Top Ten Songs about Mediocre Romance

[@LindsayEllisVids]

This was just recommended to me and I just want the world to know that this episode was totally my idea.

[@SirArthurTheGreat]

Congratulations on writing the greatest love story every written!

[@josephyoung2593]

Good call. It's a funny idea and Todd takes it to some interesting, well-argued places. Reminds me a lot of your stuff. Look after yourself.

[@MoonShadowWolfe]

The world notes it. I hope your retirement from the internet trenches will help you.

[@jacksampsonforever]

you two make such a cute couple

[@gribblegreeble]

Lindsay Ellis and Todd In The Shadows in the same video is better than getting an extra nugget in my 6 pc box.

[@mizushimo]

"You're passable....you're passable" still a fave

[@achair650]

I saw your face.......... .........it's ok......

[@shawnfields2369]

@@achair650 So, I'm thinking that you'll do, until I find somebody new. Because you're good enough, for now.

[@Mark-zu6oz]

Hysterical

[@Condorito380]

That Meatlof song was the first song my parents danced to. They're divorced.

[@Condorito380]

Like, SUPER divorced.

[@_mako]

@@Condorito380 fun

[@DM94JAK]

Condorito my dad left my mom by SUPER shooting himself in the head

[@Condorito380]

@@DM94JAK That's super shitty dude, I'm sorry. Mine just kidnapped a cop.

[@DM94JAK]

Condorito yea its was pretty shitty for my mom but I do get to come on KZbin comments n fish for sympathy so theres that!

[@bragaantonio6287]

This is so deliciously early 10's

[@FIXTREME]

Really? I think it's disgustingly Channel Awesome 😝

[@Ebalosus]

FIXTREME and two of the people at the beginning came out looking good as a result of CTC. The other one, not so much...

[@Ebalosus]

@@doctabaldhead Allison is the one who comes out looking bad from CTC, as iterated on Kiwifarms. Todd and Lindsay have grown past CA, while Allison comes across as trapped by it, and can’t get past it.

[@cumincalamity9867]

@@heggy_69 I think a lot of people might disagree with your assessment on Lindsay considering how many views her vides get. She makes great content and if you disagree I think you might have to accept the fact that you're in the minority.

[@cumincalamity9867]

@@heggy_69 cool cool cool

[@iamaunicorn1232]

I got "Breakfast at Tiffany's" mixed with "Weekend at Bernie's" and thought they bonded over the movie about hijinks with a dead guy.

[@faeriegraver]

Lmaoooo

[@angel-loves-jazz]

Fucking same dude lmao

[@williameyelash8053]

Hahaha make that happen

[@SailorMaxie]

That’s “Weird Al” level

[@kylehegedus5498]

I am a Unicorn “And I said what about ‘Weekend At Bernie’s’ 😂😂😂😂😂

[@xsteveconwayx]

As pretentious as some people may think Pearl Jam was, Eddie Vedder worked at a independent record store in Seattle a few years ago and he may still. I don’t know why he did, but he did. He didn’t need the money. He’s still rich and lives in a mansion. He just worked part time at a record store. I never met him when I lived there, but I knew a lot of people who have. He’s just someone you can run into in Seattle and nobody ever had a bad word to say about him.

[@p.m3163]

damn was this video hidden or something lol, weird getting it just recommended now

[@lazarbro]

Same bro

[@lewisjohnson4348]

Here, too. Thought I'd seen all of Todd's old videos. Loved seeing Lindsay here.

[@DrewberTravels]

Ha ha... I was just wondering the same thing.

[@johnbradley1139]

Probably because Lindsay's blowing up right now.

[@SilverAnicore]

Ikr? This just randomly popped up on my front page. The algorithm is weird. Happy to be, ahem, "nostalgic" about Todd's old videos though.

[@christendibiase368]

I always thought breakfast at Tiffany’s was two people who had a ton of chemistry, but are super aware their chemistry is fizzling and leaving them with nothing on which to base a relationship- which is obvious, they say that a lot. But instead of saving their relationship, I think the chorus is about procrastinating their break up, not because they’re in love, but because break ups aren’t fun. So they come up with the lamest excuses to stay together and keep having fun even though they know it’s not gonna work. Like, probably giving them too much credit, but most of the movie breakfast at Tiffany’s is about about extremely superficial relationships had by the two main characters. Holly is the worst offender, as she tries to make the superficial her entire personality. Again, that’s it you’re willing to accept it wasn’t a random movie choice and they had actual thoughts. Still the most mediocre of love songs, but the triumph of the chorus becomes more like the instant gratification of putting off something unpleasant, than finding a solution to a real problem. Making this song 99% more relatable

[@katharinejohns351]

In defense of “She’s Always A Woman”, Billy Joel wrote it in response to how his first wife and manager was getting a lot of heat for being in a position of power, which was rare in the time it was written. So the song is like, “Yeah, she’s tough and the better businessperson than you. That’s YOUR problem.” Also note, his first wife is also referenced as “the waitress practicing politics” in “Piano Man”.

[@CylindricalWhistle]

Yeah, but he writes that she steals like a thief and other things that are considered universally negative? I'd be kind of offended by that if I were his wife, lol.

[@ospero7681]

@@CylindricalWhistle "She can ruin your faith with her casual lies" - the song's second line - is very hard to interpret as anything but a putdown. And "she hides like a child" doesn't exactly make her sound tough either, so that's right out too. I love the instrumental on the song, but its lyrics are a garbled, confused mess, doubly strange coming from Billy Joel of all people, who was usually quite good at bringing across his message.

[@MsAngrybutterfly]

I always misheard "the waitress practicing politics" as "the waitress is practicing parlor tricks" until I got a car with a really nice stereo.

[@weehudyy]

@@CylindricalWhistle To be fair he was right on the money , she and her brother embezzled millions from Billy resulting in divorce and multi lawsuits ... Should have had some of those clever conversations after all .

[@bp-ob8ic]

My wife is a huge Billy Joel fan. She almost dumped me when I told her this was not a love song. Every guy she dated before me would (try) to sing it to her as a love ballad. Apparently, they (and she) never listened to the lyric.

[@timkramar9729]

REM admitted from the start this wasn't a love song. They were surprised that *anyone* would have it at their wedding.

[@raithrover1976]

Strange Currencies is another one you probably wouldn't want your wedding guests to listen to too carefully.

[@odothedoll2738]

People have cherry wine by Hozier at their weddings like it’s literally about abuse what is wrong with you people

[@teemusid]

Babooshka by Kate Bush is a darker tale of a stale marriage. The wife poses as a secret admirer and it reminds her husband of how the wife used to be.

[@Metaflossy]

it also fucking rocks

[@Monocultured01]

The music video is also hilarious when you take into consideration how "babooshka" is the Russian word for grandma.

[@gabe_s_videos]

But that's a big, passionate song. These are songs about boredom.

[@RowanWarren78]

@@Monocultured01 when asked, Kate admitted she had never heard that term before writing the song, therefore she didn't know it meant grandma or "little old lady". 😆

[@jimipearson7746]

I love how the plot of that song sounds very similar to the plot of the Pina Colada song. Two different ways to tell that story through music.

[@ericwilkinson42]

"Show a little faith, theres magic in the night. You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright" -Bruce Springsteen, Thunder Road

[@TheWolfGuardians]

First one that came to mind for me

[@shinobisauren]

He's one of the very few people who can sell a line like that without coming off as an asshole though.

[@celticmyths5009]

@@shinobisauren Nah. He still comes off as an asshole. I really can't stand that song lol. (SIDENOTE: I know in real life, he's a chill guy, so I don't hold it against him. But not even HE has enough charisma to pull that off.)

[@michealpersicko9531]

"You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly" by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty was the first one i thought of.

[@milliehayes]

Thunder Road #1 on this list for me

[@JoshuaFagan]

It feels so weird to see Lindsay here.

[@lilmayoslilmanager7125]

pretty sure they're married now

[@HLPiepgrass]

But yet, at the same time it’s awesome!

[@faeriegraver]

@@lilmayoslilmanager7125 they broke up ages ago, but they are still friends. Lindsay is married, he is not.

[@Dawnbreakerr]

@@faeriegraver My day is ruined and my mood is damaged

[@BeeryGamer]

@@faeriegraver But she's also a producer on most his one hit wonderland episodes, even to this day right?

[@jimgoebel5348]

"How could they not know that they liked pina colada? Would they panic and order Manhattans?"- Tom Servo. The MST3K takedown if the pina colada song is epic

[@totz_the_plaid9625]

I think there's a tragic depth to "Breakfast at Tiffany's." They both know the relationship is doomed, but are desperately clinging to the one thing they have in common since they're not ready to let go. The poppiness of the chorus is meant to be a case of lyrical dissonance like Prince's "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man," or what feels like half of Barenaked Ladies' hits. Don't get me wrong, I agree that it deserves the #1 spot on the list, just that there was a little more to it than you were giving it credit for.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

It also just really catchy and I really like it

[@keiransimmons3388]

"Always a woman" is a bit unfair. The context around it is that the woman was Billy's manager at the time and while everyone found the agressive qualities of her less than feminine he genuinely loved them and found they made her more of a woman.

[@josephtelegen8754]

Everyone standing up for Billy Joel must stop!

[@Ebalosus]

And it was used in a great episode of The Orville too.

[@annegrey3780]

which is why instead he should have pleased the entire nation of Canada by including the Bearnaked Ladies, cause he already knows how we feel about our Bearnaked Ladies (they do actually have a song about a stale relationship, I'm not suggesting he should just include a random Bearnaked Ladies song. We aren't that crazy about them. We probably are that crazy about the Tragically Hip though...which he also didn't include...I'm just saying he's not making a strong case if he ever wants a visa lol)

[@flmbyz]

Yeah, he literally said in the concert I was at this past weekend after it was over “…and then we divorced”. So, yeah, even if the sentiment was intended, the subconscious emotions are absolutely obvious when you listen to the lyrics.

[@appletree6898]

I read a couple of biographies. Although Billy did respect her, it's a complicated story with some disturbing aspects. Todd isn't wrong.

[@combatrock5931]

I always read "The One I Love" as a VERY passionate hate song to an ex, who is ironically the one he loves. The "simple prop" is a new fling and whether he cares about this person or not he's throwing it in his ex's face both that he's moved on and that he's moved on with someone he doesn't even care about.

[@NewhamMatt]

"Good Enough for Now" by Weird Al Yankovic. Thanks Todd for introducing me to a Weird Al song I hadn't heard!

[@claymccoy]

It's actually "Good Enough for Now."

[@NewhamMatt]

@@claymccoy Duly edited. Thanks mate.

[@TomMSTie1138]

And thank you for posting the title so I can find it!

[@ThomasVanHoesenDeadpooliscool]

I think the disconnect between the lyrics of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the soaring feel of the instrumentation is what makes the song work.

[@sagecolvard9644]

I think that Billy Joel song is saying that she's awful to other people, but that she's always good to him. "All she will do is throw shadows at YOU, but she's always a woman to ME."

[@loganvanderwier8866]

@@xcmledder3420 She was his manager. I would imagine that having an adversarial relationship with the people you are trying to get money from (or are trying to get money from you) is not a bad thing. I think at least part of the reason for the song is a lot of the things that make men be seen as good businessmen make women seem bitchy. (especially for people you don't personally know)

[@ospero7681]

@@loganvanderwier8866 "She can ruin your faith with her casual lies"? "She hides like a child"? Neither of those are qualities I'd want in either a romantic partner *or* a manager, honestly.

[@loganvanderwier8866]

@@ospero7681 she *can* ruin your faith with her casuals lies that doesn't mean that she does that to everyone

[@ospero7681]

@@loganvanderwier8866 In a romantic partner, this is obviously a flaw. In a manager, destroying trust in business partners isn't exactly an ability in high demand either. It's simply not possible to spin that particular phrase into anything even remotely positive - it's a character flaw, plain and simple.

[@Josak17]

@@ospero7681 He wrote the song as a defense of her because she was doing a good job as manager, as a manager it sometimes is a good idea to screw over the people you have an adversarial relationship with (like labels) and break handshake deals etc. to get what is best for your client.

[@olivercuenca4109]

I always point this out because a lot of people miss it, but that Huey Lewis quote in American Psycho is meant to indicate Bateman knows nothing about what he's talking about, because like you say, Huey Lewis is so damn happy. Especially compared to Elvis Costello, the person he's supposedly less "dark and cynical".

[@montywolfe8900]

The Pina Colada song is SOOOOO 1970's. That's the only thing that can really explain it. Swinging was in - it was the "poly" of that era.

[@oculttheexegaming2509]

It's dorky, but in a charming way.

[@xpindy]

@@oculttheexegaming2509 If the guys name wasn't Rupert before he made this they should have changed it to that after.

[@TillyOrifice]

I hated disco like everybody, I assume. Then it ended, and the Pina colada song took over the radio and I repented, but it was too late.

[@deadhippieproductions8661]

Oh Lindsay, how far you’ve come

[@Remerdre]

Even as a little kid who loved Billy Joel songs, "She's Always a Woman" had me wondering if he was OK. If a woman sang that about a man, the audience would be dialing 911 on her behalf.

[@thejorgieverse15]

Yep

[@Dogy0909]

It always reminded me of my mom

[@tafua_a]

I would like to hear a song about a mediocre romance that is actually going well. You know, "I don't have much passion for you, but I wanna stay with you because it feels kinda nice" rather than "I'm bored with being with you"

[@daigneauray7087]

@tafua_a Not sure that would be a strong enough subject to build an entire song around.

[@EmpireAnts42]

​@@daigneauray7087Really? Lol Most heartbreak songs are hardly as complex

[@daigneauray7087]

@@EmpireAnts42 Sure, because it's not hard for a listener to understand that a relationship is going poorly and the accompanying feelings. I don't think it's impossible to make a song about a mediocre romance that's going pretty well, I just think it would be harder to compose and write for.

[@TheMadwomen]

It would be called "I Guess I'm in Love," and it would be slightly bittersweet.

[@aliceborealis]

I'm Not in Love by 10CC is kind of like that.

[@AgnessaMo]

I never listened much to "Breakfast at Tiffany's" lyrics and I always thought that the chorus was a cheesy, but not too bad of a pickup line. As we have found this one thing in common, we can go out on a date and find out more of such things. But if they already are in a relationship, and that's the best thing... oh boy

[@oculttheexegaming2509]

Yep, it's all about desperately trying to salvage a relationship.

[@julieporter7805]

The irony is in real life that wasn't the movie that the songwriter and his ex had in common. It was Roman Holiday another Audrey Hepburn movie. So the movie that they both "kind of liked" is the wrong one.

[@kcurran9913]

OMG it just hit me that the bit in Escape(The Piña Colada song) about his wife liking Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain is the description in Shrek that's given about Princess Fiona.

[@shawnfields2369]

I think that's where most people have heard it before. That's definitely one of the first places I heard it, and immediately LOATHED the song but, in context of the scene, it works. Still, a horrible song about a horribly boring couple, stolen from a sitcom/bad chick flick, like Todd said. But still, Shrek is a good movie. And the only time anyone's probably listened to "Escape", for more than a few seconds.

[@susanjohnson318]

Shrek had a lot of humor & jokes like that all through the movie. One reason I own it!

[@gartgart4757]

If I ever get rich one of the things I’d wanna do is try to commission Todd into making more themed top 10’s like this. I know he doesn’t love doing them but I’m sure he has a price

[@SamAronow]

I love coming back to this and realizing that Todd had the same arc with Rupert Holmes that he had with Bruno Mars.

[@richsackett3423]

A song parody of Weird Al's "You're Pitiful", which is a parody of James Blount's "You're Beautiful". It's a musical M. C. Escher drawing.

[@theunwelcome]

rest in peace Marvin Lee Aday; the romance may have been mediocre, but the effort was always maximum

[@sunnyquinn3888]

My take on the Meat Loaf song is that he DOES love her deep down, but is so traumatized from a previous relationship gone wrong that he's too afraid to admit (even just to himself) to loving her.

[@shawnfields2369]

You might be right. But like Todd said, it's also just an amazingly good goddamned song. I'm not sure if that's the actual take on the song, but either way, it's still a great song, probably the best song on the list, besides: "The One I Love", by R.E.M., "Better Man", by Pearl Jam, "You're Good Enough For Now", by Weird Al, And especially: "The Most Beautiful Girl In The Room", by Flight of the Concords, I mean, this may be a list of songs about mediocre relationships(whatever those may be), but some of these songs are just really good on their own.

[@jesusrox4u]

It almost sounds like a song The Weeknd would do and I mean that as a compliment. The Weeknd could pull off a song like the one Meatloaf did (RIP) and still be charming.

[@shawnfields2369]

​@@jesusrox4uAgree completely.

[@jesusrox4u]

@@shawnfields2369 Thanks

[@cocok.291]

The kinda positive version of this mundane love is "no choir" by Florence and the machine. "No chorus would come in about two people sitting doing nothing" it's slightly bitter sweet because in the song she's happy with her partner but knows that stable and comfortable relationships won't ever be anything grand or romantic

[@Betta66]

Excellent choice. Love Florence + the Machine

[@DrZaius3141]

I like to imagine that "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is about a couple that's actually in love but on a logical level it doesn't work. So they desperately try to find logical reasons to justify their emotions. Still very teenage-y, but at least cute under that perspective.

[@theclimbto1]

In defense of "Breakfast at Tiffany's": I can recall early in my life of love, a relationship coming to the end... and I was just to immature to realize sometimes that's for the best. If this ended, it MUST mean that I'm somehow a failure, that I'm not good at relationships, that I'm not deserving. I mean, it can't possibly just mean that sometimes two people just aren't good together... that's silly thinking right there. And so to me the ONLY option was to fight for the relationship. And since I was the only one fighting for it, I'd have to fight hard enough for the both of us. Logic, yeah. So, having experienced that myself... when hearing this song, I got it. It hit home. I could understand it, and not just nod my head and absently sing it because it was catchy. I understood it was doomed, but I understood the optimism. The completely misguided optimism. As I've grown I've learned it's best to let Relationships not evolving, not progressing, not working... to end. The sooner the better. Because at least one person, and sometimes more than one, are stuck and unhappy. And it can be really hard to see that, if that person isn't you. Hell, sometimes it's hard to see that when that person is you. Breakfast At Tiffany's will always hold a special place in my heart due to this. Because the tragedy of it all is beautiful. We probably haven't all been there, desperate to hang on to something dead... but those that have, this song relates.

[@zyxaqc]

I reliably watch this video every year on Valentine's day. It doesn't really help with anything but it kills time.

[@shawnfields2369]

Same here. Except I forgot to watch it THIS Valentine's Day... oops.

[@rashotcake6945]

Oddly specific

[@blueblank8287]

That feels almost like a metaphor.

[@jmckenzie962]

It's been 10 years and we still haven't gotten a full version of "You're Passable"

[@deadhippieproductions8661]

The scenes of Moulin Roughe reminded me how I could listen to Ewan McGregor speak all day

[@unrulysimian3897]

Always jolts me to be reminded that Stipe had hair at one point. Long hair.

[@denisemasters1933]

The Rupert Holmes song was about an incident in his real love life with his wife , read the story behind it - As a woman who has been married over 30 yrs, I can relate - there are times when you make each other so mad or ticked off, you wonder about how it would have been like to have married someone else --- then they go and do something so cute or incredibly sexy, that it suddenly hits you -- and YOU REMEMBER WHY you fell in love and married them

[@jackthorton10]

Sometimes reality has a funny way of reminding us, to be happy of what we got, no what we don’t have, carry on ma’m

[@TuragaMesozoi]

Yeah Todd was not cooking with that take lol. That and the instrumental is groovy af.

[@aaronman4772]

I have no idea why KZbin decides to randomly recommend me this after half a decade, but it did. Man what a blast from the past.

[@emirvmendoza]

*a decade. This was a reupload.

[@RobertNugent]

After 4.5 years on KZbin this is being recommended to me now... on Xmas eve. Shoot me. Shoot me now.

[@robertlevine2827]

When I was in grad school for creative writing, I was sitting in the department lounge with a friend of mine, and there were also two women there talking to each other. In a lull in our conversation, one of the women said, "... and I started writing really bad love poetry." Her friend said, "Most people's love poetry is really bad." I said to my friend, "Most people's poetry is really bad"--i.e., regardless of its subject. He followed up with "Most people's love is really bad."

[@groovy4451]

Well, Better Man being played at my dad's 2nd wedding explains a lot about my stepmom!

[@ideitbawxproductions1880]

ouch... surprised Todd never mentioned that Eddie Vedder would introduce this song by saying "This song is about the bastard that married my momma." certainly explains a lot about the song

[@eliasmg9144]

@@ideitbawxproductions1880 well damn

[@AithlynC]

I always read Breakfast at Tiffany's differently. I always read it as: The girl has, for whatever reason, grown out of this initial passion that may have been related to this movie and now sees that, on a deeper level, they have nothing in common, whereas the guy is still holding on to that initial spark. But yea, I know this is meant as comedy, not as literary commentary.

[@The_Weasel_]

I can't hear the Pina Colada song since I saw the Liz Phair Trainwreckords

[@AcyraxJ]

Always enjoy these older videos with Todd and Lindsay interacting. I know Lindsay isn’t fond of her older channel awesome videos but I can’t help but be annoyed that of all those videos that she has re-uploaded, almost none of them feature the subplot with Todd.

[@qwertyTRiG]

A couple of days ago, I saw Jill Bearup's video on Breakfast at Tiffany's (the film), and she mentioned this Todd video. I went looking for it, but couldn't find it. And today it turns up in my recommended.

[@Julian-lz5pd]

Better Man is legit one of my all time favorite songs

[@oximofo9]

Julian W she dreams of butter she dreams of bread can’t find the butter man.

[@awookieandagerman]

This is one of the best pieces of content Todd has ever made!

[@ghostofabulletproducciones5748]

5:37 Love how Todd ended up tying this review to his "Timothy" video

[@michealpersicko9531]

8:34 Before Glass houses released he was in a really weird place it's really hard to describe. He was always had this melancholic haze around his personality. He was battling with depression really badly and a string of really horrible relationships; his friend saved his life(caught him early enough to call 911) after he drank furniture polish after a rough breakup around the time of recording Cold Spring Harbor. He has a lot of songs with a similar tone to she's always a women. Hell he even has a song similar to The Pina Colada song(Sometimes A Fantasy) which is about him struggling with a long distance relationship and the entire song his about how he needs to get off and calls a sex hotline i am not even joking just listen to the chorus. While he has a lot of good positive love songs you'd be surprised how many of those are really him hiding something really more depressing than the song sounds.

[@Betta66]

For another good example, listen to State of Grace. That song made me cry

[@GrrrlStyleNow]

Um... what is this aspect ratio? Did I do this?

[@AmericasComic]

GrrrlStyleNow some other dude on some other video says it’s a content ID thing. Fun fact: if you want to watch it in the original format going through the most annoying hoops possible, copy the URL, open up VLC stream the video and change the aspect ratio to 4:3

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

Your passable is such a romantic song I want that to be played at my wedding.

[@godozo]

Breakfast At Tiffany's strikes me as a breakup song where the male character looks for SOMETHING good to remember her by. That they end up with a movie that sort of sticks with the story up to a point shows the desperation of the main character for something positive about the relationship.

[@gabe_s_videos]

Nice use of "The Sound of Settling" in the intro. XD

[@wyomingpat6250]

RIP Meatloaf!

[@idongesitusen5764]

"Always A Woman" is probably my favorite song on this list, it just sounds so ironically romantic in both its melody & delivery.

[@cpmcguire]

That intro song is “the Sound of Settling” by Death Cab for Cutie.

[@mjbull5156]

The character in " Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" was broken into cynicism about love because that was how his first love broke up with him. It is not even clear that he does not love the person he talking to, perhaps he just is not going to put himself out there to be hurt that way again.

[@futuristic.handgun]

Idk, I think he's pretty clear on it- "I can't lie, I can't tell you that I'm somethin' I'm not No matter how I try, I'll never be able To give you somethin', somethin' that I just haven't got" That part says it all to me.

[@Zomdra]

Lindsay's audio is so much louder than Todd's in this video, it startles me every time she shows up.

[@claymccoy]

"Good Enough For Now" - "Weird Al" Yankovic is an underrated song.

[@bean3550]

I have been thinking about Passable for literal years. Up there with Itchy Leg as a classic

[@breakaleg10]

The Kinks did a song about this topic, a very overlooked song. Labour Of Love. Check it out. It's on the "State Of Confusion" album of 1983

[@bigpapamanman1550]

Too many kinks songs go overlooked

[@XadrumLtd]

Only just stumbled over this one. Good to see 'Two Out of Three Ain't Bad' high on the list. More random top tens like this would be awesome Todd. 🤘

[@detroitpolak9904]

I award you one million bonus points for using a song from Polka Party. I begged my dad to drive me to Fairlane Mall to get that album. Oh, to be 11 again. I still remember every word of Good Enough For Now at 47.

[@Loogaroo1]

I remember hearing Breakfast at Tiffany's when it first came out and immediately pegging it as the most asinine, low-effort song I'd ever heard. When you have to repeat your first verse TWICE and your chorus FIVE TIMES to fill three and a half minutes, your song is half-finished and you need to write more of it.

[@awookieandagerman]

Todd do another one of these. This is gold

[@theuncannydag]

Jeez, watching this love triangle subplot is even more frustrating 8 years later :\

[@NewhamMatt]

Are Todd and Lindsay still together? I don't remember them doing crossovers since they left Channel Awesome.

[@theuncannydag]

@@NewhamMatt Nah, they broke up amicably like 5 years ago & Lindsay is now happily married to someone else

[@NewhamMatt]

@@theuncannydag Awesome. Thanks for answering. I'd always wondered.

[@Drogon7102]

Why is it frustrating?

[@AmericasComic]

NewhamMatt I guess it truly was the greatest love story the Internet ever written on the Internet

[@shadergod]

Rupert Holmes looks like a Will Ferrel character made flesh.

[@pikaporeon]

She lies and says she likes margarine, can't find a butterman

[@nanardeurlambda]

I think I've got one, but it's a french song... that you sort of already know although not really. it's called "Comme d'habitude" (sang by Claude Fancois), and it's about a man that hides from his loveless couple with a separate social life. it also was the melodic basis for Sinatra's "my way"

[@devinphillips9704]

I've only recently found this channel and so this is my first time watching this video. And "Breakfast at Tiffany's" being #1 cracked me up because the guy who produced it is a friend of mine.

[@twig8523]

Nowhere near famous/popular enough. But my first thought was ... Against Me- Cavalier Eternal "This just isn't love, It's just the remorse of the loss of a feeling, even if I stayed, it just couldn't be the same"

[@idontknow-re9dx]

Only now years later did I realise that was the sound of settling being played in the intro, I was trying to work out what pop song it was he was playing but it turns out he wasn't playing one at all. I'm so happy that song was chosen cos it's GREAT

[@randomassortmentofthings]

Orange crush is a Vietnam protest song. Pretty sure Stipes father was a vet.

[@ShaqPlaque]

I think it's a fair comment though that people kind of need to be told this to really get where Michael Stipe's head's at

[@liamellis-mergl8065]

He probably knew that. It was a joke that pokes fun at how it sounds like complete nonsense without the context of it being about Vietnam

[@Ben111000111]

16:21 Seething nose twitch is so adores, totally worth its own insert Loved the segue way clip with the fake smiles, downcast eyes and jaded country singer also; captures the feeling of the topic perfectly.

[@KlipsenTube]

"Show a little faith, there's magic in the night, you ain't a beauty, but, hey, you're all right, oh, and that's all right with me". - Bruce Springsteen on Thunder Road.

[@jessmorgan6732]

Having seen the American Dream review, I now firmly believe "Love the One You're With" is about why Neil Young should be less of an asshole to Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

[@bonecanoe86]

You've discovered the playlist of the Neutral aliens from Futurama.

[@missdebbie8131]

One of the great things about Todd's videos is they stand the test of time...just as enjoyable now as when they first came out. I have heard that REM song a million times (give or take) and i thought he was saying "I am" in the chorus, not "fire". Thanks for clearing that up.

[@thomaskirkness-little5809]

I guess it's because Todd is always in the shadows but whenever someone has a cameo appearance they always look so dated in comparison. Low quality cameras and such, I mean.

[@SarahBeirne]

This was just recommended to me. It's been a while, but always a good watch to me.

[@rincewindtwoflower3989]

Am I a bad person for loving the Todd, Lindsey, Lupa love triangle? Every time it comes up in these old videos I laugh my ass off!

[@seed_drill7135]

I know Todd was going for the better known, but Zappa's "Baby, Don't You Want A Man Like Me" is fitting, especially given the obvious contempt Zappa has for the couple.

[@acepilot87]

I thought Just the Way You Are is way more about mediocre love than She's Always A Woman - a colleague of mine used to sum it up as: "I love you. Please stay stupid."

[@rhoetusochten4211]

This was so good. Bonus points for the Al music.

[@Altoclarinets]

I definitely don't miss all the awkwardly shoehorned-in interactions between tgwtg characters. Most of them that I've seen had pretty entertaining content by themselves but a lot of these crossovers are poorly written or just plain icky

[@trentoncovert7889]

Seda Nelle the ones that Todd and Rap Critic did were pretty good, but I agree for the most part.

[@richardpreston7333]

I dunno, I still have a soft spot for that one Linkara intro where he shoehorned in a bunch of "Previously" fake cliffhanger bullshit... and then he decided to do "serious" storytelling for real.

[@zoeybarter3246]

It is cringe, but because I never saw them in their time & am not aware of the context (aside from knowing Channel Awesome sucks in some shitty exploitative ways), I find it fascinating.

[@fulldisclosureiamamonster2786]

@@richardpreston7333 Ah, you mean The Lightbringer™️

[@themoviedealers]

I only watched these people after the fact so I don't care. "Hey, why is Lindsay Ellis on here?"

[@gabe_s_videos]

I disagree with "Breakfast At Tiffany's" not being played as a joke. It IS a joke... it's just a really BAD joke. Their shared passive interest in the same movie isn't proof that they have something in common, it's just proof that they don't NOT have anything in common! It's basically a dad joke.

[@AngusStewart01]

This video deserves more views

[@futuristic.handgun]

I was listening to 'Two Outta Three Ain't Bad' tonight and so I had to come back and watch this video again as it is the thing that introduced me to that song and also it's just a great video, as are all of Todd's. ❤

[@nicholasrudzianski3156]

As a person who doesn't hate Breakfast at Tiffany's, I always viewed it as trying to find passion in something you know is failing. That said, that song is not a great representation of who Deep Blue Something is as a band, musically or lyrically. I had missed this video, and after watching, kinda guessing Breakfast at Tiffany's is unlikely to get the One Hit Wonderland treatment, but a man can dream.

[@Z50nemesis]

this video is so underrated , it pains me to see less than 10k views

[@Z50nemesis]

a year later it has 60k good but not good enough

[@tanyanelson8780]

Todd you are correct. REM is awesome!

[@RelativeHype]

that twitch from Lindsay is gold. get me every time.

[@__VQ__]

I always had the impression that Better Man wasn't just about a woman resigning herself to an asshole husband. I felt it was about a woman trying to escape her abusive husband, doing so when she remembers how brave she used to be, and eventually getting back with him when she realizes that she's co-dependant to him. It was a shock to see it lumped in with 'meh' love songs.

[@godozo]

Never caught the abusive husband/lover man, definitely caught the idea of her unable to go off on her own.

[@__VQ__]

@poser I never said it was okay? All I said was that she was co dependent to him, and that's why she came back to him. I never said it was anything great or cool. If anything, I think that it makes the reletionship more deplorable and even less just 'meh'.

[@ideitbawxproductions1880]

it was actually written about Eddie Vedder's step-father Peter Mueller, and when they perform it live, Eddie says that it's "dedicated to the bastard that married my mama." He had so much disdain for Mueller & his constant abuse towards his mother, that he wouldn't even take Mueller's last name: Vedder is his mother's maiden name

[@missquinberly]

I'm 50/50 on whether I think it's "[she] can't find a better man [to be with]" or "[you] can't find a better man[!]" (sarcasm)

[@jolie7neige]

Agree with Catch The Rainbow. "Better Man" doesn't belong in this list, as it's about an abusive husband (or guy she lives with, it's never indicated that they are married) and she can't figure out how to leave him, as he isn't terrible all the time (this is one way abusers trick the victim into staying, or it could be that he's only abusive when he drinks). She doubts herself constantly, even blaming herself for the state of the relationship. She remembers him how he was when they fell in love, but he's changed now and she is having trouble accepting it. She still loves him, again, likely because he isn't constantly abusive. The 'can't find a better man' may be that this man is better than one from a previous relationship (which may have been far more abusive) or being stuck in the situation due to many other factors, such as financial situation. It could also be that she is in a small town in the middle of nowhere, where choices of men are few and far between. Either way, not a love song whatsoever.

[@Hinaguy749]

And ending it with the best love song ever! God bless you Jimmy Soul!

[@gemmamalo96]

my first thought at the start was flight of the concords, so glad it was actually included cause i was sure it wouldn't be!!! go, past todd!

[@theman4884]

Here are a couple more that need mention: Maggie May - Rod Stewart I'm Not in Love - 10cc The First Cut Is the Deepest- Rod Stewart

[@szuzin]

Would “Drunken Hot Girls” by Kanye West count as a “mediocre romance” song? It starts with a one-night stand with a girl and ends with him being unhappily married to her.