Hey, remember that weird era of YouTube where everyone just made parodies of popular music videos? Weird Al, the screaming goat remixes… all that stuff. Yeah, this list is not about that.
There is a superior genre of musical comedy to consider. I do not mean ‘superior’ in terms of the songs being funnier or the humour being more refined – not at all. Some of the songs on this list are reasonably problematic, but none of them is particularly annoying. That’s the critical factor. Not all of these songs are from the ’90s, but, in my opinion, they all have the same vibe.
So without further ado, I’m going to rank them based on absolutely no metric outside of my personal opinion.
The Salmon Dance by The Chemical Brothers
I think about this video daily. It deserves way more attention. It is one of my formative memories.
Stacy’s Mom by Fountains of Wayne
It’s undeniable that this song is a classic. Regina George’s mother would have loved it. It’s cheeky, it’s catchy, it’s actually not overly problematic. The band has explained that Stacy was not a real person, and neither was her nameless mom. Thank god, because I’d feel so bad for them both. This song really never went away; it’d be a life sentence.
Peaches by The Presidents of the United States of America
When I was in year 5, one kid I knew had an iPod touch, which happened to have YouTube on it. I’m not sure how, but at some point, she happened upon this song. We listened to it every day. I’m not sure why, but we thought it was the funniest thing ever to exist. It’s not as random as it seems; it does actually have a cute meaning. Mr Lead Singer was waiting under a peach tree to confess his love.
Tribute by Tenacious D
I knew every single word to this when I was 10 years old. The twins that lived down the road from me invited me over routinely to watch youtube videos on the computer – and this was our favourite.
Detachable Penis by King Missile
This one is a masterpiece of creative narrative. You are entitled to your opinion, but I am not wrong about that.
Because I Got High – Afroman
I might have been a little young to have heard this song when I did, but it’s got good vibes. It’s funny, it’s chill, and it’s catchy. Big fan.
I Sucked a Lot of C*ck to Get Where I Am by Regurgitator
Excuse the rather graphic title, but this is genuinely a good song. I listen to this unironically. It’s a tune. You can disagree, but you’re wrong.
Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles
I’m sure this song was supposed to be a super insightful commentary on media revolutions, but as a kid, i thought it was the single most funny thing I’d ever heard. Plus, it’s an absolute bop.
Sheep Go to Heaven by Cake
This one seems so random. It’s got a whole political stance and proper meaning, but of course, it’s more fun to pretend it doesn’t.
Bloodhound Gang by The Bad Touch
This music video clip has never left my head. It’s catchy, and some of the lines in the song are incredibly clever, but they lose points for shooting women.
Jane Fonda by Mickey Avalon
I’m going, to be honest, this one’s kind of annoying, and I don’t like it. But it’s a sort of classic as well. I thought of it because if music trends return in a ten-year cycle as clothes do, the new(er) version is Barbara Streisand by Duck Sauce.
“Thanks, bye”
