#lo23

Erwin Beekveld - They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard 2005

"They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard" is a video that was published on August 16th, 2005, by Dutch musician and photographer Erwin Beekveld, as a Flash-animation on the website Albino Blacksheep. In 2006, it was re-posted to Youtube, where it gained over 12.5 million views and 38,900 comments in the first seven years. The two-minute video composed of multiple fragments from the film trilogy The Lord of the Rings became an internet meme, and has obtained a cult status mostly among fans of this trilogy. It is built out of scenes from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In the video, actor Orlando Bloom is seen playing the elf Legolas, who repeats the line "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" He is occasionally interrupted by Gollum (played by Andy Serkis), and also by Marton Csokas as Celeborn, who repeatedly inquires the whereabouts of Gandalf.

The dialogue is rhythmically set to a techno version of music originally composed by Howard Shore for the movies' soundtracks, and contains among others the leitmotif of the song "Concerning Hobbits". The song caught the attention of participants of a discussion forum sponsored by the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics, in which the dactylic quality of the song's prosody was discussed at length. (Read it here!)

In the book Fan Fiction and Copyright: Outsider Works and Intellectual Property Protection, "They’re Taking the Hobbits to Isengard" is mentioned as an example for the amendment on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, an American law concerning the author's copyright on digital media. The amendment from 2010 made it legal, under certain conditions, to use fragments from movies and television shows in personal videos. Musicologist Michael L. Klein (Professor at the Temple University of Philadelphia) mentions "They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard" in his book Music and the Crises of the Modern Subject as an example of a meme and mash-up as the pinnacle of creativity in the postmodern age.

In 2013, after Orlando Bloom finished filming his final scenes on the set of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, director Peter Jackson published a video in which Bloom, dressed up as Legolas, sings along with "They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard". In the next five days, the video received more than 6.9 million views and 7,200 comments. In an interview for Rude Tube in 2013, Beekveld says people love or hate him for making the video, due to its catchy tune, and that it made him very happy to see Bloom sing along with his remix eight years later, which he states is the ultimate recognition. On 30 March 2022, Beekveld died of lung cancer at the age of 52.

"They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard" received a total of 82,5% yes votes!

The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian 1986

"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song by the American pop rock band the Bangles. It was released in September 1986 as the third single from the band's second album, Different Light (1986). It was the band's first number-one single in the US, being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Billboard ranked it the top song of 1987 in the US. It was also successful internationally, reaching number one in seven other countries and peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart.

Liam Sternberg said he was inspired to create the song while on a ferry crossing the English Channel. When the vessel hit choppy water, passengers stepped carefully and moved their arms awkwardly while struggling to maintain their balance, and that reminded Sternberg of the depiction of human figures in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. He wrote the words "Walk like an Egyptian" in a notebook. Later, Sternberg looked back in the notebook and, composing the melody with a guitar, he put together an up-tempo song with lyrics about Egyptian hieroglyphs, the Nile River, crocodiles, desert sand, bazaars and hookah pipes and then segued into modern scenes of blonde waitresses, school children and police officers.

"Walk Like an Egyptian" received a total of 91,7% yes votes!

Boney M. - Rasputin 1978

"Rasputin" is a song by Germany-based Afro Caribbean pop and Eurodisco group Boney M. It was released as the second single from their third studio album Nightflight to Venus. The core of the song tells of Grigori Rasputin's rise to prominence in the court of Tsar Nicholas II during the early 1900s, referencing the hope held by Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna that Rasputin would heal her hemophiliac son, Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, and as such his appointment as Alexei's personal healer.

The song claims that Rasputin was Alexandra's paramour, a widespread rumour in Rasputin's time, with which his political enemies intended to discredit him. It accurately states that the conspirators asked him "Come to visit us", and then recounts a widely popular account of the assassination in Yusupov's estate: that Rasputin's assassins fatally shot him after he survived the poisoning of his wine.

"Rasputin" rose to the top of the charts in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Australia, and went to No. 2 in the UK, Argentina, Finland, Spain and Switzerland. It enjoyed great popularity in the Soviet Union, however it was omitted from the Soviet pressing of the album and Boney M. were barred from performing the song during their ten performances in Moscow.

It's pretty safe to say this song put a impressive and unbeatable record in the amounts of votes and reblogs! 💖 This is currently the most liked song on this poll blog with a whooping 94,8% total yes votes.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) 1983

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British synth-pop duo Eurythmics. It was released in January 1983 as the fourth and final single from their second album of the same name. It was their breakthrough hit, establishing the duo worldwide. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1983, and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 six months later; it was their first single released in the US. According to Dave Stewart, their record label RCA Records did not think the song was suitable as a single in the US as it lacked a chorus. After a radio DJ in Cleveland kept playing the song from the album, and it generated a strong local response, RCA decided to release it in the US. The song also peaked at number one in Canada, and reached the top ten in a number of countries including Australia, West Germany, Spain, and South Africa.

With Annie Lennox appearing with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's business suit in the accompanying music video, the BBC stated Lennox's "powerful androgynous look" was the music video that "broke the mould for female pop stars". In 2020, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2023, it was selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart wrote the song after the Tourists had broken up and they formed Eurythmics. Although the two of them also broke up as a couple, they continued to work together. They became interested in electronic music and bought new synthesizers to play around with. According to Stewart, he managed to produce the beat and riff of the song on one of their new synthesizers, and Lennox, on hearing it, said: "What the hell is that?" and started playing on another synthesizer, and beginnings of the song came out of the two dueling synths.

According to Lennox, the lyrics reflected the unhappy time after the breakup of the Tourists, when she felt that they were "in a dream world" and that whatever they were chasing was never going to happen. She described the song as saying: "Look at the state of us. How can it get worse?" adding "I was feeling very vulnerable. The song was an expression of how I felt: hopeless and nihilistic." Stewart thought the lyrics too depressing and added the "hold your head up, moving on" line to make it more uplifting.

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" received a total of 96,7% yes votes and is the new most liked song on this poll blog, beating A-ha's long reign! 🥳

Huntrix - Golden 2025

KPop Demon Hunters is a 2025 American animated musical urban fantasy film and stars the voices of Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun. The story follows a K-pop girl group, Huntrix, who lead double lives as demon hunters. They face off against a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons. KPop Demon Hunters originated from Kang's desire to create a story inspired by her Korean heritage, drawing on elements of mythology, demonology, and K-pop to craft a visually distinct and culturally rooted film. It began streaming on Netflix on June 20, 2025, and became the most-watched original title in Netflix history with over 500 million views. A sing-along version had limited theatrical releases. Its theatrical release was the widest by number of theaters for a Netflix film, and the first to top the box office in the US. The soundtrack was the first film soundtrack to have four songs in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, and was certified double platinum in the US in October 2025.

"Golden" is a song performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami as the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix. It was co-written by Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick. Within the narrative of KPop Demon Hunters, "Golden" is the latest musical release by Huntrix, intended to bring about the "Golden Honmoon", a permanent magical barrier against the demons that Huntrix fight. The song was released on July 4, 2025 as the second single from the film's soundtrack album. Critically praised and an immediate hit, the song reached number one on the Billboard Global 200 and topped the charts in more than 30 countries, including South Korea, the UK, and the US. It reached the top ten of charts in more than 20 other countries, and was certified 2x Platinum or higher in eight countries. The song received several accolades, including the Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award, and Academy Award for Best Original Song.

"Golden" received a total of 73,3% yes votes!

Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé - Telephone 2010

"Telephone" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009) — the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). Featuring American singer Beyoncé, it was released as the EP's second single on January 26, 2010. Gaga and Beyoncé wrote "Telephone" with Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, and Lazonate Franklin. Jerkins was responsible for the production, with Gaga co-producing with him. Gaga originally wrote the song for Britney Spears. "Telephone" conveys Gaga's fear of not finding time for fun given the increasing pressure for her to work harder as an artist.

"Telephone" received positive reviews from critics who called it a stand-out track from The Fame Monster and praised Gaga's chemistry with Beyoncé. Several critics included it in their best-of list of 2010. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and it won a ASCAP Pop Music Award and a BMI Award. Peaking at number three in the US, it was particularly successful in Europe where it topped the charts in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and the UK. The song sold 7.4 million digital copies worldwide in 2010, making it the year's fourth-best-selling single.

The accompanying music video for "Telephone", shot as a short film, is a continuation of the video for "Paparazzi" (2009), the fifth single from The Fame. It follows Beyoncé as she bails Gaga out of prison for killing her boyfriend; they go to a diner and poison the customers' breakfast. The video ends as they attempt to escape a high-speed police chase. It references Quentin Tarantino and his films Pulp Fiction (1994) and Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003). In January 2015, Billboard named it the best video of the first half of the decade. NME listed it as one of the 100 greatest music videos of all time. Retrospective reviewers analyzed the video's themes, including feminism, lesbianism, and commentary on fame and celebrity culture.

"Telephone" received a total of 90,1% yes votes! Previous Lady Gaga polls: #497 "Poker Face". Previous Beyoncé polls: #51 "Jumpin', Jumpin'", #198 "With Me", #234 "Hymn for the Weekend", #340 "Work It Out".

TLC - No Scrubs 1999

"No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, FanMail, released on February 2, 1999. The song was written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and former Xscape members Kandi Burruss and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, with TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes contributing lyrics to the rap version. The word "scrub" was used in Atlanta as a slang term for an unsuccessful person of low social status, and the song popularized the term worldwide.

"No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked for four consecutive weeks. It was ranked number two on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 singles chart of 1999, behind Cher's "Believe" (1998). The song won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal and Best R&B Song at 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. In Australia, "No Scrubs" spent seven consecutive weeks at the summit of the ARIA Charts. It peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, becoming TLC's highest-charting single. In Europe also, the track was a massive hit, topping the Polish Singles Chart and reached the top five in Belgium, Greece the Netherlands, Denmark, France, and Sweden. The futuristic music video directed by Hype Williams allowed TLC to win the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards over all-male nominees.

"No Scrubs" received a total of 88% yes votes! Previous TLC polls: #594 "Waterfalls".

Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know 1995

"You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette and released in July 1995 as the lead single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). The song was praised by critics for its lyrics, music, and Morissette's vocals. It was a commercial success, reaching the top ten in three countries and the top 40 in six other countries; Morissette also held the record for longest run by a woman atop the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart until 2013. "You Oughta Know" won the Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and the Juno Award for Single of the Year.

"You Oughta Know" helped Morissette enter the mainstream, and is often ranked among the best songs of the 1990s and of all-time. It was co-written by Morissette and Glen Ballard. Morissette stated that she wrote the song from her "subconscious": "I wasn't aware of what was coming out of me. I'd go into the booth when the ink wasn't even dry and sing. I'd listen the next day and not really remember it." Despite much speculation concerning whom the song is about, Morissette has never disclosed the person's identity and has never indicated an intention to do so.

In early 1995, producer Jimmy Boyle recruited guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers to play on the track. According to Navarro, "There were no guide tracks, we just had the vocal to work from…. and we basically jammed until we found something we were both happy with. Alanis was happy too." Flea said, "When I first heard the track, it had a different bassist and guitarist on it; I listened to the bassline and thought, 'That's some weak shit!' It was no flash and no smash! But the vocal was strong, so I just tried to play something good."

"You Oughta Know" received a total of 76,6% yes votes! Previous Alanis Morissette polls: #96 "I Was Hoping", #517 "Uninvited".