ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Lovefool" by The Cardigans

Hey, idea for a Halloween OHW-Release the Bats by the Birthday Party.

just realized I've lived my whole life thinking kylie minogue sung this song

S. R.

Hey, "Back Panther" had a hit soundtrack, right?

Jon Heiman

See, the song I remember most from The Cardigans is not Lovefool or My Favorite Game. It was one called Erase and Rewind. I remember it got a decent amount of air time MTV Latin America, which is what I was watching in the late 90s/early 00's. Was that one just not a hit at all anywhere? Cuz I was a bit surprised that it wasn't brought up in this video at all, since like I said- that one was the most memorable one to me.

Hi, does anyone know the piano model that Todd is using? Sorry if this has been answered before.

KL

Also for millennials who were kids back then, it's prime childhood memories, the first music we heard, etc.

A. M.

I always loved this song.

Jaszon Alexzander

The comparison to Garbage makes sense but My Favorite Game is sounds more like No Doubt than most No Doubt songs.

I would call them a one album wonder rather than a one hit wonder (Todd may think otherwise). "All The Things She Said" was their only #1 hit, but "Not Gonna Get Us" also hit #1 on the club charts. I thought "Show Me Love" was also memorable, although aparently it didn't chart.

Josh Liller

Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that the Cardigans are huge fans of the game and series. Surprised that didn't make it into the video

Blaze Utz

Ah good, a small bit of recognition for Reel Big Fish. Still one of my favourite bands.

waywardlaser

... okay, all these years I just... I... okay, yeah, I recognize My Favorite Game. Because in the jumbles of my memory, I remembered "that song was a big big deal back in the 90s. It was such a mainstream hit that it was heavily featured in the promo material for the video game Gran Turismo". So I just went to look up that before posting and-- uhh-- so it's actually from their album CALLED Gran Turismo. Memories. Wow.

Lorne Kates was going to change this name for April 1st but clicked SAVE too soon.

That is "Female of the Species" by Space. The one right after it is "A Girl Like You" by Edwyn Collins

Todd in the Shadows

How does this not end with Hot Fuzz?

apocalypsethen

Does anyone know the song Todd plays at 08:43 (when he talks about the lounge revival? Thanks!

Random question, but is TATU a one hit wonder?

Matthew

Thank you for this video! I'm a huge fan of Belle and Sebastian now, though I was introduced to The Cardigans first through Lovefool.I often heard their earlier stuff when listening to my Belle and Sebastian Pandora radio station. I'd also like to posit that the reason why you've been getting a lot of mid-to-late 90's song recommendations is because a lot of Gen Xers to Millenials remember these songs more vividly. Sure, the 80's hits are more iconic, but I for one have more of a personal relationship with 90's hits because I watched a lot of MTV and witnessed the rise and fall of the big 90s songs in real time. Just a thought!

Watching this amazing video series from Europe is a sometimes bizarre experience - I'm always surprised how different the cultural and musical upbringing actually is between Europe and the US (the whole R'n'B thing is really not happening here, and whenever there's a mention of a #1 Mariah Carey hit I always think: Really? She's feels like a one-hit wonder over here...). Growing up in Germany the 90s, the Cardigans were absolutely everywhere, they were superstars for at least three or four albums. MTV Europe and all the radio and music video stations started playing them on heavy rotation with "Rise and Shine" at the latest, and it wasn't before "Long Gone Before Daylight" (which I adore and actually think is the melancholic masterpiece they were always destined to write) that they faded away a bit. That gives me another thought: How weird must it be to watch this series from Japan?! (That's another thing I take away from this series: Obviously Japan just has the best taste in music...)

Daniel Bickermann

Thanks Todd! Now we have the answer Andy asked in Season 3 of The Office.

As a person who was actually a casual fan of this band in the 90's, was super excited to see this. I still think that Erase/Rewind is possibly the second best song off of the X-Files: Fight the Future soundtrack right after Better than Ezra's "One More Murder". Also, hey, remember when movies had soundtracks?

I grew up in the US and am about your age, and then moved to Sweden after high school where I got into Swedish pop in a huge way. This country has a continuous pop culture of brightly packaged, really melancoly music. It's by design. I don't think there's a single ABBA song that doesn't sound like it's written by someone who isn't now and a again passing through crippling depression. Even back past disco into the dansband (think 70's pop based on a folk music) era that gave us Blue Swede.

dryeraser

the only good thing tom jones ever did was provide material for a john mulaney routine and that's it

sweesbees

The years of 95-97 were prime nostalgia for the "Xennials" (or whatever you want to call the sub-generation between X and Millennials). I'm one of them.

Jon Heiman

Don't forget the one "Its Not Unusual ".

Very true. But if you were in a stable Western country and had grown up with the spectre of nuclear annihilation hanging over your head the decade before, the 90s felt like a reprieve. (It's a bit like the wholesome Leave It To Beaver/Happy Days version of the 1950s contrasted with the Korean War, McCarthyism, the Civil Rights Movement, etc.)

Joe G

Aw why the Tom Jones hate?

LifeIsStrange

Looked this band up and on Billboard, and i'd sat they totally fit the definition of a one-hit wonder since Love Fool was their only top 40 hit. These are the only two charts where My Favorite Game ended up on:<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/the-cardigans/chart-history/hot-canada-digital-song-sales" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.billboard.com/music/the-cardigans/chart-history/hot-canada-digital-song-sales</a> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/the-cardigans/chart-history/alternative-songs" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.billboard.com/music/the-cardigans/chart-history/alternative-songs</a> So i'd say the requester was right on the money.

LifeIsStrange

I remembered that second one immediately too, you're not alone. It's way better, tbh. Hard to be worse than "completely unlistenable" though

Crow

*remembers really liking this song as a kid... then realizes why* Man I had a crush on the lead singer...

Charles Arthur

I LOVE Favorite Game. It's been a go-to banger for years.

Mia Steinberg

90s wasn't all sunshine and roses, there was still the Bosnian war, the L.A. riots, the embassy bombings, etc

LifeIsStrange

Another band i've never heard of.

LifeIsStrange

I need to download all the covers that the Cardigans ever did. Because damn. Thank you for opening my eyes, Todd.

Blair (Rinzler)

Oh, I loathe this song.

Crow

So glad this got requested! I love The Cardigans, Long Gone Before Daylight (the country-ish redirect album that they did after they nearly broke up) is one of my favorites, they're a really talented and interesting band. This is probably one of my favorite One Hit Wonderlands you've done, in terms of humor and being informative.

Ross Dickerhoof

*Inserts quarters into jukebox.* *Queues up 'What's New Pussycat?'*

Ryan Rowekamp

Was confused until I heard that piano intro.

Josh Spicer