not Playlist” feature.

Sidney Castel’s “The Pukatawagan Song” has hit the big time, but for all the wrong reasons.

The song was featured on the Tuesday, May 2 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as part of the show’s “Do Not Playlist” feature.

During the feature, Fallon and comedian Chris Rock listened to a series of obscure records, commenting on short snippets of songs.

About four minutes into the segment, Fallon produced a copy of Castel’s Live at the Beaver Lodge album.

Fallon and Rock each cracked jokes, with Fallon fumbling the pronunciation of Pukatawagan as “Puck-at-a-wagon.”

Once the song began, smiles turned to grimaces as both comics were rendered silent.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Rock replied with one word: “Wow.”

Fallon also chipped in, saying, “I don’t believe that was live. I’ve been to the Beaver Lodge – unless there was nobody there that night, that sounded like a clear recording.”

“The Pukatawagan Song” was released in 2001 after Castel, a former railway worker, community health worker and trapper, won the first-ever Pukatawagan Talent Search.

Castel became a regional sensation with his humorous lyrics and often-off-key voice. He went on to perform on CTV and CBC, and booked shows across Western Canada.

Castel passed away in 2003.

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