Mardi Gras Music

I never get tired of Mardi Gras, and it's about as good I time as any to be in New Orleans. So I have dusted out my Mardi Gras music treasure trove to get me in the mood for the world's greatest free show...that would be Mardi Gras.
Did you know there is a huge Mardi Gras music genre in New Orleans? Given the nature of the free spirited ness of the festival and that New Orleans is a music city, Mardi Gras music evolved there. Almost all of the songs were written by locals, many of them during the heyday of Mardi Gras music,  in the 50's and 60's. They have endured and become beloved.  There are many such tunes, and if in the city you'll hear them played often from now until after Mardi Gras is over. Here are a few Yu tube links for a sample to get you into the mood. They represent a wide range of the style of Mardi Gras music.  Listen to the whole tune before judging it, and pay attention to the off- beat lyrics in  them. New Orleans defines off-beat, singular, and different and these songs give you a taste of  it
The first is the official theme song of Mardi Gras, 'If Ever I cease to Love". The nonsense words are appropriate to the idea of Carnival.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR5lANGWr8o
The next one is 'Big Chief'' with some amazing gymnastics in famed Jackson Square
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voB6WiP83NU
If you like beat of that one, here is the same song with vocals by famed N.O. musician "Professor Longhair".  Bizarre tribute by black New Orleans to the American Indians who lived in the area. I love the whistling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjZ0RgxtLvY
Next is Carnival Time by Al Johnson. This song defines what Mardi Gras is to the locals. Catch the opening lines that shows the New Orleans attitude- "The Queen's room is smoking and the bathrooms burning down, throw the baby out the window let the joint burn down. Because it's carnival time".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccu2_MRMF5Y&index=4&list=PLA8736288583E3FD4
Do you remember long ago that Paul Simon had a big hit with a Mardi Gras song. Here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkaMN-T_HKw&spfreload=1
Here is one of my favorites that shows the jazz influence. Jazz was invented in and is still embraced in New Orleans. It's an instrumental called 'Second Line' (people at a parade, in their enthusiasm, follow a parade and dance to music in their own so called parade. In New Orleans they are called "second liners".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58XVr5YE8w
Those are just a few of my favorites. There are many more, but I suspect you had enough listening to those. One more note about this Mardi Gras music thing. Did you know that the famous Bob Dylan song, 'Mr. Tambourine Man', was written by Dylan after he witnessed a Mardi Gras parade in the city and was entranced by the tambourines in a marching group he saw.  He went back to his hotel and wrote the song.  Happy Mardi Gras!