ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Return of the Mack" by Mark Morrison

Mark Morrison debuted with a comeback, and proved that the Brits could hang in America with his international smash "Return of the Mack," but no one's big enough a mack for their career to survive as many bad decisions as he made. Why did the Mack never return?
(Support Todd on Patreon! / toddintheshadows )

[@EmperorTigerstar]

Retuuuurn of the Todd

[@kagaminate2923]

(Heyyy)

[@JebusMatoi]

ONCE AGAIN

[@V4Now]

O. My. Gawd!

[@ciar]

Wow didn’t expect you to watch Todd

[@juevenito]

Big fan!!!

[@salemite]

A coworker of mine would sing this anytime someone brought in a Macbook for repairs. I cannot detach this song from "broken Apple Macintosh" now.

[@qwertyTRiG]

@Pete Harrison I didn't need that.

[@chamele0nday]

@@qwertyTRiG here’s a better (and actually relevant) link kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3m1ZGShocSqapo

[@qwertyTRiG]

@@chamele0nday Okay. That made me laugh.

[@D00728]

😂

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Okay, I'm dying laughing at imagining that 😂. Your coworker sounded like they'd make a work day more enjoyable.

[@knightwing5169]

Snow is still a one-hit-wonder. If a musician's second hit happens decades later and is built around a sample of their first hit, they are still a one-hit-wonder.

[@jonnyOysters]

Right even Billy Ray Cyrus.... Up Town Road was already a hit before he was involved in the remix. It wasn't his hit to begin with.

[@tcbvgames]

"Girl I've Been Hurt" was Snow's follow-up to "Informer", and peaked at #19. That's more than most one-hit wonders ever accomplish.

[@jonnyOysters]

@@-_._._- were any of those songs hits though? Having great songs doesn't mean someone isn't a one hit wonder. If the average person only knows one of their songs they're one hit wonders. Terrence gave a better example with "Girl I've been hurt" with it charting well. There's lots of people who are often called "one hit wonders" and have lots of great songs. Chamilionare for example has plenty of amazing songs throughout his discography. Specially with his mixtapes. Doesn't mean he's not only known by the general public for ridin dirty.

[@FIXTREME]

@@-_._._- *good* songs?

[@JebusMatoi]

@@jonnyOysters Plus at least, like Todd mentioned, Morrison had 5 hits off his debut in the UK, while Billy Ray hasn't had a single song chart under his name except Achy Breaky Heart.

[@ValkyrieTiara]

Todd has such a crush on Mark Morrison and it's honestly so cute. I'm here for it.

[@budakiarcher]

"Everyone, especially corny white people, loves Return of the Mack." Damn you didn't have to call me out like that bro.

[@ddjsoyenby]

ikr todd.

[@happyMOO5]

Haha you look hella corny omg

[@bigcheese2128]

Hahahahahahahahha you’re white

[@brodysdaddy]

Lot of corny black people like it too....

[@wolfeyes555]

ngl was doing the "corny white girl" dance by myself when the song was playing during the video. ... it's a good beat, ok?

[@Vickyeverythingelsewastaken]

I could have lived happily ever after without that Bohemian Rapsody cover.

[@tiffanielafleur6597]

You mean you never wanted to hear what Queen would sound like if they were a shitty coffee house band?

[@christopherminutolo9384]

The only Queen cover that matters is that BR cover with The Muppets

[@CobaltT9]

Guess I'll happily be the lone minority who actually wants to listen to this cover and more from The Braids.

[@DirtiestDMusic]

Yeah, that cover piqued my interest a little.

[@snukastyle]

Same, but I've also heard Shatner's Rhapsody cover. That was PAIN and a crime against music.

[@artminusme]

Fun fact... My best friends father in law (Manchester folk) was in the same prison cell with Mark Morrison in the 90s before Return of the Mac was recorded and blew up... He said to my mates father in law inside "I'm going to record a song that's beloved by people all over the world for years to come." He did just that.

[@trashyraccoon2615]

“Farther in law” lolz. Twice! Cool story

[@artminusme]

@@trashyraccoon2615 Oh no😱 its the grammar police! 😉

[@steve5772]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate Todd for being the only American ever to correctly pronounce Leicester

[@hiimemily]

There's about eleven thousand people in a town in Massachusetts that would be mildly amused by this.

[@steve5772]

🤣@@hiimemily

[@brunolondinese5857]

​@@hiimemilyisnt it pronounced "Lye-Chester" MA?

[@hiimemily]

@@brunolondinese5857 Nope.

[@donohirst]

But unless you're pronouncing it "lestuh" or better yet "leggeh", you're not from the east Midlands! Gotta love accents, (and find them exceedingly strange at the same time!)

[@chrislawuk]

No, us Brits do not and never did call NJS “swing beat”. Just that one lady did, that one time.

[@faeriegraver]

Lmaoooo right

[@sonikku956]

I've only ever heard swingbeat being used as an alternate name for NJS in somewhat obscure American new jack swing songs with rapping.

[@duffman18]

I never even knew till a few months ago that return of the mack was a British song. I was kinda gobsmacked by that. It sounds so American. But yeah just watch the video once and it's obvious he's driving round London or some UK town anyway. So I'll add that to the list of great British songs. But yeah. I don't think anybody knew at the time that the fella was British too. I was around back then. Nobody ever brought it up. We all thought he was American. So we certainly didn't try to make a new genre out of it. It fits neatly into the genre "R&B" so it doesn't need a new genre. Mind you, "R&B" these days does seem to end up meaning "pop when sung by black people" rather than an actual genre anymore, so I dunno. Like come on, the rolling stones were an R&B band, and they're so divorced from modern R&B that it's crazy to call it the same genre

[@aperson9556]

Yep. We are not original enough to come up with new terms.

[@Yodascloaca]

k

[@4llth3p1gs]

Todd: 'I can imagine them just dropping all their tea cups' Me, stood in my kitchen waiting for my tea to brew: 'god I'm SICK of all these british stereotypes'

[@helengordon-smith5753]

Me, sipping my tea: damn right Beth

[@avosmash2121]

Me an American about to boil water for my tea using a rice cooker because I don't have a kettle: boy I'm jealous of those guys 😭

[@dinomoviesnstuff]

Sad, innit bruv?

[@KeyBladeMaster-Dan]

@@dinomoviesnstuff Yeah blud it's bollocks fam

[@SomeDumbKid1]

This is like how I can't get mad at jokes about Americans liking cheeseburgers because I really like cheeseburgers.

[@daveandgena3166]

"He was such a Mack, there was three of him." Abso fkn lutely.

[@JohnSmith-ox3gy]

If you can't come out stonger than when you left, come out threefold.

[@craigcharlesworth1538]

Frankly he's considered a one hit wonder here in the UK too. Nobody remembers his other songs even if they made the top 10 at the time.

[@Lynch2507]

G-Easy and Chris Brown, two men who were exposed as toxic assholes, whose exes drastically outshine them, falling onto the champion of break-up songs by a one-hit wonder is pretty poetic tbh

[@DeadpoolX9]

*failing

[@mokaza40]

What's up with G-easy. I know of Chris Brown but Is he equally as bad?

[@jamarsh09]

@@mokaza40 I can't really say if it's equal or not but there in the same lane. Both have been convicted of assult and drug possession. Both have been described as abusive by there exs. Both have been known to be jerks and serial cheaters. The only reason I would say G easy isn't as bad is because I think he's done it less than Chris Brown so there isn't as much proof of him getting into stuff but that might just be because he hasn't been as big or around as long.

[@freakyfro99]

@@mikeyvesperlick6982 Lol you're a POS

[@Lynch2507]

@@mikeyvesperlick6982 ..... so anyway, chris brown is a toxic ass person xox

[@HordrissTheConfuser]

I once had a colleague who got stabbed by Mark Morrison in a night club. Nothing proven, of course, but you can imagine how he feels about that song...

[@csurname]

Mack the knife

[@twat3789]

Return of the shank

[@Vanished_Mostly]

@@csurname Perfect.

[@notjonbrown]

@@csurname You can shut down KZbin now. This is the greatest comment ever.

[@patricklauer4452]

@@csurname ha

[@expansivegymnast1020]

That impression of 90's drums was so dead-on it's crazy.

[@clintgirard677]

I’m just now realizing how much Mark Morrison sounded like Cameo.

[@britt01]

@Esther Sparrow Cameo had multiple hits, just not POP hits. Various R&B hits.

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

Word up to the return of the mack

[@basedkhajiit]

Mark Morrison is like Cameo but cool.

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

So apparently the way to get Todd to make a review in under a week is to have G-Eazy and Chris Brown sample a beloved song from his childhood... good to know.

[@GNo03]

“I know what I have to do... but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it”

[@WaaveLvl0]

You know what to do, Sean; start funding awful G-Eazy/Chris Brown singles to increase Todd's production

[@ruggedobserver4987]

@@WaaveLvl0 hm

[@EricLeafericson]

Ruin Todd's childhood, noted

[@knightwing5169]

@Pete Harrison Go fuck yourself.

[@TortoiseMaximus]

Reminds me of how Backstreet Boys debut was 'Backstreet's Back' even though they had never released an album in the American market before then

[@EpicB]

It's still a textbook example of an "I'm back bitch" single though.

[@denisenova7494]

They had other hits before such as "We've got it going on" or "Get down" or "I'll never break your heart" or "Quit playing games with my heart" or "Anywhere for you". I remember "Get down" being a huge hit in 1996. I received their single "Anywhere for you" on my birthday in 1996. "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" wasn't a hit before 1998.

[@stephaniewozny3852]

I was about 8 when that song was big, and the 'We're Back!' angle always confused me too. Back from where? Were you ever gone? Isn't this like your first big song?

[@denisenova7494]

@@stephaniewozny3852: I believe their first big song was "We've got it going on".

[@Ryoga2K]

Stephanie Wozny they were big in Europe and Asia, their first US album is actually a mixture of their second album (that's where backstreet's back come from) and their international hits from the first album thrown in

[@aniym21000]

1997 was actually huge year for British acts in America...OK Computer, The Fat of the Land and Urban Hymns all sold 10 million copies globally, a good chunk of those in America. Even Blur's biggest US hit was released then. But for R&B and Hiphop you're right, labels did not want to push that overseas. At the time it probably felt like selling burgers to McDonalds.

[@YamiFlyZX]

I'd say the closest thing to good British R&B from then is actually Massive Attack's early stuff

[@LarryRouse]

@@YamiFlyZX Right? I was surpised Massive Attack weren't mentioned in this video, even if they're not strictly considered "R&B"

[@I_can_do_20_push-ups]

Fat of the Land RULES

[@RabbidTheNabbit]

Be here now also became oasis's highest charting album in the us in 97 too

[@nimhard]

It was truly a golden age for brit acts

[@cooljma]

I was momentarily taken aback by that Bohemian Rhapsody cover (Hilarious, I don't understand why it exists), so I did a bit of digging. Turns out it was for a shitty '90s movie called High School High starring Jon Lovitz, and also the song was produced by Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins and '00s rock and pop producer Eric Valentine. I'm honestly not sure I believe the things I'm reading on the internet right now. Amazing.

[@HolyGoddessMotherAnne]

I can't believe Third Eye Blind was involved in it.

[@helenl3193]

As a British teen in the 90s I was shocked by that, I'd never seen/heard of it before and I'm glad at least some of the blame can be laid outside of the UK. Don't get me wrong, we are responsible for some god awful music, but I'm pretty sure we all knew at the time that Peter Andre was more pop than proper r&b too!

[@kennydnolan]

And it was directed by the guy who played Ellis in "Die Hard!" 🤯

[@Ronin11111111]

That R&B Bohemian Rhapsody dealt psychic damage to me.

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

How the hell does this man have the singing voice of Akon while still being cooler than the Fonz in a meat locker?

[@haleymist09]

Great description 👍

[@ehmwhy]

Akon’s a fucking chad tho

[@jordonvazquez7620]

He sounds like larry blackmon from cameo

[@ehmwhy]

@Pete Harrison Thanks I needed a good laugh 🤣

[@impulseburst2367]

I swear, I’m going to need to update my list of phrases to use more often to have a subsection just dedicated to out of context quotes from you.

[@jmckenzie962]

Some potential 2010s one-hit-wonders that Todd could talk about in the 2020's (provided none of them pull a Mike Posner): Nico and Vinz - Am I Wrong OMI - Cheerleader Vance Joy - Riptide Lumineers - Ho Hey Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know The last one in particular would be interesting given that Todd actually reviewed this song when it was popular, it would be interesting to see what he thinks of Gotye in retrospect.

[@theobuniel9643]

Oh man, I have a feeling he's gonna dunk on The Lumineers. That band was the epitome of formulaic millennial indie folk that the Mumford and Sons initially built on.

[@SuperJNG18]

@@theobuniel9643 Wasn't Ophelia also a minor hit? I still hear that song pretty often.

[@SRMkay]

I remember when I first heard Icona Pop's "I Love It", I knew it'd be a one-hit wonder

[@ivandekad7249]

God, "Am I Wrong" had one-hit wonder written all over it. It even felt like the artists' name fell out of your head 2 seconds after reading it.

[@jmckenzie962]

@@SRMkay Omg yes, can't believe I forgot that one. Only good thing that song did was launch Charli XCX's career.

[@tokilladaemon]

I certainly never thought I’d hear the name “Jamie vardy” come out of Todd’s mouth

[@djshire1984]

You didn't know? Todd's a football (soccer) fan.

[@briansergeant]

Or the Anfield Rap!

[@africareigns]

Especially when he's not from Leicester.

[@aarons1811]

@@djshire1984 Please don't swear on KZbin (s....r). It's not nice.

[@djshire1984]

@@aarons1811 I have to assume if I say "football", it might confuse Americans.

[@Prestidigitoreum]

As a black British person, I have never heard the term 'swing beat' and I refuse to claim it.

[@sonikku956]

It's a pretty lazy term isn't it? That's like naming house music "four on the floor".

[@wonderwondertwins]

Swing beat AKA New Jack Swing

[@phrankster909]

As a white British person, we don't know her. 'swing beat' is olympic level cringe.

[@djmarz7123]

@@iconocastlive What

[@ScienceFoundation]

There are no such thing as black brits

[@nodesire9291]

I'd still count Billy Ray and the like as One Hit Wonders because they are piggy-backing off others to return and not releasing their *own* hits

[@timmy841212]

Me too.

[@OH_MY_DOGGG]

The Alex Band rule.............

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Snow, maybe. But Billy Ray is an equal partner in Old Town Road. He genuinely brings the song together and makes it feel complete.

[@timmy841212]

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep Good point.

[@CylindricalWhistle]

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep I have to agree, he genuinely is one of the best parts of that song.

[@TyroKitsune]

I am a Brit that was growing up around the time. Bloody hell, seeing young Ant and Dec is a trip.

[@Halotaku]

Please do a One Hit Wonderland of "One Night In Bangkok". The story behind it is fascinating, and most people don't even know that history.

[@andreaspe5762]

Anything for more Swedish rep

[@howlinwolf7728]

I get my kicks above the wasteline sunshine

[@jackharris6497]

except not really, technically the singer (Murray head) had another top 20 hit in 1969 and it is difficult to call something written by members of ABBA a one hit wonder.

[@ninjabluefyre3815]

I know him so well was a hit too

[@williamd2989]

This review's gonna be the witness to the ultimate test of cerebral fitness

[@richarddorazi8565]

As Tom Breihan said, "I hope he runs, and I hope he wins. I want to hear “Return Of The Mayor.”"

[@Whateverwhoification]

Didn't think I was gonna make it through that 8-second "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover clip. Some things need to stay buried.

[@CobaltT9]

More for me then!!

[@jarmakey1]

Yeah, that one was a doozy

[@oliviawilliams6204]

Still better than the cover of Princes of the Universe used in Highlander the Source.

[@thermitekitty9070]

This is one of those songs that I've only ever heard in the background, but I've heard it all my life. It's like Todd just started playing the sound of cicadas or rain falling on the roof and then said "yeah, that was the top hit of the 90's."

[@jimpemberton2246]

I remember this being a hit. The important detail is that 1997 internet was there but it was not today's internet. There was no "SoundCloud" someone exiled to wherever could just upload and promote new stuff. Even Napster was still about a year away. This situation today, MM would have a lot more options.

[@Avrysatos]

The ability to self publish now gives artists a bit more leeway than the demands of recording companies. I think it's a great thing for music.

[@aniym21000]

But he would also be competing against 10 other artists with a similar style, and his music would just be 'rented' along with everything else in the Spotify age. Return of the Mack has legendary status because it stood out back then. It's much harder to stand out now without a giant marketing machine behind you.

[@abrandenburg10]

You mean Jason Derulo's cover of the classic "I'm Han Solo"

[@kylehegedus5498]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@Shadamyfan-rs8xc]

*insert shocked Jontron here*

[@michaelcurtis7590]

Go hawks

[@abrandenburg10]

@@michaelcurtis7590 Spain without the s

[@RenatoRegalado]

answer to your question about break up songs for the boys: probably Cee Lo's "Fuck You" is also up there

[@Blarsen780]

How did I forget about that song? Such a fun listen.

[@MisterTTG]

Fuck You is a lot more vulnerable tho, it doesn't really fit as a "I Didn't Need You Anyway" song

[@PHSDM104]

Also, "U Don't Have To Call" by Usher.

[@breadeater1194]

Also reminds me of his take on Charlie Puth's Attention.

[@realtalk13]

@@PHSDM104 i was just reminiscing about how good Usher was in the early to mid 2000s

[@lunarballoonistxo]

There is something absolutely contagious about this song, it's impossible to not get hype

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

That opening vocal run from Mark just sends me every time

[@ApocalypticRadish]

I've loved this song for over 20 years and had absolutely no idea Mark Morrison was British.

[@RenaldyCalixte]

I thought he was Jamaican.

[@---tx3zr]

I think this is the first time I've ever heard an American correctly pronounce Leicester. Props

[@rspeak5768]

I think a lot of people learned how to pronounce it in 2016 lol

[@spensirmclife6549]

I learned it from Fire Emblem

[@hafsaz4513]

He watches football, that probably helps

[@CaptOrbit]

I only know it because I've heard Clarkson, May, and Hammond pronounce it.

[@TipTheScales27]

Sadly I know how to pronounce it correctly from watching serial killer documentaries and KZbin channels that discusses really fucked up murders lol

[@liamthemusicreviewer]

I’m surprised we hadn’t seen Ant & Dec in a Todd video sooner

[@culwin]

I wish I never had.

[@cptrelentless80085]

Why-aye let’s get ready to rumble, pet

[@Aster_Risk]

Honestly, I am too.

[@SuperJNG18]

I actually thought he was going to use "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" as an example of the Brits not getting rap, but obviously that's patently false because "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" is a goddamn classic.

[@embunchofnumbers]

....PJ & Duncan

[@tyrannosaurusburke]

I love "Return of the Mack"! Whenever I'm driving through the city at night and that song comes on the radio, I feel so badass!

[@CrocGangEnt]

This was a good video

[@christophercaldwell5093]

I see you Croc

[@FormalFilmsProductions]

Okay! I see you, Croc

[@Drogon7102]

Why you no verified?

[@nikibronson133]

OMG ITS CROC. Why aren't u verified? Your videos get me through for real

[@joemomma6317]

I woulda never expected to see you here bro

[@TheEtherny]

Todd saying most of the girls have the cool breakup songs made me realize why Mexico is so upbeat, most of our breakup anthems are meant for parties where some people are trying to get over their exes, so we have things from both sexes like: "You're not even that hot" "I must've been crazy if I ever said I loved you" "Let whoever wants you beg you cause I ain't gonna do it" and the unforgettable "2 legged rat" just to name a few lol

[@DeoMachina]

TWO LEGGED RAT AHAHA I'm keeping that one thanks Mexico

[@eliasmg9144]

Ah yes, Paquita la del barrio

[@AirQuotes]

Link please I'm too lazy

[@zttev]

I've been to too many parties where I hear all of these. Viva México!

[@Thisfaquinchanel]

Puro pinche Ingrata homie

[@Blacknight8850]

To me, I'll always associate this song with _Saint's Row III_ - just cruising down the highway in summer... in the middle of the road in the wrong direction... on a motorbike shaped like a tiger.

[@Avrysatos]

I knew this song from before but I remember that too...so awesome. Can I feel nostalgic for something I only played a year ago? I wish i could play it the first time again. If you search around youtube, there's a video of Aha's take on me with ALL the voices singing along to it from saints row 2. It sounds like a demented road trip, and is amazing. How many times did you crash your bike on stationary objects?

[@Pikachuzap212]

Good times

[@professordetective807]

@@Avrysatos | This?: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2qloHx7jpmrd5Y | Someone also did 'What I Got' from 'The Third': kzbin.info/www/bejne/iITGaKybnamrb6s

[@professordetective807]

Wearing nothing but a silver chain and watch...

[@Avrysatos]

@@professordetective807 thanks!!!!

[@lizd.8655]

This was part of the playlist before the last Bruno Mars concert I attended. Every lady in the stadium jumped up, screamed, and danced up a storm :-)

[@Badbirdie]

I cant describe how POWERFUL this song makes me feel when I hear it.

[@Wolfiegreenwood]

Did you just blame us for Peter Andre? He was Australia's fault thank you very much.

[@Default78334]

Eh, you both have the Queen on your money, so close enough.

[@dominicking8089]

we def adopted him as one of our own though, even for an aussie he has huge essex energy

[@Blubatt]

He was born in Lewisham, and only moved to Australia when he was 9. So we're all complicit

[@hxrleydxrling9662]

MysTeriouSSS GiiiiirrrrRRLLLll

[@erichobbs4042]

We acquired him when he hooked up with Jordan.

[@ReglasdeOro]

I love when, as a South American, Todd does one of these I have nver heard or he does a song and says we never really heard this in America and we’re like ‘that song was so big here’

[@valenfr01]

yesss

[@PunkExMachina]

All the timeee lmao

[@tonymarshall3978]

I think the biggest legacy of Mark Morrison on UK music is his sing rap style and his music video aesthetic is kind of what a lot of UK RnB became in the early 2000's. I'm certain Craig David was a fan

[@mierardi88]

Liz Phair just released a song by herself. It's not a hit but she's back Todd

[@Ene-Chan]

Return of the Phair

[@ladyoftheratking7801]

And it’s so very shit

[@themaskedmysadaean8885]

Return of the Phair ~ Why is it so very shit? ~ (Please reply in Verse)

[@maximummatt73]

Coz it's shit Coz it's shit shit shiiiiit

[@michaelkitchin9665]

Woooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, come on, Liz Phair.

[@Kaynobi]

Todd: talks about British rap Also Todd: shows a clip of Ant and Dec And yet no appearance of Let's Get Ready to Rhumble

[@metetural9140]

Fucking outrage

[@Leonards-leopard]

Watch us wreck the mic

[@MaquiladoraIII]

And also no mention of John Barnes's quite magnificent MC'ing.

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

OHW request before video is removed: Walk the Dinosaur by “Was Not Was” mostly because I want to see your take on the post-apocalyptic hellscape theory

[@user-zx6jd8hv3t]

Just want to see clips from the Super Mario Bros movie in a OHW video

[@anone.mousse674]

Was Not Was actually had another semi-big single that same year. "Spy in the House of Love" went up to number 16 on the Hot 100.

[@bat4280]

Todd would need a few hours to cover Don Was' career.

[@anone.mousse674]

@@bat4280 It's the Chumbawumba episode 2.0!

[@saxonjf]

He did the post-apocalyptic song once already with "I Melt With You" by Modern English.

[@TheFrostbite324]

Even though it’s not that widespread in the US, Grime music is pretty nice and has its own unique sound.

[@LCFC81]

Leicester actually has another one hit wonder with the classic "Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop.

[@brazenlilhussy5975]

"Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow" great song, really underrated musicians too.

[@matttheshadowman2790]

Yes but that song only got big thanks to someone who wasn’t a one hit wonder, Fatboy Slim

[@plok77]

@@matttheshadowman2790 'Missing' by EBTG only became a hit after being remixed by Todd Terry. And that's been covered on this channel as a one-hit wonder. So Brimful of Asha should also qualify.

[@Maxmulham]

I think the Kasabian were from there too.

[@frofoodie7763]

That's a great music video.

[@sonikku956]

It's about goddamn time Todd covered some more new jack swing music on here. That genre is filled with one hit wonders, and it's one of my all time faves.

[@darthbigred22]

If he did it'd be Boys II Men only...he ain't touch anything hard.

[@dyldragon1]

One of the world's Eternal Bangers getting a One Hit Wonderland. Now we hope he'll do a Flavor In Ya Ear one.

[@garystack9537]

RIP Craig Mack

[@BooshMasterOriginal]

I’m still waiting for Todd to do “The Rain” by Oran “Juice” Jones. That is a One Hit Wonder that is very dear to me....considering the fact that I’m childhood friends with his youngest son.

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

Cant forget Your Love by The Outfield! Another 1986 one hit wonder

[@TheIkaraCult]

Tyson Fury had this as his entrance music when he came back after nearly 2 years out. Everyone knows what the message of this song is. It's a fucking banger. Its there to tell everyone that you're fucking BACK! It's on the same level as Back in Black by AC DC. An absolute classic.

[@JudaiEldritch]

Can’t wait for that new hit single featuring the Rico Suave guy.

[@MrChadsimoneaux]

😂

[@cynthiaverjovskymarcotte1379]

Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZKQf2etmbSkeZI

[@denisenova7494]

He did.

[@TVandManga]

I'm one of those unfortunate British people who appreciate that 'Mack' explanation, here I was thinking it was some sort of nickname for Mark.

[@infamoussphere7228]

Yeah I'm Australian, before connecting the title "Return of the Mack' to this song which I'd heard but had no idea was called "Return of the Mack", I imagined that Return of the Mack was some kind of Mack the Knife reference. And then I assumed it must be a nickname for Mark.

[@JeRMRellum]

I'm American and have pretty much only ever heard the term in the context of "Miggity-miggity-miggity mack daddy, kriss kross", so I also appreciated the explanation.

[@riverAmazonNZ]

I assumed his name was Mac and he was referring to himself in the third person.

[@hjalfi]

Yep, me too.

[@leaffinite2001]

I thought maybe he had a gun lol

[@JiuJitsuGuy24]

I was at a concert one time where he played 4 different versions of this song live. It was brutal

[@maxcomas]

In a good way or a bad way

[@Drforrester31]

@@maxcomas Brutal typically isn't a positive descriptor outside of metal music

[@grahamlive]

6:26 For all the non Brits. Those two presenters (Ant & Dec), are now two of the biggest stars on UK television. In fact they themselves were one hit wonders back in the mid 90s as PJ & Duncan with “Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble”.

[@baronsledjoys1363]

To give credit where credit is due, Brits are really good at Trip-Hop. Tricky's "Maxinquaye" came out in 1995, and is great. Includes a great cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos".

[@jaydee4697]

Exactly; not to mention the Bristol scene of the early 1990s, which spawned Massive Attack. UK hiphop isn't "lesser" than US hiphop, it's just different and has different influences (just like how UK rock is different to US rock).

[@baronsledjoys1363]

@@jaydee4697 I agree. Both Tricky and Massive Attack were recommended to me in the Spotify Taste-Breakers playlist from a couple of years ago, and I now play both on heavy rotation.

[@jaydee4697]

@@baronsledjoys1363 Nice.

[@GasparLewis]

@@jaydee4697 He does eventually say as much, at least about grime becoming its own unique phenomenon. He also says as much about trip-hop directly in the OHW for "Missing" by Everything But the Girl.

[@sonikku956]

Trip hop is amazing. I'm sad that it eventually got played out by the early 2000's.

[@FilmBrain]

Wow, you managed to find a clip of the UK's beloved Ant and Dec while they still appear to be in puberty!

[@infamoussphere7228]

Didn't they have that whole Byker Grove tv show thing where one of them got blinded with a paint ball? Recently found out about it on Twitter

[@plkrtn]

@@infamoussphere7228 Trigger warning for anyone in their late 30s or early 40s...

[@utterutter]

Heard a story from a prison officer that the prisoners sung this song Mark Morrison went back into prison for a second time

[@hanselmanryanjames]

I'm probably the only person requesting this song for a "One Hit Wonder" episode, but please, PLEASE, consider doing "Black Betty" by "Ram Jam"! The song is actually good, and they are a true one hit wonder. Not to mention the fun racial overtones!

[@daishoryujin95]

Ooh black berry ramalamaala

[@Champiness]

Unfortunately he’s said that he attempted a “Black Betty” episode but ran afoul of the frequent OHW problem that there’s not enough available footage of the band performing

[@2-d_in_a_bag]

ohh black betty~ bramble jam, rambutans, pam ballam, panda lamp!

[@einootspork]

It isn't good. It's actually steaming hot garbage

[@GUNUFofficial]

@@einootspork If it's bad then why is it in rayman legends.

[@0856401]

I had a party at my house about 6 years ago and put this on repeat after we had all had some drinks. I started at sub audible volumes and kept slowly increasing the volume through the rest of the night. No one noticed until days later when they all kept complaining about return of the mack being stuck in their heads. I like to think I did them all a favor.

[@holnrew]

Todd's knowledge of UK hip-hop has caught up to 2015

[@joshuabrien2970]

The todd way never truly caught up

[@nwahnerevar9398]

He'll discover Little Simz in a few years, that'll be mad.

[@michaelfarrow5817]

I've said this many times on many videos. British artists have done wonderful things with hip-hop beats, British artists have done wonderful things with the spoken word. However, until the last few years, British artists rapping over hip-hop style beats just hasn't worked. Even then, the new artists have something that is distinctly unAmerican. I can't hear an American rapping over a Young T & Bugsey beat. People forget that rapping existed in Britain for as long as it existed in the US, the difference is that in the UK it came from the Jamaican community and was pretty much only in the Jamaican community. It was called "toasting" and you'd toast over dub, dancehall and later ragga. If you slipped into a bit of a melody, it was called "singjaying". So Double Trouble and the Rebel MC's "Street Tuff" was toasting over a house song that sampled a reggae bassline. Later MCs were rapping over jungle, again influenced by reggae (nothing beats a jungle song with a reggae break), then some MCs moved onto a slowed-down breakbeat style that came to be known as speed garage and then UK garage then the youngers moved onto grime. Honestly, and I know some people will think I am nuts, but I find a lot of trap and mumble rap to be highly unimaginative. I haven't heard a new, young American MC who can hold a candle to Aitch for instance. The only American rap album that has blown me away recently was the new Busta Rhymes album.

[@KarlNova]

@@michaelfarrow5817 This is not true. Look up TY, Blak Twang, Sway, Roots Manuva, Skinnyman, Mysdiggi, Jehst, Doc Brown, Lowkey, Tony D, Klashnekof, Rodney P, Lil Simz, Akala, Loyle Carner, Hawk House, Dave and so many more who have done quality hip hop through the 90s until now. Then you will realise all your typed here isn’t true. There’s a whole UK hip hop scene that you missed out with your comment and not all UK Hip Hop artists are Jamaican or made music for the Jamaican community. This is simply not true.

[@sonikku956]

UK hip hop, or grime? Because grime really is its own thing, and the only UK rap artists that some Americans (around my age, twentysomethings and zoomers) easily are Slick Rick, MF Doom, and Scarlxrd.

[@moonlit6311]

This song is so striking in its simplicity.

[@oscar-ir3es]

Respect to you big man, I know it isn't difficult but putting in just a little bit of effort when researching British hip hop culture and grime, just makes me respect you more. And I'm Australian! But, as a member of the Commonwealth, I salute you.

[@spindabrian69]

Silly Todd mackelmore was a 2 hit wonder

[@antwanscott97]

Wrong on that too. Macklemore got a good amount of hits on him

[@spindabrian69]

@@antwanscott97 does downtown even count

[@Plutoburns]

@@spindabrian69 Yes

[@catarinabarbosa2247]

ceiling can't hold us was a solid hit tbh

[@MetalMarauder]

Thrift Shop, Can’t Hold Us, Downtown, Good Old Days, Same Love

[@Ergogeorge]

When I was a kid, I got this mixed up with 'Mack the Knife', and thought it was a bigger cultural moment than it actually was.

[@Avrysatos]

I remember that song, Oddly enough, that's Bobby Darin's only song to make it to #1 on the charts.

[@anonymousindividual0]

Any song mentioning “Mack” seems to be popular Mack The Knife Return of the Mack Can’t Hold Us with the line “Return of the Mack” WAP “I want you to park that Big Mac truck right in this little garage”

[@iamwontolla]

Welcome back to One Hit Wonderland, the only show brave enough to ask: if Return of the Mack is so great, why isn't there a Return of the Return of the Mack?

[@prinznevsky]

7:43 - That beat was actually aped by Tom Tom Club from Zapp and Roger's "More Bounce to the Ounce"

[@chuckielover06]

Jesus christ 90's Ant and Dec is something i dont ever need to see again.

[@infamoussphere7228]

I very recently became aware of Byker Grove because someone on twitter mentioned that Noddy kissing Gary was the first gay kiss they'd ever seen on TV. And apparently it's where Ant and Dec got their start. Grim.

[@chuckielover06]

@@infamoussphere7228 i know i said i never need to see 90s ant and dec again but im looking up this byker grove thing immediately.

[@KingHiki]

OHW: Mercy by Duffy This one may be hard to talk about but it's still an interesting story as to why a one hit wonder dropped off the face of the earth

[@allieg.5143]

That song randomly comes to my memory from time to time; I'd love to hear a video on it too!

[@araline2905]

I think tATu also falls under a similar umbrella, considering the rumours of what went down behind the scenes. Todd needs to cover that too.

[@HordrissTheConfuser]

Whenever I'm explaining 12 bar blues and I need a more recent example, the chorus of Mercy is my go-to.

[@theprincessed]

Except, as a Brit, Duffy wasn't a one hit wonder, not in the UK anyway. She had at least 1 other hit song (Warwick Avenue) and a hit album and then some awful personal issues derailed her career for a long time.

[@guppy2816]

Also it was sampled a couple years later for a JPop or KPop song and I think that's so weird haha

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

As an Everton fan your inclusion of Liverpool’s Anfield Rap made me lol big time

[@SICKLE77NYC]

Who else is here binge watching?

[@max79_99]

salutations. Big todd binge

[@TiaBelle123]

This song gets played in the Target I work at pretty frequently.

[@chrislawuk]

I feel your pain. Apple Retail ruined a few perfectly good songs for me, which I felt was a bigger crime than annoying me with repeating the bad ones. Not like they had an excuse for rotating like 30 songs and changing them something like every 6 months. The iTunes Music Store did exist, Apple. Jeez

[@harysrodriguez9608]

not related but i hear "how bizarre" by omc at my walmart all the time

[@ebmage8793]

How can you hear that song and not quit immediately after the first 30 secs? You might have to come back and beg for your job the next day, but it would be so hard to hear that song and want to continue working, lol

[@Ene-Chan]

@@harysrodriguez9608 SAME

[@Ene-Chan]

Walmart literally has the one hit wonderland of retail radio

[@DigiRangerScott]

So, another One Hit Wonderland where the song was featured in a modern ad campaign. BRING BACK THE MAC N’ CHEETOS?

[@Parappadarappa2]

It was also in multiple target back to school ads and a few target Christmas ads

[@achair650]

*Vietnam flashbacks*

[@prometheustv6558]

Lol

[@BayOfWulf]

i saw it in a google ad

[@LiamP-597]

And multiple McDonald's ads when the restaurants reopened after Covid lockdowns. Example from New Zealand (my home country): kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYOkn5KZZqtpf9E

[@gabeloxley1522]

I swear to God my local radio DJ must be a fan of Todd. I never once heard this song until this episode, and after this episode came out I hear it everywhere. Not to mention the same radio station plays tons of other tracks that have appeared on one hit wonderland

[@mentalillness1574]

I once was listening to a local radio station, and they almost verbatim stole a joke Todd made in a then-recent pop song review

[@trashyraccoon2615]

To be fair, the one hit wonder tracks are some of the most popular songs of all time

[@PokerJoker811]

You, my friend, experienced (a year ago) the Baader-Meinhof effect. You may well have experienced it before in your life without realizing it, and after you look it up (yes, it's a double A), you may well hear about it very frequently.

[@ThexDynastxQueen]

Snow technically had 3 #1 hits if non-US charts count but only Reggae fans would know the other 2 "Anything For You" and "Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We" as the former is a dang anthem or unofficial theme song as it's still played at any gathering, stores, restaurants, etc. It's basically been on repeat in Caribbean/West indies areas since I was a child. It's such a fun tidbit that this White Canadian guy with not a lick of Jamaican blood has songs that are iconic to the island cause a bop is a bop...and these are legit bops.

[@tp8773]

You are a genuinely gifted music journalist Todd. And what a banger.

[@abstellkarma3072]

3:28 I like how todd likes to remind us hes a football fan

[@AJARyan-yn2uv]

He says he is but he doesn’t know who Kevin Campbell is 😂😂

[@davidparsons97]

@@AJARyan-yn2uv In Todd's defence, I only really know who Kevin Campbell is because of his son Tyrese, who plays for Stoke.

[@AJARyan-yn2uv]

@@davidparsons97 And I remember him because he was a good Arsenal player.

[@Johnny0lovely69]

I like how no one in the comments question the batarang at 02:41 like we all know "Kiss from a Rose" was on the Batman Forever Album.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

4:30 Why are the sunglasses floating on his head?! 😂

[@JennaLeigh]

"U Don't Have To Call" by Usher is a great "dude stepping out" song too.

[@michellesmith9442]

And stutter by Joe, super underrated

[@kaybaumann4989]

Easily one of the best Neptunes r&b tracks from around that time.

[@darthbigred22]

Yeah but since when is Usher not doing the cheating? I mean don't you have to have a meaningful relationship on from you the cheaters POV to be burned? I don't even know how you'd cheat on Usher before he does you...invite another man in the middle of sex?

[@JennaLeigh]

@@michellesmith9442 ooooh, great song! And you are so right, it's crazy underrated!

[@redram5150]

The song is really catchy, but it’s never really struck a chord with me. But I gotta respect the angle of it being about about getting back his stride following his Gf leaving because she believed his career would never take off; and not only is this song a huge hit, it stuck with people for decades

[@Ezoangelofdeath]

This is one of the greatest R&B songs ever, up there with Next - Too Close, this whole album was fkn pure brilliance, the problem was Return Of The Mack was so huge, it really could never be matched, how do you write a bigger song then that? my favorite song on the disc was Trippin.

[@RenaldyCalixte]

Ginuwine Differences: Excuse me why are you not mentioning me in a discussion of greatest R&B songs ever? Backstreet No Diggity: What about me? I'm also one of the greatest R&B songs ever!

[@jakethhy]

Never in my entire life did I think i’d see Ant & Dec and Peter Andre referenced in a Todd in the Shadows vid but here we bloody are i suppose

[@r3dharl0w]

Wow him and Mariah really made genius of love into sum classics

[@Zeoproo]

Another breakup song that doesn't sound like a breakup song: I'm Still Standing by Elton John

[@Ironman1o1]

While it was a breakup song when it was made, I see that song WAY more now as a song about his successful fight with his drug addictions.

[@PMelling2293]

@@Ironman1o1 Heck, Rocketman reinterpreted the tune as such!

[@TheNukeGeneral]

That song is fantastic.

[@Avrysatos]

that's a good one.

[@somebraveapollo8211]

I thought it was "I'mma get off the coke just for you" song. Although, he was like addicted for another eight years after the fact.

[@ke6264]

Return of the Mack is mandatory at cookouts

[@noahnordengren8396]

I work at a grocery store that plays this song pretty regularly, and honestly. I do like this song.

[@kevintrueblood1057]

Speaking of songs that share the same energy, "I don't fuck with you" by big Sean comes to mind.

[@darylesells19]

That is such a good break up song! I jammed with that, but I like the censored version just a little more because it’s more fun to listen to.

[@chaddevlin8545]

The difference being, that song is terrible.

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

@@chaddevlin8545 I got a million things I'd rather fucking do...then to be arguing about this song's quality with you

[@chaddevlin8545]

@@samuelstensgaard4828 yet you took the time to insert yourself into this conversation. Keep shooting for the stars bud!

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

@@chaddevlin8545 The joke Your head

[@soupdujour5807]

I keep forgetting how Genius of Love is everywhere

[@charlesseaman1527]

The Orlando Magic used to have a player named Shelvin Mack, and I always remember how they would play this when he came off the bench. Good times

[@RenaldyCalixte]

I liked Shelvin Mack. He was a good bench player that helped the team in a smaller role.

[@Wicked_Fox]

Mark Morrison is the greatest R&B-Pop artist ever! He has such wonderful fun songs like Let’s get down (Brockpocket Mix), I Like (Brockpocket Mix), Return Of The Mack (C&J X-Tended Mix), Innocent Man, Whos The Mack, Candy, and so much more!!! I love Mark Morrisons music dude!!!

[@xylemtube]

in a zoom right now todd and the urge to get stoned and watch this is physically killing me. it's the return of the mack. oh my god.

[@xylemtube]

on a side note i personally predict this will be the video todd blows up off

[@AussieDragoon]

Somehow, despite him popping up with enough frequency to be considered an official co-host, I'm always caught off guard by Todd's Seal shout-outs.

[@animefan25]

This song was recently used in a Doritos commercial.

[@edvaira6891]

His singing voice was more similar to the lead vocal on Cameo’s WORD UP