With over 31 million YouTube views, I think its safe to say that this jam resonated with quite a large crowd. The song was released as the lead single of Semisonic's album Feeling Strangely Fine. The song was even nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1999 and it reached number one status on modern rock tracks. Lead signer Dan Wilson confirmed, during a concert performance, that the song was written in anticipation of fatherhood but he disguised it because he knew his band ates would get sick of playing a song about his kids.
"Closing Time" was featured in the 2010 film Due Date during a scene when Danny McBride beats up the film's two main characters. The song was also featured in the 2011 film Friends with Benefits and an episode of The Office in season eight.
Mickey by Toni Basil
So no they're not singing about the infamous Mickey Mouse. "Mickey" was recorded in 1982 by singer and choreographer Toni Basil for her debut album Word of Mouth. The song was originally titled as "Kitty" but later on during recordings the name was changed to Mickey so the song would be about a man since a female was singing the song. The popular video is considered the first choreographed dance video of all time and the opening stunt shows a cheerleader jumping through the center of a human pyramid. The single reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week and was named number five on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of All Time.
Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas
"Kung Fu Fighting" is a song written and performed by Carl Douglas. The record has sold eleven million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling singles of all time. Many music critics believe that the song helped popularize disco music. The song was recorded last minute in the studio in the last ten minutes of studio time and it only took two takes. Initially the song was another song to fill the B side of the cassette however, after producers heard the recording they bumped the song to the A side of the cassette.
Tainted Love by Soft Cell
Soft Cell's single "Tainted Love" has been covered by numerous groups and artists. The song was originally rejected by the band's production but in 1973 a British club DJ Richard Searling played the song during a club performance. Slowly but surely the song gained a huge underground following and in 1976 the band re-recorded the single and released it as a single but it still didn't do to well on the music charts. Then in 1981, the band recorded the song with a different vocal and musical arrangement and huge success followed. The song climbed the charts in the US and UK.
You Get What You Give by New Radicals
"You Get What You Give" performed by New Radicals has appeared on the 1999 compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 2, Warner Bros. 2004 Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Sony Pictures animated film Surf's Up in 2007, and in the movie Click in 2006. The music video was filmed in the Staten Island Mall in New York. Lead singer Gregg Alexander said he chose the setting because he sees the shopping mall as a metaphor for society. He believes there are a lot of fake people in malls and the environment is engineered to encourage overspending. He believes the song speaks heavily to the stereotypes and fake nature that lives within society's mainstream.
Puttin' on the Ritz by Taco
"Puttin' on the Ritz" by originally written by Irving Berlin and left unpublished and unrecorded. The song was recorded by the band Taco and released in 1983 as a single for their album After Eight. Two versions of the song were recorded - one including a tap dance solo in the middle of the song to honor late Fred Astaire. The song made Berlin one of the oldest ever living songwriter's to have one of his compositions enter the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Come On Eileen Dexy's by Midnight Runners
"Come On Eileen" was originally released in the UK in 1982 and was the first release for Midnight Runners' album Too-Rye-Ay. The main section of the song begins with a Celtic style fiddle played over a drum beat, with the bass guitar and piano accompanying. According to song writer Kevin Rowland, there is actually no real Eileen. In an interview Rowland said, "In fact she was composite, to make a point about Catholic repression." The single prevented Michael Jackson, in 1983, from having back-to-back number one hits in the US - Billie Jean and Beat It.
Who Let the Dogs Out? by Baha Men
In 2000, "Who Let the Dogs Out?" was the most popular song. The song was written by Anslem Douglas and covered by Baha Men. The track went on to win the Grammy for Best Dance Recording at the 2001 Grammy Awards. The song was used in the Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and is used at many sporting events in the US. In 2007, Rolling Stone identified the song as one of the 20 most annoying songs however, the track is still widely played.
