ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Oh Yeah" by Yello

[@Arcademan09]

I'm gonna be honest: I didn't think this was an actual real song my entire life

[@auldthymer]

I remember it was on TV in a candy commercial. What I didn't remember was that it was completely separate from "March of the Swivel Heads"

[@film79]

i am confused, so you were aware of it but somehow didn't think it was real? I am guessing you didn't see Ferris Bueller.

[@Arcademan09]

@@film79 I wasn't aware it was a "full" real song, I assumed it was a short jingle on repeat because everytime it came on it only plays for like 5 seconds. And no I didn't grow up with Ferris Buller, it never grabbed my attention for some reason

[@GrandCorsair]

I'm with arcademan I didn't know it was a full on song. I only ever heard that same short snippet pop culture seems to use.

[@megamage911]

I mostly knew about it cuz it was used as the song whenever you were to fail at getting a license in Gran Turismo 3 xD

[@karelfinn2343]

-Reads title -Listens to Todd's piano intro "...I don't know this song." *Chk... Chk-chkaahhhh* "I definitely know this song."

[@JasperJanssen]

“Wait, the Ferris Bueller sound was not just a foley artist going wild?!”

[@DinobotTM2]

@@JasperJanssen well, seems like their whole music style is a foley assist gone wild.

[@JohnDoe-nq4du]

@@JasperJanssen The Ferris Bueller sound was absolutely two foley artists going wild. Those particular foley artists just happen to have a band name, a wild backstory, and nearly a dozen albums.

[@theherohartmut]

"Oh yeah, I know this one."

[@AstromarineCorpse]

@@JasperJanssen I mean yes it was, it's just that he then put it on an album

[@Bleckman666]

The fact that Dieter Meier did a piece at an art gallery in NYC in the 1970s where he sat outside the gallery buying the word "yes" or "no" from passers-by for $1 (and recorded it) and then used the recordings for an audio performance installation, in a way perfectly describes him and his attitude to Yello!.

[@justanotheranimeprofilepic]

Dieter Meier clearly beat life at the age of 1 and has just been doing side quests since

[@ZheToralf]

@@justanotheranimeprofilepic this is the best sentence I've read in a while

[@witchflowers6942]

what a guy.

[@InfiniteRhombus]

dieter meier is a fucking genius, his whole life is just so whimsical that you would think it was made up, also it cant be said enough that the dude is rich as fuuuuuuuuuck as was his entire family, its amazing that instead of doing the generic rich guy thing he instead took his money and used it to fund his crazy ass art projects, yello included. A really good friend of mine studied in bern around a decade ago and said that you could see him all the time just driving around in the city and (his quote) "just being dieter" , and you could always tell it was him because he would drive this crazy bright yellow car around, i did some research and later found out that car is called the "rinspeed yello talbo" that was produced almost specifically for him and looks like it came out of a tex avery cartoon.

[@eliasmg9144]

​@@justanotheranimeprofilepiche definitely won capitalism

[@KremBotop]

“Every European country would be covered in the show at some point” One step closer to numa numa...

[@zombiedodge1426]

A few I don't think Todd has covered yet: Macarena (Los Del Rio, Spain) Barbie Girl (Aqua, Denmark) All The Things She Said (T.a.T.u., Russia) Stars on 45 Medley (Stars on 45, Netherlands) And then there's Germany, which gave us 99 Luftballoons, Mambo No. 5 *and* Puttin' on the Ritz.

[@napalmblaziken]

Dragostea Din Tei*

[@helmutkok7833]

@@zombiedodge1426 Germany have been covered with "what is love" Belgium could be Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive,Finland Darude - Sandstom

[@Bacopa68]

Limba noastră-i o comoară

[@KremBotop]

Napalm Blaziken I know its real name. Just used the nickname for more people to recognize it

[@opjm8664]

"Is it possible to be too Swiss?" Given this dude seems to have multiple functions he can pull out according to the situation like a Swiss army millionaire, no. No it is not.

[@pinkimietz3243]

Well everything is better then a Trump supporter.

[@StefanTravis]

@@pinkimietz3243 A creationist trump supporter... with the coronavirus?

[@Derdadortiwo]

@@pinkimietz3243 objectively, you are worse for bringing that up in a completely unrelated situation ;)

[@dereinzigwahreRahl]

@@Derdadortiwo Is it dumb to bring this up here? Yeah pretty much. Is it objectivly worse then a Trump supporter? Absolutely not. There isn't any objectivity here.

[@dereinzigwahreRahl]

So I was wondering if that Swiss is any good at the things he does or if he only adds a weirdo/creative element and his money to projects while the others do the majority of the work.

[@saintrocketIX]

I will never refer to Swiss cheese as anything other than "incomplete cheese" ever again.

[@martinsriber7760]

Refering to it just as Swiss cheese is ridiculous. There are many types of Swiss cheese. One with holes in it is usually emental.

[@avosmash2121]

@Persephone Muzingeaux that sounds like a good indy band name

[@frnz1943]

@Persephone Muzingeaux Hands in the air, you're under arrest!

[@NoGoodNik1]

This song has two associations in my mind: 1. "Oh yeah, that's hot" And 2. "tHIS COMPANY is being bLED like a STUCK PIG, mac, and I've got the paper trail to prove it"

[@hbzombi]

I GOT BOXES FULLA PEPE!

[@MrGruzefix]

@@hbzombi PEPE SILVA! PEPE SILVA! This goes all the way to the top!

[@gabrielledebourg2487]

- We're not gonna get fired. - We're not? - Because we've already been fired.

[@theuncannydag]

t h e r e i s n o p e p e s i l v i a

[@jockohomosexual]

CAROOOOOOOOOOOL! CAROOOOOOOOOOOOL!

[@HidingAllTheWay]

5:18 "He's not too Swiss, for that he would also need to make watches." 17:39 "Nevermind, carry on."

[@prof.ravenwood7704]

Bwahaha!! 😆😆

[@GarrettEulett]

Congrats, your comment made it onto TVTropes

[@prof.ravenwood7704]

@@GarrettEulett I won't let it go to my head! 😉

[@GarrettEulett]

@@prof.ravenwood7704 no, hidingallaway's did

[@prof.ravenwood7704]

@@GarrettEulett I know. You just forgot to direct your comment. No worries, mate! ;)

[@myjunkdrawer8014]

I guarantee that Dieter has zero regrets in life. Because he just does whatever will give him the most serotonin in that moment.

[@morley364]

7:26- "you can hear them starting to become more accessible" *shows man mumbling to some lightbulbs*

[@l0rf]

You know, swiss accessible. Like living atop a mountain range with all tunnels and bridges wired with explosives and a almost completely armed civilian populace as well as a remarkably trained airforce.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

Sounds like Dieter Meier is the world's most interesting man.

[@murciadoxial8056]

tres equis man

[@IsaakHunt]

I saw a couple of interviews. He's indeed a quite a character and an interesting person. He seems to follow his instincts, and that's what makes everything he does unique, imho.

[@IsaakHunt]

@MomoTheBellyDancer That''s true.

[@craigusselman546]

He Is but hes also super nice funny and generous So is Boris 2 more likeable rich weirdos youll never like super human.

[@NinjaMatt2201]

The most interesting man in the world commercials were based on him.

[@RadioRudie]

I am from Switzerland and Yello is an absolute cult band here. My dad adores them!

[@Rhythmattica]

Im from australia, and a muso, and discovered Yello in 82" Boris is the Producers Producer.... When I heard "she's got a gun".. I was hooked... Even made the homage to Switzerland , Zurich... As my mate Worked on Boris's Fairlight... In the Odeon, There was Dieter.... The story is to long to tell.... But they are , the most under appreciated pioneers of electronic music.. Every Album different, All genres tackled, yet still have the Yello signature... To add, I read the nabe Yello came from One of the guys yelling "Hello" from the front door.... Yelling, Hello..... As for influences... Just look up how many modern artists were "Inspired" by them... Oh.. And their first Live gig was NY Roxy.. 1983... They where huge in the Black community.. When they got up on stage, 99% of the black audience didnt: 1) Know they were Swiss 2) Didnt know that this new style of "Rap" was Swiss Whiteys! 3) And the lyrics.. "Every Body, Needs somebody" was heard as... as the crowd sand "Every Body.. Pizza Party!"

[@belosneshkaaaa]

yello ist der geilste scheiss

[@JamesQMurphy]

Back in college, a friend of ours discovered that “Oh Yeah” worked really well if played over the intro to Star Trek: The Next Generation (3rd season onward). So we did. Every Sunday night. Good times.

[@bn-auric79]

This I gotta see

[@MikeGiallo]

wooowww really cool it even finish when it comes that kind of bridge.

Trying that.

[@NEEDbacon]

Can confirm it works. Like it even shows a Moon when he says "The MOON, beautiful"

[@xerex21212]

And it goes "Beautiful ........oh yeah" When Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis names pop up.

[@rezzoflansch2936]

"The Race" was the opening theme for the most popular music show in the 80s in Germany called "Formel 1". This might be another reason why it was higher on the charts.

[@SINTD_666]

Samuel Sadiq Back in the day, I bought a double A side 12” of Oh Yeah, and The Race. I preferred The Race. I think you’re the only other person to mention the other song so far.

[@rezzoflansch2936]

@@SINTD_666 Nice. Interesting, that Yello put their most famous songs on one record. I think you preferred it because it really sounds more like a pop song, like Tod mentioned. I actually found the intro of "Formel 1". Many people were asking for the name of the song in the comments. I didn´t know it as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmOVlZ9qZ9aCoKc

[@Vengine12]

It was also used by Eurosport as a theme for it's motorsports coverage for a few years in the early 90's.

[@VeliAntti]

@@Vengine12 That's where I heard it as a kid. Catchy tune

[@BringSomeNoise]

It was also the theme for the BBC's fashion program (The Clothes Show, maybe?) into the 90s

[@marljusweety]

Early nineties, when sub woofers and surround sound became a thing you could have in your home for the first time (at least here in Norway), a lot of my friends claimed that Yello was the ultimate test of your sound system. The walls would vibrate and sofas would levitate as the sub woofer underneath did its thing.

[@nopasaran-do9py]

As a professional sound engineer l can confirm we did check the P.A system with "the race"

[@morley364]

Sees title: hmm, never heard this one *Video begins, music plays*: ...my god the Sex Cue is an actual SONG?!

[@juanortiz9123]

Unbelievable right?

[@Punttipate62]

@@juanortiz9123 wrong one hit wonder

[@juanortiz9123]

@@Punttipate62 i see what you did there ;)

[@opjm8664]

I feel this will be a common reaction.

[@Karmy.]

I swear this song was sampled in the you touched my tralalala song that was a meme back around 2009

[@thomasfourth]

Starting the video: "Oh, it's that one song everyone uses as a gag. This should be fun." Ending the video: "I want this group's entire discography." I always enjoy OHW, but this is my favorite yet. :)

[@rechargeandrelax1618]

May I recommend two of their pre-"Oh Yeah" albums: Solid Pleasure (The song "Blue Green" is a good starting point) and You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess (The lead track "I Love You" is catchy). Rock on!

[@Pariahmary]

Yello's first two albums on Ralph Records are goldmines of quirky danceable songs

[@dfire828]

Same here. I genuinely liked the other songs I heard in this video.

[@NikS952]

@@rechargeandrelax1618 How could you mention two out of Yello's three pre-Stella albums and make Claro Que Si the one you leave out??? Absolute blasphemy, do NOT skip Claro Que Si. If you're gonna drop one, drop Solid Pleasure, but it's really good too (just a bit rawer)

[@avosmash2121]

PLANET DADA is an incredibly fun highly recognizable song of theirs too, surprised Todd doesn't mention it coz I feel like I seen it possibly used in American MTV or 90s ads...

[@robertcornhole5197]

*Someone* involved in Ferris Bueller had to be into underground electronic music. See the Cabaret Voltaire poster in Ferris' bedroom.

[@velvetsparrow]

We thinking the same Voltaire?

[@zoologistsnightmare]

Velvet Sparrow probably not lmao

[@velvetsparrow]

Nico Langdale Cabaret goth Voltaire

[@mournblade1066]

Honestly, it was probably John Hughes himself.

[@IABITVpresents]

Cabaret Voltaire and Aurelio Voltaire are two different artists

[@archimmes]

Growing up in (then) Soviet Union, I remember them being on the same level as Depeche Mode within the pre-goths who listened to experimental music. Highly underrated imo. I still remember having “Drive/Driven” be one of the earliest songs I burned on CD

[@fredgriego5511]

I'm in a 'Yello appreciation group' and was surprised how many members are from that part of the world

[@dannyfratina3901]

The guy who played "tape" - being that they were in Europe and grew up in the 70s, they were probably influenced by "classical" composers who were building sound collages and splicing sounds on tape, sometimes making tape tracks and composing live instrument parts to go with them. Stockhausen famously jumped to "composing for tape" by then and this set off a wave of experimentation in music, primarily in the "composed music" or "classical" as we might call it, world of music. Anyway, if he "played tape" it means he was physically creating tape rolls to build unique musical tracks, and it's clear that for him specifically, he was trying to apply it to something resembling pop music, as opposed to the more atmospheric or abstract roots of the medium. Which ties in nicely with this band's general experimental style. These early tape writers predated electronic music and contributed heavily to it as it was taking off.

[@thelordofhellaz]

The Doctor Who Theme was original made by "tape"

[@dsnodgrass4843]

Also "tapes" were the initial instrument of the experimental genre called "Plunderphonics".

[@cartmann94]

Actually splicing audio magnetic tapes in reel-2-reels to create samples and songs. Like movie film editing.

[@Wired4Life2]

So...what The Beatles did on "Tomorrow Never Knows"?

[@mikesimpson3207]

@@Wired4Life2 Yes. Guys like Stockhausen had been experimenting with that sort of tech for about a decade before the Beatles even formed, and Pierre Schaeffer did it using recording disks from a radio station back in the 40's.

[@mcj88]

There's exactly _one_ exception to the "this song is the soundtrack to sexy car/person" thing that I'm aware of, although incidentally it is still car related: in _Gran Turismo 4_ on the PlayStation 2 it plays whenever you fail a license test. It seems players had expressed annoyance with the fail music in GT2 and GT3, so this was the developers' way of striking back by trolling those players even more.

[@Rarestein]

I was looking for this comment

[@NEEDbacon]

This is correct. It's even more ironic it's the fail music. Like you didn't make the grade and then in comes the bombastic drums and OH YEEEAAAHHHHHH. Like a school throwing a parade because you got an F.

[@GeneralNuisance00]

I can think of another, the mail room scene in It's Always Sunny when Charlie completely loses his mind.

[@TheAdrift]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembered it primarily from this! I am actually a fan of Yello, I have a copy of Stella in my CD collection, but god damn, I had a real love-hate relationship with this song back in the day 😆

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

@@GeneralNuisance00 All because Charlie doesn't know how to fucking read.

[@zyxaqc]

Meier wearing sunglasses with his gray hair and mustache makes him look like Swiss Stan Lee

[@jessicaw9011]

omg I"m glad I'm not the only one who saw that!!!

[@teslacoilsmusic]

4:10 - "tapes" is actually a common credit to many musicians within these early avant-gard and experimental music (including members of Throbbing gristle as you've noted). It dates back to the 1940s to the 'musique concete' movement and artists like Pierre Schaeffer who were the first to cut pieces of tape up and glue them back together altering the recorded sounds.

[@AdrianBelmonte96]

i mean, if something called "A Linn" (which btw is a reference to the Linn 9000) was credited as the drummer for the Stock Aitken Waterman records, everything is possible

[@davidjames579]

@@AdrianBelmonte96 Is he related to Mike Crowe Wave? He works in a lot of restaurants.

[@AdrianBelmonte96]

maybe

[@tomasgauna4676]

Or what William Basinski does

[@lookbovine]

Mission of Burma had tape credits, along with Mark E. Smith on a few The Fall albums, I believe. Those are some examples from punk. It’s a pretty common post-punk instrument.

[@Jovian12]

I'd like to personally thank this video for getting me into Yello as a whole--this is probably my favorite One Hit Wonderland! Oh Yeah was already iconic, but I didn't realize the rest of their stuff was just as weirdly delightful, which is absolutely my shit. Making up for lost time now!

[@sethralavode9012]

I like The Race, from The Cutting Edge. That’s all I know from Yello.

[@sethralavode9012]

Ffs. I just started the video and I know this song. Never knew who did it. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[@johanneswerner1140]

There was also the "Hands on Yello" CD, which was basically the raw tracks, for you to get your hands on, ehm, Yello. All of their stuff was on rotation when MTV was still "Music Television", Ray Cookes (spelling?), etc. Good times,and I'm getting old.

[@InfiniteRhombus]

their later albums are really REALLY good, especially "the eye", the production is so interesting, everything is so cut up and tiny and frantic and compartmentalized like some sort of audio rubix cube, i love it.

[@ChristyAbbey]

I'm never the one to be into a band before they hit (well, Green Jelly, Loreena McKennit, and Cannibal Corpse, but I was/am a musician in Buffalo and those were inescapable), but I was recommended Yello's second album by a friend and I kept with them for quite a while. So, three years later how do they hit for you?

[@stevethepocket]

"Incomplete cheese" almost made me have to pause the video to get the laughter out of my system. You really have a way with words.

[@desperatemohammedantheworl5833]

As opposed to American cheese that tastes like plastic and has the texture of asbestos.

[@primrosett]

Dieter Meier seems like the irl version of those "The Most Interesting Man in the World" beer commercials.

[@ginichilders9619]

Next proposed stops on the European One-Hit Wonderland Tour: Finland: Darude - Sandstorm Germany: Nena - 99 Red Balloons or ATC - Around the World (La La La) Netherlands: Vengaboys - We like to Party! (The Vengabus) or Alice DJ - Better Off Alone Romania: O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei, aka, the Numa Numa song (okay, not really a hit, admittedly)

[@ConvincingPeople]

Correction: O-Zone are from Moldova, which also speaks Romanian. However, thank you for reminding me of "Better Off Alone". That song is fantastic.

[@gabe_s_videos]

Were tatu one-hitters? Because that's the only way I can imagine him eventually getting to Russia. Although that would be a hard episode to make funny, cuz the tatu story is MISERABLE.

[@pepagacy]

Netherlands - Diesel (Sausalito Summernight)

[@Rvr221]

Germany : Tokio Hotel Yes, I know, no need to thank me for those flashbacks of your emo phases

[@kokuinomusume]

It's a bit depressing that the Spanish entry will be the Macarena when you have so many alternatives. Like this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWPadXl5gpycias

[@KurosakiYukigo]

_Sees title, hears intro_ Huh. I don't know this one. Todd: "A bunch of you don't think you know this one but you do." _Plays song_ "Oh. Yep. Sure do."

[@tsukiraaquarius8746]

This is the soundtrack for Zeus whenever he sees a hot-ass mortal.

[@chimblemasterofchimney4771]

So all of Greek mythology.

[@thatkidwiththehoodie]

OSP I know it’s you

[@daishoryujin95]

Ah, mythology memes. Never stop never stopping.

[@SorenWinslow]

Before "Oh Yea", most of the underground/new wave/alternative radio stations were already playing Yello. Those of us who listened to those kind of stations were already familiar with Yello from their songs "I Love You", "Lost Again" and "Crash Dance". No, they were never big commercial hits since they were relegated to the underground/new wave/alternative air waves, but we loved them anyway. Their sound was something fresh, different and daring without being stupid. Those of us that were fans of Yello were pretty excited to hear "Oh Yea" in a movie thinking that maybe they would finally start to get some appreciation, but sadly most people have no clue that "Oh Yea" was done by Yello or that it was an actual song done by an actual band. Sadly, most people think that it is just movie music.

[@KarmasAB123]

"'Oh Yeah' by Yello" Who? *Starts video* OH, YEAH!

[@daishoryujin95]

Chkachka

[@TheHeroOfTomorrow]

DAY BOW BOW

[@globetrekker86]

Sheer musical genius, this one. Thanks for taking on the song, Todd!

[@rossclark8120]

Have you ever thought about doing “Black Betty” by ram jam for One hit wonderland?

[@kyle8442]

Yes

[@StuartLynx]

Seriously. Ram Jam lasted one year. I've had chewing gum that lasted longer than their career.

[@BrotherAlpha]

Just reading the name of the song will get it stuck in my head for days.

[@StandInGirl13]

Just made a Brown Betty and I’ve been singing it all day.

[@TonyExists]

I’m still waiting for the Ram Ranch review

[@jakek1735]

Man, I never really thought that hard about just how brilliant and important the song choice was to Ferris Bueller. I mean, I always viewed it as an iconic song/movie pairing, but it never occurred to me just how much the scene, and the movie as a whole, really lives or dies by that song. I never realized how lifeless the scene could have been with no music, or the wrong music. And you're right, if that scene had failed to drive home the idea of the Ferrari being the most priceless thing imaginable, the emotional climax of the entire movie would have failed to resonate. And John Hughes could've picked from a million over-played songs about excess and wealth. But instead, he reached into the bowels of avant-garde obscurity, and somehow unearthed a fucking 24-carat diamond of a song that couldn't have fit the scene more perfectly. It truly is one of the most brilliant uses of a pre-existing song in movie history. RIP John Hughes you sweet beautiful legend.

[@GeorgiaCav]

“Pedro Comacho, the former informant of the secret police, is still standing outside the club. Pretending to be blind, he watches the last flight to Miami disappearing in a fading purple sky. Now he knows he has been left behind.” - the exact moment that made me a fan of Yello

[@sweetsucculentcontentnectar]

One Second doesn't get nearly enough recognition.

[@aninnocentmannerism2314]

what's the reference? sounds cool

[@spectrallik]

@@aninnocentmannerism2314 Yello -- La Habanera

[@zwerker]

And let's not forget 3rd of June: "The Wall Street boys wearing their ties around their neck / Like boxer's towels after a fight Mr. Toomy stopped his pinstripe suit outside a barber shop Looked at his face, took off his jacket and stepped on it"

[@MikeKobela]

@@zwerker 3rd of June has become a National Holiday for me. A highly unimportant day, sure, but still worthy to remember

[@FSEThompson]

Gonna propose “Haus” as the name of this genre. Like House but weird and German-speaking.

[@PaulChapman1bz]

It would have been monikered euro pop. Some, like myself, would have called it Balearic Beat. It must be difficult for the generation below mine to comprehend what Ibiza was in the 80s, but Yello graced the dance floors of the biggest and best clubs. And it sounded incredible under the stars.

[@klisterklister2367]

@@PaulChapman1bz was this the 90s or the 80s?

[@PaulChapman1bz]

@@klisterklister2367 the Balearic sound was established 84-87 and by 1990 House had become the dominant genre. DJs to search for: Alfredo Fiorito Leo Mas Pippi Nancy Noise (how did I forget?) Johnny Walker Trevor Fung Ian Saint Paul There are a few video clips of the amnesia closing party 1989 on here. The video below will link to the others. I'm actually in a couple of shots which felt very strange when I first saw them. Take care ♥️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGWWhZVrhdekiJY

[@proudtobeme1ashkente]

But since they're Swiss, in their case it should really be "Häusli" (I assume only German-speakers will get this one.)

[@QJ89]

It is difficult to pin-point a genre for this, but I'll choose 'Italo-disco,' a unique Swiss brand of it. Todd really needs to learn his Electronic music.

[@etanaedelman9011]

Both Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Secret of My Success were edited by Paul Hirsch, and according to his memoir, he accidentally gave the director of Secret of My Success the idea to put "Oh Yeah" in the movie after playing a recording of the song for him. I guess that explains why they're basically the same scene.

[@niki_bbb]

"He comes from a rich family, as do most successful artists" TODD I FELT THAT!

[@FriendofDorothy]

That was the most startling line in this video, but I'm sure it's true. Even Paris Hilton made an album.

[@niki_bbb]

@@FriendofDorothy yeah, ability to "create art" directly correlates with money, education and connections you family has.

[@RyanStorey1231]

Steven Kerry - And what's more startling about Paris Hilton's music career? Her only hit "Stars Are Blind" is actually really, really good.

[@ExcessiveSpareTime]

The term I believe you're looking for is "Industrial." From the ninties on out, it described the likes of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson. But during the 70s and 80s, it referred to Industrial Records, a label owned by Throbbing Gristle, whose artists included them, William S. Burroughs, and Cabaret Voltaire. It went on to describe artists with a similar sound to the label's roster, who were in many respects an influence to the aforementioned '90s musicians. "Your favorite bands' favorite band," as you put it (or "favorite bands' favorite bands' favorite band" in the case of '90s rock).

[@p0werfu11]

True, also Yello at the start of their career were on the same label with The Residents, Chrome and MX-80

[@ExcessiveSpareTime]

@@p0werfu11 The Residents owned that label.

[@hunterdavis3003]

Yellow would’ve been a very vanilla industrial act/band but yeah I guess yello was sort of industrial

[@garystack9537]

Yep. There’s a great documentary about techno music that talks about the 80s German Industrial music called “We Call it Techno” and last time I saw it, it was on KZbin

[@ideitbawxproductions1880]

I was gonna say Yello couldn't be Industrial, but that one song that played kinda sounded like something from Pretty Hate Machine

[@andrewlivingston1590]

"This is the sound of Jabba the Hutt and/or a bald fat guy having a mid-life crisis." I think I now understand the character of Jabba the Hutt a little better.

[@anone.mousse674]

Now that right there is the record. Let’s talk about the record. Can we talk about the record? Please, Todd, I’ve been dying to talk about the record with you all day, okay?

[@wassup287]

Barney, get this guy a cigarette

[@thefuzzylegend8674]

*CARROOOOL!! CARRROOOOL!! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT PEPE*

[@cutsandwiches7584]

"Have a coffee would ya mac" " I'm actually having a panic attack"

[@ackbarfan5556]

J Tribble “Barney? Who the hell is Barney!?”

[@MrGruzefix]

@@ackbarfan5556 Dey bow bow. Dey Bow Bow? yeah like the song.

[@stevethepocket]

I feel like this song deserves to be added to my list of "proof that memes in the internet sense were a thing before the internet". Alongside Kilroy Was Here and the World's Smallest Violin.

[@Hermititis]

Apparently "Frodo Lives" was a meme in the 70s, per some of my relatives.

[@UBvtuber]

Technically not before the internet since the internet was actually started in the 60s, but before anyone really cared about the internet? Yeah, you are correct sir.

[@roguishpaladin]

Don't forget about the Chariots of Fire Theme playing behind a running person.

[@Dumbledork_Prime]

and don't forget "Andre the Giant has a Posse", which later became Obey Giant.

[@nickrustyson8124]

Don't forget Take This Job and Shove It, by Johnny Paycheck, that song literally made unemployment rise.

[@mdwm1981]

The fact a swiss electronic band got recognition in the US at all is pretty impressive and I've been a fan since the 80's.

[@Rexthegreat64101]

Ah yes, 2am, the perfect time for my dose of todd

[@Vitorio582]

This is one of those songs where I ask myself "how is Todd gonna play this on the piano without it sounding bad?"

[@Jonatan_SE]

As a Yello fan I am very pleased with this very accurate description of the band.

[@ellaser93]

This reminds me of my favorite episode of 1HW where Todd talks about "Scatman." They are both songs that were considered "Novelty" songs in their time, but the musicians that wrote and performed them were absolutely real deal legit! Love that kinda stuff!

[@NFSF1McLaren]

*sees "One Hit Wonderland" song title* *has flashbacks of failing license tests in Gran Turismo 4*

[@rct3isepic]

I will never forget hearing my brother scream every swear word known to man with this song playing over his failure footage

[@NPGLAMB]

You need to watch the rest of the episodes! Amazing dedication to these “useless” (to music normies) artists

[@NFSF1McLaren]

​@@NPGLAMB Like Loorena McKennit, Semisonic, Midnight Oil, Wall Of Voodoo Thomas Dolby and others? I've been following OHW for the past few years and it really did help me on introducing artists and deep discographies I would never bother to do if I didn't.

[@cartmann94]

Imagine if they played this in the license test in Driver 1 (ps1) instead. That would have been pure torture.

[@CanadianCarguy247]

Was hoping somebody commented this, didn't think I knew this song but thanks GT4 I geuss lol

[@MidnightatMidian]

Tapes is the art of recording a sound on a tape, then cut it, glue it together, re-record it. It was a kind of mixing before the softwares. A friend of mine is very fond of that. They were using nail dissolvant to glue the tapes together.

[@ghostofabulletproducciones5748]

The 80s were a particularly fertile time for these weird dance acts. Cabaret Voltaire, DAF, those industrial acts that became interested in dancey electronica

[@georgemantzik3941]

And Front 242!

[@hunterdavis3003]

Skinny Puppy!!!

[@Cool70sfreak]

@@rommix0 Arguably is the key word here, though their sound was a bit more definitive I suppose. In any case, in regards to this series, I'm not sure if you could call them an exact One-Hit Wonder? But if you do want to classify Art Of Noise as a one-hit wonder, then only one song can fit the bill. And yes, I absolutely mean the version that has Matt Frewer as Max Headroom in it, because that was the version released as a single and the one that got everyone's attention on it on MTV.

[@cassetterescue2692]

New Beat

[@KosmosDream]

No joke man. You don’t even realized how much these episodes mean to me. Your humor is awesome, the informative delivery, the respect you give many of these artists. I’ve gotten into bands and gone back to others because of this series. Thanks Todd!

[@TenseSensor]

I love your lum profile pic.

[@ornamentidoro]

7:00 The "genre" you're looking for is probably just "Early Industrial" which had pretty little to do with later so-called Industrial. Especially in the German-speaking world you'll find a lot of great music from this era, intersecting with post-punk and Neue Deutsche Welle (Der Plan, DAF, Malaria, etc), all of it really weird and beyond classification, with a great balance between experimentation and sense of humour.

[@VinchVolt]

Honestly the thing that really got me to understand how different early industrial was from later forms of the genre was listening to both Peter Gabriel's fourth album and Yellow Magic Orchestra's Technodelic. Both of them have this leftfield, almost psychedelic sound layered in samples and mechanical textures, yet would be unrecognizable compared to, say, Nine Inch Nails. Yello's early work from that same point in time very much mined that vein as well, and the funny thing is, several of the songs on Stella actually sound like precursors to later industrial music (e.g. "Koladi-Ola", "Domingo", "Let Me Cry"). They'd quickly move away from it in favor of doing whatever else they felt like (while still consistently putting out great work), but it's interesting to look back on.

[@misfire33]

@@VinchVolt I absolutely love the sound of Security, it's not my favourite PG album overall (that'd probably be Scratch) but the weird, everything-is-sampled, cold mechanical sound is such an instant "grab" of your ears. Like you're living in a city of regurgitated ideas haunted by shadow people or something. There's all these fast upbeat silly fun songs then these slow moving ones that are menacing, desperate almost, sometimes just morose. It rules. Yello meanwhile reminds me of The Art of Noise but actually catchy instead of sleep-inducing car starter noises repeated 40 times lol

[@aja968]

I clicked on this so fast because I was really excited that Todd would be talking about Switzerland. And then I was excited because I realized I know next to nothing about Yello and their work despite having a passing familiarity with Dieter Meier. Edit: very interesting and informative episode, thanks Todd!

[@wolfman801]

I'm so relieved that this was an actual One Hit Wonderland review and not another insufferable April fools joke video.

[@LimeyLassen]

April Fools and quarantine fever were a bad combo

[@FHL-Devils]

1:15 - While she probably fills more of a 2-Hit Wonder, I'd love to see a Wonderland on Vega's 'Luka' - which has an incredible story behind it (both in the meaning of the song, and the Prince shout-out). Follow-up Tom's Diner, which has minimal chart success but an incredibly well known song. Criminally underrated artist.

[@thejjfrantsexperience5572]

Dieter Meier is just a Swiss Tony Stark.

[@iwasanangryyoungman]

More like a Schweizer Stan Lee

[@OddtwangofDork]

... or a Stark Swiss Toni? kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3PaXpR7nt2Kq9E

[@Ysckemia]

anyway he looks super sexy for a 75 year old man. so classy. and rich. and artsy. what else could a woman possibly ask for ??

[@katherinealvarez9216]

So he's gonna save the world and adopt Peter Parker?

[@LanceEhlers]

I highly recommend that, before writing off Yello as an eccentric couple of weirdos, people should listen through Stella as an album from beginning to end. It’s their Dark Side of the Moon, and it’s fantastic. Rich, deep, cinematic sound textures. One Second is equally great. I’d also argue that “Of Course I’m Lying” (off Flag) is a latent, moody pop hit which sounds custom-made for a stylized, Michael-Mann-type movie’s soundtrack. Seek it out here and see if you disagree.

[@meursault7030]

Ok fine, I will.

[@scottb721]

Yes, Of course is a great song. Along with Vicious Game.

[@djmips]

"Si Senor the Hairy Grill" from the "One Second" album is a strangely titled masterpiece and actually appeared in an episode of Miami Vice.

[@Malkmusianful]

don't forget their Ralph Records catalog

[@natasnatas9581]

Thrashed this album for years,Desire being a favourite.

[@CanadaWaxSolvent]

Film editor Paul Hirsch was responsible for adding the song to Secret of My Success and Ferris Beuller's Day Off. He talks about it in his autobiography.

[@sofiaciel7599]

Besides Ferris Bueller, this makes me think of two things: - an old ad for Twix when I was a little kid - failing the damn license challenges in Gran Turismo 4 over and over!!!!

[@NatsukiMogiIsBestGirl]

I knew I wasn't the only one. IA-15 was an absolute nightmare.

[@mcgrawnelson4722]

@@NatsukiMogiIsBestGirl i knew this was in gran turismo 4 but i couldnt remember where. i heard it so many times, sooooo many times.

[@NatsukiMogiIsBestGirl]

@@mcgrawnelson4722 It plays whenever you fail a license test. I have absolutely no idea why.

[@samiraperi467]

Wait, it's in GT4? Funny, I don't remember it. Oh wait, that's because licence tests are mostly easy.

[@NatsukiMogiIsBestGirl]

*cough* IA-15 *cough*

[@kyleking3087]

My high school friend had this song on a 45 and whenever we'd be drinking at his house he'd throw on the record at 16 speed and it's so hilariously deep

[@bloodycoffee9293]

I didn't realize I needed this band in my life, but now I can never go back and have dedicated my everything to them.

[@Champiness]

Todd’s doing me a great service right now, because Yello and this song exist in a weird liminal space for me where I’ve always felt like I *almost* understood their place in music history, but the gap between that and true understanding was in practice impassable UPDATE: Got a lot of fun new biographical info but nope, still pretty liminal

[@boheyo]

MOOON...BEAUTIFUL

[@donaldronson1387]

Was not expecting to see that Beefheart footage at all, Todd.

[@MikeKobela]

New single on Friday, June 19th, AND a new album on August 28th! They're still rocking and going strong! Can't wait to hear what they have in store!

[@BlackZynfyndel]

Dude, being I’m 40, I remember hearing this on the radio ALL the time in the 80s. And no one ever talked about the band. Thank you for this!!!!

[@sketchypie]

Me : IDK this song Me at 0:18 : oooooooooohhh

[@cubedmelons876]

You mean "oooooooohhhh yeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhh."

[@Wired4Life2]

Exact same thought process going in.

[@patricklauer4452]

Claire same XD

[@CheredaReneeShaw]

Same

[@shockofthenew]

I grew up with Yello (my dad's a big fan) and they're genuinely one of my favourite bands. They were so present and influential in my own musical upbringing it's always kind of surreal to remember that most people don't know of them, or at most know them for one joke song. Seriously recommend getting into their other albums - to my mind they're the perfect fusion between experimental, atmospheric avant garde and actually fun, listenable, danceable music. Great music videos too!

[@ronadish1]

Same, my dad would play them in the car on road trips and it weird to me that people don't know them.

[@Arrowdodger]

"Is it possible to be too swiss?" *Cesaro has entered the chat*

[@acidkyledaLSDj]

Well played sir well played 👍

[@HidingAllTheWay]

5:18 "He's not too Swiss, for that he would also need to make watches." 17:39 "Nevermind, carry on."

[@carybeweary7209]

😊👍👏👏👏

[@kamccomb16]

This song was part of a lobby music playlist at my old hotel that I worked at. Imagine checking in someone into a room while this song is blasting in the background

[@zeta970]

That's hilarious and a little gross. I hope it was a cheap hotel - that would bring the scene to maximum 80's

[@captainunderpants200]

Oh Yeah became a bit of a meme in my circle of friends after seeing Farris Bueller, and I decided I had to track down the song. Got their name from the credits and headed to my local record shop. Amazingly (because this was in small town Tasmania in the 80s), they had their 'best of' album on cassette, which I bought for that one song, but the album as a whole became an instant favourite, and I've been a fan ever since. Glad you made this video because they do deserve more recognition.

[@fakechemicals]

Todd, the word you were looking for the entire video is "decadent." Decadent.

[@richmcgee434]

A term also used to describe high-quality chocolate, oddly enough. :)

[@TheAlps36]

There's a similar word: debauchery

[@avosmash2121]

Hedonistic? Perhaps he used this word though.

[@patrickholt2270]

In reference to the yuppies and brash consumerism of the '80s, definitely. And the luxury set in every decade of worthless wealthy vermin.

[@Blubatt]

He is not a sophisticated man.

[@ErrorIsProgress]

Never thought I'd see Todd ever referencing The Residents and Throbbing Gristle.

[@Mojo1800]

Old video, and you may never see this, but I wanted to thank you for introducing me into what is now one of, or my favourite musical acts ever. I have no interest in electronic music so this has never been on my radar, but when I heard a few of the songs in this video their sound instantly clicked with me. I still don't know what it is about them that works so well for me, given they're so different from everything else I listen to, but I adore so many of their songs, and I'd probably have never found them if not for this video. Absolutely incredible pick for a one-hit wonderland.

[@bearfamous_]

It says 10 seconds ago and there’s no comments or likes. So it feels like I’m in an empty lecture hall while Todd is talking. It’s odd

[@prof.ravenwood7704]

Lol! I'm not used to catching an episode this early either!

[@multismashify]

Odd Todd Haha...laid off...lets have some fudge striped cookies! And Pringles!

[@LG123ABC]

"Oh Yeah" is the musical expression of pure lust.

[@guilhermesiebeneichler1663]

Nice

[@imalonerdottie]

That or greed or gluttony. I was also thinking I’m Too Sexy, but that one’s more pride really

[@albinf40]

It's the sound of pure hedonism and I love it

[@Allyourheroswenttohell]

The sun and moon represents God. The music video is about the virgin birth, which is about the birth of the universe itself. It wasn't about lust.

[@Allyourheroswenttohell]

This is called sexual alchemy.

[@joeudi938]

"Pinball Cha-Cha" is not parody. It is as pure an expression as there has ever been, of the joy in a simple activity. That song is fucking awesome.

[@wadekemmsies7180]

Another suggestion for One-Hit Wonderland: Jerk It Out by the Caesers

[@nicolassilva1729]

thanks for reminding me of that song's existence. I used to listen to it with a friend back in high school. It was my ex-girlfriend's ringtone. lol

[@mahiru20ten]

I remember the Coca-Cola ad using that song.

[@cristinamariposa]

The band is actually just called Caesars (used to be Caesar’s Palace but they didn’t want to get sued by the casino)

[@daishoryujin95]

[Ber-beeep-bip-beep-beep-berrr-beep-bip-ber]LETSGO

[@Baddylongway]

As a BIG fan of Joakim Åhlunds other work I'm very pro this idea. He's a core members of the group Teddybears, who are imo one of the most credible groups active in Sweden, having worked with Robyn, Iggy Pop, Neneh Cherry, and behind the scenes of many more... You might recognize the track "Cobrastyle". Having seen them live I'd argue they're one of few acts managing to successfully blend rock music with hip hop. Super interesting group + musician!

[@JC42023]

Wait!! A trainwreckords AND a one hit wonderland less than two weeks apart from one another!? Damn I know a lot of us are stuck inside without much to do but I wasn't expecting increased productivity from one of my favorite KZbinrs

[@petlod]

"The Rhythm Divine", the song featuring Shirley Bassey (and co-writer Billy Mackenzie on backing vocals), is one of the most sublime singles of the 80s. Lush and gorgeous.

[@ItDoesntMatterReally]

Makes chocolate, comes from money, dabbles in watches. The guy's like the living embodiment of Switzerland.

[@amberhernandez]

Omfg this was an actual song? I just thought it was a meme thing. Huh. Something new every day.

[@Santoryu90]

Every meme comes from somewhere

[@vinnyfromvenus8188]

@@Santoryu90 that's D E E P

[@pokespicie1699]

I thought the same thing until I watched Ferris Bueller... I was so fucking confused for a solid 2 minutes

[@napalmblaziken]

Yep. My brother used to blast it every day. Was his favorite song.

[@MartijnVos]

Maybe the song was really a meme avant la lettre.

[@MravacKid]

I'm a rock and metal guy, but Yello, Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre transcend genres.

[@LordAJ12345]

Absolutely. I rarely listen to electronic music but I adore all three of those (though I must admit I haven't really listened to anything from Jean-Michel Jarre beyond Oxygène).

[@VinchVolt]

@@LordAJ12345 If you like Yello, Jean-Michel Jarre's album Zoolook might be up your alley. Similarly offbeat and Fairlight CMI-fueled sampledelica put through Jarre's classically trained lens.

[@danstiver9135]

RIP Cameron's dad's car.

[@bificommander]

"Sure, the movie made it seem like a rite of passage. But trust me, there was a fucking murder that night."

[@hunterdavis3003]

He and Cameron are going to have a long talk

[@dsnodgrass4843]

F

[@Wired4Life2]

An extremely-belated abortion.

[@TransistorBased]

In the 80s that car would have probably been worth around a million. Now they're closer to 10-15mil. Going along with the movie lore that it's a real Ferrari

[@rhettwoods7393]

Thank you for giving Yello their due. If not for your efforts I would never have known how strange and delightful this duo is. I define a true artist as one that doesn’t give a damn what commercial appeal the art has and clearly these guys just do what they enjoy and the rest of the world can go poison itself on bad chocolate. Huzzah! Art for its own sake. Must be nice to already be so filthy rich your art can stand alone without being mired down in a need to sell. I already started looking into more Yello works and it is all thanks to you. Thank you again.

[@lanezumoff5151]

Boris's catchy and inventive production + Dieter's atmospheric narrative = Pop Perfection. Great tribute Todd

[@GasmaskAvenger]

Never thought I would see Throbbing Gristle pop up in a Todd in the Shadows video. What's next? The 60s band Cromagnon and the one shot death metal act Infester popping up at a later date?

[@hunterdavis3003]

RIP GPO

[@murciadoxial8056]

b e e f h e a r t

[@matthewbrindley578]

Who is the band at the beginning of the video?

[@GasmaskAvenger]

@@matthewbrindley578 the free jazz sounding one at the start? Good question. Might be Captain Beefhart but i'm not entirely sure

[@matthewbrindley578]

@@GasmaskAvenger I actually looked into and your right it is captain beefheart and he magic band. Just type in captain beefheart live into KZbin and it's the first video. Also the captain himself is the one playing the thing that looks like a saxophone that was run over by a car.

[@Shelek_Bearer]

Time for me to nerd out on a tangent: Dieter Meier had been involved in a music project before Yello, which started releasing music one year prior to Yello's debut single: Fresh Color, a punk act later reformed into an Italo disco band, the replacement vocalist of which began pioneering a label exclusively for Italo and Spacesynth artists in the late 90s. Why does this matter? It doesn't. I like spacesynth is all.

[@synchronizedelbow5702]

Thanks Joshi! Another rabbit hole to dive through! Any recommendations from the genre?

[@VinchVolt]

Boris Blank and Carlos Peron were also briefly making music as Tranceonic before they met Dieter Meier; "Bostich" is even a remix of an old Tranceonic piece (which had the slightly different title of "The Bostich"). They didn't formally release any material before the formation of Yello, but a bunch of old studio recordings were eventually put out on a compilation album, New Crime, in 2017.

[@Estolcles]

Europe: "For our racing show, we'll use 'The Race' by Yello." USA: "Instrumental version of THAT PART of 'Fuel' by Metallica for NASCAR!"

[@kathea9804]

Todd: we will eventually hit every country in Europe on one hit wonder. Me: there’s no what he’ll do mine Todd: Switzerland *OMFGWHAAAAT?!*

[@Mk-dm5xu]

SAME; SWISS FOLKS UNITE

[@UBvtuber]

Switzerland isn't that out there though, imagine Lithuania n fans of Todd waiting for their country to get some love.... they're gonna be waiting a long time.

[@Mk-dm5xu]

@@UBvtuber true though

[@substatikvideos]

He need to do Numa Numa (Moldova) and The Ketchup Song (Spain).

[@BlakouttheMM]

13:50 Closest we've gotten to a replacement is Windowlicker by Aphex Twin. Top Gear liked to play it sometimes when showcasing a car.

[@ExcessiveSpareTime]

it's that three-mile stretch limo, man

[@boheyo]

Top Gear play a lot of wild shit because the BBC have a licensing deal where they just pay a (huge) flat fee and can then do whatever they want as long as it's a UK broadcast.

[@destendgem]

They're still making music. They made songs last year including Duba Wuba which was my favourite song of 2020 until I heard Supalonely. These two aren't going to stop for anything.

[@desperatemohammedantheworl5833]

Gary "four LPs in the top 20 at the same time" Numan, Devo, Thomas "I guested with David Bowie at the London Live Aid concert don't you know" Dolby all one hit wonders? Truly the USA charts are another world.

[@witchflowers6942]

ikr?! there’s a bunch of successful bands that if you mention in the us will get you only confused stares from americans

[@davidbell5528]

In the Uk here, didnt even realise Oh Yeah was a full song, seemed more like a perfect outtake from something other. Where as The Race was used over virtually all motorsport that pretty much the entire track was used in sections, and so the song as an entity and its video were massive and memorable

[@AdamusPrime24]

Aye, and I'm sure The Race was used in our comedies like 'Nuns on the Run', too. ^^

[@infesticon]

@@AdamusPrime24 There's a bunch of yello songs in "nuns on the run"

[@DynastyLuminous46]

Yello is an amazing group. Tool in Rose is one of the most beautifully haunting pieces of instrumentation I've ever heard, and then they have songs like this.

[@JasonRainbows]

Thanks for a new perspective on a band I've listened to for many years, and in fact still have about a dozen of their songs in my "Driving To Work" setlist. I've never thought to categorize their style. It's just "Yello Music". They have an unmistakable style. Although I've listened to their stuff since, like, the 80s, I've never seen their music videos and never (until now) knew what they look like. I've always imagined it was one guy playing with sample loops. Checking out their (insane) music videos now, I'm experiencing a new appreciation for them. Thanks much, man.

[@TheUnmitigatedDawn]

ONE HIT WONDERLAND: Brandy(You’re a fine girl)

[@AhanaNags]

My introduction to Yello was in my dance class where we did a jazz number to "The Race." It was awesome.

[@valmarsiglia]

Not only are the books on Yello expensive and in German, they're in expensive German.

[@johngleeman8347]

Like in an archaic noble German dialect? Not sure what you mean. XD

[@ThePrinceofParthia]

@@johngleeman8347 Swiss German

[@johngleeman8347]

@@ThePrinceofParthia Thanks.

[@johngleeman8347]

Thanks.

[@l0rf]

I am German and know Swiss people and this is so accurate I'm stealing it.

[@CmdrUD87]

"The Race" was also used in Germany throughout most of the 90s for a bunch of sports recaps (mostly Das Aktuelle Sportstudio) when they covered races

[@gabe_s_videos]

And they're releasing a new album this year! I've heard the singles for it, they're GREAT!

[@Darknessanddisgrace]

I listened to "Stella" several years ago and your video pushed me to listen to it again, great album indeed. I love this Central Europe well-mannered old dudes who totally slayed the 80s, a special shoutout to Giorgio Moroder, a legend here in Italy.

[@HolyGoddessMotherAnne]

Baltimora,they're from Italy,were they any good beyond Tarzan Boy in their homeland?

[@Darknessanddisgrace]

@@HolyGoddessMotherAnne I think they're one hit wonder in Italy too