ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots

[@thegeecyproject]

1970’s folks: “And then he turned himself into a duck. Funniest shit I’ve ever seen”

[@matheusmoreira9951]

I turned myself into a duck, Morty. I'M DUCK RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!

[@AlfredoFilmGeek]

I'm Disco Rick!

[@ddjsoyenby]

toddsco toddsco duck!

[@Champiness]

“Influencer gets a Top 40 hit off a song he wrote solely because he knew a guy who could do a credible Rick impression to put on it” feels like a 2020s headline I wouldn’t be surprised to wake up to tomorrow

[@summerwoodsmusic]

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Disco Duck. The humour is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of duck physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head.

[@Harv72b]

So Rick Dees ends up doing "Get Naked", a parody of Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters", which plagiarized Huey Lewis & The News' "I Want A New Drug"...which Weird Al Yankovic had turned into the vastly superior duck parody, "I Want A New Duck". This story truly did come full circle.

[@afuzzycreature8387]

I support Ray Parker Jr's view of things

[@whenfatkillsfat803]

And you wonder why I prefer On Our Own by Bobby Brown. At least he doesn’t steal from Patrick Bateman’s idol.

[@jr2904]

@@afuzzycreature8387 why

[@juliagoodwin9510]

I prefer the Ghostbusters theme to be honest. (Will Todd ever do that song?)

[@whenfatkillsfat803]

@@jr2904 Girls are more fun.

[@psykomancer4420]

Is there a more ominous phrase than "I have so much footage of Disco Duck".

[@hiimemily]

Maybe "Wanna see a live clown?" but that's about it.

[@KramerKontained94]

I love how that little girl introducing disco-rilla cannot be bothered to sound interested

[@timkramar9729]

That was her shtick.

[@drpibisback7680]

It's glorious. Even children know: Rick Dees is not worthy of excitement.

[@JCOdrjones]

@@timkramar9729 interesting gimmick

[@RobertJRoman]

@@JCOdrjones It made more sense in the context of the show. Not the show that she's in on the video. On her sitcom, What's Happening, where she played the little sister.

[@TMC1982Part2]

That's Danielle Spencer, who played Dee Thomas on What's Happening!!

[@Elloreetom]

The beauty of "Disco Duck" was that it empowered teenaged boys everywhere to impress their friends with their own Donald Duck voices. Perhaps speaking from experience.

[@uneek35]

The Christopher Walken of it's time.

[@autumnphillips151]

The only person I know who can do the Donald Duck voice is my grandmother.

[@alfredosauce3727]

@@autumnphillips151 the only person I know who can do it is my grandfather

[@Speleomimus]

Worked out great for Chris Chan...

[@yeeyeeasshaircut3929]

im sorry

[@cbpoppet1288]

Somewhat ironically, the storyline of Disco Duck reflects the storyline of Franz Kafka's Metamorphisis. Man turns into bettle and worries about his ability to do his job. Becomes, man turns into duck and worries about his ability to score with disco chicks.

[@xcmledder3420]

Discomorphisis

[@justvibin1447]

Deep literary analysis of disco duck

[@jeanmichellelaurent]

​@@justvibin1447Now we just need a video essay

[@GoodSirReginald]

The April Fools joke here is that this song was ever made in the first place.

[@jirosomer1204]

Nope it's a real song

[@KariIzumi1]

Yup!

[@HomerSimpsonIsCool]

My mother has told me on multiple occasions that she loves this song

[@nate567987]

No the joke is that it hit number 1 in the charts

[@2bitnerd]

This video was released on April 2nd.

[@peterlodman-slater8798]

Sir Paul McCartney introducing Disco Duck to America makes far more sense than it should. Man knew exactly what he was doing.

[@FFKonoko]

"you're not gonna complain about my music once you hear this"

[@aidanhickey9845]

'Silly Love Songs' won't sound quite as silly now!

[@yannickjohn6930]

@@FFKonoko PSY and BTS will reference this with equal sense.

[@Launchpad05]

He was just doing what he had to do.

[@grahamkristensen9301]

This was basically his way of saying "I never want to hear you bloody Yanks complain about Wonderful Christmastime again.""

[@perez1hunnid8]

You failed to mention that the guy who voiced the duck actually sued Rick Dees for $5000

[@yserareborn]

That sounds like it could be a video in itself.

[@grfrjiglstan]

He pushed his luck For 5000 bucks

[@frnz1943]

...Do you think Rick Dees told him to put it on his bill?

[@tswizzle2020]

@@frnz1943 nice

[@jeremybean-hodges6397]

@@frnz1943 nah he probably told him to go cluck himself

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"The idea of a leisure suit duck hitting on women was just so funny that people loved it." That's news to Howard.

[@rhodopisdenile8977]

What’s funny to me tho is that if Howard actually existed (the comic version not the shitty movie version) he would 100% fucking despise this song.

[@andrejg4136]

@@rhodopisdenile8977 if there wasn't a scene of Howard going into to murderous rage at hearing the 'legally distinct' version of Disco Duck, it was a missed opportunity.

[@PeterGriffin11]

I'm not even a huge Marvel fan but somehow I know who Howard The Duck is.

[@smjaiteh]

Rick Dees is definitely the Lil Dicky of Disco, specifically with regards to the baffling amount of industry connections.

[@PhoenixFireZero]

He's the Lil Ducky, if you will.

[@JCOdrjones]

Now that's unfair to Rick Dees. Man never pretended to present himself as a legit disco star while Dave just flip flops between wanting to be taken seriously or not

[@davidnissim589]

@@JCOdrjones true. Rick always was "that DJ who makes parody songs" and he just so happened to have one of those songs become a hit.

[@TheAirBear2000]

Has anybody made a Rick Dees Nuts joke yet?

[@ThatRandomEncounterGuy]

This is the first time ever that I knew it was literally credited as “Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots” and not just Todd being sardonic.

[@bradwolf07]

Same for me

[@yannickjohn6930]

Self-explanatory....

[@andrewlivingston1590]

The same thing happened to me when I came across the song for the first time in Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs. The band name sounded so much like something Barry would make up for a spur-of-the-moment quip that I eventually just Googled it to make sure. No, that’s what they’re called, all right!

[@davidmonypeny5734]

I was 9 years old when this song came out it's the first song I remember actively hating. Thanks Todd for reminding me why.

[@SomeRPGFan]

First song I ever hated was "Dance Little Bird" by the Electronicas. Now that is a bird-themed one hit wonder that really deserves to be on the list of worst songs of all time.

[@fredlandry6170]

I was 6.

[@Gender_Ascender]

Funny. First song I actively hated was Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne, cause I listened to Sk8r Boi and Complicated as a kid and Girlfriend felt like the highlight of her getting progressively worse from those early songs.

[@grmpf]

@@SomeRPGFan People from English-speaking countries will know this as the Chicken Dance. It was also originally duck-themed by the way. In my country, it spent a whole 51 weeks in the charts. Its eight-week number-one reign was succeeded by a cover version of the same song that stayed there for another four weeks. What I'm trying to say here is that 1981 was a bad year to be alive in Germany for anyone who had ears.

[@starwarsman70]

Mine was The Crazy Frog. Back in 2004 or so, the UK had a ringtone become number 1. Not a song that was turned into a ringtone. Just a ringtone. 9 year old me lost a little bit of faith in humanity

[@CyrusTheYoshi]

13:17 “HOW IS THERE VIDEO OF THIS?!” this gets me without fail every time; the sheer mix of awe, frustration, and disappointment is perfect in that delivery

[@zorantaylor3190]

The fact that the phrase "Disco SUCKS!" took off the way it did could legitimately have a little bit to do with how well it rhymes with "Disco Duck". Imagine someone singing it, that probably happened a time or three....

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

"Sucks" was probably still considered slightly dirty in the 70s too. But I wouldn't be surprised if you're right.

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

Well I asked my dad a while ago and he seemed to think "sucks" wasn't that dirty even back then so maybe it is more Disco Duck.

[@ProgShell]

*steps up to the microphone* “Rick Dees Nuts” That’s it.

[@brandonjustis]

i was looking for this comment exactly.

[@kevinwillems8720]

Got em

[@VinceWhitacre]

I am actively astonished he hasn't released this song yet.

[@dustinpence1419]

I was looking for it, you were the first person I saw that said it, thus you may have my thumbs up. Enjoy.

[@TheCanBakis]

@@brandonjustis Me too!

[@ponygon777]

Rick Dees is like Weird Al Yankovic if he had the sense of humor of Dane Cook.

[@KatarnCrusader]

Rick Dees is the Rick Dees of unfunny Radio DJs

[@maverickREAL]

@@KatarnCrusader He's like the Amy Schumer of Rick Dees.

[@chrisdoesscience1542]

Eeeewwwwww\

[@pittafat6310]

>implying that most of the stuff weird al makes is funny to begin with.

[@chrisdoesscience1542]

@@pittafat6310 As a longtime fan of Weird Al from way way back, I can say that most of his stuff is meh at best, just like most musicians. But his good songs are REALLY good.

[@michaelkitchin9665]

Like a warning from history, Disco Duck lived so Crazy Frog could only chart as high as 50 on the Billboard.

[@zombiedodge1426]

By coincidence I just watched Todd's video about Cher Lloyd's "Want U Back," and he mentions Crazy Frog as an example of horrendously bad music that became popular in Britain but not in America. (Also The Cheeky Girls.)

[@michaelkitchin9665]

@@zombiedodge1426 I can't deny, the British public will vote for novelty music in their droves. Mr Blobby, that Opera bloke and his wife, Joe Dolce. It's like an avenue for democratic mischief.

[@zombiedodge1426]

@@michaelkitchin9665 I find that the range of quality for British music, TV shows and movies is much greater than that in the US. The best British stuff is better than anything from America, but Britain’s worst stuff is much, much more horrible than anything from the United States.

[@rattyeely]

Crazy frog deserved better than disco duck

[@redactedredacted6656]

Shout out to Crazy Frog's cover of We Are The Champions that was released to coincide with the Fifa World Cup and charted in a bunch of countries in Europe (it even reached number 1 in France)

[@jamesidk1575]

my theory is that this song is about being in a club and accidentally being given some hallucinogenic substance that you were told was cocaine and tripping so hard you think you're a duck

[@MrSkerpentine]

This first draft of I Took A Pill In Ibiza’s weeeiiird, man

[@applebonker141]

I think this is my new headcanon

[@R.Rileys-BION_Patreon-Podcast]

We've been spending most our lives living in a house of mouse and mice

[@Malkmusianful]

No, I think it's actual body horror

[@bigredradish]

Disco Dust

[@kevindube7096]

As a morning DJ in the 70s, he probably made more money than Disney did at that time

[@abigailkinney3631]

Theory: kids loved it. I wasn't around for the 70s, but I know how children love irritating songs. My guess is that it was the "Baby Shark" of its time.

[@jadedemotions9891]

This

[@ohmygoditisspider7953]

Anyone understand why kids love bad annoying songs so much? I don't have kids but I remember liking a lot of really annoying garbage as a smol spider.

[@drpibisback7680]

@@ohmygoditisspider7953 I won't pretend to have a musicology or sociology degree, but I have theories. Kids don't really have fully-formed tastes at that point, so they aren't really going to enjoy things for aesthetic reasons (e.g. Slint's Spiderland is a beautiful and twisting depiction of loneliness in various forms, but it's also 40 minutes of obtuse, mostly-spoken-word lyrics and repetitive, dissonant clean guitar riffs over uncomfortable odd-time beats. If you can't appreciate the atmosphere and emotional effect of Slint's music, you will hate Spiderland so much). That just leaves the basic building blocks of catchy music to work with, which to anyone who cares about aesthetic value seem painfully obvious and obnoxiously simple. Add to it that children tend to really enjoy the same thing over and over (and not in a subtle, atmospheric Krautrock/Motorik kind of way), loud noises, and silly voices. You have a recipe for sheer agony when it gets stuck in the head of any adult. An ideal song for children sounds like a normal song that's taken several lead pipes to the head.

[@DrZuluGaming]

@@drpibisback7680 So, TL;DR, it's like that episode of South Park where the music you enjoyed as a kid now can sound like crap as an adult, right?

[@qty1315]

@@drpibisback7680 Nah, it's more simple than that. Socrates figured it out, but if you bring it up people will deny it and argue with you about it. Basically, preferences in regards to what kind of art you like and dislike isn't something that you're born with, it's something you develop as you get older and learn more about art. Until you develop your own taste, you'll just say that you like what people in positions of authority (critics, your parents) say that they like. That's why you have kids in comments sections on older songs saying that they love older music that their parents like. It's also why little kids 'like' cutesy novelty songs, because that's what their teachers, caregivers, and parents tell them that they should like at that age instead of the inappropriate rap music and metal music (though, some parents will blast Slayer for their kids and play gangster rap for them, just look at Twitter to see proud parents bragging about how much their young kids love Metallica). It's also why the music you 'liked' when you were younger, before you developed your own taste, sounds bad when you get older, or at least, you don't like it as much. Also, Motorik isn't a genre of music, it's a drumbeat. I wouldn't call Spiderland an album about loneliness, though, since Breadcrumb Trail is about two people on a date in a carnival. Good Morning Captain is really the only song about being lonely on the album.

[@KorAnos1]

Why is no one else discussing the terrifying, long-legged, man-sized duck in that live performance? Someone keep longduck far, far away from me.

[@VinchVolt]

that's not even the scariest part of the performance; when it aired on uk television, it was introduced by jimmy saville.

[@rgs8970]

Rick Dees really does have the vibe of "you've got to meet my roommate, he's so wacky"

[@gxtmfa]

Don’t hide from the fact that you still owe us a deep dive into the history of “Dog Police.” It doesn’t even need to be a One Hit Wonderland episode. It just needs to happen.

[@hiimemily]

It _couldn't_ be a One Hit Wonderland episode; it didn't even chart. "I Melt With You" might have peaked at #76, well before the arbitrary Top 40 threshold, but "Dog Police" didn't even bubble under the Hot 100. It _did_ however get spun into a TV pilot with Jeremy Piven and Adam Sandler in 1990, nearly a decade after its release. Not sure if there's enough dirt on them to fill a quarter hour, but there's something.

[@awordon9631]

I have a vid on the whole dog police scene if you wanna watch it

[@jaycee330]

It would have had to have been a HIT to be on here.

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

There's also the fact that the chorus is just taken from the Spider-Man theme song from the Electric Company.

[@gxtmfa]

As previously stated, it does not need to be a One Hit Wonderland. Todd has a video on best 90s buses.

[@TMC1982Part2]

Paul McCartney saying (even if it's meant to be tongue in cheek) that he had wished that he had written "Disco Duck" would almost be like if Steven Spielberg saying on camera that he had wished that he had directed Tommy Wiseau's "The Room".

[@kimifw58]

Nah. More like Sharknado.

[@farshnuke]

Honestly The Room is a pop culture icon so I could see that happenning. It might be a pop culture icon of awfulness but I could see it.

[@Ramonatho]

​@@kimifw58sharknado is unironically dope as hell

[@MichelleAnnM]

I see you've never listened to "Temporary Secretary."

[@TayTayMakesBeats]

I was in rehab a few years ago and this 70 year old florist wouldn't stop singing Disco Duck. Just the hook. For 3 months. That was my first exposure to this song.

[@psyche5893]

I’m so sorry

[@TayTayMakesBeats]

@@psyche5893 Can't turn back the clock, gotta take it one day at a time. Why a duck? Why does the duck like disco? I need to keep my mind off this shit or I'll be back in rehab or worse in the next couple months. Fuckin duck... He quacc...

[@LeatherCladVegan]

Instead of rehab, next time you should just try using only every second day. It seems to work for most drugs. Still get to take the drugs too, which is great. Cheers.

[@avosmash2121]

@@LeatherCladVegan *points* No. Bad dog. Bad bad. You stay away... ....ok you can get away with this if its pot. Nothing else. Stay off the street, and stay in school Jimmy. Drugs only make you cool if you are already rich, talented and famous.

[@drpibisback7680]

I think if I had to choose between the hook from Disco Duck on loop for three months and a bullet in my head, it would be a legitimately tough decision.

[@jameshutton7115]

I love that second of the girl looking at the camera in the music video, you can just see her having a moment of sudden clarity like "Oh God, I'm going to be on the Disco Duck video for the rest of my life"

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

Fun fact: Disco Duck is the 175th biggest song of all time according to Billboard.

[@twistedwizard9100]

And it sure does exist

[@nickrustyson8124]

It also was more popular than Kiss' Rock and Roll all Night

[@niccage6375]

And it's only the 97th biggest song of 76

[@thecollector4332]

@@nickrustyson8124 Funnily enough, this song tied with “Beth” from kiss as best song of 1976 in the people’s choice awards.

[@miskatonic6210]

Nobody expects the US to do any better.

[@SpikeShooter92]

You could see the paycheck waving behind the camera as Paul McCartney was introducing the song

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I'm pretty sure it was a talk show appearance so he probably just did that for publicity.

[@Gandaleon]

My theory about its success: it's because of kids. The song seems fairly family friendly, so it's a safe bet for TV.

[@turkeysamwich00]

Legitimately, this is a universal truth. Anything that gets hugely popular, that's so stupid and bad you literally can't comprehend how it could be popular, it's because of children.

[@lightninstriker10]

"Your Disco Duck Disco sucks, Disney. How'bout you try hip-hop?" TODD NO

[@tinymxnticore]

TODD YES

[@FM-cp6kc]

There's a Mickey and friends themed rap album published by Disney. Search if you dare.

[@optiquemusic6204]

I thinks it's brought up in the OHW on Tag Team.

[@LittlePinkMew]

@@FM-cp6kc wasn’t Todd the one who posted the audio of this?

[@FM-cp6kc]

@@LittlePinkMew nah it wasnt. iirc todd did post audio of another obscure song

[@logruszed]

When this came out my mom was doing temp work and one of her gigs was dressing up as a Disco Duck to promote this album at Sears.

[@allisonelizabeth6596]

I'm so sorry.......

[@Zero_Ninety]

If I'd done that job I'd never tell a soul.

[@logruszed]

@@Zero_Ninety no daycare on the weekends so guess who got to spend five hours in shopping centers on one weekend watching his mom dance around in a basically modified donald duck outfit.

[@logruszed]

and I was really little so I probably liked it.

[@starmanda88]

Best reason I’ve ever seen to dismantle capitalism

[@mattk101600]

I saw you post a tweet about this and thought it was an aprils fools joke, Glad to see it is real

[@captainayaaya28]

The April fool song is that some idiot (or a cast of them) made this song in the first place lol

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I love how Todd calls himself a huge Paul McCartney fan, but every time Paul McCartney comes up on One Hit Wonderland, it's him embarrassing himself.

[@billyweed835]

Embarrassing himself? No no...Fucker knew what he was doing.

[@justanotherrandomcrit8115]

That was clearly a joke, you think Paul actually wants the blame for Disco Duck?

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

@@justanotherrandomcrit8115 No, but him introducing Disco Duck at all is kinda embarrassing.

[@neverhowever3231]

to be fair, and i mean no disrespect to a legend - paul mccartney spent a not insignificant amount of time embarrassing himself

[@wintermute8315]

@@neverhowever3231 Yeah, a huge amount of his life was corny at best, outright embarrassing at worst. But, you know, he's earnt his pass.

[@ECL28E]

Disco Duck Hair-Metal Horse New-Wave Narwhal Jazz Jackrabbit Orchestral Orca Punk Platypus Grunge Gorilla Butt-Rock Baboon EDM Eagle Synth-Pop Swan

[@samscarfone8104]

Punk Platypus? I've heard that green day song

[@jeanmichellelaurent]

Avant-Garde Anteater

[@littlefieryone2825]

It's funny, Jazz Jackrabbit is already an existing character.

[@AlfredoFilmGeek]

That Paul McCartney clip is nuts. I know he is joking but the fact he acknowledged Disco Duck to that degree not even a decade after The Beatles being a thing breaks my brain.

[@TheEntilza]

Must be all the weed smoking.

[@UnfortunatelyTheHunger]

Wasn't this around the time Paul was recording such stone cold classics, like Temporary Secretary and Wonderful Christmas Time?

[@FFKonoko]

Yeah, it's a joke. The song was a number one and infamously bad. Him using it as a punchline is not really an odd acknowledgement that it existed. And definitely not a result of weed smoking or extra unusual because he was making good music at the time...that's literally why it's a good joke.

[@neugey]

No Sir Paul, you don't need Disco Duck. You already have Wings.

[@1069KLICFM]

Paul McCartney doesn't have the best sense of humor. When Eric Idle did his film "The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash", he was the only Beatle who didn't like it.

[@IgnatiusThorogood]

The nightclub in Hell: the drinks are warm, the women are cold and the only song they play is Disco Duck on repeat. For eternity.

[@cammclean5460]

Heaven is a disco. Hell is... also a disco. Everything is disco and time is a flat circle.

[@wadespencer3623]

According to The Good Place, demons prefer "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mudd. It's a tossup which song is worse.

[@mr.wonderfulwisdomouswonde2991]

Hell doesn't sound to bad

[@SparkieGoth]

With those dancers in the vaguely unsettling duck costumes, too.

[@animationfanatic2133]

And it's always saint Patrick's day

[@ghostofabulletproducciones5748]

Since your Worst of 1976 video, I always thought that "Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots" was something you had made up, not that it was the actual name.

[@munjee2]

I'm still not convinced he didn't make it up...

[@rachel_sj]

I came here looking for anyone else who watched Todd’s Worst of 1976 and remembers Disco Duck

[@nomobobby]

@@rachel_sj I think Todd just fabricated those audio clips so his offhand addition of "and His cast of Idiots" on the worst list remains hidden. 'Cause that is WAY too convenient of a joke to be true. I mean who else is gonna preform this OTHER than packs of idiots? The next Einstein? Gimme a break. /Sarcasm

[@dontunder2005]

I like how he wrote two disco songs and earns the title of "Mr. Disco"

[@flamingcowjuice4918]

I have a theory as to why but i don't think you would like it

[@willowbarrelmaker8269]

I choose to believe it’s an ironic name

[@AlekWheeler]

Dis-Gorilla sounds like it should be played at the entrance of every Rainforest Cafe.

[@brettjohnson536]

Boomers: "Ha, you kids with your pop music. We had real music in my day!" Music in their day:

[@IanDunbar1]

Much like when they're waxing nostalgic about cars, when Boomers say that kind of stuff, the time period the really mean is like '66-'72. Most Boomers I've met were not big Disco fans.

[@zazelby]

Really more of a Gen X song...

[@jasongoldman3850]

@@zazelby The song came out the year I was born. It's not a Gen-X song.

[@takerdust]

@@IanDunbar1 Disco wasn't really even a huge genre when it was at it's peak. It was just a number of artists among the other soft-rock and pop albums.

[@md_vandenberg]

@@IanDunbar1 Agreed on Boomers and cars. From post-War to the First Oil Crisis, there were plenty of _awful_ cars put on the market. I'm a huge fan of cars of that era but I also know that about 2 dozen of them are worth a damn. (Context: I'm talking exclusively about American iron.)

[@christopherjones5446]

When you’ve have Greg Brady and the cast of What’s Happenin’ introducing Rick Dees, you know it’s an overdose of the 1970’s.

[@ppp3093]

'Delayed april fools joke' was my first thought when I saw the video pop up in my feed until I opened it and saw that is actually 19 mins of this, wtf

[@sagecolvard9644]

He announced this video yesterday. He wanted us to think it was an April Fools joke.

[@ormzfamily4074]

As a young child in the 1970s I remember my teenage aunt playing this song for me thinking that I would somehow enjoy it because I was 6 years old. I was more of a Monster Mash type of person and hearing this song again just brings all the trauma bubbling up to the surface.

[@josephjarosch8739]

"People in the 70's, what was wrong with you?" Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

[@ryusantos6145]

As a 13 year old, I didn't need drugs to enjoy Disco Duck.

[@ryusantos6145]

@@Tornado1994 Not me.

[@NutsNBolts-fv9kx]

IT'S NOT THE SIDE EFFECTS OF THE COCAINE, I'M THINKING THAT IT MUST BE DUCKS

[@tafua_a]

I thought it was an 80's drug

[@andrejg4136]

@@tafua_a Nah, coke got poplar in the 70s amongst the well to do. 80s was a refinement of that, and crack flooding the inner city.

[@drazile1720]

love that the gorilla song is full of the sounds of kookaburras, birds native to australia

[@LordArikado]

It was a common stock sound effect used for jungle scenes in cheaply-made TV shows and movies for a while because it vaguely sounds like the "ooh ooh ahh ahh" sound people think monkeys make.

[@squivvo]

that’s always been a trope in movies etc that’s kinda confused me

[@thirteenfury]

In movie sound effects, eagles are dubbed by red-tailed hawks and most big cats are dubbed by cougars.

[@mastermarkus5307]

@@thirteenfury I find that most big cats are dubbed by tigers. Cougars have a really recognizable sound that pretty much everyone identifies with them, but like... almost all the lions in movies that I've heard have tiger roars because lion roars are very guttural and not what most people think of as "epic sounding".

[@thirteenfury]

@@mastermarkus5307 Yeah, you're totally right. I wasn't thinking so much of lions or tigers as I was the smaller big cats. Cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, etc. It's probably more evident in Tarzan films and other older films that take place in Africa. I doubled checked a SFX site with big cat sounds and tigers are absolutely dubbed in for lions. Not many people realize lions don't roar as much or as deeply as tigers.

[@IronManx70]

I just found out about this song through that HBO Bee Gees documentary. They used it to show why disco became so despised.

[@adamkushner6793]

Ironically, Disco Duck was given its wide release by RSO, Robert Stigwood’s label, as in the Robert Stigwood who managed The Bee Gees and produced Saturday Night Fever. Not that Stigwood was immune to poor taste, he also produced the Sgt. Pepper movie. So he holds (partial) responsibility for both disco’s arguably highest and lowest moments.

[@zombiedodge1426]

@@adamkushner6793 The Sgt. Pepper's movie soundtrack is a Trainwreckord on steroids.

[@AC-ih7jc]

I was a young teenager, the least cool kid in my school, who was also into disco as well as novelty songs when this song came out. Even I wouldn't have been caught dead listening to Disco Duck.

[@autumnphillips151]

But would you have listened to it at a time that you wouldn’t be caught?

[@AC-ih7jc]

@@autumnphillips151 No, I wouldn't have. It didn't just sound silly, it sounded so *insultingly* stupid at the time, even to me...and I liked "A Fifth of Beethoven" and "Stars on 45" around that time. "Disco Duck" sounded more fit for the sippy-cup set than for anyone old enough to buy their own records. It's been well over forty years and I *still* haven't listened to "Disco Duck" beginning-to-end.

[@youdbettertube]

​@@AC-ih7jc your loss tbh

[@AC-ih7jc]

@@youdbettertube That will be my burden to bear for the rest of my days, I guess.

[@Phoenix_Talion]

I'm fascinated by the horrifying variety of these duck puppets/costumes.

[@yourfamilydocter]

“Move your feet” by Junior Senior could be really sick. An eclectic danish duo who’s lead singer sounded like Michael Jackson

[@wintermute8315]

Still such a bop.

[@jojoversus1100]

Move Your Feet is one of the greatest of all time, seriously

[@TransistorBased]

I always forget about that

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

"Don't be a cluck? What does that mean? Are you seriously telling me you couldn't think of another insult that rhymes with duck? ... Yeah, I guess I can't either..."

[@That_AMC_Guy]

Might not have been allowed to use the word "schmuck"? Unlike today, you couldn't swear or talk about your genitals on a record - if you wanted it to have a general release.

[@devlinburgess2463]

I'd say truck, but if country songs think a backroad is romantic, than calling someone a truck might as well be a marriage proposal.

[@NEEDbacon]

Sadly 40 years before we came up with a radio-friendly? way to rhyme that. At least common vernacular, I'm sure it happened back in the 70's.

[@StuartLynx]

I think Todd erased his random year top 10 videos from his own memory. Bummer, they were gold. Ain't that right *Mr. Sean Faye Wolf?*

[@EpicB]

@@devlinburgess2463 Someone call up Florida Georgia Line and tell them to make Disco Truck.

[@brandonstarr983]

Todd, your "Disco Duck Dynasty" joke by itself is funnier than everything ever said or done by Dees. I appreciate you doing this episode, even if going back to some of these songs (I actually remember "Eat My Shorts") was painful.

[@Flamquill]

This song is the epitome to why I'll never tell kids that music was good back in my day. 1976. In the same year this song hit number 1, Bohemian Rhapsody couldn't get higher than 9. If it wasn't for Wayne's World in 1992, that would be the best respect it would've ever gotten. And yet this... THIS became part of #1 hit history.

[@nickrustyson8124]

Bohemian was actually number 18 on the top 100, Disco Duke was number 97

[@Flamquill]

​@@nickrustyson8124 I cited the US Hot 100. Other countries would naturally have it different.

[@essmoon2157]

I mean bohemian rhapsody still and is a very popular song even though peaking at number 9 it's kind of like roundabout by yes the song only peaked at number 15 in America the song was very popular and still is popular

[@anonyarena]

@@essmoon2157 Right. But how many people are still flipping out over Midnight At The Oasis by Maria Muldaur? It hit #5 in Cash Box, #6 on Billboard, and was nominated for both song of the year and record of the year at the Grammys for 1974. It's evidence that the truly original, unique, heartfelt, and skillfully made records will frequently endure, while the corny schlock will just be a flash-in-the-pan that people shall forget very quickly. But at the time, you could not escape junk like Afternoon Delight or Midnight At The Oasis, even if you wanted to.

[@anonyarena]

But if you go back to the earlier decade of the 1960s, it becomes a lot HARDER to say music wasn't better. The 70s was when commercial radio really plummeted in quality. In the 60s, it was like a Golden Age of excellence.

[@edwardphilibin3151]

"'Disco Duck' is the worst song I've ever heard." "But you HAVE heard it?"

[@miskatonic6210]

I haven't. I bet most of europe hasn't.

[@ndSpaz]

Imagine him doing this to this day, but with a different animal each time. Like as a curse or something.

[@zqueen3871]

Disco Dolphin Discobra Dicentepede Disquokka

[@bloodfun2585]

​@@zqueen3871 discat discodog discofox discowolf

[@CosmicSponge2004]

Someone should turn that into a cartoon

[@DarcOfTheShadows]

Rick Dees, haggard and exhausted, after decades of disco torture: "Uh... disco, discoyote? Is that any good?"

[@DougjcFerguson]

If you want that fully realized duck comedy song that we all know we deserve, it would come out years later as "I Want a New Duck" by Weird Al.

[@gustavohernandeza.890]

SOMEONE: I wish important pieces of lost media are found again MONKEY'S PAW: (a new dozen 70's TV performances of Rick Dees appear)

[@samuellopez2696]

Ok, Todd; seriously. You need to do a Dr. Demento retrospective. You have covered almost every artist he ever brought into this world. You must give him his due.

[@billyweed835]

To be fair, I feel like Weird Al more than makes up for Disco Duck.

[@richmcgee434]

@@billyweed835 Accurate.

[@nathanforester5993]

Yes, especially Julie Brown. And songs like 'They're Coming To Take Me Away' and its numerous copycats/parodies and also I Want My Baby Back.

[@evapalma9899]

@@nathanforester5993 The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun could have only been made in the 80s

[@Kaleidoscopikc]

i asked my mom about this song and she immediately went "what was up with that damn song?!" so im convinced i was raised right

[@charleslipscomb2567]

"Everybody knows that 'Timothy' was a duck." --- Joel Hodgson

[@P00katube]

The Buoys "Timothy"

[@uVueD2b]

We survived Monster A Go Go -we can survive this!

[@KO-eu6jv]

My god, I live for the existence of follow-up songs as blatant as ‘The Monster Swim’ and ‘Discorilla’

[@wakeangel2001]

The duck voice in the song isn't Daffy, or even Donald, it sounds almost exactly like that duckling character from a few episodes of Tom and Jerry

[@FM-cp6kc]

Holy shit...

[@andrejg4136]

... You know you're onto something

[@EVzipper48]

Wrong, it's supposed to be Yakky Doodle the cute little cartoon duck who was always searching for a "mama." Hence the line in the song, "got to have me a mama!"

[@wakeangel2001]

@@EVzipper48 yeah, that's the character I was talking about, how was I wrong?

[@tyrannosaurusburke]

Novelty songs can either do one of two things: they can either make you laugh, or annoy the crap out of you. "Disco Duck" fell into the latter category.

[@erin8069]

This is the first time I’ve heard someone mention disco duck that wasn’t just my dad. He loves the song so much. Also didn’t know there was any form of video to this song.

[@rogerdodger6025]

I read an interview with Rick Dees where "Disco Duck" was offered a spot on the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever which became one of the bestselling albums of all time. He said he deeply regretted that move.

[@freakfoxvevo7915]

"Who invited my man Blud" energy adding Disco Duck alongside disco standards like Staying Alive

[@bemysty]

As Rick Dees awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic duck? 🤷‍♀️

[@AlbinoTuxedo]

A gigantic DISCO duck, mind you

[@МаксимИльин-с4ъ]

Franz Kafka "Metamorphosis"

[@CandGoods]

So it's really a Kafkaesque tale of body horror, hmm, never thought of it that way.

[@migangelmart]

@@CandGoods An absurdist take on body horror, so let's knock it down to Vonnegutian :p

[@potentialsideeffects1085]

Duckafka

[@M-1996A1]

I worked as a board op at a radio station that had a license for weekly top 40, and there’s a DJ there that still breaks out disco duck on occasion during the morning show to this day. This is a very special episode for me.

[@bluraynation5188]

That sounds like it was so much fun, I love radio. I listen to Opie and Anthony religiously.

[@GigaWhitArtandStuff]

One of the radio stations I listened to back in the 90's would have a "Disco Night " once a week and they usually played this song. It annoyed my parents that I loved it as like a 5 year old lol

[@AussieDragoon]

"Thank you Greg Brady and the Cast of What's Happening!!" You know, we all dream of getting to say those words, but Todd actually got to do it. What a Legend!

[@zombiedodge1426]

Was that from the Brady Bunch variety show, which was a real thing that actually happened? The Simpsons Smile Time Variety Hour was a direct parody, complete with a replacement Lisa. Eve Plumb wouldn’t do the variety show so they got a “fake Jan.” I am not making any of this up.

[@maxheight22]

1:57 my god Scott Ian really is in every music documentary ever made

[@SavoxYT]

I honestly love this song. It's so stupid but endearing at the same time.

[@paulienuti8031]

I love this song too It’s Hilarious Todd’s reaction is also Hilarious

[@divaprincess98]

Kinda like the opening theme to the anime Kill Me Baby

[@dalehoward3704]

I Love it too! It ranks with the songs by Weird Al Yakovic and Ray Stevens. I loved novelty and parody songs. And it fit right into the Disco era!

[@ishfarahmed3684]

Holy shit I never knew u watched Todd in the Shadows!! Hopefully in ur next video for most evil musicians, u have Todd make a cameo in the video. I would love to see that collaboration!!

[@SavoxYT]

@@ishfarahmed3684 That... wouldn't work at all.

[@LordArikado]

My mom actually knew Rick Dees back in college, and he walked her down the aisle at her wedding.

[@jeanmichellelaurent]

Did he sing Disco Duck for her wedding

[@lightsideendings5815]

"Dis-gorilla" could have been a classic Simpsons joke.

[@johnnycalvino7490]

Fun fact: Rick Dees' song "Eat my Shorts" predates The Simpsons by five years!

[@gabingston3430]

Now that you've revisted Disco Duck from your Worst of 1976, it's time to do a One-Hit Wonderland for Starland Vocal Band and Afternoon Delight.

[@devlinburgess2463]

I'd love to see deeper dives into some of those songs from those videos. Some of them were... bizarre.

[@pronkb000]

Starland Vocal Band?! They SUCK!

[@zombiedodge1426]

@@pronkb000 Death!!!!!!!

[@patman0322]

I think the most disturbing aspect of the Disco Duck phenomenon is those disturbingly horrifying, nightmare inducing duck costumes and puppets.

[@therealsmalk]

His piano rendition at the beginning... sounds really good.

[@LevelUpLeo]

Internet culture has corrupted me to the point where I was expecting a "Rick Dees NUTS" joke.

[@kevinwillems8720]

Got em

[@ddjsoyenby]

same.

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

my favorite disco artist is Jon Ligma

[@kevinwillems8720]

@@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks I prefer Steve Boffa

[@theblocksays]

"Dees Ducks!" Also lets be thankful he never capitalized on the popularity in the late 90s and made a "Who let the DUCKS out!?" song.

[@Ren_NCTzen]

All of these songs are kind of peak cringe. When “Get Naked” is the least cringe song, you know something is weird.

[@AnomalyArcadie]

Sitting in bed with my husband after having a few drinks tonight and now I'm having to explain to him why I am absolutely fucking rolling over a Jaws inspired parody of the Shaft theme. Thanks for that, Todd.

[@audiooddities9982]

That song was more funny than it ever deserved to be, lol

[@auldthymer]

"And we can dig it!"

[@jasonblalock4429]

Well, now I don't feel bad for laughing.

[@urzaz]

SHUT your jaws!

[@ferociousgumby]

This "hit" led to an entire album of Disney characters doing disco songs, such as "Watch out, watch out for Goofy - he's a disco demolition!" My kids had it and played it a few million times.

[@nelsonhamilton8262]

When that jaws parody played I also genuinely laughed lol. I guess when you shotgun blast out a joke album at least one song will land if you have any kind of talent.

[@cremetangerine82]

Beavis and Butthead watched the “Get Naked” video on their show. “Well, this sucks!”

[@louiscallahan3720]

"What Does The Fox Say" drops in 2013 Rick Dees: Finally. A WORTHY OPPONENT

[@Marinealver]

Oh yeah, that needs a video.

[@Minam0]

God that song was irritating. Shame cause a lot of other songs from that guy are actually funny and clever and his worst one is what became big.

[@rayelgatubelo]

Ylvis wins. Without a doubt. The Fox song is stupid, but that contrasts with the dance sound.

[@WolfDB]

Oh boy. This is a call back. I remember the "Worst Songs of 1976" video you made and this being pretty high up on that list

[@prometheustv6558]

It’s was 5

[@zombiedodge1426]

@@prometheustv6558 Based on this video I'm not sure it would be number 5 now. It might have fallen out of his worst ten songs list, moving everything else up a slot and putting the Beach Boys' "Rock and Roll Music" at number 10.

[@LeftAtLondon]

Fun fact; i had some xmas themed disco duck record on vinyl. It is i shit you not, one track of disco duck except with the chorus just him singing “merry merry christmas” BY HIMSELF. its so much worse.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

7:52 those poor dancers...I hope they healed from their experience & went on to lead long beautiful lives after enduring this trauma.

[@CityofButterfly]

Wait, was that Don Lafontaine saying Rick Dees has one of the most recognizable voices in America? I don't even know what Rick Dees' actual voice sounds like. My head hurts.

[@ottagol1985]

Well, Rick did a few voice gigs for Hanna Barbera alongside his wife, Julie McWirther, around the 80's and 90's.

[@cheeze4brains948]

I wanted this to be an April Fool's joke and he talks about Duck Sauce.

[@audiosurfarchive]

Duckroll all over the place.

[@thrownstair]

Duck Sauce doesn’t get the critical evaluation I think they should. Todd’s covered a few “one hit wonder in America, huge stars in Europe” songs, Barbara Streisand (the song) would be the one hit wonder in Europe and barely anything in the US.

[@unstoppableExodia]

Covering duck sauce would have been completely acceptable

[@Champiness]

Duck Sauce is what “Disco Duck” got instead of a critical reevaluation

[@BZABuddy]

"NRG" is a great song. "But first, welcome to Horizon!"

[@HumbleBovine]

"Call Me Maybe" turns 10 years old in September. I hope that makes Carly Rae Jepsen eligible for a One Hit Wonderland episode because Carly absolutely deserved better.

[@Tesseract_King]

That'd be an interesting turn, given that a) he already did a video review when the song came out, but he was pretty down on it, and b) he's apparently become quite a fan of her since.

[@grahamkristensen9301]

I think Carly Rae Jepsen is in the same camp as Devo: Technically a one hit wonder, but has a legacy and following that far surpasses that label.

[@matijamaksan4344]

Good time with Owl city was a hit so she can't be OHW.

[@angbald]

Ya know I'm not huge on pop music but i quite enjoy call me maybe.

[@tjg121389]

Carly has 3 top 40 songs, so I don't think she'd qualify, but I get why people would think she deserves better, especially with the reception her albums following her hit got.

[@guitarman64100]

this is a BLAST of nostalgia for anyone who has watched todd since the blip days

[@synchronizedelbow5702]

The fact that Donald Duck has a #1 hit before Mickey Mouse astounds me. Guess he had to wait for "Whoop! There it is" ...

[@maximillianlylat1589]

Actually in Scandinavia donald is more popular than mickey

[@EternalYorkieMom]

@@maximillianlylat1589 I was about to comment that he is more popular in Europe!

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

@@EternalYorkieMom I think that's because the Donald Duck comics by Carl Barks were highly localized in Europe, although I could be wrong I guess.

[@wintermute8315]

Donald is way more popular than Mickey in general, I'd wager. Ducktales was huge.

[@AGoat1971]

Donald is the better character.

[@Momo-qe2zk]

19 mins and not one deez nuts joke. Now that's maturity 👌

[@vaelethun]

I know! I was expecting one too. I think he assumed the comments would have that covered.

[@andthelastshallbefirsttoim2795]

Todd might just be old

[@ToddintheShadows]

Gotta be honest: It's because Rick himself beat me to it. Look it up

[@FFKonoko]

@@andthelastshallbefirsttoim2795 Rick Deez just outed you as a fool, for thinking that deez nuts jokes are somehow only for young people and not so old that he made the joke himself....

[@SuperJNG18]

@@ToddintheShadows I simultaneously can’t believe it and totally believe it

[@BaIlZack]

I always watch Todd's videos ASAP just in case they get copyright struck Not too worried about Rick Dees' band of lawyers though

[@EpicB]

Maybe the people who copyright strike the videos are the real cast of idiots.

[@penguinb.8964]

I thought this had to be a joke or a request because I did not believe you would ever willingly do an episode on Disco Duck, especially seeing as you've already covered it.

[@peytoncabral7149]

I want to see a list of all the one-hit wonders that Todd can’t find footage for, just so I won’t get my hopes up for them

[@arithefierysecretary6411]

I genuinely love me some really good disco. I love the full orchestration that most of them have, the sweet melodies, the amazing singers. Rick Dees hurts me.

[@greenhowie]

"Music was better back in my day" The music :

[@TipTheScales27]

At least the production’s better. There’s backing vocals, some trumpets and real instruments

[@TheSuperNaruto96]

@@TipTheScales27 You act like nobody does that now

[@FernieCanto]

@@TipTheScales27 I know! The fact that they employed actual money and production values in this kind of turd is even more depressing. Nowadays, you can just have computers doing the whole work, but back then, HUMANS had to PLAY this stuff.

[@FernieCanto]

@@tokeshed Well, someone has to go and write down all the parts, or input them with a MIDI controller (like, you know, I have been doing for over 20 years now), but, thanks to VSTs, no one has to PLAY an actual instrument, and carry the indignity of having "played trumpet on Disco Duck" in their curriculum.

[@zombiedodge1426]

@@FernieCanto Todd talks about that in the Trainwreckords video for Cher and Gregg Allman’s “Two The Hard Way.”

[@theshevirgo]

My mom had a party at an aunts house when she was a teen. It was just supposed to be a few people but somehow ended up being a block party. Legend has it that they Disco Ducked so much that they damaged the grass permanently in her yard and it never grew again until years and years later when they did a complete sod replacement. My mother specifically mentioned that song as being something they danced to at that party. Out of all songs that was the highlight years later that sticks out in her memories.

[@stevethepocket]

I was _really_ expecting this story to be an elaborate lead-up to a terrible pun.

[@theshevirgo]

@@stevethepocket no

[@richmcgee434]

Not surprising. Anyone who lived through the era when this godawful song was on the air constantly has it stuck in their memory.

[@ATXVisions]

Time to go to bed..Todd in the Shadows releases new content..."Ok fine one more video"

[@Salmonator2000]

I opened up this video, heard the song for all of 5 seconds, and immediately closed the video out of disgust. Good job!

[@joelake7986]

I guess I always thought of "Disco Duck" as anti-disco, one of the first shots across the bow of the disco juggernaut. It was meant to ridicule the whole disco phenomenon, but it became such a big hit that it actually became part of the phenomenon. Of course, Dees loved the attention, so he just went with it.

[@timmy841212]

You got a strong case for it but of course disco haters then probably disagreed.