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From anti-war anthems to actor performances, these tunes defied all expectations! Join us as we count down our picks for songs that became unexpectedly popular despite their quirky, unconventional nature. Our list includes everything from German pop hits to gospel revivals, spoken word poetry, and even a cake left out in the rain!
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00:00I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road, I'm gonna ride till I can't no more.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most quirky and unconventional
00:13songs that ever became unexpectedly popular.
00:17Power love is a curious thing, make a one man weep, make another man sing.
00:26Number 20, After the Lovin', Engelbert Humperdinck.
00:31Granted, this is largely a straightforward love ballad by the smooth-voiced British lounge singer,
00:37written by Richie Adams with lyrics by Alan Bernstein.
00:40Thanks for taking me on a one-way trip.
00:47Something about it made it resound with the U.S. mainstream, however,
00:51because it became a top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
00:54The 61st biggest U.S. hit of 1977.
00:58It even won gold certification.
01:00I brush back the pen from your heart.
01:07Perhaps it was the classy but frank lyrics about the experience of lovemaking and its aftermath
01:12that resounded in the public so well, sung with poignancy and sincerity by Humperdinck.
01:18Either way, this was an unexpected hit, and we approve.
01:22There's after the lovin', still in love with you.
01:30Number 19, A Brown Bird Singing, Peggy Lee.
01:34This iconic singer's typical material was jazz, swing, and big band numbers,
01:39with archly sophisticated lyrics, even in animation.
01:49Lee began her career as a singer for Benny Goodman, using her sultry voice to her advantage
01:55by radically under-singing.
01:56A brown bird singing is an unexpected departure for Lee and the music of the time.
02:01A slow-tempo ballad with short but poetically abstract lyrics.
02:05Through the night, there's a little brown bird singing.
02:15But it fits Lee's soft voice to a T.
02:17And with only a harp as accompaniment, her lyrical expression is brought to the fore.
02:22Lee really should have sung more art songs.
02:25Straight through the nighttime.
02:32Number 18, The Power of Love, Huey Lewis and the News.
02:37Now, that's The Power of Song.
02:40This headbanging number rocked the U.S. charts with the release of the sci-fi adventure film
02:44Back to the Future.
02:45Don't need money, don't take fame, don't need a credit card to ride this train.
02:52It wasn't the first time a song from a movie became popular, of course, but The Power of
02:57Love went on to become a monster hit indeed, reaching gold certification in several countries
03:02and platinum in the U.K. and New Zealand.
03:05They say that all in love is fair.
03:09Considering the film had Marty play Earth Angel and Johnny B. Goode as a whole musical showcase,
03:14The Power of Love becoming a hit instead, with no real relevance in the film's plot,
03:19is a bit of a surprise.
03:21A good one, though.
03:22That's The Power of Love
03:26Number 17, Mr. Brightside, The Killers.
03:31So, let's get this straight.
03:33This single had a good reception upon its release, particularly in the U.K.
03:37Started out with a kiss, had it in a black dance, it was only a kiss, it was only a
03:43kiss.
03:43It's the third biggest selling slash streaming song of all time in the U.K.
03:47and the most streamed song from the 2000s on Spotify.
03:50To this day, the song has had a massive influence on pop culture, and yet, Mr. Brightside never
03:56topped the major pop charts in any country.
04:07Not only that, but the song is about the singer's lover cheating on him, anger and bitterness
04:11included.
04:12Not usually the stuff hits are made of, but hey, whatever works.
04:23Number 16, War, Edwin Starr.
04:27War, what is it good for?
04:29Absolutely nothing.
04:31This track, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, was both ahead of its time and deeply
04:36of its time, forged in the fires of fierce opposition to the Vietnam War.
04:48While The Temptations first recorded it, the big hit was Edwin Starr's in a very ironic
04:54macho arrangement.
04:55Since then, it has been chiefly used in straightforwardly violent action films, 1998's Rush Hour being
05:02the rare self-aware exception.
05:13Well, perhaps that isn't so much of a surprise, but the song even becoming a mainstream hit
05:18is the most expected and ironic part of all.
05:28Number 15, Everybody, Backstreet's Back, Backstreet Boys.
05:33Is this song original?
05:35Yeah.
05:36It isn't often a track about an iconic boy band getting back together becomes a mainstream
05:41hit.
05:49It isn't even often that the song's oddly random music video about the Backstreet Boys
05:54taking refuge in a haunted mansion would snag an MTV Video Music Award.
05:59But the song's contagious hook, ominous chords, and memorable chorus were enough to make this
06:04number an iconic track indeed.
06:13Also, the music video is well choreographed.
06:16Everybody reached platinum in the US and several countries, so whatever the song was doing,
06:21it did it right.
06:27Number 14, House of the Rising Sun.
06:30The Animals.
06:32It's not every day a folk ballad about visiting a brothel performed by a rock band becomes a
06:37mainstream hit.
06:38The song's origins are obscure, but it may date back to an English broadside ballad,
06:43seeming to reference a real-life bawdy house of the same name.
06:47There is a house in New Orleans.
06:52The cold rising sun.
06:56In the US, the lyrics have switched the setting to New Orleans and had both male and female
07:01narrators.
07:02Early versions by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan had been recorded, but the song
07:07first reached mainstream popularity with this soulful guitar version by The Animals.
07:11The only time to be satisfied is when he's on a drum.
07:20So popular, it reached number one in the US.
07:23What a trip to see this house rise.
07:26Since it is real, in the house of the rising sun.
07:33Number 13, Driver's License.
07:36Olivia Rodrigo.
07:38This was the pop ballad that launched Rodrigo's career indeed, and it's all about a teen reminiscing
07:46about getting her driver's license.
07:48And also getting through a tough breakup.
07:50I got my driver's license last week, just like we always talked about.
07:56This song topped the US charts and was certified platinum no less than six times.
08:01It also broke records for the most single-day streams for a non-holiday song on Spotify.
08:14And yet, in many ways, Driver's License is a very unconventional hit.
08:20It's an atmospheric melody with little rhythmic beat and moody lyrics, not the kind that would
08:25catch the fickle mainstream audience's attention.
08:27We really should never underestimate the power of heartbreak in songs.
08:38Number 12, Dominique.
08:40The Singing Nun.
08:42A song about a Spanish priest topping the international charts, sung by a Belgian singer known as the
08:48Singing Nun?
08:49Talk about a surprise twist.
08:51Or maybe not.
08:52Dominique, mon bon père, garde-nous simples et qu'est pour annoncer à nos frères la vie et la vérité.
09:00Dominique is a veritable earworm of a song, and once you hear it, you can never not remember it.
09:07Also, it has excellent voice blending and harmony.
09:09Dominique, Dominique, Dominique, s'en allait tout simplement.
09:13Broutier, pauvre et chantant.
09:16The song won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording, and it was even
09:21nominated for Record of the Year.
09:23To this day, it is one of the rare foreign language hits in the U.S. to top the charts.
09:35Number 11, All Star, Smash Mouth.
09:39Hey, now, this song was unexpected.
09:43American rock band Smash Mouth's most famous track was well-received in its time, ranking
09:48high on the Billboard Hot 100, but its effect on pop culture was seismic, beyond just chart-topping.
09:55She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an L on her
10:02forehead.
10:03While the song was featured in the 1999 superhero film, Mystery Men, its most memorable inclusion
10:09was in the opening of the iconic animated film, Shrek.
10:13Hey, now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play.
10:18Hey, now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid.
10:22A rock anthem, pop song, internet meme, even climate change song, All Star is all these things and more.
10:29It's both mainstream and very weird, and it's all all-star.
10:40Number 10, Gangnam Style, Sigh.
10:44Does this song really need an introduction?
10:47The smashing success of K-pop Demon Hunters once again brought South Korean culture to the forefront,
10:53but this South Korean singer conquered the world years earlier with this earworm.
10:57Hey, sexy lady.
11:04The song topped the charts in dozens of countries and inspired a dance craze not seen since Macarena.
11:10The music video has over 5 billion views on YouTube as of this writing.
11:14Open Gangnam Style.
11:18Gangnam Style.
11:20Open Gangnam Style.
11:23What is Gangnam Style about, you may ask?
11:26A satire of low-class people trying to ape the habits and lifestyle of the nouveau riche of the Gangnam
11:32region of Seoul.
11:33We wish we were joking.
11:35The closest we'll ever achieve to world peace and sealing the Han Moon, and it's about mocking posers.
11:41Absolutely wonderful.
11:43Open Gangnam Style.
11:49Number 9, Old Town Road, Lil Nas X.
11:53An emerging rapper releasing a less-than-two-minute country song and collaborating with a country artist for its remix?
12:00And it became a huge hit?
12:02Stranger Things have occurred, but for his debut single, Lil Nas X chose a musical genre mix that is truly
12:09rare.
12:09Country Rap.
12:11I got the horses in the back.
12:13Horse tack is attached.
12:15Head is mad at black.
12:17Got the booshes black to me.
12:18The music video cannily leans into this strange juxtaposition with Lil Nas X riding a horse down a suburban street,
12:26singing Can't Nobody Tell Me Nothing to incredulous stares.
12:30Yeah, no.
12:31It works.
12:32Can't nobody tell me nothing.
12:36You can't tell me nothing.
12:38Old Town Road was certified diamond in many countries and rode its horse to the top of the Billboard Hot
12:44100.
12:45It honestly tracks.
12:47I'm gonna take my horse to the Old Town Road.
12:50I'm gonna ride till I can't no more.
12:54Number 8, Ringo.
12:56Lorne Green.
12:57But for a truly unconventional music success, look no further than spoken word poetry.
13:04Not even rap, mind you.
13:05But a spark still burns, so I used my knife, and late that night I saved the life of Ringo.
13:12Ringo.
13:13This song, written by Don Robertson and Hal Blair, and performed by this Canadian-born actor with a sung chorus,
13:20really came out of nowhere.
13:21Is this country?
13:23Easy listening.
13:24It isn't easy listening to the haunting tale of a man's unexpected friendship with outlaw and gunslinger Ringo, who faces
13:31this tragic end.
13:32But that's the Wild West for you.
13:35But on his grave, they can't explain the tarnished star above the name of Ringo.
13:43This song launched a thousand covers in different languages.
13:47It even had several parodies, including a hilarious one by Alan Sherman about Ringo Starr.
13:52In any case, this song goes down harder than Ringo on the Desert Sand.
13:57I'm so tough that I brush my teeth with Brillo.
14:01Brillo.
14:03Brillo.
14:09This powerful powerhouse ballad comes from the iconic film Dirty Dancing.
14:14What a shocker.
14:22A bit more unexpected, however, is the fact that Patrick Swayze himself sang it.
14:27A rare instance of an actor having a top 10 hit, and in several countries at that.
14:32Not only that, but Swayze actually co-wrote the song with Stacey Widlitz in 1984 and even tried to get
14:38it included in the 1986 film Youngblood.
14:40To no avail.
14:51Swayze was at last vindicated, as the song was finally used in Dirty Dancing and reached platinum in the UK.
14:57It also received a hip-hop cover by Lumadie.
14:59This song really came in like the wind to our tree branches.
15:03It's hard to believe she's got to know in my face.
15:11She's like four.
15:12Number 6.
15:13This guy's in love with you.
15:15Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
15:17Well, of course this song was successful.
15:28It's beautiful, poignant, understated, yet unforgettable.
15:32And wait, is that Herb Alpert?
15:34The Tijuana Taxi Spanish Flea guy?
15:37Singing a Burt Bachrach and Hal David song?
15:40And the song was arranged by Bachrach with Alpert's signature anemic trumpet solo?
15:53Needless to say, this was an out-of-pocket choice for Herb Alpert,
15:57whose prior material was catchy and quirky Latin instrumentals with brassy but thin-sounding trumpets.
16:04But the song did fit Alpert's modest vocal talents very well,
16:08and his version did top the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for four weeks.
16:14If not, I'll just die.
16:19Number 5.
16:21Georgia On My Mind.
16:23Ray Charles.
16:24Speaking of poignant and melodically lyrical songs,
16:27we always have this Georgia on our minds.
16:30Written in 1930 by Hoagie Carmichael of Stardust fame with lyrics by Stuart Gorel,
16:35Carmichael even sung it as a typical jazz ballad, now a standard.
16:40That old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.
16:48But the song was unexpectedly lifted to new heights when Georgia native Ray Charles came along,
16:54giving the song new life with a full-bodied orchestral arrangement and a lovely, soulful, lyrical delivery.
16:59I say Georgia, oh Georgia.
17:07It was a successful rearrangement inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
17:12The state of Georgia even approved, designating Charles' version as the official state song.
17:17Now that's greatness.
17:19Keeps Georgia on my mind.
17:26Number 4.
17:28MacArthur Park.
17:29Richard Harris.
17:30We're calling it now.
17:32This is the best song about leaving a cake out in the rain ever to be sung by Albus Dumbledore.
17:38The lyrics to this song by Jimmy Webb about a breakup can get wrought in its metaphors.
17:43Richard Harris' smooth vocals also can't quite reach the dynamism and emotional desperation the song demands.
17:49But somehow, none of it matters.
18:01MacArthur Park is a modern-day cantata.
18:04Grand and epic, with several melodies.
18:07It went on to be covered by hundreds of artists, including a disco version by Donna Summer that also became
18:12a massive hit.
18:20And that cake, left out in the rain, turns out Webb actually saw it, while walking down the titular park.
18:26Heartbreak is no metaphor.
18:29So long to bake it, and I'll never have that recipe again.
18:41Of course, a 1755 hymn by English clergyman, Philip Doddridge, would make for the perfect modern hit.
18:56The text has had at least two melodies throughout the years.
18:59One of them by Edward F. Rimboltz became the basis for this version by Edwin Hawkins, given a gospel arrangement,
19:06answering chorus, and a Sergio Mendez-inspired piano intro.
19:10The results were stunning.
19:19This version became an international hit, selling 7 million copies and hitting number one in several countries.
19:25Sister Act 2 showcased it to great effect in 1993.
19:30It's now the second best-selling gospel song of all time.
19:34Now that's unexpected.
19:44Number 2.
19:45My Sweet Lord
19:46George Harrison
19:48Speaking of Oh Happy Day, here is another sweet hymn Harrison claimed was inspired from it.
19:54The Beatles aren't what one would call a particularly religious rock group, although they did dabble in Hindu spirituality.
20:08George Harrison's solo career, however, went off in an esoteric direction with this release.
20:14Not only is the spiritual theme unusual, but its dynamic structure, prominent Hare Krishna chorus, and continuing crescendo was also
20:23a departure.
20:23I really wanna know you.
20:25Hallelujah.
20:27I really wanna go with you.
20:31Hallelujah.
20:32But it definitely works, especially those iconic guitar chords, becoming UK's biggest selling single of 1971, and covered by countless
20:40artists ever since.
20:42Similarities to He's So Fine aside, it's a great song.
20:45Ooh, my kiss strong.
20:49My sweet little loser.
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21:14They're going to sing you a song about 99 air balloons.
21:17This West Germany rock band's only hit in the U.S. is unusual indeed.
21:27The song tells the story about 99 air balloons being mistaken for U.S.
21:32This prompts a military investigation and even a full-out war between nations, ending in a catastrophe with no victors.
21:40We've seen sharp anti-war songs becoming hits before.
21:43What was truly unexpected, however, was the American public preferring the German version over the English one.
21:56It was the German version that topped the charts in several countries, and even reached number two on the Billboard
22:03Hot 100.
22:04Color us surprised.
22:05We've come to the air balloon, think of you and let it fly.
22:13Which other unusual songs are you shocked ever made it big?
22:16Let us know in the comments down below.
22:21Let us know in the comments down below.
22:21Let us know in the comments below.
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