The TRL Pop Quiz works like this: our editors are posed a music-related question and have only 15 minutes and just 100 words to research, choose and explain their answers. This week’s question: which viral YouTube song is your favorite throwback hit?
You can’t talk about viral songs without bringing up the Gregory Brothers. On their YouTube channel Schmoyoho, they’ve become known for their series Songify the News, manipulating videos using Auto-Tune to create viral songs. Their most successful has been the “Bed Intruder Song,” based on a news interview with Antoine Dodson. Combining Dodson’s colorful personality with a catchy beat was a homerun, as the song hit the Billboard Hot 100 and became the most popular YouTube video of 2008 with over 141 million views. It even led to the group composing the theme song for Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! – Kristen Maldonado
It’s impossible to overlook Rebecca Black’s “Friday” when it comes to viral YouTube hits. I was in middle school when this tune dropped and while it received overwhelmingly negative critiques, it’s one of those songs that’s so bad, it’s good. Also, can we talk about that music video? Who doesn’t love a 12-year-old driving a convertible and a random 35-year-old man showing up to rap?! Years later we all still remember Rebecca’s name. Nobody could get this song out of their head, so it’s hands down one of the most successful bops of 2011. – Landyn Pan
There’s definitely a lesson that can be learned from Jenna Rose‘s still-catchy viral hit, “My Jeans.” It’s songs like Jenna’s that simultaneously attract criticism for their lyrics and visuals while still getting stuck in their detractors’ heads. I’m not convinced that Hannah Montana, Keke Palmer and Ashley Tisdale were actually wearing Jenna’s jeans, but I’ll keep listening to the 2010 song nonetheless. And as amazing as “My Jeans” is, Jenna’s recent video reacting to the music video is equally iconic. – Matt Gehring
Remember “What Does the Fox Say?” I do. The Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis made the 2013 song as a joke, designed not to be a hit, but as promotion for their television show. That backfired because here in the United States we loved it. It’s catchy and dumb and funny, everything a viral hit should be. I love the nonsensical syllables the song lists as fox sounds, layered over the generic club beat. My personal favorite Ylvis song is actually about the mystery of Stonehenge, aptly named “Stonehenge,” but I’ve got to credit “What Does the Fox Say?” for its virality. – Leah Williams
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