Those of us who actually lived through the '90s prefer the original (and still the best!): "I kissed a girl, her lips were sweet/She was just like kissing me/I kissed a girl, won't change the world/But I'm so glad I kissed a girl!"
"Bitch I look like Gohan, smokin' up that marijuana" with a goofy Gohan face is popular.
Another bizarre, rambling anime song: "Anime", consisting of lyrics like "Lookin' likeDeath Note" has given us "Anime, Annie-May, I'd fuck dat bitch, any day".
The Rickroll, which can result in either hilarity or infuriation depending on who you do it to.
Unfortunately, Nancy Pelosi may have killed it. Way to go, Speaker!
Good: someone, somewhere, somehow, managed to swap out the movie on Scientology's anti-Chanology propaganda site for a Rickroll.
Unfortunately not - they registered a similar domain name and put up a copy of the Scientology site with the only change being that the original video (naming various anonymous as terrorists/hate criminals/part of a conspiracy between the German psychiatrists and the Marcabian invasion fleet) was replaced by Astley.
This 16-year-old troper has recently had to explain Rickrolling to his mother, which may indicate it having jumped the shark somewhat. Still not to the extent of Chuck Norris, though.
In Family Guy, Brian performs this on-stage in front of a crowd during his time travels with Peter after he fixes the past to preserve his marriage with Lois. However, not really a true Rickroll, as it was probably meant to be played.
There's a brilliant one of a Beaker performance on The Muppet Show turned into a rickroll.
Yet his legacy lives on. The proof? There are more MJ impersonators than Elvis.
And Elvis himself is an earlier example, of course.
CHAMONE!
"Chocolate Rain" by Tay Zonday, a song with cryptic lyrics about racism, with the phrase "Chocolate Rain" comprising every other line and music that boils down to the same four-line stanza repeated over...and over...and over...
ScrewAttack once parodied this in their Shitty-Ass Game of the Year awards to explain just how bad Vampire Rain really was.
When nominated for the 360 SAGY: "Vampire Rain...! It's so boring you might kill yourself. Vampire Rain...! It's supposed to be like Splinter Cell. Vampire Rain...! Its gameplay is downright horrible. Vampire Rain...! No redeeming qualities at all!"
Winning the 360 SAGY: "Vampire Rain...! Its gameplay is like a bad joke. Vampire Rain...! You gave it over half of the votes. Chocolate Rain...! The song is not half as bad as the game. Vampire Rain...! Will make you want to sell your 360!"
Don't forget: Tay Zonday turns into an absolute pimp in Cherry Chocolate Rain, parodying himself and... just being a pimp. No, really. See the video.
* I move away from the mic to breathe in.
Kevin Federline's "Popozao" instantly became the subject of much ridicule due to its silly title (supposedly Brazilian slang for "big ol' butt", according to K-Fed) and odd lyrics, despite never being released as a single. It was parodied quite a bit by Joel McHale on The Soup.
And one life-changing spoken word interpretation by Inside the Actor's Studio's James Lipton on Conan O'Brien.
And let's not forget thegagdubs swapping Popozao for various other musical memes.
"Ken Lee" — Bulgarian woman... interprets a Mariah Carey song in local Idols. Quoth The Other Wiki, "Hasan's extremely broken English, coupled with her yet undeveloped singing abilities, combined to great comic effect (...)"
Videos where parts are replaced with Mariach Carey's performance
Parodies and remixes in multiple musical styles
Simple Plan's Untitled. AKA The "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO MEEEEEE...." song.
Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone in Constantinople. Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks!
It's been seriously suggested that the Discworld book Reaper Man is in fact a novelization of this song. Not as far-fetched as it sounds, as Pratchett is a big fan of TMBG. It was, after all, this song that gives Foul Ole Ron the first half of his Catch Phrase.
Not a meme from a song, but from an artist: Shortly after the 7 July 2005 bombings in London, a story made the rounds that R&B singer Omarion was performing there and had been caught up in the chaos, and asked for his fans to pray for him. This story was proven false (he was in London at the time, but "he wasn't hurt or anything"), and "Pray for Omarion" quickly became a running joke on Fark.com, as it reminded many of Helen Lovejoy's "Won't someone pleasethink of the children?"
The music videos of "Rodeo Machine" and "Screw the Plan" by Japanese DJ Halfby have inspired several Nico Nico Douga users to perform their own liveactionversions, known as "Nakasone Off" (or offline meetings).
Not music specifically, but the cover of The Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Also, Abbey Road and, to a lesser extent, A Hard Day's Night.
"I Don't Want You Back" (a.k.a. "fuck you, you ho") and the response song. For that matter, any song that has a response song could be considered a meme.
If you're Israeli, you've heard the song "Rotze Banot" (I Want Girls) and/or its various response songs, such as "Rotza Banim" (I Want Boys) and "Rotze Mitzvot," the pious version.
In Finland the equivalent joke is "Soittakaa Paranoid!" ("Play Paranoid!", requesting the song by Black Sabbath), first orginated as a joke by a reporter for a local music magazine, since then spiraled out of control. At least two notable bands have also recorded songs called "Paranoid" to have something to play if someone cracks the joke.
The original memetic joke/heckle request was The Allman Brothers Band's Whipping Post, which is even longer than live performances of Free Bird, and would use one entire side of an LP. Not that it isn't good. The album the Ur Example appears on placed on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time at number 49.
Victorian example: The refrain of Gilbert and Sullivan's "I am the Captain of the Pinafore" ("What, never?" "No, never!" "What, NEVER?" "Well, hardly ever!") was so parroted in its day that a newspaper editor had to specifically ban it among his staff. "I never want to see that joke again," he said... with predictable results.
I am the very model of a Modern Major General. I've information animal, vegetable, and mineral. I know the kings of England and I quote the fights historical, from Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical.
I think you mean Let's get Retarded! The first lines after the intro make absolutely no sense in the edited version - in what context could "let's get it started" be disrespectful?
"Let's Get It Started" was the more commonly heard version of the song and thus became the memetic version.
The song "Futari no Mojipittan" from Namco's Japanese word-puzzle game Kotoba no Puzzle has proven quite popular, ranging from The Idol Mastercovers to Xenosaga remixes (which have themselves been appropriated) to Touhouhomages.
A weird, pre-internet version: 867-5309 was, for a time, considered by the phone company in the US to be completely unusable. (Since then, a plumbing company has taken up the 888 (toll-free) version, and licensed the music to boot.) Still a bad idea to use it for residential purposes, though.
This Troper lives near that plumbing company. It's based in Lynchburg, Virginia. *
However, I don't have the company's exact name on me; a commercial for it airs only on WSET
(coincidentally a Lynchburg-based TV station), and I don't typically watch that channel. I'm on my computer (editing TV Tropes articles) when it airs, and I'm scared I'll risk a mondegreen by adding it here.]]
A quick google search (the internet is not just for tvTropes - or porn!) shows that it was at least one time the national number for Ben Franklin Plumbing - but per their site that's no longer the case.
The "Enter Sandman" riff has also become pretty memetic.
Or any nonverbal sound that came out out James Hetfield's mouth after ... AJFA, at which point he decided he was a southern rocker rather than a Bay-area thrasher.
Interestingly, this version of the song has an extra part of the lyrics that's not in the music video. We'd better get Buffalax to "translate" that too!
Back when that song was first released, it got that much airplay you could make the IIIIIIII last for an hour just by switching radio stations every few seconds: "AND IIIIIII" * click* "IIIIIIIIIII" * click* "IIIIIIIIIII!!!!"
There's another, which foreigners might even understand due to ripping off a famous song.
While we're in Brazil, a video about a band cancelling an autograph session. Highlights include the fans calling themselves "Restart Family", and angry kids saying "I'll complain a lot in Twitter!" and "puta falta de sacanagem!" (a self-contradictory phrase that's along the lines of "a great lack of fuck-up").
"Shine on, you crazy diamond": originally a darkly ironic plea to a bandmate they knew was beyond help, it's become just a way of declaring someone Crazy Awesome.
"We don't need no education..." While the song was simply Pink further shutting himself off from the world, students around the world have since used it as an anti-school anthem.
"Ha ha, charade you are!", thanks to Eric Cartman's use of the phrase.
A Czech song, Jozin z Bazin (English translation here), became a meme popular in Poland in early 2008. Its sudden popularity culminated with the original performer (Ivan Mladek) coming to Poland to sing a new, Polish version of the song at a concert.
Try, as this troper did, substituting "f" sounds for the "p"s. It gets even better.
Ascended thanks to Kid Cudi's single "Make Her Say", which samples the acoustic version and apparently was, at first, going to be titled "Poke Her Face," until Executive Meddling feared the Moral Guardians would go after the label and made them change the title.
I make her say/Oh oh oh oh/when I/P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face.
While not music per se, Kanye West's now-infamous interruption of Taylor Swift at the VMA's has reached meme status. Various Image Macros would like you know something along the lines of "Yo TV Tropes, I'm happy for ya and Imma let you finish, but Encyclopedia Dramatica has one of the best meme databases OF ALL TIME."
According to Know Your Meme's statistics, within days Kanye's outburst was one of the most well-known mainstream memes of all time, far surpassing other celebrity outbursts like Christian Bale's.
Yo, Kanye West, I'm really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but Chuck Norris had one of the best memes of ALL TIME!
Lil' Jon's YEAH!, thanks once again in part to Dave Chappelle's portrayal of him (though one would say he wasn't too far off on the frequency of Jon's usage of the word).
Tying in with Live-Action TV, there's Ashlee Simpson's impromptu "hoedown" after her appearance as a musical guest on an October 2004 Saturday Night Live when she was caught lip-synching.
YO, I'LL TELL U WHAT I WANT, WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT!
"If you wanna do my mother... you gotta buy her a benz..."
Every single girl reading this probably still instinctively remembers the memetic dance: "Stop right now! Thank you very much! I need somebody with a human touch! Hey you, always on the run! Gotta slow it down, baby! Gotta have some fuuuuun!"
In general, upbeat Latin American songs are a breeding ground for memes. José Luis "El Puma" Rodríguez's themes are such Ear Worms that they've been memtic ever since The Seventies. A good example is "Pavo real" ("Peacock"), with its incredibly catchy chorus: CHÉVERE CHÉVERE CHÉVERE CHÉVERE CHÉVERE CHÉVERE - UH!
Sandro himself was extremely memetic and hammy.His very eccentric dancing has been imitated and copied ever also since The Seventies, and his songs are just as Ear Wormy as El Puma's. Rosa rosa tan maravillosa, como blanca rosa, como flor hermosa...
In some places, the most memetic chorus from El Puma was Agarense de las manos/Unos a otros conmigo. It still pops on people of certain age in situations where a holding hands in a group is required.
One of my teachers bought that Album. For the sole purpose of lending it to a friend. For the sole purpose of, a week later, asking him to bring the sexy back.
This troper would like to interject here with a public service announcement that it is, in fact, not wise to attempt to brush one's teeth with a bottle of Jack.
Of course, how potentially harmful it is depends on exactly how you interpret those lyrics. Does one attempt to brush their teeth by dumping a bottle of jack on their tooth brush? Or does one attempt to put toothpaste on the bottle of Jack?
Waking the Cadaver is best known for the SHREDDED WHEAT!!!!!! meme. The band hasn't commented on this, but considering vocalist Don Campan's notorious lack of sense of humor, they may or may not be amused.
I was gonna submit to TV Tropes, but I got high... I was gonna make a funny joke, but I got high... Now they got me banned as a spybot and I know why... Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high...
DAHDAHDAHDAH-DAHDAHDAH
Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" has become a Stock Parody on the Internet. Examples include "We Didn't Start The":
"KMFDM SUCKS!" has long been adopted by fans as an ironic catchphrase.
Primus has had an identical catchphrase almost from the group's inception in the late 80's, due to Les' deflecting of any and all compliments towards the group with a nonchalant, "Nah, we suck."
Bye, bye Miss American Pie/Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry/Them good old boys were drinking whisky and rye singin' 'This'll be the day that I die/This'll be the day that I die'.
My, my, this here Anakin guy, maybe Vader someday later now he's just a small fry...
JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL!
LIVIN' IN A LONELY WORLD!
I THROW MY (x) UP IN THE AIR SOMETIMES, SAY'N EEEEEYOOOOH (shit that rhymes with "eyoh") For example:
I THROW MY SKITTLES IN THE AIR SOMETIMES, SAY'N EEEEYOOOH TASTE THE RAINBOW
Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars...
A dark version of this. Gackt's decade old joke about being a 496 year old vampire has been quoted out of context for so long that even presumably legitimate news sources have treated this as a serious belief of his. He has since corrected this at the Nemuri Kyoshiro press conference, where he released his actual age to the public so the joke would die. It hasn't.
Also, within the fandom, his love of Hyde, "fiyaa" and his unceasing use of the word dakishimete in nearly every song he has ever written are memes.
''"I need joh fiyaa fiyaa fiyaa to keep me wahm / I gah too fill za fiyaa / Tu keep me wahm, I gah to feel it...fiyaaaaaa!!"
In a similar vein, the Pardon Me roundabout parodies derived from this.
The campy direct-to-home-video Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movies were long forgotten until one shameless Youtube user slowed down the ."Gimme Pizza" song from a sleepover episode, spawning dozens of parodies.
It was only last month (December 2010) that Irish Facebook users seemed to be constantly liking pages to do with this song. It was actually unusual when you looked at the pages your friends liked, and it WASN'T anything to do with 'Horse Outside'. Seems to be mostly over now, though. Mostly.
Two words: Hot Limit. Three more words: We Drink Ritalin.
"You're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul..."
"I have no idea what a Justin Bieber is, but it..." was probably coined by Farkers in response to everybody and their daughter hyping the kid up like crazy.
It turns out that even the noise community has them. Two common one among The Gerogerigegege's fanbase: SENZURI! and ONETWOTHREEFOUR!!!
Another one from The Seventies: Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs/Blocking up the scenery and breaking my mind/"Do this", "don't do that"/Can't you read the siiiiigns?
"Jeremy spoke in claaaaaass todaaaaaaaay!"
Then I think of you and the world's all right by me/Just one look at you tells me that it's gonna be/A lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
"30,000 Pounds of Bananas" by Harry Chapin spawned "Harry, it sucks!", which was the reaction of Harry's brothers Tom and Steve to the first two endings Harry wrote for the song.
When you download mp3s, you're downloading COMMUNISM!Explanation
Making fun of the obsession with Digital Piracy Is Evil. Also, many fans are convinced the record companies just do this because we might like an independent artist.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
"...and a partridge in a pear tree." Explanation
Used to cap off a particularly bizarre Long List and lampshade
ONE! Nothing wrong with me! TWO! Nothing wrong with me!
Dubstep, known by detractors (and even some fans) as "WUBWUBWUBWUUUUB".
Rebecca Black's "breakout" song, Music/Friday, is no longer hosted on the net. However, the Dubstep version is. Consequently, a minor trope has emerged, as created by that version, of not allowing lyrics to finish their lines before insertiWUBWUBWUBBADAWUBBADAWUBWUBWUBWUB.
Not a specific song, but Cronos' stage banter from one particular Venom show became somewhat memetic by his sheer hamminess: Someone was amused enough by what they were hearing to bootleg the stage patter (no, not the whole set, just the stage patter), and it spread pretty far for being pre-internet. The Beastie Boys sampled a bit of this bootleg at the end of "Mark On The Bus" ("'cos you're wild, man! WIIILD!") and would also reference it in "Dedication" ("This one's for Newcastle, where Venom come from").
Godney, The New Thing, various quotes from her songs and statements.
The Holy Spearit has since taken off as a Fan Name for her.
Hold It Against Me has already become memetic.
Many mutual fans of Lady Gaga and Britney have coined the term "If I was born this way, would you hold it against me?" to answer back to dedicated fans from either artist as they get pretty tired of having to defend the fact that it's okay to like them both.
Due to frequent leaks by the Brit-camp these events are always called Britmas by her fans.
You put the lime in the coconut and shake it all around.
