ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc.

Find out the story of "Funkytown," the earworm that managed to survive the death of disco! (Support Todd on Patreon: / toddintheshadows )

[@michaelmcdonald8452]

I once had a friend refer to this group as “Lips Incorporated” with complete seriousness.

[@Vladdyboy]

I mean. That IS what Lipps Inc. stands for... the pun is only second nature. I see it as calling them by their full name rather than the shorter nickname.

[@PIXPromosMore]

Could be worse, somebody could refer to E.L.O. as "elo"

[@AdamTPersonette]

I feel like he should we wrapped up in a blanket and told to sit down in a hushed soothing voice while holding him close

[@crescentfreshbret]

This is something I would’ve done... and probably did. I didn’t get the joke in the name until just recently.

[@zombiedodge1426]

That’s what Siri calls them when you ask to play this song on Spotify!

[@robinchesterfield42]

Back when I played Animal Crossing, I unironically named my town "Funkyton" (they only give you eight letters), made a surprisingly decent/recognisable picture of a disco ball the town flag, AND, as soon as I found out you could make the town "anthem" whatever you want, guess what? Yep. THAT SYNTH RIFF. I regret nothing. :D

[@theschoolgy1985]

Thank you, I’ll be stealing this idea

[@imfamoushero]

That reminds me I just named a Minecraft world “Funkytown” LMAO

[@rachellochness]

My animal crossing new leaf town is called funktown haha

[@planescaped]

God I can't wait for New Horizons... it looks as amazing as Sword/Shield was mediocre.

[@livingbirthcontrol8145]

best animal crossing player ever?

[@gamerguy425]

This song is like the opposite of "video killed the radio star" That song was the most 80s song EVER and made in 1979, this is a quintessential disco song made in 1980.

[@justanotheranimeprofilepic]

They deserve each other

[@derdritte7957]

Both were made in 1979.

[@WereDictionary]

@@derdritte7957 wikipedia says march 1980

[@derdritte7957]

@@WereDictionary Wikipedia also says: It was [...] released as the second single from the group's debut studio album, Mouth to Mouth (1979).

[@jwardbass4452]

@@derdritte7957ahhh, that explains it. the single itself was just released in 1980. strange choice given that disco died but the song is just undeniably great. rare power.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

"He went into web design, which. I mean, look at him yeah." That one got a REAL hard laugh out of me lol

[@91Vault]

it took me over a second to realize this was new and todd hasn't actually already done funky town

[@yeltseingeorge3125]

I was going crazy tryna figure it out...I thought it was a re-upload

[@user-du6vx7ir7m]

New to this, are most videos from like 2013-2016 because that’s what it feels like unless Todd is just such a boomer everything he says makes him sound old lol

[@Froggievilleus]

So glad that I wasn't the only one who thought this. I figured that KZbin's algorithm popped this gem up for me.

[@pablograssdestroyerofass6965]

holy shit this was uploaded today lmao

[@ms06fzakuii26]

i swear to god i remember him doing funky town

[@HappyMan0203]

I remember the first time I heard this song was "Shrek 2" when I was a kid. That movie had a pretty awesome soundtrack, honestly.

[@Annafyz]

same here

[@waynegoodman135]

Eels- I Need To Sleep(awesome track!)

[@MatteoTomatto]

I don't even like Counting Crows but I still can't get "Accidentally In Love" out of my head. Plus, that movie introduced me to Bonnie Tyler.

[@bacht4799]

Wayne Goodman Agee.. and Tom Waits: a little drop of poise..

[@santiagobauza4257]

The first two Shrek movies had amazing soundtracks. It's the reason the first Proclaimers song I knew wasn't I'm Gonna Be

[@BigBrezzy]

15:33 Fun fact: this song would later be sampled by Polish rapper Cypis in his song "Gdzie jest biały węgorz? ("Where is the white eel?"). As you may guess, this rather depressing record is about the singer's struggles with cocaine addiction, but it would be best known internationally as the soundtrack to the Polish Cow meme.

[@AaronAnaya]

I knew that sample before that meme blew up only because of this video lol.

[@BigBrezzy]

@@AaronAnaya I immediately jolted up in my seat as soon as I heard that synth line.

[@gogovish]

when i heard that i was like "i heard that in that cow song"

[@Lastclerk3]

When is Todd ever going to cover Lindanna and her hit song “I’m Lindanna and I wanna have fun”? Sure she had the typical one hit, BUT she married another one hit wonder in Max Modem. Their kids passion for music not only reunited Love Händel, but they also had their own one hit wonder story as Phineas and the Ferbtones with “Gitchee Gitchee Goo” The Flynn-Fletcher Dynasty of one hit wonders deserves an episode!

[@brendamartin8458]

Todd 100% does not get this reference but it’s still good!

[@MattMcIrvin]

"Whoa, whoa, that's a little too Seventies for the Eighties! Just push the button and let the machine do the work!"

[@williameyelash8053]

Thank you! YEEEES we need that episode ASAP

[@Hola-tq4pg]

@@brendamartin8458 Phineas and Ferb got old enough already to be remembered by young millenials and zoomers, he might get an idea of what they guy said

[@NJGuy1973]

And Lindanna name-checked two other one-hit wonders.

[@samboujaiteh3331]

Funkytown. The last hit single of the disco genre. Inspired by Kraftwerk. Incensed the career of Prince. This song is the lynchpin of music history.

[@ExplizitDuester]

Haha like how there would have been now death row records without vanilla ice

[@santiagobauza4257]

Was is the last hit single of disco? Give It Up by disco staple KC and the Sunshine Band reached the top 20 and No. 1 in the UK in 82/83.

[@ktee1403]

@@santiagobauza4257 I was also gonna say Donna Summer 'She Works Hard For The Money'. Also 1983. I think that was the official last year of disco.

[@darganx]

@@ktee1403 the OP is right.. the line was drawn at 1980, Ms. Summer was doing duets with Barbara Streisand FFS! By 1983 she was a born again Christian, singing songs written by Jon Anderson of Yes (State of Independence) and 'She Works Hard For The Money' was pure 80s largesse, more Flashdance then anything Disco. Back to this track.. in the era of New Wave, Two-Tone Ska and the New Romantics, it was a curtain closer with a nod to the future: the violins of Chic (even Nile Rodgers had moved on by this time!) mixed with the programmed beats similar to Arthur Baker or Italo House (although Giorgio Moroder and Cerrone were playing with this concept in the 70s) - I would say this was the last Disco hit before it went back underground and re-emerged as Dance/House in the mid-80s.

[@ktee1403]

@@darganx good response! I agree. Sometimes I find it difficult to separate the artist from the genre. I always think of Donna Summer as the queen of disco, but her music did evolve in the 80s. When you listen to Bad Girls ('79) and She Works Hard ('83) you can definitely hear the change.

[@Mr96POP]

I can’t believe it’s been nearly 10 years since Todd talked about Pseudo Echo’s cover of “Funkytown” in his Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1987 video.

[@fatnin13]

Wait, really? Man, I feel old now.

[@pawnhearts8785]

10 years and I’m still waiting for the One hit wonderland for Brandy(You’re a fine girl) by Looking Glass

[@lillydalliesaboutthings]

Not sure how to feel as someone who loves Pseudo Echos cover xD

[@AlexVorstermans]

My parents are avid Psuedo Echo fans (even saw them in concert at the time and recently), many mornings have been spent walking out of my bedroom to hear them blasting Crazy Town or What an Adventure

[@SonofMrPeanut]

@@pawnhearts8785 "Bellbottom Blues"

[@MsClaudiaDuran]

This song was the death of disco, but it was something more. It passed the baton to the classic 80's sound that we know today. Right before the guitar riff in the chorus, there's a deep, base-like synthesiser. THAT sound and style was used by every major pop artist of the 80's, from the opening of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" to the opening of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". "Funkytown" was disco's dying breath that whispered to the 80's "Live long and prosper", and the 80's delivered.

[@GUNUFofficial]

It's like a dying solider saluting to his son, telling him to carry his legacy.

[@therebelreaper1486]

It was also there for the death of someone else

[@HaonProductions]

"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to get through this thing called life..."

[@LividImp]

Funkytown was able to hit in the 80s because of that synth. By '83 synth was king, and Funkytown managed to thread the needle between disco and synthpop.

[@anenigma8378]

If you say "Funkytown" 3 times in front of a mirror, a pianist will play the iconic synth line right behind you.

[@Musicradio77Network]

That synth line was later used in an arcade game called “Fantasy” by SNK in 1981 in the jungle stage, and the voodoo stage.

[@MiniMackeroni]

H-he won't... leave... He just keeps playing the same riff over and over.

[@uzimyspecial]

@@MiniMackeroni I guess you gotta make a move to a town that's right for you, now?

[@jamesparson]

Now how do I make it stop?

[@Spanishdog17]

Disco never really died. It went underground and evolved into House music. It never died in Europe and then became Italo Disco and French House. There were even US Disco bands like The Crown Heights Affair that were popular in Europe but not in America.

[@LeoMidori]

Fair enough. Daft Punk certainly has HUGE disco roots.

[@RobertJRoman]

Quincy Jones said in the mid eighties that eighties dance music (like Madonna) was just disco with an acceptable pink nipple

[@ACETYGRA]

Plus if anything at least disco music was more interesting and colorful then Air Supply or Rupert Holmes or any of the other random yacht rock crap that replaced it in 1980/81.

[@joshyoder871]

@@RobertJRoman Speaking of...I'm wondering if Todd is going to get flagged for that blonde in the sheer top? ^_^

[@buppy_gaming]

@@LeoMidori all house does

[@ChristoTitan]

Why on earth was Cynthia Johnson not in any of the original videos? She's absolutely gorgeous.

[@danmseattle975]

Yes, she certainly is! Strikingly beautiful.

[@nate567987]

well the 2nd video was clearly made for white folks

[@burr1aj]

There was a lot of silent racism in the early music video days, and especially in the first few weeks (or probably months, I don't know, I wasn't born until 87) of MTV.

[@brunixot1]

Exactly

[@witherblaze]

@@burr1aj I remember CBS tried to sue MTV for discrimination when they didn't accept Billie Jean music video

[@MrODigga]

"What's more evocative to the gay experience than wanting to get the fuck out of a nowhere town and go somewhere where there's an actual scene?" Either Todd is one of us, or he has an incredible amount of insight into the queer experience for a straight person.

[@thatkidwiththehoodie]

It’s come up a couple of times in his videos and his podcasts that he’s about as straight as it gets. He’s just a decent guy with a lot of queer friends.

[@RenaldyCalixte]

@@thatkidwiththehoodie Todd just seems to understand what the LGBT plus community celebrates.

[@lasarousi]

That's kind of human nature in show business and almost nothing to do with your groin or groin preference.

[@RCSDominoToppling]

Lol I was thinking the same thing. Like, that was so spot on it hurts (especially living in Wyoming for now)

[@meowtherainbowx4163]

@@lasarousi That’s true to an extent, but just because the experiences of gay people are comprehensible and relatable to others doesn’t mean they’re all the same. As a 22-year-old straight guy from a not particularly sheltering family, I still find myself learning new things about the experiences of gay and other LGBT+ people.

[@GrantH]

This is definitely a good “transition” song in terms of trends, which is probably why is was able to survive the disco backlash. Obviously still a disco-style beat, but the stabbing synth melody was a sign of things to come.

[@Hakajin]

Keen observation!

[@56jklove]

@TC Fenstermaker so is off the wall count as disco or post disco?

[@charliemoll5435]

Disco type beat

[@guguigugu]

yes, i never really percieved it as a disco song it sounds a lot more 80s than 70s

[@ACETYGRA]

@@56jklove I've always viewed Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album as the sort of last big gasp for disco while songs such as "Upside Down" by Diana Ross and "Take the Time(Do it Right)" by SOS band were essentially the last blatantly disco songs to be hits on the pop charts (Both songs were hits in the summer of 1980.)

[@IndigoRose13]

Speaking as a Swede, it's always so weird when I hear Americans talking about 'the death of disco', because in most of Europe, disco never really went away. I was so confused the first time I heard the term 'deader than disco' because as far as I was concerned 'disco' was basically an evergreen presence in the music world.

[@denisenova7494]

Europeans call every kind of dance music "Disco". Many use to word "Disco" for all kinds of dance clubs and raves. Many songs that Europeans consider Disco is called Dance or Dance Music in the US. Or even Euro Dance. What Americans call Disco is heavily associated with the 70s, a certain style to dress and with funky music.

[@theobuniel9643]

Meanwhile here in the Philippines, disco didn't die in the 80s, in fact it fucking thrived, even. Disco survived and went alongside the new wave explosion. Even today Filipino boomers dance to old disco hits like it's 40 years ago.

[@willowweedsYT]

Denise Nova I do think we use the word in a broader sense, but I think that's more for the fact that it didn't become a dirty word here and the genre was allowed to develop, it is still the same sound.

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Thats because the death of disco in America was racist, but other cultures didn't have the same issue. Shortest way to put it. Its just never acknowledged what events took place that switched it so rapidly in the span of months in this one place while everyone else continued to build on the genre.

[@Ryoga2K]

Yes.. same in Mexico, that's why designer music did so well, I mean it was their second single after the massive funky town , obviously was going to do well, by that time , when US output started to decline italodisco from Europe started to take its place and Canadian disco too, that kind of more electronic disco started to be called "hi-nrg" but I guess only to get in line with the charts of the neighbor country, dance versions of tracks and whatnot still stated (disco version) on them, like it wasn't like "it died today" it was more of a slow phase out of the name

[@krisstarring]

"Funkytown" was inspired by Kraftwerk. In a way, it was the bridge between the disco era of the 70's and the New Wave/synthpop era of the 80's. It firmly belongs in 1980 as part of an era of transition.

[@anamelessyoutuber1462]

I'm showing my age when I say "I know this song because of Shrek 2".

[@TMC1982Part2]

I always associate "Funkytown" with being in the trailers to Dumb and Dumber.

[@dallonpainter2674]

Basically everyone born in the last 20 or so years associate it with Shrek 2, Malcolm in the Middle, or Mexico

[@pingu4938]

​@@dallonpainter2674Now that last one was just uncalled for Like what happened to the guy in that video

[@LifesNeverHumDrum]

Same

[@BenEd2]

Genuinely impressive that you made it the whole way through without mentioning Shrek 2

[@lancerutt9936]

After his time

[@paradise2pink]

I'm surprised the comment section isn't full of Shrek references.

[@ccateni28]

I forgot they had it in Shrek 2.

[@courtneyjohnsonhaber4591]

If Funky Town is responsible for Purple Rain, we owe so much to Steve Greenburg.

[@IamGaby]

ummmmmmmmmm it is not. dont get it twisted Prince is his own genre

[@courtneyjohnsonhaber4591]

@@IamGaby oh of course!

[@hollandscottthomas]

I used to work for the keyboardist from Pseudo Echo in a record store and we'd occasionally drop Funky Town over the loudspeakers for a laugh. "Fuckers still owe me money", he'd say. Good dude.

[@felixcroc]

The "dancing polish cow" song is built off a sample of the How Long cover

[@geoffreyexcellent4199]

Just realized this, my mind is blown by such a obscure connection between the two...

[@lemonworm]

i was literally just thinking how their backlog seems extremely sampleable

[@rauldjvp3053]

Woah

[@UnorthodoxIndividual]

Nobody: Todd: *Oh boy 3AM*

[@carybeweary7209]

Thank God I'm an unemployed drunk!

[@giuliaalvarez-katz3213]

actually it’s just in time for my european morning he’s just considerate of his international viewers!!!!

[@davidwright1577]

The painted cow

[@TheWwwyzzerdd]

You know, she sings about wanting to go to Funkytown, but I've always wondered what she was going to do once she got to Funkytown. They should make a sequel called "Welp, I Made It To Funkytown (Now I Need a Job)."

[@EpicB]

Funkytown 2

[@hebneh]

The sequel would be incredibly easy to do: "Now I've made the move to a town that's right for me / Town that keeps me movin', keeps me groovin' with some energy / Well, I talked about it...(etc.)...Well, now I'm here in - Funky Town / Now I'm here in - Funky Town", etc. Since it's now 40 years later, millions of people who don't know the original could be sucked in, thinking this was a fabulous new funky song!

[@SebasnatorHDChannel]

Gone Hollywood -Supertramp

[@Aforementioned]

@@EpicB Funky-two-n?

[@wfbgenius]

Todd talking about how a decade doesn’t actually start or end anything doesn’t feel great thinking about how abruptly 2020 burned everything to the ground.

[@FredyeahEternal]

"Designer Music was a huge hit in Mexico", mate, its because post-disco never died in here, if you have 15 minutes to spare look for Vice's "The Last HI-NRG Ravers in Mexico" video (spoilers, its not even close to dying 7 years later, it's actually growing)

[@planescaped]

Greenberg is a caricature of a socially awkward guy. XD I love it.

[@Braxant]

And a caricature of a New York Jew lol

[@Nebuchadnezzar31]

I love your avatar is Mighty Boosh Hitcher

[@ChromeDestiny]

@SoreThumbChronicles David Cross too.

[@DarthSocks]

I did not realize that Funky Town was considered disco. I always assumed it was synth-pop like Safety Dance. Thanks for the music documentaries, Todd.

[@simongunkel7457]

Seems like a matter of place, if it came out of Sheffield it'd be synth pop, but hailing from Philly makes it the last leg of Disco. I think in Europe Disco just became more synthetic and by the time it crossed over to the US it was synth pop, much like Rock ended up going back as Beat. i mean, you just have to look to Mark Almond and Jimmy Summervilles cover of I feel love to get a sense of the continuity. And Vince Clark is just a very Disco person, period.

[@marquisdelafayette1929]

Simon Gunkel really? I’m from Philly and didn’t know that. We worship Rocky and Eye Of The Tiger. If in thousands of years an advanced civilization will find the statue of Rocky and think it was a great god that was worshipped by the population and they would be right.

[@MattMcIrvin]

As he eventually gets around to saying, the line between disco and synth-heavy 1980s dance music is really blurry, and there's a lot of stuff there that would have been called disco if it had come out when disco was considered cool. They just took out most of the Giorgio Moroder strings.

[@josh44026]

@@simongunkel7457 have you heard of post disco

[@Thomas_Dim95]

Holy cow, that "How Long" cover is the sample used in the Dancing Polish Cow meme.

[@nv52895]

today, i've just learned that there are like six different types of post one hit wonder careers for one hit wonders A. the ones where they get a large following in another country (ex: scatman john, mr. big, lipps inc) B. the ones that end up ghostwriting for future mainstream pop artists (ex. mitchell allan from sr-71, dan wilson from semisonic, gregg alexander from new radicals) C. the ones that leave their showbiz world behind and move to tech (ex. chamillionaire, mims, thomas dolby) D. the ones who milk their chosen hit for other generations (ex. right said fred, los del rio, lou bega) E. the ones that actually have another or more top 40 billboard hit(s) but are often thrown on the one hit wonder section due to their big hit being big in pop culture media (ex. a flock of seagulls, men without hats, hanson) F. the ones that hide in shame for their embarrassing one hit (ex. debby boone, baha men, the calling)

[@microwavegrilledtomato]

There are also artists who just kind of do their own thing and continue to make music, like chumbawamba or the butthole surfers. There are also artists who spend years desperately trying to find the next hit and not succeeding

[@luasdublin]

Theres G which is the British/European/Australian etc band/artist that had a string of hits in their home territory , and continued to have them after that one song that made the US charts ...basically Aha/The Cardigans/Dexys etc (Kind of a variation on A and E

[@sirgemini5743]

can't forget the ones who don't get pissed off if you call them a one hit wonder and just can't deny that they only had 15 minutes of fame with one chosen song like carl douglas and white town.

[@williameyelash8053]

Lol I was about to comment something along the lines of: what are you talking about failed follow up? Designer music is *super popular* I can't escape that song.... Are you doing a bit with a plot twist as you sometimes do because there is no way that song isn't popular I... Todd: it was huge In Mexico and Philipinnes Me a mexican: OH.....

[@pawnhearts8785]

Screw Todd for insulting Ambrosia. They are an underrated prog rock band. Check out their eponymous debut album. It’s a prog masterpiece

[@barbarrojaa.c.4761]

Without knowing Designer Music's name, as a Mexican I agree. I heard the riff and immediately knew which song it was. No idea it was by the Funkytown guys. Weird world

[@spongejoseandres]

I remember being introduced to Designer Music through Molotov's cover of it. Good times.

[@thomashanke4857]

The a-ha effect here in Europe 🙋🏼

[@midnighter2k]

Sadly not the first time Todd attacks a song that was literaly HUGE in Mexico. When he began is tirade against designer music i though to myself: Not again!

[@michaelbiscay9836]

I feel like an idiot for only just now becoming aware of the "Lipps Inc." & "lip sync" correlation. Thanks, Todd.

[@irs2486]

lips incorporated

[@amberdent651]

The thing about Funkytown is that if you've seen _that video,_ then you can't ever hear it the same. If you haven't seen it, god bless you and don't go looking for it.

[@naikigutierrez4279]

The one where they mash up Funkytown with Closer by NIN?

[@amberdent651]

@@naikigutierrez4279 Um. No. Are you in a position to receive information that might hurt you? (It’s one of the grisliest snuff videos on the internet of a guy being skinned alive by the cartel. Do not go looking for it.)

[@naikigutierrez4279]

@@amberdent651 I actually did locate info about the video you were referring to on another comment on this video.

[@lionmanemusic]

god yeah, it’s hard to even watch this video

[@julianobarbisan4193]

I've never watched the video (and hopefully never will), but just knowing what happens in it is enough send chills down my spine everytime I hear the song

[@paulyearley1084]

It's aggressively vapid, but goes SO HARD and I unironically love it. I say with the last two records I bought having been early Whitehouse.

[@chefbanjo8139]

The Prince observation rocked something fundamental in my brain.

[@NinjaDash360]

Yeah, kinda unexpected for Flyte Time to be connected to Funkytown lol

[@NinjaDash360]

@@rommix0 oh yeah I know the whole story. It's very interesting to see the early days of the minneapolis music scene back in the 70s and 80s.

[@davestevens6283]

An introvert making a song for extroverts.

[@jocompp541]

My dad's 60th birthday was earlier this year. The theme was "bring the funk" and he went ALL OUT. Rented out a local bar for a private party, had a DJ playing exclusively funk music.... when this song came on my father jumped on stage and told everybody that they HAD to get on the dance floor. Started yelling out individual names because he didn't see them in the crowd. Everybody dances to Funkytown. That's just a rule or something.

[@clem1776]

Unfortunately for some people, this song is now associated with a certain Mexican man meeting a horrible fate

[@mc98smusicmoviereviews93]

Drug cartels basically hijacked this song. Poor Lipps Inc.

[@LoseMillion]

@@mc98smusicmoviereviews93 I can't really hear it how without thinking of the description of that video : (

[@mc98smusicmoviereviews93]

@@LoseMillion I've actually had the misfortune of seeing the video. Back in my edgy death/gore-obsessed days. Those days are MOSTLY gone now, thankfully.

[@LoseMillion]

@@mc98smusicmoviereviews93 The closest thing I’ve ever really seen to gore was Jackass and I’m such a pussy even that fucked me up. Good to hear that you’re getting back to being a normal person 👍

[@LewdConnoisseur]

One Hit Wonderland: What's Up by 4 Non Blondes You know you have to do that Todd.

[@UBvtuber]

He probably knows he'll have to reference HEYAYAYAY at some point and wants to avoid that.

[@timothy4097]

He said it was one of his least favorite songs ever. Like, maybe the worst.

[@EpicB]

I think the first time I heard that song was in elementary school. I forget the occasion but I think a staff member sang it. Including the line "get real high".

[@Drogon7102]

That will be the last one hit wonder he does. He hates it aloooooot.

[@Avrysatos]

Gonzo Lewd that song is so awful though. Why would we force him to listen to it over and over?

[@emirvmendoza]

So "Designer Music" is a Lipps, Inc. song, huh? I keep hearing this song where I live. Edit: Yes, the Philippines.

[@roguishpaladin]

I mean, it was either the Philippines or Mexico, right?

[@pawnhearts8785]

Too many walls by Cathy Dennis - One hit wonderland

[@johngregor6743]

@@pawnhearts8785 Kinda challenging given that "Touch Me (All Night Long)" and "Just Another Dream" were also hits.

[@danielvarela6259]

Mexican here, yes it was a big hit here.

[@khaimk4r4su]

@@danielvarela6259 "diseño rolas"

[@MrRYANG96]

Ever thought of doing a review of A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton or Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground?

[@gabe_s_videos]

I love both of those songs.

[@majinsole8554]

“Know if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go beat my...” Rod in the shadows. ~_~

[@jonahfalcon1970]

Oh, and 1980 also had Kool and the Gang's "Celebration". And that endured.

[@danieleatwell7757]

Also Earth, Wind and Fire's Let's Groove in 1981.

[@tonyhogg9839]

I really like a lot of songs from 80 and 81, but it is true there was not much of a direction pop music was going those two years.

[@jonahfalcon1970]

@@tonyhogg9839 Well, they tried to give the whitest music they could do, which is how Eddie Rabbit had a hit song. In 1982, Michael Jackson had arrived and that ended.

[@mikerivera373]

Another One Bites the Dust and Another Brick in the Wall were both massive hits in 1980, and those are two of the most iconic songs in the history of rock music

[@SonofMrPeanut]

I attribute that to the song becoming a bit of a Jock Jam (played at a lot of sporting events).

[@alextorch3416]

Funkytown is one of those songs where you know exactly two lines an the chorus and then nobody ever knows how the rest goes

[@4dultw1thj0b]

Wait, it has other lyrics?

[@valmarsiglia]

There's absolutely no comparison between 1980 NYC and 2020 NYC. Different space-time continuums entirely.

[@travisdelee8647]

Towelie doing funky town is still my favorite thing about South Park.

[@moviegeek5361]

I love that Todd’s embracing the disco decade more and more

[@RatelHBadger]

Play That Funky Music White Boy

[@zoidsfan12]

Wait till he discovers we are currently in another disco age. It's just more underground this time because its a derivative of vaporwave. Good ole futurefunk by far my favorite new genre.

[@TheProfessor529]

@@zoidsfan12 | And folks re/discovering things like City Pop. Disco and Funk were able to adapt and survive pretty much everywhere BUT the USA.

[@timmy841212]

Disco was/is fun. Least when you cut the cheese out (Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Ethel effing Merman lol).

[@santiagobauza4257]

@@zoidsfan12 Well, one of the biggest hits of the year so far is straight up Jamiroquai-ish post-disco. To my understanding Todd really likes it.

[@NEEDbacon]

So I'm a huge car guy and we had a similar phenomenon the decade earlier known as the "Muscle car era". From the release of the GOAT in 1964 to 1970 when laws were passed that brought everything to an end due to fuel and emissions. I was reading a book that had little blurbs regarding the cars and one of the last big mucle cars had one that went; "If you're going to show up late to a party bring one hell of a dip". Funkytown is the disco equivalent of that, a damn good 7 layer dip to a party on the wane.

[@andreasfrost-blade4689]

Is that about the 71 Superduty Trans Am?

[@NEEDbacon]

@@andreasfrost-blade4689 I think it was the 1970's Dodge Challenger.

[@andreasfrost-blade4689]

NEEDbacon I thought of that one too, but didn’t it eek out right before the regulations where passed, the Superduty was well after and still pretty comparable to the late sixties muscle, I may be wrong though about the regulations and the challenger.

[@charlessaints]

thanks to the gore scene, this song will forever mean somehting different to me

[@WhaleManMan]

Wdym

[@charlessaints]

@@WhaleManMan not that i recommend you go looking for it, but it's a narco video where there's a guy with his faced flayed off, hands cut off, and they are sawing through his neck with a box cutter. and dude is alive through all of it, cause supposedly they inject him with synthetic adrenaline. towards the end, funky town comes on in the background and one of the torturers is humming the song. i mean, there's sweet child of mine playing too, but they hum funky town. 🤷‍♂️ pretty messed up, to say the least

[@JohnDarksoul69]

imagine dying gruesomely and one of the last things you hear is funkytown playing in the background

[@JillLulamoon]

​@@charlessaints Very very messed up. I've seen people call it the worst gore video online and I'm inclined to agree. I think Ms. Pacman is only one arguably worse. What's even more unsettling is the origin being cartels is just speculation. Nobody really knows for sure who the poor guy is or what he did.

[@Jaceblue04]

I guess I should be thankful, then, that I don't explore the dark web O_O

[@KirstyBaba]

I can't believe the group responsible for Funkytown is responsible for the Polish Cow sample. Frankly I don't think I'll ever recover.

[@AGB-]

Me as a Mexican: Oh "Designer Music" yeah they like playing it in retro radio stations.

[@BizarreWords]

Yep. It was there at least once a week when I used to listen to Mix FM LOL

[@Kirbita22]

its insane to think that doesnt count as a hit in the us

[@rayelgatubelo]

Molotov is far from the biggest names in Mexican music, but their legacy will forever be soundtracking Latin radio stations on GTA games

[@CustomKnights]

@@rayelgatubelo Que mal que se fueron cuando mas los necesitamos :'(

[@Romanticideitzcoatl]

yeah, we are sometimes a magical place where US one hit wonders become two hit wonders or even more wonders XD

[@TheMgutierrez]

Todd: Designer Music was a hit in Philippines Me, with Filipino ears: Ok I can see why (its probably the oversinging)

[@pawnhearts8785]

Todd in needs to do a one hit wonderland episode for Layla by Derek and the Dominos

[@duffman18]

@@pawnhearts8785 Eric Clapton is about the furthest thing from a one hit wonder you can get. He's had hits in every decades he's played in. Layla is just one of them.

[@pawnhearts8785]

@duffman18 It’s a Derek and the Dominos song. Not an Eric clapton song. The whole band made it a hit.

[@duffman18]

@@pawnhearts8785 yes and "Derek" is Eric Clapton and the domino's were just his backing band. It's like when Prince changed his name to that symbol, it didn't stop him from being Prince. Eric wrote the song all by himself. And have you seen an episode of One Hit Wonder? Todd covers the entire history of the band/artist, before and after and during the hit. He takes into account whether say the artist was in a band before that were massively successful, and if they were, then they don't count as a one hit wonder. Eric doesn't count; just because he decided to change his stage name for one album, that doesn't mean he was a different artist. The band were like the band members of Wings, sure they're great but Paul was the only one people knew and cared about because he wrote everything and often performed every instrument during recording. Same deal with Eric here. Derek and the Dominoes were Eric's Wings Now is love to see him do an episode on Eric Clapton or maybe just that song anyway, because it'd probably be really good and a change from his normal kinda songs he reviews. But it wouldn't count as a one hit wonder, because Clapton is one of the most successful musicians in history Also if you wanna request one you've got to do it on patreon. He already has a big list of requests people have paid for that he's getting through but maybe he'll do the episode if you pay him enough, just not as a one hit wonder. But yeah man's gotta eat, he lives in NYC, he needs those patreon supporters

[@pawnhearts8785]

@duffman18 Jim Gordon, the pianist, basically wrote the second most iconic part of the song, the piano interlude in the second part. Also Duane Allman did the awesome slide solo and Carl Radle gave us the underrated groovy bassline that went nice under the guitars. Duane also wrote the iconic main riff btw

[@hdelmas1]

Lol wow. Moving out of Minneapolis, where the late great Prince made that one track about Rock and Roll living in That country...

[@IABITVpresents]

15:34 guys this is where the Polish cow song took the melody from

[@ROL4NDpkmnguide]

Feels weird that Greenberg wasn’t able to transition to a new wave sound

[@ischmidt]

Funkytown is primarily New Wave aside from the Nile Rodgers-sounding guitar riff in the chorus, so yeah, it's really weird that he couldn't figure out the 80s after that.

[@kal.e.4556]

Everyone in the comments: Todd, let me sleep! Me: *laughs in European*

[@annnee6818]

@@robinchesterfield42 That's the way scarier laugh😂

[@Mchannnel]

Me: LAUGHS IN JAPANESE

[@billpeel4408]

*laughs in health care*

[@dillwad88]

@@billpeel4408 you make me sad, do they have health care in funky town? america is not funky:(

[@theFakeRed]

*laughs in Australian*

[@Lauren-rl4eu]

For the first fifteen years of my life I thought for sure that the lyrics were "taco body" instead of "talk about it". I remember being really confused but too scared to ask what a taco body was

[@martinfreemon7134]

I'm from the Philippines, and I can confirm that Designer Music was hella successful here.

[@rosebyanyname]

My mouth dropped when the clip of Ethel Merman singing disco started playing.

[@ischmidt]

I feel like The Ethel Merman Disco Album (yes, it's called that) justifies the anti-disco backlash. Along with "Disco Duck".

[@Mutant_Renegade]

A) shouts out to acknowledging the gay/latin roots of disco B) I'm feeling like an episode on Junior Senior's "Move Your Feet" would be fun

[@PeachFlavoredKaiju]

Damn that song is too catchy

[@santiagobauza4257]

Speaking of 00s hits, why not Jerk It Out by Caesars?

[@pathfinderproductions]

Okay, this may sound like bullshit, but I have a story to tell you. So, my grandfather was a teacher at a Minneapolis school, and one of his students was one Cynthia Johnson. She (at the time) was the lead vocalist of Flyte Tyme (interestingly enough, Prince, who turned Flyte Tyme into The Time, used to attend my grandmother's gym class in high school), and she had met a guy named Steven Greenberg, who offered Johnson a chance to finally break into the limelight, having already written a few songs for her (Funkytown being one of them), and she jumped at the opportunity. So she recorded the song, alongside several others, but when it was time for her to release her album, which was a year or two later, Greenberg decided to not credit her as the overall performer, only crediting her as the singer. Instead, he decided to completely make up a band called "Lipps Inc." and released the album as such, and to make matters worse, she wasn't even asked to appear in either of the existing videos. To this day, she still gets no royalty checks from it. Greenberg is the only one who does. The lesson to be learned is this: There are people out there who want to take advantage of your talent, and to avoid another situation like Cynthia's, never accept a deal that seems too good to be true.

[@vaelethun]

Oh man...if that's true (and I can easily believe it, tbh) that definitely puts Greenberg in a pretty heinous light. Was he afraid her being the voice, and therefore the face, of the track would eclipse him? Really shitty of him, either way. Guess we can take some solace in his lack of continued success, then. Not that it's any consolation for Johnson.

[@eyeheartsushi2212]

@@vaelethun The story tracks with a lot of the shady stuff that used to go down (and I guess it still goes down) with vocalists getting screwed in contracts.

[@aarengabriel8106]

This song will forever be tied to Shrek 2 in my head.

[@ezwriter5589]

I spent the whole summer of 1982 in Saltillo, Mexico, and I can attest to the fact that "Designer Music" was an absolute monster hit in Mexico. And I loved it. I also loved "Rock It". I loved both of them more than "Funkytown", which I always thought was pretty stupid.

[@SamAronow]

Wait, so this is a *different* Steven Greenberg from the one who gave us Hanson and the Baha Men? Well now I feel stupid.

[@edatube7616]

"doo doo doo doo doo, I wish food still existed"

[@Musicradio77Network]

They later used it for the arcade game called “Fantasy” by SNK.

[@w4dester]

I beleive that Skee-Lo's track "I Wish" deserves a spot on this show, deeply.

[@VoidPlugger]

I’m here two years later and I am waiting just as much

[@keyscored3710]

rapper's delight definitely should be there

[@tank1319]

Get ready soon.

[@TRAVXIZ614]

way to go, sir

[@ButterStick64]

Agreed, dude.

[@Cassadinegirlaz]

And now, may I present you with the Todd in the Shadows motto: "sleep is for the weak!"

[@danstiver9135]

Disco still survived in Europe well into the 80s, though it changed over time. It's mainly just in the US and the UK that it died a quick and painful death.

[@danstiver9135]

@@Tornado1994 And it slaps

[@josh44026]

Thriller is a disco song

[@denisenova7494]

Europeans call a different Disco than Americans. What Europeans call Disco is called Dance or Euro Dance or Euro Pop in the US. It's very 80s and 90s. What Americans call Disco is very funky and 70s. We call it Funk.

[@ischmidt]

@@denisenova7494 Right, US disco was basically producers dropping a ton of strings on what otherwise would've been perfectly good Parliament/Funkadelic records. Euro disco in the 80s was much closer to synth pop.

[@lokkilucas1]

One Hit Wonderland: Deep Blue Something's "Breakfast At Tiffany's". I mean, probably not gonna happen, but still.

[@samanteater]

He already talked about that in another video.

[@chimblemasterofchimney4771]

@@samanteater Which video?

[@beatsbycossack]

@@chimblemasterofchimney4771 top 10 songs about mediocre romance

[@emirvmendoza]

I want to see more Todd hatred or disappointment towards that song.

[@thelastattempt666]

Malcolm’s Dad, Hal, Walter White himself, brought me this into my childhood. Thank you Best Dad

[@carlosalfaro5660]

The rollers routine

[@justinbromley6817]

Genius interpretation on the instrumentals: Basically the drums in a simple, though addictive beat. Disco was not known for elaborate instrumental solos and this one does nothing to change this

[@magnivisimo]

A song with this many hooks: "Need You Tonight" by INXS (Also a No. 1 hit)

[@pawnhearts8785]

Layla by Derek and the Dominos is another good Ohw

[@andrzejkrajna1232]

Agree. The problem is INXS isn't a one hit wonder

[@santiagobauza4257]

New Sensation too

[@ColonelGreen]

"Call Me Maybe" would be another.

[@hxrleydxrling9662]

inxs arent one hit wonders though

[@dynaboyjl.4220]

That BGM transition from "Tragedy" to "Babe" at 6:06 is immaculate. You're a great editor, Mr. in the Shadows.

[@imwatchingyou994]

15:33 i recognize that sample being used in that dancing Polish cow meme.

[@ianbosso9105]

THATS what it was. Thank you

[@PowerArmorV113]

I'm still waiting for that "Return Of The Mack" OHW. It's like Snow's story except British and WAY more illegal stuff happened.

[@SuperJNG18]

That song still slaps

[@SRLovesPandas1]

your wish has been granted

[@PowerArmorV113]

@@SRLovesPandas1 Why thank you tinkle fairy.

[@ryandowney8743]

When you were saying which countries "Designer Music" was popular in, I genuinely expected you to say Japan.

[@NPGLAMB]

Correction: disco lived in the 80s as boogie and turned into the creation of house music

[@huntercrunch94]

I was born in 1994, and I still loved this song as a kid. Having spent the last 10 or 11 years listening to mostly interchangeable pop-punk as my genre of choice, I still love this song. When I think of what could be considered as perfect songs, this is absolutely one of them. There isn't a wasted second in its entirety.

[@RenaldyCalixte]

In the college basketball video game NCAA March Madness 2006 there is a cover of funky town performed by a marching band. Best song in the game.

[@DefNotAiko]

To this day, Designer Music still plays on Afternoon & Weekend radios here in the Philippines. It's infectious enough for us, I guess.

[@rafaelsolano494]

Anong radio station? hahaha

[@DefNotAiko]

@@rafaelsolano494 Hindi ko alam sa ibang stations, pero sa Star FM ay pinapatugtog siya.

[@bigPhill12]

An interesting train records would be Motley Crue’s self titled album after Vince Neil left. Documentaries and books love to forget this forgettable album

[@RetroDrew]

I've been requesting this too. I hope it happens

[@mikeyexplainseverything5482]

I actually like that album, I feel like it's their most mature album

[@marshallself3124]

Phill I’ll admit it’s not a good album, but it’s not a train record. Motley Crue is still up and kicking it off of multiple songs, while other train records are known for like two songs nowadays

[@Karmy.]

Off topic but GO GREEN GO WHITE!

[@jcunningham8041]

is that some sort of ecological-white supremacist slogan?

[@markcarey67]

Another good series might be songs that were ahead of their time or started new genres or movements whether they were well known at the time (I Feel Love, Rocket 88, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag) or not so much (Venus in Furs, Autobahn, Blitzkreig Bop)

[@RobsEverywhere]

Fun fact: when I hear this song I immediately think of The Empire Strikes Back because it was yuuuuge at the same time. You couldn't escape either in spring to summer 1980.

[@NemFX]

I'd make the argument that "groove is in the heart" was secretly the last disco song.

[@UBvtuber]

I refuse to call Never Gonna Give You Up anything but a disco song until the day I die....it's literally just a disco song, but digitally updated.

[@NemFX]

@@UBvtuber I will counter that, and shatter your mind. Rick Astley is the 80s version of Elvis Presley.

[@UBvtuber]

​@@NemFX ...I can hear it tbh, maybe he should've did that "Feels like I'm in love" song instead of Kelly Marie to really bring us full circle.

[@NemFX]

@@UBvtuber Todd? Or Rick Astley? Cause that song would be a good crooner. Probably would come out like "I can't help falling in love with you"

[@UBvtuber]

@@NemFX Rick Astley

[@paulojrneto]

Todd: "You look at the charts in 1980 (...) and almost none of the songs has stood the test of time." Call Me? Another Brick In The Wall? I'm Coming Out? Upside Down? Another One Bites The Dust? Crazy Little Thing Called Love? Cars? The Rose? Brass In The Pocket? Fame? All Out Of Love? Rock With You? Give Me The Night?

[@auldthymer]

right?

[@ladydontekno]

Paulo Neto also I love Robbie Dupree’s Steal Away

[@Aquatarkus96]

Turn it on Again?

[@tomuchcamoflauge]

chances are with the way he phrased it those weren't the big hits of the year and became popular later. the charts are full of songs that just did not stick around

[@MewLillyPad]

Brick house!

[@baiwatch1]

Disco hits were hardly an anomaly in the 80s. It's Raining Men, Heart of Glass, Let's Groove, I'm Coming Out, Etc...

[@RenaldyCalixte]

Daft Punk ft Pharell Get Lucky is the greatest modern disco song of all time in my opinion and a worthy successor to Funky Town.

[@miskatonic6210]

No.

[@UBvtuber]

Well, this is a strange time to upload....but I imagine you had to get this off your chest or else that catchy as hell synth line would've kept you up all night.

[@RatelHBadger]

Towely: "wanna get high" (Nonsensical beeping) "That was the tune to funkytown"

[@cwgodzilla]

Ratel.H Badger You’re a towel.

[@maddiejoy6619]

I think disco is seriously underrated today. There are times when you don't want to listen to a song about breakups, death, sadness, or other serious issues. You just want a happy song with a fun beat and catchy, fluffy lyrics. Disco is perfect for that!

[@JamesJimmaHarding]

IMO, the Stars on 45 officially closed the book on disco in 1981 right in time for the beginning of the MTV boom

[@ThatGuyMN]

Still blows my mind that when I talk to people from out of state about the Minnesota music scene, the two names that always seem to come up are Prince.... and Lipps Inc.?? I mean, I'd like to think we're a pretty musically diverse area. The Replacements, Husker Du, Atmosphere, Lizzo, Soul Asylum, Doomtree, Low.... BOB DYLAN FOR CHRISTSAKE! But it always seems to come up.... "oh yeah, the Funky Town group"....

[@darganx]

Robert Zimmerman was from Minnesota? Always thought he was a New Yorker!

[@ThatGuyMN]

@@darganx born in Duluth, raised in Hibbing, MN! Went to NY in 1961 I believe, and never looked back. Doesn't change what shaped him!

[@darganx]

@@ThatGuyMN indeed not, just obviously you think of Greenwich Village with Bob..

[@Gatorade69]

Fuck yeah, Husker Du.

[@ThatGuyMN]

@Is me ? born in Detroit, moved briefly to Houston, eventually moving to Minneapolis and settling there before starting her career! She calls herself minnesotan!

[@richarddorazi8565]

You weren’t kidding when you said 1980 and 1981 might as well be the aborted remnants of some uncompleted decade. It always amazes me at how sudden disco collapsed.

[@josh44026]

Thriller has disco in it so

[@Musicradio77Network]

Strawberry Shortcake did put out the “Live” album from 1981, and it was her last gasp at a disco novelty album. Kinda like the way it did after “Disco Duck” in 1976.

[@jmhaces]

Yeah, I was gonna say that "Designer Music" did become popular in Mexico to the point that a few years ago Mexican Rock band Molotov included it in their covers record simply because it was big when they were kids.

[@NewGoldStandard]

Your effortless piano covers of the songs you talk about really adds a lot. Loads of people are critics, but I think the simple act of playing the tracks you talk about gives you a level of qualification others lack. Your editing is also great and I know the time that takes so, thanks.

[@guyincognito320]

His off the cuff anti-white comments are sublime also

[@NewGoldStandard]

@@guyincognito320 I guess it does come off as a bit up his ass, in hindsight... so to speak. I'm way more cynical now.

[@guyincognito320]

@@NewGoldStandard I see you've sprouted quite nicely

[@michaellee8816]

Have you ever done Teenage Dirtbag in this series?

[@denisenova7494]

He hasn't! I'm waiting for years!

[@tsukishiro70]

A new One Hit Wonderland for my Monday? Why, thanks Todd, old bean.

[@iofuse]

My Uncle was best friends with Steve. Quiet and nice guy. Saw him at my Uncle's birthday for years and other functions. My uncle played bass with him ocasionaly when they were young. Spoke to Steve on the phone for some advice when I was getting into music production (I ended working in tech) Sadly lost my Uncle to cancer. Last time I saw Steve was at my Uncle's funeral.

[@dynaboyjl.4220]

Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait" is the better soulless, faceless eternal post-disco work of pure synthetics and sound economy

[@darganx]

It worked for me in 1986!!

[@dynaboyjl.4220]

@@cindigonzalez7350 I mean, it's also probably the best song of all time. Just think it fits the parameters Todd brings up in this video better than "Funkytown" does