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is "walkin' on the sun" the best single of the 1990's? for all the purposes of this query let's pretend that black people stopped making music around 1978 (ILM has been doing that anyway lately, yes lurkers notice these things).

― anne, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

new 'fat guy with ray-bans' answers

― anne, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've never heard it. But I'm very very interested in the other bit of the question!

― Tom, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The second half of that question confuses me too. Hip hop (mainstream and more marginal stuff) and R&B are certainly talked about a fair amount on this board (although given half the questions from last week were "Is X Rock?" it might have been easy to miss).

The answer to the first part of the question is easy though. No.

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, No and thrice No

― Leigh, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

everyone ignored those "rock" threads tho!?!

― mark s, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

no we didnt - i just dont understand them

― a-33, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I read 'em all. They was funnnyyyyy!

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Something about this question makes my head and soul hurt. That second part especially.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Does Ned Raggett have soul?"

― mark s, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes, he owns the compleet David Soul back catalogue - there is no cd which he does not own!

― Nicole, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's not the best single, but it's pretty great. (As a sidebar, I didn't realize that Prince was no longer black.)

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Best single of the 90s? By no stretch of the imagination. It's still not a bad song, if all you're looking for is ear candy, though. As for the theory posed at the end, huh? And even if ILM had gotten more whitebread (I disagree, though ethan doesn't seem to post about hiphop as much, and it is missed), what purpose does the condition serve? Is this some sort of alternate universe question?

― Sean Carruthers, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

it's quite a good, well written, song - it's catchy. but i hate it - it's kitschy. it's not the worst single of the 90s though, that's "allstar"

― minna, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It is a FANTASTIC single.

― Josh, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's a middling track from an awful band. Barenaked Ladies minus the good stuff plus the Bosstones, basically.

― Judd Nelson, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The single certainly pretends black people stopped making music past 1978. And for all that, it IS a great single. The second album hardly lived up, and they've gotten steadily worse (their cover of daydream believer was dreadful)

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's based on a sampled riff from "Swan's Splashdown" by Perry & Kingsley (available on the absolutely essential comp Incredibly Strange Music Vol. I), but doesn't do anything really interesting with it. The melody sucks and the lyrics ("their kids were hippy-chicks and hypocrites") are atrocious. I'm not really a Smashmouth fan, but the much maligned "All-Star" is a far better song.

So the answer to your question is "no" (I'll leave the "let's pretend" part for Tom's new thread).

― J, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

How hilarious is it that J quotes a fantastic line from the song and calls it "atrocious"!

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's on a ford advert, at the moment Tom. And it rocks, kinda (I haf stolen my dad's copy ahem).

― Graham, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Only hilarious if it's actually fantastic, Dan :-)

― J, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh yes -- "All Star" was fantastic as well.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I regard Smashmouth and Third Eye Blind as equally loathsome, to give a sense of comparison. But at the very least I can remember a Smashmouth song or two, whereas TEB suffer from the Andrew WK Syndrome of non-memorability.

there is no cd which he does not own!

I must protest. I as yet own nothing by Roger Whitaker.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Non-memorability of AWK? Ned != rock

As for Smashmouth, I've actually really enjoyed the odd album tracks from their second record far more than their singles... they're less anthemic, and more melodic and pop. (Brian = Geir?)

― Brian MacDonald, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

anyone who tells me that they don't like 'walking on the sun' is obviously lying. not liking that song is like not liking partying or summertime fun. what's the deal?

― ddd, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Non-memorability of AWK? Ned != rock

Silly boy, I have already pointed this out, but you were off gallivanting. And the argument from where I sit is more AWK != pop, though Tom objected.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

not liking that song is like not liking partying or summertime fun.

This reminds me of the time I was urged to like Sublime for their 'soulful' sound a few years back. In both cases, I doubt.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

not liking that song is like not liking partying or summertime fun.

I guess I must hate everything. Who knew?

― J, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought it was ripped off from the Doors' "When The Music's Over." The opening organ riff sure sounds like it.

― Andy, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This reminds me of the time I was urged to like Sublime for their 'soulful' sound a few years back.*shudder* Better than liking them for their "fucking-dead-corpse-of-lead-singer" sound, I guess.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought it was ripped off from the Doors' "When The Music's Over." The opening organ riff sure sounds like it.

Nope, although I do see the resemblance. The organ riff in the verses is a straight-out rip from "Swan's Splashdown."

― J, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The singer makes me want to mutilate myself with a rusty strand of barbed wire. He hogs their songs like a funkless do-ragged Kool- addicted Ja Rule who just got back from his first MTV Spring Break and wants to tell the world what partyin's all about. This is the type of guy who plays jizzy biscuits but still calls people "fags" behind their backs. He wants to fuck your girlfriend. His band's "music" is not fun - it is the type of shit you'd hear at a concert in an amusement park, shoving a funnel cake down your gullet while the ugly girl in front of you asks you to rub tanning oil on her zitty-ass back. They're almost enough to make you lose faith in pop music itself - how the fuck could a band possibly be more pandering and empty than these guys?

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

you hate music for cheap amusement parks and ugly girls but love kraftwerk?!

― ethan, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Kraftwerk are ugly girls?

― Sean Carruthers, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I liked it when it came out, thinking "cool, a band bringing back that 60's organ pop sound, that's kind of refreshing," but I was repulsed by all their other singles.

It made me think of the riff from the Doors 'Soul Kitchen'.

― Jordan, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sorry I used the dreaded put-"music"-in-quotation-marks tactic - I hope you guys realize I was being ironic.

Also, Kraftwerk are music for cheap amusement parks how?

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Walking on the Sun is like totally terrible particularly since it came out around the same time as Steal My Sunshine which is a much better song, or perhaps the greatest song EVER.

― Ally, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ally = insane.
(ps. Hey Ally, go here and check this out. If you gotta have cheezy Canadian disposable pop, this is much better than Len.)

― Sean Carruthers, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Are Blink 182 Canadian? They're on Much Music a lot. If they're Canadian, then I suddenly love Canada so much more, First Date is first rate.

― Ally, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ally, when Tom finally comes to America, we MUST all do karaoke and we two MUST sing "Steal My Sunshine" and maybe Ethan and I can do "All Star" together, which I think is muchly superior to "Walking on the Sun."

The lead singer of Smash Mouth is husky and has ridiculous facial hair, so the band's automatically better than that other band I was ragging on last week (Schizo Fun Addict, was it?) plus he faked an English accent on the first single (kinda) and did a pretty good song about the Fonz OF ALL THINGS but I must deduct massive pointage for the tattoos, yo.

― Michael Daddino, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This is a frightening prospect, Mike. I shall make sure I am drunk by then. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I saw a metal show on Much Music that was basically all Iron Maiden videos, with some other crazy newer shit like Candiria mixed in. I love Canada. (Blink 182 isn't canadian, but Sum 41 is).

― Kris, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I can do a pretty good imitation of the girl from Len.

― Ally, Tuesday, 23 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Even better is the French Canadian music channel MUSIQUE PLUS. I saw a little of it in my hotel room in Montreal when I was there for a night. Besides seeing the video for that rockin' new Cornershop single, I saw this flambuoyant French heavy set alt power rock band called Funky Armadillo, or something similar... it sounded like they took musical inspiration from Creed, but took fashion tips from the Icky Boyfriends or the Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments.

― Brian MacDonald, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I once saw a couple-hours-long special on MusiquePlus devoted exclusively to videos containing nudity. There would be a little animated graphic of a naked person holding the MusiquePlus logo to introduce each track. MusiquePlus is actually about a 15-minute walk from my workplace. You can drop by and see what's going on from outside.

The Power Hour was awesome in the late 80s.

"Steal My Sunshine" is obviously light-years better than "Walkin On the Sun" but neither is the best single of the 90s.

― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

As much as I love "Walking On The Sun", I must also admit that "Steal My Sunshine" is a far better song.

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nine months pass...

hey all u mother fuckers out there that think smahmouth sucks can drop dead and get raped up the but with a pickle. Cuz that is the best mother fucking band on the planet. the have made cameo apperances in movies for example "rat race" that was one of the best movies in 1999. The got really famous. and they have put out a lot more singles than u think. "Then The Morning Comes" "cant Get Enough Of You Baby" "Pacific Coast Party" and all of those ones they have been played on the radio and they have gottne them a long way.

― Michael Patrick Shannon, Wednesday, 29 January 2003 00:17 (twenty-three years ago)

hey all u mother fuckers out there that think smahmouth sucks can drop dead and get raped up the but with a pickle.

Frankly, this immediately outshines the "So-and-so suxx u r all gay" meme.

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 03:27 (twenty-three years ago)

I got plenty of positive things to say about Smashmouth...but I can't really follow this guy.

Basically I'll just say that what I do and don't like about them are the same things I do and don't like about XTC. And they make me glad XTC never really did covers or big budget movie-tie-ins. Or made exciting-yet-completely-off-topic videos with McG.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 03:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I got plenty of positive things to say about Smashmouth

Anthony, we need to sit down one day and figure out what bands we do agree on. There's got to be at least one!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 04:44 (twenty-three years ago)

a little band called Rocket...From...The...Crpyt, perchance?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 18:04 (twenty-three years ago)

There is hope in this sad, cruel world.

Are you stuck in the middle?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 18:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Broke and deaf as well.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 18:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Now I'm going to be humming that bass line all day. I thank you. :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 18:10 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

smashmouth = the houseband in purgatory (NOT hell -- THAT gig requires talent).

discuss!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 1 May 2005 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Do smashmouth STILL listen to smashmouth?

― Aerodynamic (Aerodynamic), Sunday, 1 May 2005 22:00 (twenty-one years ago)

that should say smashmouth FANS

― Aerodynamic (Aerodynamic), Sunday, 1 May 2005 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Are there actually smashmouth fans? I mean sure, in theory, but has anyone ever seen one?

That being said, I loved "walkin on the sun" the first few times I heard it.

― sleep (sleep), Monday, 2 May 2005 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

And "can't get enough of you baby", for that matter. Various people OTM upthread, ("steal my sunshine" was great fun high school summer driving radio music), but not Ned with his Third Eye Blind hate!!

― sleep (sleep), Monday, 2 May 2005 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

no good songs.

Not one.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Monday, 2 May 2005 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

A friend of my sister's back in the day wore a Smashmouth t-shirt, so I assume she was a fan. I made fun of her for it.

― mjfan, Monday, 2 May 2005 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Search: Walking On The Sun
Destroy: That goddammed Do It Again remake

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

When I saw Blur at the Warfield back in 97 or so Smashmouth opened. They came onto the stage and the singer shouted "San Francisco are you ready to rock!?!" There was a silence, then the britpoppers started booing.

― william m lynch (wlynch), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:16 (twenty-one years ago)

"walking on the sun" was a nice song. AND THEN, NOTHING GOOD EVER AGAIN.

("steal my sunshine" is better, as stated upthread.)

i imagine that saying that yer REALLY into smashmouth is akin to saying that yer REALLY into, i dunno, billy joel or britny fox or something like that -- at best you are humored, at worst actively mocked as a TOTAL TOOL.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

CUTESY HACKNEYED CRAP WORST BAND NAME EVAH

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I want all of this text on a T Shirt.

― The hi hat delay in Let it Be, Monday, 2 May 2005 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.departmentoffilm.com/media/images/dir_nq_thumb_smashmouth.jpg

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

retarts!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I found some of their singles to be charming enough. Although I can understand the hatred for them.

― Cunga (Cunga), Monday, 2 May 2005 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

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