Funny / Todd In The Shadows One Hit Wonderland 2024

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Specials

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - "Relax" (1984)

• Todd starting the episode on one reason why he does One Hit Wonderland: to annoy the British by picking bands that only have one hit in the US but are much more popular in the UK.
• Naturally, Todd uses the clip from Zoolander of Derek Zoolander being brainwashed to become an assassin with the song as a trigger.
  Zoolander: I like this song...
  Todd: Damn right you do, Derek.
• The title cards for each section are all done in the style of the famous "Frankie Say Relax" T-shirt design, complete with black text against a white background. Todd describes the T-shirt as "the greatest band T-shirts in history".
  Todd: You put on the Flock of Seagulls haircut and the "Frankie Say Relax" T-shirt and you become so 80s you can kill bystanders with it. It's a fashion statement that says you are the biggest thing alive.
• Before Frankie Goes to Hollywood formed, lead singer Holly Johnson was a member of various bands, one of whom was Big In Japan. Todd does the running "Big In Japan" joke, but points out that the band itself (a late 70s post-punk band) was not actually big in Japan.
  Todd: It's nice to know that the concept of being weirdly huge in Japan is that old.
• Todd naturally addresses the controversy over the song's meaning and content, saying that it's so explicitly about sex that even "Let's Get It On" pales in comparison. If there's anything in the song that pushes it over the top, it's the song's use of the word "come".
  Todd: I cannot believe this wasn't bleeped. Yeah, I guess it's a very common word. They could mean anything by that. They could mean "when you wanna come to brunch with us, have some mimosas and relax".
  • The band claimed the song was a mere pump-up anthem about motivation. Todd doesn't buy it, and neither did anyone else.
    Todd: No, it's not. It's really obvious which part of the body he's telling you to relax.
    Boy George: [half-laughing] It's definitely about gay sex! I mean, "Relax" is about buggery. Relax, and it won't hurt.
    Todd: Motivation. How is anyone stupid enough to buy that? And the answer is, of course, that they were not! No one was dumb enough to buy that! Of course not! Even the most innocent grandma knew what this was. It didn't fool a single person, this was a song about gay sex on the radio!
• When talking about the 3 music videos made for the song, Todd brings attention to a de-facto 4th: the scene from Brian De Palma's Body Double, where Holly plays an MC leading the male protagonist into a nightclub.
  Todd: Look, there are women this time, so it's okay; no homo!
  • Todd also calls attention to how the guy looks like the "white boy" from the "Baby Got Back" video. "Even straight boys got to shout!"
• After going over their big hit (which sparked controversy because of its focus on sex) and their follow-up "Two Tribes" (a Cold War protest song), Todd builds up their next song "The Power of Love" as taking on religion (even highlighting a comment saying that, after going after sex and politics, religion was the one thing remaining to be send off)...only for the song to be a straight forward love song, with a music video that featured an entirely unironic depiction of the birth of Jesus (which was the label's idea).
• Despite having three number one hits in a row in their native UK, Frankie Goes to Hollywood was never able to make it in the US. Todd notes that they definitely tried, showing a video of the band driving down Sunset Boulevard in a tank.
  Todd: Yeah Frankie went to Hollywood, alright, with some heavy artillery.
  • Calling their "Born to Run" cover on SNL (where the also performed "Two Tribes") "daring" and "provocative," as it's "one of the foundational texts of heterosexuality."
    Todd: Us straight guys are often get asked, "When did you know you were straight?" And the answer for most of us guys was: hearing "Born to Run."
• Todd begins what sounds like an in-memoriam for Holly after noting that he contracted HIV... only to reveal he's still alive.