songs so brilliantly eccentric you can't believe they were hits

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although there are plenty of great albums charting these days,
(like Radiohead, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Outkast)
the singles situation, OTOH, seems quite formualic and dire.
What are some of the great,

The Tornadoes, "Telstar"
The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations"
Pink Floyd, "See Emily Play" - a bizarre two-minute symphony
that is even more impressive when you remember it was released
well before _Sgt. Pepper's_
The Beatles, "Strawberry Fields Forever, Hey Jude"
Talking Heads, "Once In A Lifetime"
Orb, "Pink Fluffy Clouds," it's been so oft imitated - but it
was original when it was released
XTC, "Senses Working Overtime"
Gorillaz, "Clint Eastwood"

any more?

not to seem rockcentric, can someone help me think of very
eccentric hip hop hits?

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Friday, 7 November 2003 07:01 (twenty-one years ago)

good vibrations, otm.

― Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Friday, 7 November 2003 07:07 (twenty-one years ago)

kyu sakamoto - sukiyaki

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 7 November 2003 07:18 (twenty-one years ago)

O superman?

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 7 November 2003 07:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Bohemianrhapsody?

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 7 November 2003 07:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Cumberland Gap owns this thread.

― Jacob (Jacob), Friday, 7 November 2003 07:26 (twenty-one years ago)

(a related thread)

Sparks, "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us"

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Friday, 7 November 2003 07:42 (twenty-one years ago)

What's so eccentric about "Hey Jude"?

― antexit (antexit), Friday, 7 November 2003 08:54 (twenty-one years ago)

That White Town single

― Jez (Jez), Friday, 7 November 2003 09:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Flat Beat
Common People

O Superman OTM

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Friday, 7 November 2003 09:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Josh Wink: Higher State of Conciousness
Yello: Oh Yeah

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 7 November 2003 09:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Lieutenant Pigeon's Mouldy Old Dough was pretty bizarre. Number one for, oooh, 4 weeks or so in 1972.

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 7 November 2003 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Japan, "Ghosts"

― Michael B, Friday, 7 November 2003 10:33 (twenty-one years ago)

"to here knows when", my bloody valentine
"Whatever" Liam Lynch (shortest hit ever?)
"computer game (Theme from the invaders)" by Yellow Magic Orchestra (shortest hit ever for real - was 17 seconds long on the 12" Version, and three on the 7".

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 7 November 2003 10:38 (twenty-one years ago)

re: eccentric 'hip hop' hits:

Beck: 'Where It's At'
Beck: 'Loser'
Mystikal: 'Bouncin' Back'
Panjabi MC: 'Mundian To Back Ke' or whatever it was called

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Friday, 7 November 2003 10:48 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah god forbid when the whole of hip-hop is formulaic and dire but fucking GORILLAZ is a breath of fresh air

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Friday, 7 November 2003 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

blurillaz!!

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 7 November 2003 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

"telstar" was margaret thatcher's favorite record!

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 7 November 2003 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Remember when she was on SwapShop, reviewing the singles. The Style Council's "It didn't matter" (being leftwing) got slagged (it was a poor single unfortunately), but who was the band she liked cuz the video had a missile launching on it? I think the song was called "our career died today"....

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 7 November 2003 11:11 (twenty-one years ago)

...it's also one of the most beautiful records in existence.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 7 November 2003 11:14 (twenty-one years ago)

"telstar" that is

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 7 November 2003 11:14 (twenty-one years ago)

"Poing"

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 7 November 2003 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping"
Devo, "Whip It"

― mike a (mike a), Friday, 7 November 2003 11:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Kate Bush 'Wuthering Hights'

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:01 (twenty-one years ago)

are 'friends' electric?

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

All of Radiohead's singles should be listed here for ovb reasons, but I'll name a few others:

Shakespeare's Sister - Stay (creepy video and all)
U2 - Discotheque (also including creepy video)
NIN - Closer
Eagles - Hotel California
Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven

― Miggie (Miggie), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

U2 - Discotheque

On second thought, not brilliant. But eccentric nonetheless.

― Miggie (Miggie), Friday, 7 November 2003 13:00 (twenty-one years ago)

work it and gossip folks

― robin (robin), Friday, 7 November 2003 13:06 (twenty-one years ago)

einstein-a-go-go

― joni, Friday, 7 November 2003 13:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Da Da Da

― peepee (peepee), Friday, 7 November 2003 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Pulp - Sorted for Es and Wizz

― actionjackson, Friday, 7 November 2003 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

"Poing"

Yeah!

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember seeing the video on MTV and thinking "What in God's name is this?"

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Radiohead. Esp. Paranoid Android and Pyramid Song.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh!

"Zombie Nation", certainly.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

There was a video?

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

you people underestimate the elasticity of the charts or something like that

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The one butthole surfer's hit

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

The Beatles, U2, Radiohead: who can believe they had hits?

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The Shamen - 'Ebeneezer Goode'

― mick hall (mick hall), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Wot about that Justin Timberlake, then...?

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

.. has anybody got any Veras?

a YA HA HA HA HA!

― mick hall (mick hall), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

That Edwyn Collins one

― Ferg (Ferg), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"Ana Ng" TMBG
"Fish Heads" Barnes and Barnes
(insert list of random Beck tracks.)

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah god forbid when the whole of hip-hop is formulaic and dire but fucking GORILLAZ is a breath of fresh air

Dude, but that Gorillaz track was on like ROCK radio stations where it WAS a breath of fresh air! Seriously though, are there lots of or even any popular songs played on any mainstream format that sound anything like it?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Every Primus single.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean seriously though, how is "Clint Eastwood" NOT eccentric? WTF? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! < /mugatu>

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

"How Wonderful You Are" Gordon Haskell

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

methinks the definition of "hit" is being stretched out of shape somewhat.

I mean, Primus? MBV's "To Here Knows When"? Hardly Top 10/daytime radio/MTV material...

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah edwyn's "a girl like you" good call!

― jed (jed_e_3), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 41 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

The concept behind this thread doesn't make any sense to me. Though certain strains of music favor conservative and familiar sounds/structures (the Journey-Matchbox 20 axis, for instance) novelty ("eccentricity") has consistently been a driving force behind a good chunk of popular music. If people really "can't believe" these songs were hits, y'all got some strange ideas about your fellow humans. (Ideas that you share, incidentally, with many major label execs.)

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Monday, 10 November 2003 01:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll say it again - Lonnie Donegan "cumberland gap" is two minutes of incomprehensible ranting fuelled by a chugging mess of men banging on tubs and twanging out of tune strings that shot to number one in the 1950s in the midst of drippy ballads and mantovani orchestral arrangements. Owns thread. Even by techno fascist's standards...

― Jacob (Jacob), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I have rarely seen so many classic tracks mentioned in one ILM thread. :-)

And, yeah, "Star Trekkin'" by The Firm? :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Dear Jessie - Madonna (was this a hit? I don't remember, but I think it's Madonna's most inexplicable and beautiful song ever. It seems like it was concieved in that 15 minutes after you've had 10+ hours of totally luxurious sleep when you can remember your dreams pinpoint and you're certain (rightfully, for once) that they deserve to be made into movies, and then when you masturbate afterwards you're like who cares because even your saliva smells wonderful and totally your own.)

― Karen'sDock, Monday, 10 November 2003 04:08 (twenty-one years ago)

"dear jessie" was a single in europe I think - GREAT song

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 10 November 2003 04:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Fuck you people for ruining the thread.
'Dream Weaver' ?
'Leader Of The Pack' ?
'Tusk ' ?
'Legs '
Madonna???

Dumbasses.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Monday, 10 November 2003 08:04 (twenty-one years ago)

"valley girl"

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 10 November 2003 08:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"dancin' fool"

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 10 November 2003 08:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"don't eat the yellow snow"

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 10 November 2003 08:48 (twenty-one years ago)

How come no-one has mentioned "Some Velvet Morning" yet?

― Sarah Pedal (call mr. lee), Monday, 10 November 2003 09:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Imagine a double CD called "I can't believe this was a hit".

Now imagine someone placed a madonna track on it.

Imagine your reaction.

NOW GET some UNBELIEVABLE HITS ON THIS .. .. ..

01. O Superman - Laurie Anderson
02. Mouldy Old Dough - Lieutenant Pigeon.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 10 November 2003 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Guess one might add the bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace" here too.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 10 November 2003 12:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I have since discovered that it was filmmaker Baz Luhrman responsible for that rigoddamndiculous sunscreen song I mentioned upthread. Wow.

Also: "No Sex in the Champagne Room".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 10 November 2003 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' Sly Stone.

― rw, Monday, 10 November 2003 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

ROCK ME AMADEUS

― Ryan Schreiber, Monday, 10 November 2003 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Guy Marks - Loving You Has Made Me Bananas

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 10 November 2003 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, rw, I just heard "Thank You" on the radio as I was driving home last night and I was thinking of posting it. It probably just seems like a classic, early-ish funk song now, but when I first heard it when I was 8 or so, it sounded really eerie and unsettling, especially compared to "Hot Fun in the Summertime". The parenthetical spelling felt really creepy, too.

Also--
"Jungle Fever" by the Chakachas (I never knew they were Belgian! Thank you, AMG.)
"Oh Babe, What Would You Say?" by Hurricane Smith (the song itself didn't sound all that eccentric with its cutesy olde tymey vibe but the namby pamby vocal certainly did.)
"Eloise" by Barry Ryan
"Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede
"The Joker" by Steve Miller (cause I speak of the Pompatus of Love")

I think I mentioned "Hocus Pocus" by Focus last time we did this and "Little Green Bag" by the George Baker Selection.

― Arthur (Arthur), Monday, 10 November 2003 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Rolling Stones-"Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows?"

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Monday, 10 November 2003 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

BRILLIANTLY eccentric, you cocksuckers. Not just eccentric.

― skwerlplese, Saturday, 15 November 2003 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Frank Zappa's "Bobby Brown" topped the Norwegian singles charts for several weeks in 1979...

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 15 November 2003 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Paul Hardcastle - "19"

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 04:36 (nineteen years ago)

For me, three songs that fit this mold ("I can't believe they were hits" moreso than "brilliantly eccentric") are Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey", Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House", and Bowie's "Fashion", just because of how not-comfortable and 'neurotic' they sound, in terms of the music and vocals.

― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 16:33 (nineteen years ago)

Jan & Dean's "Jenny Lee", which isn't the '60s surf stuff. This little doo-wop-on-speed jammer was recorded in Jan's parents' garage. It is a blast of echo-laced vocal weirdness.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

COCAINE MUCH?

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

Also, for the quintessential Bowie moment that your describe:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nE7EL-U6cy8

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 8 March 2006 17:05 (nineteen years ago)

Flying Lizards - Money
Tubeway Army - Down in the Park
Johnny Warman - Screaming Jets

― ratty, Thursday, 9 March 2006 05:58 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

"Push th' Little Daisies" - Ween; what makes this even stranger is that they've written a lot of great, more radio-friendly material later on in their career, but haven't really scored a hit otherwise. I think Elektra was just looking for a single to promote, but "Push" is so ridiculously off-putting and dumb that I can't believe they chose it.

"Are Friends Electric?" - Gary Numan; great song, but it essentially is two song fragments rolled into one (Numan admitted as much), having no chorus and no single edit (the original is over 5 minutes long), all of which is pretty unusual for a #1 hit. Numan also admitted the distinctive hook came to him because he messed up a song he had written and liked the screwed up version better.

"Barbie Girl" - Aqua; just surprised it hit to the extent it did, it's such a weird and intentionally obnoxious tune that almost seemed to be making fun of its listeners. Only in 1997 could this have been a hit.

― frogbs, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:01 (fourteen years ago)

Nooh, "barbie Girl" could have been a hit at any time, and only the fact that it *has* been one prevents it from being one right now.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:10 (fourteen years ago)

i.e.

1 Aqua Barbie Girl Oct 1997 Notes
26 Samanda Barbie Girl Oct 2007 Notes

― Mark G, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:11 (fourteen years ago)

Jedward 'Barbie Girl', ??? 2011

― but cheese and chips excites me (snoball), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:25 (fourteen years ago)

Needs to be 2017.

If at all!

― Mark G, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:25 (fourteen years ago)

It was mentioned upthread, but KB's Wuthering Heights??? It would've been parodied endlessly by rappers today, I think. Sampled to hell.

― The previous message has been brought to you by (kelpolaris), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:35 (fourteen years ago)

btw i happen to adore the song

― The previous message has been brought to you by (kelpolaris), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:35 (fourteen years ago)

Kelis - "Milkshake" was pretty weird sounding and became her biggest song.

― LeRooLeRoo, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:51 (fourteen years ago)

Nooh, "barbie Girl" could have been a hit at any time, and only the fact that it *has* been one prevents it from being one right now.

Maybe it could have gotten somewhat famous but no way does it hit #1 (or even close to it). We don't really have the same Europop sounds making waves the way they did in the 90's. I would think they'd be seen as more obnoxious in the Internet era. Their type of irony was pretty under-the-radar and I'm not sure if it would be appreciated now.

― frogbs, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:53 (fourteen years ago)

David Essex-Rock On
Super Furry Animals-Hermann loves Pauline
Portishead-All Mine
Space-Magic Fly
Associates-Party Fears 2 & Club Country

― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:59 (fourteen years ago)

Family, In My Own Time

... the intro alone would surely have been enough to dissuade any Radio 1 DJ from playing it

― Tom D (Tom D.), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 17:16 (fourteen years ago)

Faith No More - Epic

― NYCNative, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 17:24 (fourteen years ago)

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy

― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 17:36 (fourteen years ago)

Kiss Them For Me (i may be to late)

― meisenfek, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 17:56 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foQ6WTqik7w

― communist kickball (m coleman), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 18:01 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUDMjjy9Jrs

― communist kickball (m coleman), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 18:05 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsIm-TJfTA

― communist kickball (m coleman), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 18:08 (fourteen years ago)

(x-post) I got pretty obsessed with "Skip A Rope" a couple years ago, thinking 'holy hell, this was a top 40 POP hit, as well as country.'

― Hodge Podge Bodge, Peo-PLE! (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 18:08 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UexxG4RntfU

― Hodge Podge Bodge, Peo-PLE! (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 18:09 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaWaQBxc0aI

― communist kickball (m coleman), Wednesday, 23 February 2011 18:13 (fourteen years ago)

At least as far as the U.S. goes, I say it's "Tusk" at #1 on the Weirdest Hits list, with "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Get Ur Freak On" close behind. Deeply weird stuff. "Freak" might even get the edge--"Tusk" was the long-awaited new F. Mac single post-Rumours, and the Beatles could have charted the Sgt. Pepper runout groove if they'd released it as a single, but how the hell did "Freak" get as big as it did?

(Note: I am very old and have no idea how "Freak" got as big as it did.)

A lot of the other songs mentioned earlier are borderline or full-on novelty songs, which sorta disqualifies them for me--they can slip past people's defenses by being "funny." Goofiness is part of what knocks "Bohemian Rhapsody" down a few spots on my list--that, and it rocks balls, which you certainly can't say about "Tusk."

― Hideous Lump, Thursday, 24 February 2011 04:58 (fourteen years ago)

"I Feel Love" in the context of 1977.

Memo to the OP, 7 years ago: "See Emily Play" didn't come out "well before" Sgt. Pepper, it was only about a week before. And it was recorded in the same studio as Pepper, but afterward iirc.

― Josefa, Thursday, 24 February 2011 07:35 (fourteen years ago)

he meant "well, before"

― Mark G, Thursday, 24 February 2011 09:29 (fourteen years ago)

Wayne Newton - Danke Schoen, a song with no chorus, or maybe no verses and all chorus depending how you look at it. One repeated stanza with the same melody, sung by a bloke who sounds like a lady. Song starts off in a stiff, oom-pah 2/4 rhythm (as it progresses it sounds like it's moving up through keys but I'm pretty sure it doesn't) and by the last verse/chorus it's totally swinging. Crazy.

― Run Westy Run Megatorrent (MaresNest), Thursday, 24 February 2011 12:05 (fourteen years ago)

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