The WEIRDEST HIT SONGS Ever

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  • čas přidán 4. 08. 2022
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    Hey everybody! Thanks for watching this video on, "The WEIRDEST HIT SONGS Ever". As the years go by and genres continue to blurry, memes are taking over, TikTok controls what's popular, indie artists are alongside legends on Spotify playlists, and so on and so on...anything goes when it comes to what can become a hit song. Here's a video looking back throughout the years and seeing what stuck out before weirdness became the norm. We've got Bohemian Rhapsody, Billie Eilish, Fireflies, and so on. Enjoy.
    please don't take this too seriously / video essay / list / best / worst / review / reaction / black eyed peas / i gotta feeling / boom boom pow / gaga / fireflies / one hit wonder / lorde / bad guy
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Komentáře • 742

  • @AlfoMedia
    @AlfoMedia  Před rokem +85

    Click here sbird.co/3QlEDYb and use my code ALFO to get 55% OFF your first month at Scentbird. What’s your favorite fragrance? Comment below!

    • @devstuff2576
      @devstuff2576 Před rokem

      Jewish people are awesome ....but then there's lil Dicky. What an asshole

    • @the_internet2
      @the_internet2 Před rokem

      why would I care about fragrances?

    • @sillyperson1610
      @sillyperson1610 Před rokem

      @@the_internet2it’s not only for you

    • @kyledavid9415
      @kyledavid9415 Před 6 měsíci

      You NEED to stop accepting the absolute worst, most obvious scams in human history as sponsors, pretending to like them for WAY too long and putting them in the middle of the video NOW. I'm tired of disliking and reporting good videos

  • @shadycatz85
    @shadycatz85 Před rokem +2746

    that black eyed peas era doesn't feel dystopian when you find out it's intentional. will-i-am talks about how when the 2008 financial crisis hit and most media became really depressing, doomer, and hopeless, he intentionally made music that was superficial, fun, and mindless, to give people just a few minutes' break from the world, where they had positive emotions, even if just over something like a shallow party song.

    • @A_Ducky
      @A_Ducky Před rokem +171

      If that is so, they all have my thanks! It was truly a horrible time.

    • @possum1093
      @possum1093 Před rokem +122

      it sounded like music of the future thats now music of the past

    • @luke_cohen1
      @luke_cohen1 Před rokem +148

      Will-I-Am was always way more thoughtful than people give him credit for. He started off as a protégé of Eazy E in 1991 and was known for his incredibly political songs (along with the other two Black Eyed Peas members). The dude has always known what’s going on around him and reacted accordingly which is why the Peas were less of a group and more of a collective that released a collaborative project every 4-5 years.
      It should also be noted that the defining vision of the Peas was to put people in a good mood and call out overly negative attitudes in the media. They were a reaction and counterweight to the overly dark and pessimistic genre of early 90’s Gangsta Rap a la NWA. This is the main reason why they always included a more political track with a positive message on every album.
      Note: I’m not saying that they’re the best group ever but that they should get more respect for their intentions.

    • @13days13
      @13days13 Před rokem +73

      @@luke_cohen1 ​ oh 100% nobody gives credit to will-i-am like that. he does a LOT in the background. reminds me of pharrell. both visionaries in their own way, have made huge impacts in music yet nobody really gives them their credit for it.

    • @thegunn7526
      @thegunn7526 Před rokem +10

      A lot of songs around that time where like that teenage dream and stuff

  • @bangbangrogers2750
    @bangbangrogers2750 Před rokem +615

    Mambo No. 5 by Bob the builder.
    What a sentence

    • @supersonicsandshrew9742
      @supersonicsandshrew9742 Před rokem +1

      Fr

    • @timgras4172
      @timgras4172 Před rokem +20

      I believe the reason why it stopped being at no. 1 of the charts was because it was too happy for 9/11

    • @Nick_the_antzzzz
      @Nick_the_antzzzz Před rokem +12

      In the UK, big fish little fish was also no.1. Bob builder is topping the charts!

    • @marcstephen506
      @marcstephen506 Před rokem

      I loved both things individually, but I never thought they could co-exist like this.

    • @themadpyro8560
      @themadpyro8560 Před 10 měsíci +4

      @@Nick_the_antzzzz The music industry in Britain is a very strange thing. I've been to a nightclub (to be clear, not some alternative underground scene - the most mainstream club in my entire city) and heard 'Can We Fix It' by Bob The Builder played completely straight. The crowd went wild.

  • @jakearmstrong_09
    @jakearmstrong_09 Před rokem +651

    Bohemian Rhapsody literally changed the way that people saw they could make music. Queen changed the game with their one song.

    • @Libithina
      @Libithina Před rokem +26

      First song with a videoclip specifically made for that purpose. Top marketing trick that still pays off.

    • @noncomplacent
      @noncomplacent Před rokem

      Butt holes are being blown out to that song right now

    • @NJGuy1973
      @NJGuy1973 Před rokem +12

      Name one song recorded since 1976 that reminds you of Bohemian Rhapsody.

    • @lordjustinian2913
      @lordjustinian2913 Před rokem +16

      I would personally say prog rock being slightly popular during that period allowed Queen to see success with Bohemian Rhapsody as it does feel like a prog rock song.

    • @OsirisGaming66
      @OsirisGaming66 Před rokem +8

      I agree, my favorite album was heavily inspired by Bohemian Rhapsody (The Black Parade by MCR, 2006)

  • @kylem.9525
    @kylem.9525 Před rokem +328

    I don't think you can talk about weird hit songs without mentioning The Beach Boys' Good Vibrations. It was a number one hit in the US, UK, and many other countries. Multiple different unique sounding sections, abrupt tape splices connecting them, constant shifting in dynamics, and eclectic instrumentation. It almost seems like people don't even realize just how weird the song actually is because it just works so incredibly well as a cohesive whole.

    • @juliansanchez4460
      @juliansanchez4460 Před rokem +4

      Is that MBV as your pfp?

    • @manly_toilet
      @manly_toilet Před rokem +8

      I also find it weird that instead of putting in a clip from the GV music video he instead used a clip of Do It Again from Ed Sullivan when talking about songs that are "innovative and complex"

    • @kylem.9525
      @kylem.9525 Před rokem +2

      @@juliansanchez4460 yes indeed

    • @angelaharris53
      @angelaharris53 Před rokem +2

      I still love Good Vibrations to this day. It's funky but it works. Of course, I grew up listening to The Beach Boys from my dad, so there is nostalgia there, but still ... a good song is a good song.

    • @robertwilloughby8050
      @robertwilloughby8050 Před měsícem

      A vote for "Heroes and Villains" too!😅

  • @elliottrusso7351
    @elliottrusso7351 Před rokem +1430

    I’ve always felt like Sicko Mode was an incredibly weird rap track to pick as the most popular song in the world

    • @remyhavoc4463
      @remyhavoc4463 Před rokem +193

      Kinda disagree cause it got Drake in it, used auto-tune correctly, is a trap track, has bitches, had a dark sound and video like most of the other music on that era had, and it's easy to sing along to. Plus, the title sicko mode sounds like something a kid would like to hear but at the same time, it was a good enough song to where adults can enjoy in unironically

    • @psyche234
      @psyche234 Před rokem +35

      @@remyhavoc4463 imagine listening to drake 🤡

    • @Carl-J
      @Carl-J Před rokem +155

      @@psyche234 so what bro? Let people listen to what they wanna listen to

    • @04music98
      @04music98 Před rokem +81

      @@psyche234 bro stop gate keeping music

    • @RK-ig8gc
      @RK-ig8gc Před rokem +117

      @@psyche234 the guy didn’t even say he liked drake, it’s just drake was on it and drake is popular lol

  • @Sayajin3321
    @Sayajin3321 Před rokem +437

    The fact that Axel F became a hit twice, including a fictional frog covering it, is fucking hilarious.

    • @cursedpyrogaming5176
      @cursedpyrogaming5176 Před 8 měsíci

      And it's even a parody of the beverly hill cops theme

    • @jonleonard8883
      @jonleonard8883 Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@cursedpyrogaming5176Axel F is the name of the Beverly hills cop theme

  • @carlcarlington7317
    @carlcarlington7317 Před rokem +141

    Realizing that poker face came out just a few months before fireflies is a perfect example of how insanely fast and yet absurdly slow time is.

  • @DiSCO_YT
    @DiSCO_YT Před rokem +1299

    Royals doesn’t get enough credit for paving the way for musicians like Twenty One Pilots and Billie Eilish to succeed.
    Also Bob the Builder having more than one number one in the UK is an insane fact of life

    • @patty1181
      @patty1181 Před rokem +55

      Insane but deserved. Big fish little fish absolutely slaps

    • @Watermelon74
      @Watermelon74 Před rokem +92

      Bob the Builder has more #1s than Taylor Swift in the UK charts

    • @dmoore4520
      @dmoore4520 Před rokem +55

      Interesting take on Lorde paving the way for ToP. They had the core fan base with Vessel a year prior than Lorde's debut. Billie Eilish 100%.

    • @AstroAri212
      @AstroAri212 Před rokem +4

      @@dmoore4520 came here to say that!!

    • @antoniomaldonado8876
      @antoniomaldonado8876 Před rokem +46

      Lorde was like the Kurt Cobain of pop music. Before Royal, Billboard was all party music by Katy Perry, Flo Rida, etc. After Royal, you now have artists like Halsey and Billie Eilish making more stripped down, deep alternative music. Lorde deserves more recognition.

  • @forthefrogs
    @forthefrogs Před rokem +441

    FIREFLIES BY OWL CITY IS SUCH A BANGER. like i genuinely can't stress how much i enjoy this song to this day.

    • @HotStrange
      @HotStrange Před rokem +16

      It’s so fucking good. When those drums first kick in?? 🤩🤩

    • @thecinematicmind
      @thecinematicmind Před rokem +19

      I have a massive softspot for it.

    • @alexolds9840
      @alexolds9840 Před rokem +7

      Meh, never liked it tbh. Basic electro pop track with over-sugary lyrics and average vocals. Plus, it adds nothing new to the pop scene.

    • @countyfacts6920
      @countyfacts6920 Před rokem +5

      I agree. It's not weird tho.

    • @forthefrogs
      @forthefrogs Před rokem +32

      @@alexolds9840 okay but like have u ever heard of having fun

  • @brothernobody1775
    @brothernobody1775 Před rokem +219

    barbie girl has a deeper context considering the times it was released, there was a heavy "player" mentality during the 90s. the song, in a way, is satire of the hot girl concept, which was a response to the "player" throughout the club scene.

    • @camiblack1
      @camiblack1 Před rokem +4

      I mean it was also a sort of tongue in cheek parody of other eurodance at the time, if you look at it a certain way.

    • @alexkunce2002
      @alexkunce2002 Před 7 měsíci +1

      Aqua actually does a lot of good songs that seem like dance hits on the surface, but actually portray deeper themes. I have a lot of respect for them.

  • @Mezelenja
    @Mezelenja Před rokem +151

    This is how I feel about dubstep. Such a weirdly experimental genre that shot up into the mainstream with no problem.

    • @panozboi8133
      @panozboi8133 Před rokem +12

      *a genre was inspired by Aphex fucking Twin*

    • @thejman3489
      @thejman3489 Před rokem +15

      I have heard that dubstep was actually a rather chill genre. Some site the song "Mt. Eden - Sierra Leone" as an example. But when Skrillex rose to fame with a bunch of hyped up craziness, his music got branded as dubstep.

  • @ambergris5705
    @ambergris5705 Před rokem +160

    There's a 2012 elephant in the room not addressed in this video 😂 Gangam Style not only was a hit, but was the biggest song that year, and managed to both usher the k-pop era while simultaneously being very distinctive and different from mainstream k-pop. It was trailblazing, and yet so unconventional by k-pop standards, so I think it actually deserves a mention in both categories you mentioned : the oddball, and the trailblazer. Plus, it's in Korean...

    • @sallomon2357
      @sallomon2357 Před rokem +1

      wasn't it intended as a parody of k-pop?

    • @ambergris5705
      @ambergris5705 Před rokem +5

      @@sallomon2357 it's a self parody, yes

    • @mehere8299
      @mehere8299 Před rokem +2

      @@sallomon2357 Given that the catchphrase "Oppa Gangnam style" can be credibly translated as "hey, girl; your next sugar daddy loves the high life", I’d think so!

    • @dakotajohnson5009
      @dakotajohnson5009 Před rokem +1

      I'd say it's considered novelty song

    • @camiblack1
      @camiblack1 Před rokem +7

      @@dakotajohnson5009 That's sorta the problem, the "novelty song" really cuts out a lot of these how did that get popular hits, when that should go towards like Weird Al's usual fare. I mean Barbie Girl isn't all that novelty when you listen to the songs it was around (Be My Lover, Another Night, hell just about any song that came out of that mid-90's eurodance boom), Fireflies doesn't really sound all that odd when you go back and look at the previous year when Onerepublic's Apologize and Coldplay's Viva la Vida was there (also in the top singles for 2009) and also had some groundwork laid out because it was still the era of CDs and not changing your MP3 player around all that much would still have stuff that also fits in it's little Indie Pop niche from a few years back. I think that's one of the few problems that always comes up in these discussions, what might be standard fare for a few years can come down as strange (or novelty) years down the road, espcially if you weren't cognizant for it.

  • @spookypumkin6387
    @spookypumkin6387 Před rokem +579

    Fireflies is actually about having insomnia, so it’s less of a song that’s the embodiment of small bean energy, and more of a song that’s the embodiment of autism creature energy before the autism creature was ever a thing.

  • @joyousboyous2722
    @joyousboyous2722 Před rokem +273

    Babe wake up, new Alfo media vid

  • @PepsiMan-qw8eh
    @PepsiMan-qw8eh Před rokem +161

    Eyyy glad you mentioned Bob the Builder's Mambo No. 5, because while it did reach number 1 in the UK, it was also banned by BBC Radio 2. The reasoning was that after 9/11, with the executive music producer of BBC Radio 2 described the song "too frivolous in light of the news that was breaking", so they removed it from their playlist.

    • @ewan7283
      @ewan7283 Před rokem

      😂😂😂

    • @NeroMai
      @NeroMai Před rokem +10

      Please tell me conspiracy theorists ate this up 😭

    • @85walterrulez
      @85walterrulez Před rokem +13

      It could've functioned as another "always look on the bright side of life..." but I get it. Timing matters.

    • @just_some_guy_innit
      @just_some_guy_innit Před rokem +2

      LMAOOOOO 💀💀💀💀💀💀

    • @paisleepunk
      @paisleepunk Před 11 měsíci +1

      bob the builder seriously got "what a wonderful world"ed (that song, by louis armstrong, was blacklisted on us radio for basically the same reason)

  • @richloser7287
    @richloser7287 Před rokem +96

    milkshake is the weirdest huge song to me. it just sounds strange.

    • @countyfacts6920
      @countyfacts6920 Před rokem +21

      There's a good example!! Alfo really missed the mark talking about Fireflies and Down Under. Milkshake is a true weird hit.

  • @dopey473
    @dopey473 Před rokem +31

    I think one of the weirdest hits is Windowlicker. It's creator, Aphex Twin, didn't even want it to be a hit and pulled the song from circulation. He isn't someone who wants popularity and therefore makes the weirdest shit you will hear and has the weirdest music videos you will see. I can't even describe it with words you have to see it for yourself.

  • @andreborges2881
    @andreborges2881 Před rokem +5

    “Vídeo Killed the Radio Star”, boy the Buggles. That’s all

  • @chadofchads7222
    @chadofchads7222 Před rokem +22

    As Freddie would say, Bohemian Rhapsody isn't weird, it's exceptional hon

    • @OH_MY_DOGGG
      @OH_MY_DOGGG Před rokem +1

      Weird isn't necessarily derived from a negative connotation. Yea I am that guy.

  • @kriksi7775
    @kriksi7775 Před rokem +11

    Fireflies became a hit because the song talked about imagination. Something we all need from time to time, not just kids. It has beautiful melody to it and it tells us to spot the little things within the big frame, to appreciate and be happy for the small stuff. Such as fireflies (or other bugs). To see the beauty of it. Owl City nailed it! Takes one to another realm, tbh. THAT'S why it was a hit.

  • @Bartholomule01
    @Bartholomule01 Před rokem +66

    One thing I really like about Queen us that they had a lot of hits but never started gearing their writing to focus on making obvious hits.
    They always kept more unorthodox stuff on their new albums, they never really seemed to be chasing hits which is an annoying thing lots of artists tend to do.

    • @Blockoumi
      @Blockoumi Před rokem +2

      yeah, cause they're progressive. that goes for most prog rock.

    • @kumagawamisogi1968
      @kumagawamisogi1968 Před rokem +5

      Another thing to like about queen was their willingness to touch upon different genres (and/or sub-genres/styles) other than rock
      Like walts music for "The Millionaire Waltz"
      Rock-a-billy for "crazy little thing called love"
      Speed metal for "stone cold"
      R&B for "cool cat"
      Orchestra for "who wants to live forever"
      Pop for radio ga ga
      Baroque blues for "my melancholy blues"
      Christian rock for "jesus"
      Music hall for "lazing on a Sunday afternoon"
      Gospel for "somebody to love"
      Folk for "39' "
      New wave for "The invisible man"
      Synth pop for "I want to break free"
      Power pop for "killer queen"
      Symphonic rock for "The show must go on"
      Hard rock for "hammer to fall"
      Instrumental for "god save the queen"
      Punk rock for "sheer heart attack"
      Disco for "staying power"
      Ragtime for "Bring back that Leroy brown"
      And more

    • @jagodabiaas4445
      @jagodabiaas4445 Před rokem +1

      yeah except hot space era

  • @charizardmaster13
    @charizardmaster13 Před rokem +171

    ngl fireflies makes perfect sense to be a hit to me. that synth riff is the definition of lighting in a bottle and is such a good ear worm

    • @whatthehelliot
      @whatthehelliot Před 6 měsíci

      more like a lightning bug in a bottle lol

  • @idna832
    @idna832 Před rokem +17

    "Can we fix it?" is a banger

  • @samjarvis9745
    @samjarvis9745 Před rokem +20

    Music nerd discovers “smelling good” tonight at ten

  • @FragglevisionReturns
    @FragglevisionReturns Před rokem +31

    I nominate the Encanto songs. Surface Pressure is the least weird of the bunch to become a Billboard hit (being about the burdens placed on certain people) but the rest are VERY character specific.

    • @pyrokatarina
      @pyrokatarina Před rokem +6

      I agree, but I guess being from a Disney Soundtrack has always been hit and it was already common to people that they will become hits like Let it Go & How Far I'll Go. And it has always been like this, Since the 90s Renaissance era of Disney, Almost all of their movie soundtracks are major hits.
      Not to mention the popularity of Latin Music has been growing exponentially because of Despacito and has become mainstream since.

    • @reinhardtwilhelm5415
      @reinhardtwilhelm5415 Před rokem +4

      Surface Pressure might be one of my favourite hit songs of the year. The vocals are a little awkward, but *man*, does it just layer hook upon hook upon hook, and the lyrics are nothing to sniff at either.

  • @guidingkeyblade7834
    @guidingkeyblade7834 Před rokem +9

    Fireflies is actually a song about Adam Young's struggles with Insomnia.

  • @caricaturesbydon
    @caricaturesbydon Před rokem +15

    Most of David Bowie's career stands as proof that you can do stuff no one else is doing, and that listeners weren't expecting, and still have a huge hit on your hands.

  • @dirtysploof5890
    @dirtysploof5890 Před rokem +21

    "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by Napoleon XIV is a pretty strange and influential hit track from the 60s
    I swear that the 60s-70s had the best experimental music

    • @galleryofrogues
      @galleryofrogues Před rokem +1

      That’s a novelty track tho

    • @galleryofrogues
      @galleryofrogues Před rokem +1

      Also the B-side to that song was just the original version played backwards

  • @sirpotatousheadislimberg6346

    really surprising that Talking Heads weren't mentioned in this video

  • @merlesstorys
    @merlesstorys Před rokem +79

    I honestly love that Falco went No 1 in the US, I think to this day he’s the only Austrian that made it so far.
    (Also he’s a pretty big legend in most European and especially German speaking countries.)

    • @patty1181
      @patty1181 Před rokem +5

      Glad to see fellow Falco fans. He isn't often mentioned on music channels like this despite his popularity

    • @hakansoderholm6514
      @hakansoderholm6514 Před rokem +2

      @@ikaro555
      Damn... I was thinking 99 balons in german was up there to🙂

    • @kaiserfranzjoseph9311
      @kaiserfranzjoseph9311 Před rokem +1

      As a musician yes, he is definitly the only one that made it that far. But more generally we also have legends like Arnie and a certian painter turned politician

    • @bastianalsoknownasagoddamn3647
      @bastianalsoknownasagoddamn3647 Před rokem +7

      FALCO IS THE FUCKING GOAT

    • @papaversomniferum8508
      @papaversomniferum8508 Před rokem +5

      also, he was actually the first white rapper lol

  • @TheComedyGeek
    @TheComedyGeek Před rokem +28

    80's dude here (born 1973). The weird songs of the 80's had one main source : New Wave. The musical movement known as New Wave prized weirdness for its own sake, as a source of intellectual stimulation by something new and unique. This threw the doors open for all kinds of innovation in all kinds of directions. Even after New Wave became entirely subsumed in the new pop music inspired by it. the creative explosion it set off remained.

    • @NJGuy1973
      @NJGuy1973 Před rokem

      You should get the Living In Oblivion CD set. It's got all the weird new wave hits. Fun Boy Three, Icicle Works, Haircut One Hundred, Blow Monkeys, etc.

  • @jestingworm697ofvalhalla3

    Sail by AWOLNATION… a one word chorus with screaming and an electro rock background. From a band with no previous hits either. Just out of place.

    • @gaelisaias
      @gaelisaias Před rokem +6

      Also! That one was such a sleeper hit throughout 2013 and 2014. I used to check the Billboard Hot 100 chart weekly when I was a teen, and I was shocked because Sail was there through a whole year while hits from bigger artists fizzled out quicker. Maybe it wasn't a top 10 hit, but it had the longevity a lot of tracks would wish for

    • @slick3996
      @slick3996 Před rokem +1

      memes carried it

    • @galleryofrogues
      @galleryofrogues Před rokem

      That guy’s old band Under the Influence of Giants was pretty well known so he wasn’t a complete unknown

  • @hongkongbeat2164
    @hongkongbeat2164 Před 7 měsíci +2

    The other odd fact about the Thomas Dolby hit ‘she blinded me with science’ was the identity of the spoken interjections like ‘science’ and ‘good heavens miss nakamoto, you’re beautiful’. The speaker was an eccentric British scientist and popular TV presenter of the time, Magnus Pyke, who presented a show about science in his whacky offbeat way.
    It would be like having Bill Nye or Neil deGrasse Tyson rapping on Oingo Boingo’s ‘Weird Science’.

  • @brandongarner643
    @brandongarner643 Před rokem +55

    Royals by Lorde was so refreshing and different at the time, especially the first time hearing it.

  • @l.salisbury1253
    @l.salisbury1253 Před rokem +23

    Whadda 'bout "turning Japanese" by THE VAPORS (UK 1980)? One of the very few British punk/Mod-revival singles to score American airplay US audiences didn't know the term "turning Japanese" was late 70s British slang for sex!

    • @reinhardtwilhelm5415
      @reinhardtwilhelm5415 Před rokem +2

      That’s a very vivid and slightly racist euphemism, wow. Thanks, British people.

    • @l.salisbury1253
      @l.salisbury1253 Před rokem +3

      @@reinhardtwilhelm5415 I remember a radio ad for the Vapors' debut "New Clear Day" in late '80: An American announcer talking about the LP slowly developed a Japanese accent. (Needless-to-say there is no way in HELL that would fly today!!)

    • @reinhardtwilhelm5415
      @reinhardtwilhelm5415 Před rokem

      @@l.salisbury1253 It's honestly funny to look back on.

  • @monsterwith21faces92
    @monsterwith21faces92 Před rokem +112

    My pick would be dance monkey
    According to me it's the worst as well as the weirdest smash hit ever
    Just up there with the #selfie song

  • @remyhavoc4463
    @remyhavoc4463 Před rokem +94

    Should make a part 2 including Redbone. Idk how the hell you didn't mention it. Like, how tf do you get a song that sounds like that trending while all the other songs are so different. It sounds like a song that would be randomly reccomended to you after so many years and the comments are like "I wAs BoRn iN tHe WrOnG gEnErAtIoN" but instead, it was made in today's era

    • @HotStrange
      @HotStrange Před rokem +15

      I mean it’s basically Id Rather Be With You by Bootsy Collins and funk was definitely “in” during that time. After Uptown Funk, Bruno’s 24k Magic album, Vulfpeck, etc.

    • @ALIEN-DUDE
      @ALIEN-DUDE Před rokem

      I like that song

    • @colin6603
      @colin6603 Před rokem +2

      @@HotStrange thank you man. It’s a great song but a compete rip of Bootsy Collins. It’s not that weird.

    • @Brianna-eo8nu
      @Brianna-eo8nu Před rokem +3

      I got that same feeling when I found out that Somebody I Used To Know by Gotye came out in 2012! When I first heard it on the radio as a tween, I thought it was a song from the 80s making a comeback.

    • @NeroMai
      @NeroMai Před rokem +3

      All the memes of characters singing it sure helped

  • @TheOzelot11
    @TheOzelot11 Před rokem +14

    This is the type of music moments I hope we don't lose to streaming algorithms

    • @dan182v
      @dan182v Před rokem +4

      I'd say it makes it more often

  • @manofnomuscles5496
    @manofnomuscles5496 Před rokem +88

    Down under is very interesting to me as an Australian as it is essentially making fun of how Australians have accepted stereotypes that America has put on the country which basically killed the Australian identity but was then turned into a drinking song about celebrating the same stereotypes that killed our identity.

  • @glyle2504
    @glyle2504 Před rokem +45

    As somebody who’s a full quarter Jamaican and grew up listening to Dancehall-I *LOVED* Rude. I put that song in my Reggae playlist and I still play it at family functions.

  • @ovenishot7173
    @ovenishot7173 Před rokem +15

    insane that you didn't mention old town road

    • @pyrokatarina
      @pyrokatarina Před rokem +3

      idk i dont really consider it that weird, it was just basically a country song + a trap song with rap combined into a single track. Which was already dominant during 2019. Plus it is a meme song, so maybe on the next list that he will make, it might be on there

  • @gabrieldavid3308
    @gabrieldavid3308 Před rokem +17

    “Band on the Run” is a pretty weird hit song, in a similar vein to Bohemian Rhapsody - less so for sure, but still a long multi-part song where the whole thing got played on the radio. Especially weird because it spends its first two whole minutes in slow-/mid-tempo territory

    • @Welcome2Slaggers
      @Welcome2Slaggers Před rokem +5

      ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ was a #1 Paul McCartney hit and that goes even harder on the multi-parts

    • @talbino7821
      @talbino7821 Před rokem +3

      I believe Queen was inspired by McCartney's noodlings as well as what prog rock bands were doing at the time.

  • @slystone4892
    @slystone4892 Před rokem +71

    When Doves Cry is another one unconventional hit with no bass and weird screams and weird lyrics.

  • @86cjack58
    @86cjack58 Před rokem +12

    didn’t even mention old town road

  • @gammagerm3008
    @gammagerm3008 Před rokem +12

    I am Austrian and i am very happy that you included Falco.

    • @trenik03
      @trenik03 Před rokem +2

      Falco ist definitiv eine der vielen GOAT's wenn es um Thema Musik geht. Unglaublich was er alles erreicht hat

    • @gammagerm3008
      @gammagerm3008 Před rokem +1

      @@trenik03 ich stimme dir vollkommen zu. Besonders, dass er für eine gewisse Zeit Nr.1 in den Amerikanischen Charts war ist ziemlich bewundernswert.

  • @severussnap4373
    @severussnap4373 Před rokem +9

    i friggin love fireflies from the first moment i heard it , it brings tears to my eyes honestly and im an old man. she blinded me with science was one of my ABSOLUTELY favorite songs when i was a little boy . im starting to see why i cant dance for shit .

  • @owenfitzgerald5928
    @owenfitzgerald5928 Před rokem +9

    Rudes lyrics make perfect sense and the UK ones are collective public jokes

  • @beantinproductions
    @beantinproductions Před rokem +2

    My favorite explosion of weird music when a bunch of tally hall songs got really popular and one of them was ruler of everything which is not only a confusing fever dream but also awesome

  • @TheComedyGeek
    @TheComedyGeek Před rokem +10

    Thank you SO MUCH for including Hocus Pocus by Focus. It's like a thrill ride through manic psychosis. :P And I mean that in the best possible way; Just the sheer energy of it and how it cycles through being magnificent and then absurd and then BOTH is worth the price of admission. Every time I listen to it, I end up feeling like I just went on Space Mountain as designed by the residents of a lunatic asylum. I love it. :)

  • @kaiserfranzjoseph9311
    @kaiserfranzjoseph9311 Před rokem +13

    Falco was a legend, he managed to make us big in the US for way longer than I would have ever thought to be possible

  • @BS-uj3ny
    @BS-uj3ny Před rokem +5

    Louis Armstrong hit number one with a song from Broadway called “Hello Dolly” in 1964. This was well after his peak in popularity and right in the middle of the British Invasion.

  • @nastya1297
    @nastya1297 Před rokem +34

    Rude is super fun. It's light, catchy and easy to sing along to.

  • @guidoguido2245
    @guidoguido2245 Před rokem +7

    Falco was mentioned. I am happy.

  • @bexiemounne7781
    @bexiemounne7781 Před rokem +5

    Alfo: Whip It has a legacy yet to match
    Roy Orbinson: Remember me?

  • @JustforNow-ty5zt
    @JustforNow-ty5zt Před rokem +5

    There’s also Tubthumping.

  • @poihpioakarp8845
    @poihpioakarp8845 Před rokem +4

    Any European/Middle Eastern of a certain age will never forget that one weird-ass month where We No Speak Americano was inexplicably shoved in our faces

  • @playboiconorr
    @playboiconorr Před rokem +15

    as an australian down under isnt wierd its reality down here
    god i love australia

  • @thelotharingian7500
    @thelotharingian7500 Před rokem +1

    I'm surprised by every hit song because every song on the radio bores me to tears and I instantly say blekh and change the channel and flip around until the least bad song appears. And then I land back at the start several times. Don't get a radio

  • @bon12121
    @bon12121 Před rokem +3

    8:00 As an Australian I can confirm that self deprecating humour is a staple. CZcams Americans vs Aussies: RAP BATTLE. 3M views. Complete depreciation. And we LOVE it.

  • @leonardogoes2031
    @leonardogoes2031 Před rokem +9

    I mean, even Skrillex and dubstep had their time dominating the 10's

  • @SageSpider2024
    @SageSpider2024 Před rokem +10

    Rude I think was a great fusion of Reggae and pop. The appeal behind Rude is that it was a great song to sing along to, with a catchy hook, and good instrumentals while sounding different than anything that was put out there at the time. The song also knows how to switch up the melody enough without it being annoyingly repetitive. I would say it had a lot going for it.

  • @malcolmhodnett8874
    @malcolmhodnett8874 Před rokem +2

    I appreciate you helping me think about music

  • @colin6603
    @colin6603 Před rokem +19

    Haven’t seen the video but I hope Pepper by the Butthole Surfers is in it. Literally the weirdest band ever and somehow scored a hit in the 90s.

    • @gabrieldavid3308
      @gabrieldavid3308 Před rokem +1

      Great pick! Wonderful and weird song. My mom likes it, which may be saying something about how it broke out

    • @yourcommentisntfunnyv2709
      @yourcommentisntfunnyv2709 Před rokem

      Surprised Dracula from Houston also didn’t become that big a hit, however I still love everything the surfers made

  • @jgray2718
    @jgray2718 Před rokem +4

    Bohemian Rhapsody is wild. I've never understood why it was a hit, all while enjoying it.
    I think the lesson in these songs is that if something is fun to listen to it can be a hit, but audiences are more open to new and weird stuff than studios think. The Safety Dance, Rock Me Amadeus, Whip It, and plenty of others are great, weird songs that a listener doesn't need to understand to enjoy. The flute on Down Under, Hey There Delilah, the whole Owl City...vibe, I guess? and more are easy to enjoy. Listeners might not come back for a ton more of the same, but it's all a good diversion from the whole studio-heavy pop-rock thing while still being fun in their own way.

  • @djtripp7077
    @djtripp7077 Před rokem +8

    Making a playlist with all these songs

  • @SUNSHINE-t-m
    @SUNSHINE-t-m Před rokem +8

    failed to consider rude being reggae lmao

  • @QNPMEDIA
    @QNPMEDIA Před rokem +33

    I think time will remember "Bad and Boujee" by Migos as being the song that did for trap music what "It takes 2" by Rob Base and EZ Rock did for rap music. It introduced white audiences to a scene without diluting it or adding a white feature.

    • @rowdyjman94
      @rowdyjman94 Před rokem

      Actually me & my friends knew about "bad & boujee" before it hit #1 because it was released around Halloween weekend during the fall semester while I was in college and everybody played it at their house parties

    • @pyrokatarina
      @pyrokatarina Před rokem +1

      That was a bit strange to me too because i wasn't expecting everyone to suddenly rap along such a song, well because they were mumbling, but also, at the time, songs were very upbeat and would make you dance to them. But I guess several months before it became a hit, Panda was already mainstream, so it wasn't as surprising as I was discovering Panda

    • @QNPMEDIA
      @QNPMEDIA Před rokem

      @@pyrokatarina It ain't mumbling lol. That's just how folks on ATL talk. People like TI and Luda we're changing how they talk for y'all.

    • @pyrokatarina
      @pyrokatarina Před rokem

      @@QNPMEDIA i was talking about the genre of rap that they did, they were mumble rapping in the track considering that Quavo and Lil Uzi are known for mumble rapping

  • @teemusid
    @teemusid Před rokem +5

    I'm disappointed that "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown wasn't mentioned. #2 in the US, and #1 in Canada and UK.
    The song starts with Arthur screaming "I am the God of hellfire."

  • @DaKaiserr
    @DaKaiserr Před rokem +5

    Nah bro, you cant call Falco '' just an Austrian Dude''... He is the most famous Austrian musician ever. The first Austrian made /German speaking song EVER ON THE #1 IN THE US CHARTS. He was just great. RIP

    • @Spitfirethedragon
      @Spitfirethedragon Před 11 měsíci +1

      Yeah, plus he had 5 top 40 hits on the mainstream radio airplay charts as well.

    • @NateS917
      @NateS917 Před 5 měsíci

      he's too gassed up

  • @Ruinwyn
    @Ruinwyn Před rokem +4

    Barbie girl isn't a novelty song. It's a commentary on superficial plastic society.

  • @ianco2437
    @ianco2437 Před rokem +2

    Words cannot explain how much I love the silly and lighthearted nature of Down Under.

  • @docrussojr
    @docrussojr Před rokem +3

    The Weeknd - The Hills
    Eminem - My Name is
    Eminem - Stan

  • @panozboi8133
    @panozboi8133 Před rokem +2

    Kraftwerk had a number one hit in the uk but not only one song but two the weird mesh of Das Model and Computerworld being number one is fucking weird and just as surreal as Oingo Boingo make a huge hit called ‘Weird Science’ Ween was huge in Australia with Push The Little Daisies due to fucking Beavis and Butthead reviewing and critiquing the song. Loaded by Primal Scream, Setting Sun and Let Forever Be by The Chemical Brothers, Windowlicker by Aphex Twin and Karma Police, No Surprises and Paranoid Android are literally hits over here in the UK, it’s a fever dream to remember that they were hits, even Alt-J has Breezeblocks and Tesselate charted on the UK singles,

  • @sgtlaughter
    @sgtlaughter Před rokem +1

    Mambo Number 5 is not a novelty song. It holds up.

  • @safetymatches8873
    @safetymatches8873 Před rokem +5

    Barbie girl isn't a novelty song. Its pretty much completely in line with other eurodance that was huge at the time.

  • @astallas6098
    @astallas6098 Před rokem +6

    Rock me Amadeus is a MASTERPIECE and I will hear nothing more about it. Falco is an Icon

  • @phoebexxlouise
    @phoebexxlouise Před rokem +5

    Good music is surprising. It has surprises in it. That's how it stays fresh.

  • @papaversomniferum8508
    @papaversomniferum8508 Před rokem +3

    9:24 finally someone mentions my boy falco in a video about weird music. funfact, people in austria still adore him for his music even 20 years after he died. he‘s like a national hero lol

  • @TheRareVideosXL
    @TheRareVideosXL Před rokem +1

    Great content as always.

  • @A_Ducky
    @A_Ducky Před rokem +6

    "Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls" is a banger that deserves #1. Good on UK for that!

  • @scxttpilgrim1054
    @scxttpilgrim1054 Před rokem +28

    Closer by Nine inch Nails might be one of the weirdest things that ever touched the mainstream

    • @geezus4418
      @geezus4418 Před rokem +5

      Also a top 5 song of all time.

    • @alexolds9840
      @alexolds9840 Před rokem +6

      Doesn’t make it any less awesome, though.

    • @gabrieldavid3308
      @gabrieldavid3308 Před rokem

      Yup

    • @jodiefinnigan4651
      @jodiefinnigan4651 Před 11 měsíci

      It's also an absolute masterpiece, and I say that as someone whose favourite genres are folk pop and Swedish techno...

  • @ruikamo
    @ruikamo Před 8 měsíci +1

    Bohemian Rapsody is so cool! Every single time I was at a Party and the song was played the whole mood changed and everyone just began singing

  • @AnUncreativePerson
    @AnUncreativePerson Před rokem +4

    I like how Fireflies went number one. It shows if you be yourself life will work out.

  • @steezgawdextraswa6906
    @steezgawdextraswa6906 Před rokem +4

    rude used to be my fav song when i was a kiddo

  • @doomdais
    @doomdais Před rokem +6

    the fact that I loved all the "ground breaking artists" you mentioned is weird. something about fireflies, somebody that I used to know, royals, pompeii, and bad guy popping up out of nowhere made me sometimes want to listen to the radio.
    but songs like bang bang and shake it off made me hate popular music at the same time. (this is just my opinion, no hate to anyone music taste.)

    • @doomdais
      @doomdais Před rokem +2

      now we have things like bastille's bad blood, imagine dragons, top, Lorde, alt j, Phoebe Bridgers, Florence and the machine, aurora, clairo, mitski, and even Jack stauber getting some recognition and becoming more prevalent through the internet and apps like tiktok and twitter.

  • @realmackle
    @realmackle Před rokem +6

    She blinded me with science has always been one of my favorite songs. It just has so much goofy energy, I love it

  • @bigtoot7144
    @bigtoot7144 Před rokem +6

    Would have definitely put safety dance by men without hats on here

    • @countyfacts6920
      @countyfacts6920 Před rokem +3

      Safety Dance is 100x weirder than Down Under--I can say that much.

    • @thelegoboy-sq7jj
      @thelegoboy-sq7jj Před rokem +1

      it sounds exactly like the 80s to me

    • @countyfacts6920
      @countyfacts6920 Před rokem +1

      @@thelegoboy-sq7jj Did you listen to the full version?
      And also, the point we're making is that Down Under is 0% weird.

  • @w5527
    @w5527 Před rokem +1

    I remember my dad putting Hocus Pocus on and I immediately loved the yodeling, the amazing guitar work, and then the other random “vocals” like the super high whistling.

  • @boimesa8190
    @boimesa8190 Před rokem +4

    That Uh Oh Song too... So off key 🤣

  • @bfffth
    @bfffth Před rokem +2

    As soon as I read the title, the first song that came to mind was "Here's Johnny" by Hocus Pocus. I'm from Australia and over here in 1995 it was a #1 hit for weeks, and was also the first dance song to top the charts with no radio support.

  • @shyghoststudios2583
    @shyghoststudios2583 Před rokem +13

    Glad to see Owl City get talked about. Oddly enough I love all these critical acclaimed artists like Bjork, Kendrick, Tyler the Creator, LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes ETC. Plus all other artists and genres, but Adam Young of Owl City is who got me into music strangely enough. If you look in his back catalog there is some catchy ear worm electropop music. Plus he's got other projects like Sky Sailing, Port Blue, Aquarium ETC. I definitely think Owl City should've gotten more exposure during that time, but it's the mystery of how Fireflies got so big that really adds to the project I feel like.

  • @magpie1353
    @magpie1353 Před rokem +2

    sometimes i only realize how strange a song is when i go to put it in a playlist

  • @mjpt1387
    @mjpt1387 Před rokem +7

    Ngl as a person who loves reggae, I actually like Rude.

    • @pyrokatarina
      @pyrokatarina Před rokem

      Even if u don't like reggae you would still like it, maybe except if you dont come from 2014 era

  • @zzzjamie-dimaulozzz
    @zzzjamie-dimaulozzz Před rokem +4

    Mic the snare was not happy when he saw crazy frog there

  • @connorpowers11
    @connorpowers11 Před rokem +4

    i wish i had your voice dawg it’s so cool 😭

  • @vampire_juicebox
    @vampire_juicebox Před rokem +1

    I was not expecting this video to be SO nostalgic

  • @packer7915
    @packer7915 Před rokem +2

    So, you're telling me that Bob the Builder covered Mambo No. 5? How did I not know this?

  • @SergioR00
    @SergioR00 Před rokem +4

    Rude was fire idgaf if anybody says otherwise 🤣

    • @Blockoumi
      @Blockoumi Před rokem

      go listen to some good reggae first

    • @patty1181
      @patty1181 Před rokem

      @@Blockoumi there isn't such a thing as good or bad reggae. Reggae is inherently awesome

    • @Blockoumi
      @Blockoumi Před rokem

      @@patty1181 okay yeah, "to some cooler reggae"

  • @FabioGnecco
    @FabioGnecco Před rokem +2

    Awww Shock G at the intro ;;
    RIP him and Biz