When People FIRST HEARD These Songs, No One Knew They Were British! (80 HUGE Songs)

[@Media_Ranker]

Dual nationalities count for this! Bee Gees are British but British Australian. They were born in Britain, first started performing as kids in Britain, went to Australia basically for their teenage years then moved back to Britain where they signed their first major record deal. Also Sade Adu is Nigerian born but British, the rest of the group (Sade is the band name) are British too. The two that are perhaps wrong are Player as only the singer is British and Katrina of Katrina And The Waves is American, but the rest of the band are Brits. Thanks

[@EpicAelflaed]

The bee gees are British that later lived in Australia then came to England. They are through and through British. Strange to say otherwise

[@paulkennaugh]

They are Manx ( Technically British) from the Isle of Man you Muppet....😂

[@yorgunsamuray]

And when we come to ehtnicities; Dua Lipa is Albanian, George Michael is Greek Cypriot, etc.

[@luvstellauk]

I know he wasn't featured but just a little trivia, when Guns 'n' Roses were at the height of their success Slash was British, he didn't get American citizenship until the mid 90s and is now British/American

[@davehedgehogUK]

Dua Lipa isn't really British either, not really, but she is.

[@rollforever85]

Being British I knew most of these, but still found a few surprises in there. I really enjoyed this rapid fire compilation

[@Media_Ranker]

Thanks. I do use slightly longer clips (still under 10 seconds really) for songs now but when i made this i was still monetised so i was getting around, and trying to avoid, copyright claims.

[@itsawinnerfereal]

Bonnie TYler was a surprise to me, she was probably interviewed by Terry Wogan but was too young to notice.

[@itsawinnerfereal]

I was right, of cause he interviewed Bonnie Tyler in 1984 with shaking stevens. I was 7

[@rootchiller]

Corrine Bailey Rae got me.

[@lukedaley17]

Musical youth caught me by surprise.

[@ViicSee]

My mum was friends with Mark Morrison (return of the Mack singer) when they were young in Leicester England, surprisingly most people in Leicester don’t even know he’s from here and also assume he’s American lol

[@Media_Ranker]

Yeah that doesnt surprise me lol i think he was the first one i thought of when i went to make this! Thanks for watching

[@jaysouthmusic8230]

I swear I thought he was from Atlanta this surprised me

[@Formally-known-Prince-Andrew]

My dad done his roof and said he's a prick 😂

[@Vs1.9]

Did he ever call back saying there was a return of the leak? 😂​@@Formally-known-Prince-Andrew

[@Samuel-hd3cp]

He's notorious for being a prick.

[@TheFever77]

I think Fleetwood Mac are often thought of as being American but they were formed in London in the late 60's and are primarily a British blues band.

[@Media_Ranker]

Oh yeah thats why i didnt include them, cause this was about an artists first big international hit really and by the time Fleetwood Mac would have had that they would have been known as British 'Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac' for a while i think. Cheers

[@RUL87]

It's probably fair to say that their peak success was achieved with Americans Buckingham and Nicks in leading roles

[@Mogojoegotube]

Peter, Mick and John formed the band in London and they're all British so yeah there's no way they're an American band

[@Media_Ranker]

@@RUL87 That is true too really with Rumours of course but they were still British-American even then. The McVie's and Mick were still there werent i think weren't they? Christine McVie wrote two of their biggest 80s hits too. Cheers

[@DelaHorror]

@@MogojoegotubeI would say it’s both considering Fleetwood Mac didn’t reach success until they invited Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the band

[@shaun67uk]

Title should be 80 huge songs Americans didn't know were British artists.

[@Media_Ranker]

I dont know if it would just be americans lol but i would guess quite a few of these americans would have just assumed were american artists, at least initially. Cheers

[@wildfox8276]

I didn’t know majority of these songs were British because they don’t sound British

[@BenWilkes-c9n]

Cap I’m British and didn’t know most was British

[@ghoultooth]

@@BenWilkes-c9nYou’re just uncultured then, idk

[@BenWilkes-c9n]

@@ghoultooth no I just couldn’t tell a song that doesn’t sound British is British

[@robdavies8702]

Def Leppard routinely used to perform wearing Union Jack outfits, very obviously British!

[@Media_Ranker]

I just meant when people first heard their sound they would have likely assumed they were American. Cheers

[@ChrisInTheNorth]

@@Media_Ranker Not people who live in Sheffield, UK, where they are from! Or are 'people' just people in the USA?

[@Media_Ranker]

@@ChrisInTheNorth Not just Americans but mostly i guess yeah. Cheers

[@Ilovephilcollen]

@@ChrisInTheNorth top of the pops referenced how alot of people think theyre american, lets get rocked or make love like a man, either of those

[@Idontwantone950]

@ChrisInTheNorth Because the entire world, apart from the US, lives in Sheffield UK? A large portion of these people sound very American, so unless you’re familiar with the artist assumptions would be made. Kinda like how most people, including the British, tend to think Canadians are Americans because they think they sound like us.

[@akhi_zayd]

every song listed was and still is absolute bangers!!

[@nikkinonames5265]

Exactly! 💯

[@pcg1276]

Some of the worlds best songs, makes you feel proud to be British.

[@FedericoDLP]

You cannot be more British than The Eurythmics.

[@nabilabsood6967]

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

[@paulomotorides]

annie lennox is so underrated what a voice what a woman

[@d3lan011]

Damn! Britain was on a tear through the centuries.

[@Messiisthebest724]

Return of the Mack surprised me since I thought the guy singing it was probably from Philly or Atlanta

[@Media_Ranker]

Yeah Mark Morrison was one who i knew people assumed was American lol. Cheers

[@NoNo-ng9sl]

Nah. This is kind of a lame comment seeing as how Philly and Atlanta accents are worlds apart. Growing up I thought he was Jamaican and when I found out he was British it made sense.

[@dariandaughtrey8578]

@@NoNo-ng9slI thought he was Jamaican too

[@SpiritmanProductions]

Certainly a couple of surprises in there (I'm a Brit). I think what may have confused people is the accents. The US's simplification of English vowels (mainly the removal of diphthongs) allows them to be drawn out longer, which is handy for singing longer notes, and means more words rhyme, which is handy for song-writing.

[@jerseypooh4664]

And why not? British music is diverse and we’ve made some excellent music over the years. It still impacts on the world today.

[@notoneofthosegirls]

bcuz British music is predominantly just British acts adopting American music genres and accents.

[@Media_Ranker]

Copying styles perhaps but still coming up with their own brilliant music within that, we cant just say it as if Americans would have made those exact songs if the Brits didnt get there first lol. Also created their own styles and from it too. Cheers

[@lorddoobsworth144]

@@notoneofthosegirls although there are many examples of Americans taking British electronic dance music genres and making American versions of them too

[@notoneofthosegirls]

@@lorddoobsworth144 wow one music genre. electronic vs the many different genres the British attempted to take from the Americans.

[@cekinekshn]

How can u not know Amy Winehouse was British? XDDDDDD

[@Media_Ranker]

This was about people not knowing initially, at least in most places when she first got really big, cause she had that old american Jazz soul voice basically. Cheers

[@FedericoDLP]

@@Media_Ranker More or less understandable, but then you hear her thick North London accent....

[@finosborne1665]

Probs cause its called rehab. Most american go xD

[@sonconmas]

Tbf I'm British and I always thought she was American.!

[@FedericoDLP]

@@sonconmas That is weird. Did you ever hear her talk?

[@suzannebaxter2888]

Don't forget. David Bowie, QUEEN, Judas Priest, Tears for Fears, Joy Division. Blur, Radiohead, YES, The Smiths. Oasis Rolling Stones, Beatles, Clash, Sex Pistols, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Motorhead, Elton John, Van Morrison, Shirley Bassey, The Who, The Hollies, The Kinks, The Dave Clark 5, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Madness, and so many more. I am proud of our countries musical pedigree,

[@nathandaniels379]

Even as a kid I knew most of the guys there were British with the exception of Phil Collins. I was shocked when I learned he was British

[@Z3nHolEminD]

The broken family band

[@jcjcviews]

Just luck! America is NUMBER ONE! Just kidding. America IS NUMBER TWO!

[@Qgreen1005]

@@jcjcviewsno we have better music overall, the uk has better rock bands no doubt but overall the USA kills especially because we created rock n roll, we have better pop, rock overall, rap, soul, funk; electric, house, blues, r&b, country, etc only thing the uk does better is rock bands

[@harry2.01]

He started off as an child actor. He was in the musical Oliver. It didn't hurt that his mother owned the talent agency.

[@BoynamedMagnus183]

The UK has the greatest music industry in the entire world history with an insanely unthinkable margin!

[@museofthesea]

You mean like Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Schumann, Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky. . . . Oh, wait. Never mind.

[@BoynamedMagnus183]

@@museofthesea that is absolutely nothing compared to:Kasabian,Oasis,The Rolling Stones,The Who,The Kinks,The Hollies,Slade,Beady Eye,The Temperance Movement,The Kooks,Franz Ferdinand Arctic Monkeys,The Reytons,The Stone Roses,The Yardbirds,The Animals,The Birds,Heavy Stereo,Paradise Row,Marseille, The Rolling People,Cucamaras,The Verve,Ocean Colour Scene,Shed Seven,Coldplay,Travis,Blur,Pulp,Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals ,Supergrass,The Pidgeon Detectives,Cast,Kaiser Chiefs,The Police,Bad Company,The 1975,T.Rex,Radiohead, ,Take That,One Direction,Deep Purple,Judas Priest,Def Leppard,The Smiths, Stealers Wheel,Smokie,The Moody Blues,Motörhead,Jethro Tull,Dire Straits,Fleetwood Mac,Suede,Northern Uproar,Rainbow,Duran Duran ,Lewis Capaldi,Dua Lipa,Charli XCX and David Bowie

[@jeremypaxton4135]

@@museofthesea So we have German / Italian / German-born English composer (!!) / Austrian / German / Russian / Russian ... so the whole of Europe compared to this little island nation which has produced Elgar, Delius, Holst, Parry, Tallis, Purcell, Vaughan Williams, Coleridge-Taylor, Britten, Howells ... oh, wait, never mind!

[@inkdelox2448]

Thanks for "return of the mac"! Because I began to think that only I knew it. :))

[@barryledgister4496]

Yeh, I can imagine people thinking that`s American.

[@shakz86]

I'm British and thought they were American.

[@jonnyfendi2003]

Bro look Nigerian and u thought he was from America??

[@leonhenry4861]

@@jonnyfendi2003that’s what I thought, I would have said Africa before USA.

[@shakz86]

@leonhenry4861 You do realise that the USA and the UK have lots of people from Africa right?

[@rhxdi9257]

I think oasis and Blur should be here. Initially Americans assumed they were also American, and blurs first big break in America was a mock grunge song but Americans didn’t get the jokes and played it to death. They assumed a grunge song had to be American

[@GDFR11]

Yesss and Gorillaz: Damon albarn's side project that became his main project 😂

[@Samuel-hd3cp]

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John? Lots of others could have been included, but perhaps they were known to be Brits.

[@jesusisapisces]

What was the mock grunge song that Blur did?

[@rhxdi9257]

@@jesusisapisces song 2

[@juniourst3ven596]

​@pagethreemodel That was Nirvana NOT Blur

[@scorpzgca]

Wow this is a major eye opener and ear listener a lot of legendary old UK/British music stars

[@moebarragan1681]

I guess I’m more British than I thought. As an American though I always say the Brits like our brothers

[@trollingizlife2298]

We’re more culturally related to Canadians and Australians. I’d say the Brits are distant cousins.

[@ibrahimthegoat]

⁠@@trollingizlife2298its the opposite we the uk are more similar too canada and Australia or i should say they’re similar too us since its British culture that they get it from if anything its like britain is Australia and canadas father and is Americas uncle since their cultures more different

[@WHEREYOSAFEAT]

People in the comments are just picking out the odd one and saying "how didnt u know this was british" but a lot of these were mindblowing? Return of the Mac, Back to Reality and Dusty Springfield being british was shocking

[@Media_Ranker]

Lol i guess if youve known for a while then it can seem obvious to you, i definitely should have had the word 'initially' in the title from the get go but i think it will help its there now. Yeah Mark Morisson was definitely one of the first i thought of when i came up with this! Thanks for watching

[@YouTubemessedupmyhandle]

Mark Morrison maybe, but the rest have clearly British accents.

[@skidan4real]

Some of the most iconic songs were from British artists, crazy.

[@Media_Ranker]

Yeah and this doesnt even include a lot of the big bands too of course. Check out my videos - billboard number 1's by brits & most streamed songs from the 20th century (i put flags on each song for that) if you get a chance. Cheers

[@dave20thmay]

and yet, we can't seem to have much luck with that rubbish Eurovision Song Contest these days. Maybe we are not bothered. Best Dave

[@skidan4real]

@@dave20thmay Lol

[@WiseAssGamer]

Maybe I’m just a geek, but I thought everyone knew these people were British. 😂

[@Media_Ranker]

I was going with more when they initially came out, they definitely would have surprised some people lol. Cheers

[@alimetodista3459]

I've never heard of some of them but, is it any wonder why people thought they were American? After all they are singing in an American accent, I've always found it odd, just sing with your accent like Paolo Nutini for example.

[@Media_Ranker]

@@alimetodista3459 I think its cause it all comes from America and then the first big british artists (those early 60s bands etc) all basically copied them. Some of them even started just doing direct covers too so i think it just stuck. Some artists you can tell though as time went on. Cheers

[@alimetodista3459]

👍

[@alimetodista3459]

@@Media_Ranker aye makes sense, the 60s and 70s America for music was the peek of music and will never be beaten.

[@djkal2002]

Man, what a throwback in the U.S. We loved these as our own. Music is music.

[@Guedes15]

Probably british don´t know. Richie is a british artist who lived in Brazil for decades. He was a succesfull singer here in the 80s. He used to sing in portuguese.

[@Media_Ranker]

Oh wow yeah i dont know if he is known here at all really, ill definitely look into his career. Cheers

[@ilwill5996]

Those are all complete bangers! I grew up on these, all hits! The Brits are Soulful as all get-out! What is happening to the human race that we can't jam like this no moe?

[@trevorwoodley3897]

Nah, just good mimics.

[@Media_Ranker]

Mimicking some styles perhaps but still have the talent and come up with their own songs within that. cheers

[@gdfggggg]

@@trevorwoodley3897brits make their own music.

[@lorddoobsworth144]

@@trevorwoodley3897 the UK has also created lots of its own genres, many of them being forms of electronic dance music

[@trevorwoodley3897]

@@lorddoobsworth144 I know all this; doesn’t make what I said untrue.

[@JuriAmari]

My uncle is friends with Boy George and Sade. They debuted at the same time. His group’s called Animal Nightlife. One of my former coworkers also worked a tech gig with Katrina and the Waves the moment Walking on Sunshine went to number one (he’s switched to video production). I’m an American but a lot of the music I regularly listen to are from Brits. I think a flip list is in order - I bet there’s a lot of good artists who sound European or British but are not.

[@trollingizlife2298]

Tell him to tell Sade to release a new album. I’ve been waiting an extra long gap for her this time around. It’s usually every 10 years she releases an album but now it’s been 14. 😢

[@gabingston3430]

0:22 Forget about your boyfriend and meet me at the hotel room.

[@Media_Ranker]

Oh yeah its been sampled quite a few times now i think! Thats probably still the most famous one though. Cheers

[@javielalvarez5459]

I had no idea that Craig David was British either

[@alunchurcher7060]

When I was still at school back in the 60's and 70's we used to have school lessons of music. This started for me in the 2nd year of junior school and right through high school. I was lucky enough to already be able to play the piano and hence read music. My singing was always in a church choir and at time for the class at school whilst playing the piano for the class to understand how different notes sounded on the piano. Pop and some rock sounds aided this as the notes were carried by the voice alongside the key they were sang in. Music is a great way to learn as the human brain can recall songs better than words on a page. Music shows us also that we all have different tastes and styles but in every day life we forget we are all different.

[@mikz2590]

I’m British and a lot of these surprised me. Taio Cruz startled me!

[@leelaturanga5461]

Me too!

[@AlienHunterification]

That's the one that surprised me.

[@GenericUsername1388]

I never cared about whether these were American or British I just heard great music and enjoyed 🎶

[@brittanycrockett2449]

Wowwww… this was something I got from my mom knowing where musical artists were from but I unfortunately never met anyone my age that shared that interest so I stopped . But this takes me back. Thanks.❤️

[@brittanycrockett2449]

Our brothers and sister from across the pond with love from the US ❤️

[@FedericoDLP]

One thing I will accept: I thought the Kung Fu fighting guy was American

[@lukedaley17]

He was born in Jamaica but moved to the UK when he was in his teens.

[@miltonboyd2092]

As a Jamaican, I could have sworn he was American. I was fooled too. lol!

[@JuriAmari]

I thought he was just Jamaican. I didn’t know he was in the UK as well!

[@BlueberrySummertime]

@@miltonboyd2092 nah British Jamaican can tell easily lmao

[@debbieanne7962]

Great list 🎉 I knew most of these, especially the older artists. I always thought Carl Douglas was German (like Milli Vanilli and Bony M) so I learnt something today

[@Media_Ranker]

Thanks! Yeah i was surprised by a couple myself making this list!

[@nabilabsood6967]

@@Media_Ranker This is what we call songs we listened to in America by British artists.

[@FedericoDLP]

Who thinks that The Foundations, Duran Duran, The Police, Any Winehouse, The Moody Blues, etc etc. are not British?

[@Media_Ranker]

This is about when they would have first had an international hit on the radio etc, people would have been surprised to initially find out they were British. In terms of the list you gave there, Duran Duran was maybe a bit of a stretch but the rest definitely would have shocked people. Cheers

[@FedericoDLP]

@@Media_Ranker The only thing I thought, when I first heard them on the radio, was that the guys from The Police were black.

[@FedericoDLP]

Change your video title to: 80 HUGE Songs People Didn't Know Were By British Artists!...Initially!

[@colihon3552]

they are more obvious they sing with their accent and have decades of interviews. most of them are masters of American accent. example I didn't know Idris Elba was English until a couple of years ago in a interview. same with dude from star wars

[@FedericoDLP]

@@colihon3552 But Idris Elba is an actor and his job is to mimic accents. We are talking about musicians whose job is not that.

[@youngjedi5599]

These are all bangers that I had no idea was British. I would have failed this test. Some I thought were American others I just didn’t think about where they were from

[@thatbankergirl]

Very enlightening and entertaining clip 👌

[@Media_Ranker]

Thanks! Who was the biggest surprise?

[@DRJ-ytp]

Excellent compilation. Only knew about 1/2 were British artists?!

[@reallymysterious4520]

This list was more fun to make as the songs spanned many decades but as you will see I prefer the older stuff. Here are my Top 20 from your list of 80 20 Sweet dreams 19 Stuck in the middle 18 Praise you 17 True 16 Baby come back 15 Stayin alive 14 Roxanne 13 She drives me crazy 12 Sunshine of your love 11 Gimme some lovin 10 You sexy thing 9 Kiss from a rose 8 Run to the hills 7 Back to life 6 Time of the season 5 Smooth operator 4 Holding back the years 3 Blinded by the light 2 Night in white satin 1 House of the rising sun

[@Media_Ranker]

Yeah it was a good one to show off different eras and genres. Cant fault that top 20! Cheers

[@D-Almighty]

1983 was some of the best music ever. This is crazy how many dope songs came out in 93 and they're from across the pond? I jad no clue about most of these artists being from over there. Woooooowwww....🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Media_Ranker]

I actually have a specific video for the big songs of 1983! and 1984 too. They really were incredible years! Thanks for watching

[@djoseph5130]

I thought return of the Mac guy was from the USA, he looks like he's from NYC or something. Even Sade is British and I always assumed she was American, most of these songs I grew up listening and they're still bangers today. Shout-out to the Brits for their legendary contributions to music.

[@Media_Ranker]

If theres one thing Brits can do its music! Especially from the previous century! Thanks for watching

[@gujh03]

He was from Leicester in England.

[@bunjijumper5345]

Sade sings with a British accent.

[@trollingizlife2298]

He does not look American 😂

[@Media_Ranker]

This about people not knowing INITIALLY...meaning just hearing the songs on the radio for the first time when they came out there was no way of knowing they were British artists. For most of them the assumption would have been they were American, but not all of them. Just because you have known for a while now that they are British DOES NOT CHANGE THAT 😂 its irrelevant! And it doesn't mean you can just claim you would have known from first listen too lol. A couple could be questioned, Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams maybe, but it really does apply for these songs overall!

[@byronyoung1763]

Only to some , Im good at spotting accents.

[@Media_Ranker]

@@byronyoung1763 But still for these you really cant spot the accents, or at least if you can now, it wouldnt have been obviosuly noticeable on first listen. Its definitely easier to spot something once you are looking too or when you already have the information and actually know lol like the actor Idris Elba in The Wire, ive heard some americans say that once they knew he wasnt American you could actually hear but before they were fooled by it.

[@RichardOseikusi]

You are genius I never knew soul ll soul were British

[@anndeecosita3586]

@@Media_RankerI find for me with British actors it depends on which American accent they are trying to do. They tend to do better with that “generic” American accent that Hollywood promotes than regional ones. I saw an actress in a movie called Rust Creek and it was my first time seeing her. I immediately suspected she wasn’t American. I looked her up and no. I also saw Tom Holland in a movie where he was supposed to be from rural West Virginia or something. The accent was awful but I have seen him do other accents including Boston very well. So if I had seen the other movie first I might have had a different impression. As for the artists, some I didn’t know until later were Brits but others I thought they were. IMO Duran Duran, Sade, Seal, Culture Club, James, UB40, Eurythmics, Spandau Ballet, Eddy Grant, and some others never sounded American to my ears. Ed Sheeran doesn’t sound American although recently I noticed he’s trying to. DAWNCING in the DAWK with you between my AWMS. But in a more recent song he pronounced it DAN CING with my eyes closed.

[@philipwalugembe2674]

​@@anndeecosita3586dawncing 😂😂

[@acoolrocket]

I like that US thinks they're the powerhouse for music culture and yet so much surprisingly comes from British artists. It really boggles my mind how much feels like they're from US yet not.

[@bigdimedagr8t]

👏👏👏👏 I have to give it up to the UK I underestimated their musical influence.

[@roylle6346]

Because you're American

[@96bobbob]

I can only assume you're relatively young. The UK has been second only to the USA for historical musical influence in popular music starting from the early 1960s. The USA even coined the phrase 'British Invasion' for the way British acts had huge success in America, starting with the Beatles. Their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show is arguably the most culturally impactful moment in TV music history.

[@SimplisticallyDigital]

Excellent list! I learned a lot! Wow! Who knew!

[@Media_Ranker]

Appreciate it, thanks for watching

[@sanjuanwolf218]

I had no idea Mack Morrison was British. That’s actually a huge mind fuck to me 😂😂😂

[@walterbackgammon8436]

Bruh… this is literally every single band I’ve ever heard of.

[@GeorgeKing-ms1vy]

I don't know who would be surprised to learn that "Laid" by James is by a British band when it's heavily hinted by the accent in which the singer sings.

[@Media_Ranker]

Its more becuase it was made famous by the film American Pie lol. Cheers

[@ChrisInTheNorth]

@@Media_Ranker Except the song was a hit in the UK in 1993 and American Pie wasn't released until 1999. If you define people as 'Americans who never look out of their own Window' then maybe your video title works. Oh, and The Cranberries were Irish.. So even after your research you get things wrong

[@Media_Ranker]

@@ChrisInTheNorth Just British people knowing an artist is British from the get go isnt even nearly the point is it lol. The Cranberries arent in the video so i dont know what you are on about lol

[@pinkpolly88]

It's great to see my favourite band, James, included! And yeah, Tim Booth has a very flat, northern accent when singing. His speaking voice is quite posh!

[@jamesmassin7982]

No Sex Pistols, No Rolling Stones, No Prodigy, the whole Hardcore, Jungle, Drum and Base was also born here.

[@Media_Ranker]

Well that doesnt really go with the specifc point of this but my next video (should be uploaded today) is more just about big songs from Brits. From all artists, i want to do that as a series. Cheers

[@dennismukoyatv]

Jamiroquai is British. Goddamn!

[@oscarreece8801]

Okay Dusty Springfield being from London was a surprise

[@AnneOfTheIndies]

3:51 Even the conductor is getting jiggy to Sir Tom Jones' funky song.

[@Talkative_Introvert123]

Some of these definitely surprised me. Great list. Your probably my favourite music list KZbinr at this point.

[@Media_Ranker]

Appreciate it mate thanks!

[@mimi21746]

Some are obvious from their accents, but most are just unimaginable to think they are British, they sing with very American accents.

[@nikkinonames5265]

Who cares, they're the greatest of many artists that made our childhoods with fantastic memories even until this day I STILL listen to All these songs!

[@Gwenzzzfrifz]

I loved Soul II Soul when I was a kid - still have ‘what’s the meaning, what’s the meaning of life’ chanted by the kids in their song Get a Life on my mind regularly… nostalgia to the death

[@BourneIdentity45]

Being british you realise a lot of the rock and later indie genre was either dominated by british acts or ended up inspiring other acts that ended up coming along in the states. My unpopular opinion is that most if not all the best bands are british or like in the case for ACDC had british origins through their family or even being born in the UK but grew up in australia. And yes there are also great american acts but i feel like the ratio is so swung in one direction that its not even fair, whereas other genres obviously the US can say the same in terms of the fact they have the biggest acts or influence how people try to work within the genre, but you can see this most represented in how singers in bands sound vs singers in pop songs.

[@OriginalDJPlatinum]

Maybe it’s because I’m British, maybe it’s because of my age, maybe it’s because I’m a DJ, but I knew MOST of these Artists were British 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Media_Ranker]

And think back to when you just first heard them, would you have guessed they were British on first listen? lol take away the fact that you may have known they are for a while at this point. Cheers

[@trollingizlife2298]

I’m an American part time DJ researching British music for a British themed station. I have a good list but these videos have expanded it.

[@trollingizlife2298]

⁠@@Media_RankerSometimes I can hear when someone is British through word play and the way some of the words are pronounced as an American. Oftentimes the grammar is different and there’d be a type of wordplay I’d have never thought of as an American; like some sentences just make more sense for a British person to say.

[@Messiisthebest724]

I felt like my world was a lie after this video 😂

[@Media_Ranker]

Lol what were the biggest shocks? Thanks for watching

[@Memyselfandi-fc8sq]

Same bro

[@sajidkhanmahmood]

it should be a criminal offence to think Def leopard are not British

[@Media_Ranker]

Now perhaps, well many years ago too....but on VERY FIRST listen? Really? lol. Cheers

[@TheRatlord74]

Billy Ocean was British? wow I didn't know that. That surprised me. In fact a few surprised me.

[@Media_Ranker]

Born in Trinidad but moved to Britain as a young kid and definitely has dual citizenship. But i think a lot of people thought he was American anyway lol. Thanks for watching

[@TheRatlord74]

@@Media_Ranker Yep I thought he was American.

[@romystumpy1197]

Oh no he's British, seen him on TV has a very soft speaking voice

[@fayesouthall6604]

@@Media_Rankerdual citizenship

[@fayesouthall6604]

@@TheRatlord74dual citizenship

[@KC-gy5xw]

Weird that I knew White Town sampled the great Al Bowlly when it was released. Player!! Stealer's Wheel!! Aww, taking me right back! AWB!! saw them at Jazz Cafe, Angus rejoined them that night!

[@987mviews]

I hope there will be part 2 later, let's make british music great again 🇬🇧💂🏻‍♀️

[@Memyselfandi-fc8sq]

I had no idea that Sade is british and she is one of my favorite artists 😮

[@EmpressG]

I was genuinely surprised by John Parr. Mostly because I associate St. Elmo's Fire with 'iconic 80s American movie'. Not mentioned in your video, but rock band Texas (Say What You Want) also surprised me. Found out they were Scottish when I had moved to Scotland 🤣 I don't recall seeing Coldplay so I guess everyone figured they were Brits? I think I am always more surprised with non-English bands though. I just always assumed people produced music in their own languages so it was a [mild] shock to find out that ABBA was Swedish, Basia was Polish, and The Scorpions were German.

[@Media_Ranker]

Yeah i might have Texas in part 2 actually, they are underrateed, Inner Smile is in my 2000s female artists video! Also turns out the band America is British-American too so i could feature them for a similar reason lol. Definitely want to do other nationalities, i might do the rest of europe together in one video. Cheers

[@EmpressG]

@@Media_Ranker Just don't put in The Cranberries or Snow Patrol. Anyone who can't hear the Irish must be completely deaf so this list would be useless to them anyways 😆 The Script and The Corrs are borderline for me...I sometimes get a very [Dixie] Chicks vibe from The Corrs... Thanks for the reminiscings and looking forward to more!

[@YayRaven]

Love it ❤

[@Media_Ranker]

Thanks!

[@pi20p]

genuinely shocked

[@worldsupermedia7509]

Pretty much my thoughts can be divided into the following categories - Knew they were British - Didn’t know they were British/didn’t really think about it, not surprised (pretty much every classic rock act that I didn’t already know was British fell here, since the British really dominated that genre) - Didn’t know they were British, surprised - Don’t know the song

[@DeeDerry]

Well im British so I knew them all, but thanks for reminding me of some good tracks ❤

[@Stereophonics-11]

Never thought jay sean would be enjoying a cuppa while watching bbc 1

[@kingjams]

Have you done a USA 20 vs Britain 20 best songs from the 80's 90's 2000's in any genre? I know America has the biggest music influence but Britain has got some BANGERS!

[@trollingizlife2298]

That would be cool!

[@kingjams]

@@trollingizlife2298 You know what I’m saying. There’s nothing like old school music. All these tracks have aged well.

[@strifelord5239]

I didn't know Billy Ocean was British, but it all makes sense now. I always wondered how he was saying "Caribbean" in the chorus. But with a British accent, I hear it now

[@oxFlorencexo]

Neither did I.

[@slimboyd]

I need this playlist

[@Media_Ranker]

Playlists for all the videos coming very soon! Cheers

[@KmT81]

Few years ago ,I didnt know Billy Idol was British ,thought he was American whilst he left London for NY in the very early 80s and still makes lives around America ,lives in L.A. I appreciate,a Legend

[@Christian-v6k]

The fact that I just got rick rolled is outrageous ,wow I expected better

[@Media_Ranker]

lol not for that reason though, many people even to this day are surprised THAT voice came out of him! Cheers

[@Wimpleman]

Joe Cocker was a bit of a surprise for me as a Brit because when he covered get by with a little help from my friends he pronounces the word tune the American way 'toon'

[@feliciajenkins5041]

Spandeau Ballet has to be the most handsome talented men I ever seen.

[@1stswim]

put a few more songs on my tidal playlist, thankyou.

[@J6-777]

Relative to population I think the U.K. has produced more bangers than any other country

[@Media_Ranker]

Yeah for the size of the country its definitely something we (i say as if i have contributed lol) have excelled at probably more than anything, in the modern world at least! Thanks for watching

[@lukedaley17]

Most of these uk artists have had more popularity in the US than the former which is understandable why they are sometimes mistaken for American artists. As a British national myself I had no idea at the time some of these artists were from the UK.

[@harubutjojo]

This is like the most obvious list of British artists of all time but at least I have a compilation for when I want to show people how clear UK music is

[@Narcissist-d6g]

As a Jamaican I didn't know ,Simple red ,jay Sean,Sonique,Duran Duran,play circle, Joe Cracker were British

[@bibichillieblue]

The Animals, Hot chocolate, Carl Douglas and the Bee Gees were quite a surprise for me haha

[@sharielane]

I always thought the Bee Gees were Australian. But after this I looked them up and it seems the Gibbs brothers emigrated to Australia from England in 1958 when they were young (Barry 12, Maurice and Robin 8), so I guess they're kinda British.

[@eklektikTechno]

The only ones that are a shock to me is Mark Morrison and Soul to Soul

[@only9letters]

You've put in all that work, got us all hyped up for 7 minutes, just to Rick Roll us at the end? 🤯😂

[@Media_Ranker]

Lol but this isnt a ranking, thats not the number 1 song for this or anything, and it does fit the theme! Even to this day i think some are still shocked that voice is coming out of him! Cheers

[@tobywankenobi103]

White town young women sounds like the imperial march

[@Media_Ranker]

It does a bit actually! lol ive never noticed that. Thanks for watching

[@ericforsyth]

More like The Imperial March sounds like Lew Stone's version of "My Woman", which "Your Woman" samples.

[@Fumzgop]

When I was younger I used to think that song Back to life, back to reality was by an American group until I found out that they were British

[@androsaryan]

You forgot the R&B British champions... "Loose Ends" (Hanging on a String) 1985

[@Media_Ranker]

Looks like i will need to do a part 2 at some point so ill add that. Cheers

[@jabig1]

Wow! I didn't know & many of my all time favuorites are in this list

[@Media_Ranker]

Thanks for watching!

[@Aquagirl-in6wr]

I'm absolutely flabbergasted! I've heard many of these songs and except for some of the younger singers, I thought many of these singers were Americans 😅😂. It's coz they sing with American accents. Plus most I'd hear on the radio and never looked them up or even knew who they really were.

[@jsphat81]

I thought Adele and Ed Sheeran were American. They sing in an American accent.

[@DistortedVortex]

🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 what a good time to be british 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@DistortedVortex]

there was a good few songs i knew that was british like Return of the Mack, Virtual Insanity, Price Tag, It Feels So Good, Human, Latch (fookin' love disclosure, one of the best duos to be on the radio in the 10s), Bleeding Love, Too Close (if you can't tell i have listened to alot of music on the radio in the 00s to 10s), Gotta Get Thru This, Unwritten (didn't know about the song name), Stayin Alive (i believe it's because it is used alot in british media same goes for Venus), New Rules, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (party classic), You're Not Alone (same situation as Unwritten didn't know the song name but both i've remembered listening), Down (because of JLS), Bulletproof (very poplaur in the UK, Accent aswell), Dynamite & that one rick roll song that always gets me >: the songs i was pretty surprized to be british (as a thought they where Jamacian) was Red Red Wine & Pass The Dutchie then the song that i thought was american was You Sexy Thing

[@DistortedVortex]

but yeah i'm glad to run across this video as alot of the songs are part of my childhood, alot of songs that are straight up classics too

[@grahamjay7080]

Great vid but Player is an American band based in Los Angeles!

[@Media_Ranker]

Thanks! I saw that they were dual nationality no? British-American? cheers

[@grahamjay7080]

​@Media_Ranker defo American.. Fleetwood Mac are British/American and so is Foreigner. 👍🏻

[@Media_Ranker]

@@grahamjay7080 Turns out its only the lead, Peter Beckett, who is English so yeah you are right. Shouldnt have been in here really my bad. Cheers

[@Ha-young_is_Just_Too_Fine]

Fleetwood Mac would be more British as they were originally an All British band ​@@grahamjay7080

[@marisaJ1]

I saw Soul ii soul a few years ago. They were fantastic.

[@paulatavares5220]

And there are much. much more incredible songs and bands .

[@Media_Ranker]

True, even though this was about when the songs from these artists were initially big internationally and first on the radio etc, i knew i couldnt put any of the really big bands though cause people would still go against it lol. Cheers

[@Henicord]

I remember in the late 90s British culture was so cool and there was a lot of good r&b artist coming out of there at that time! Was probably the last time 😂

[@smartchick649]

I’m Black and I knew this. Some of my favorites. 🙋🏽‍♀️🇺🇸

[@galaxygirl7122]

Listen, im a 2000s baby and ive heard some of these songs on radio but never knew who sang them or even watched the music video. But looking at them now, even without the title, it screams British.

[@zubh3860]

Wow, I’m from the UK and I thought Return of the Mack was American 😮

[@TheFever77]

You must have been born after 2000 then?

[@leonhenry4861]

To be fair nobody knows Marc Morrison was signed to death row the same time as Tupac Shakur

[@lukedaley17]

Me too. And I’m also a Brit.

[@jcblazer0470]

Great video

[@Media_Ranker]

Thanks!

[@WRCSeb]

If you didn’t know Duran Duran were from Britain then you are easily deceived

[@Media_Ranker]

But initially with their first true international hit i think people would have assumed they were american. Cheers

[@mat5379]

@@Media_Ranker Er.... no.

[@Media_Ranker]

@@mat5379 Their first true international hit was Hungry Like The Wolf, it went to top 5 in quite a lot of countries, people hearing that on the radio would have had no reason to think they were british lol. They aren't one where you can hear the accent really, not for that song anyway. Cheers

[@lukedaley17]

When I was a kid I thought Duran Duran were American. It wasn’t til my final year of primary school I discovered there were British.

[@phas3rrr]

When the “default” music country is american lol. Britain has got so many top artists in the world

[@jsphat81]

Britain really has contributed a lot to the world of music. 🇬🇧 I wish there was another compilation of all the artists us Spanish speakers didn’t know were Spanish. 🇪🇸