From awkward dance moves to bizarre visuals, some music videos achieve viral fame for the wrong reasons. Join us as we explore music videos that became unintentional memes, featuring artists like Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Eminem, and more! These videos sparked hilarious reactions and parodies, often overshadowing the artists' original intentions. Prepare for cringeworthy moments and unforgettable internet sensations.
00:00I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night.
00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks from music videos that turned into memes in ways their creators didn't intend or desire.
00:1710. Do What You Want – Lady Gaga featuring R. Kelly
00:21Lady Gaga released her third album, Art Pop, in 2013.
00:30One track featured singer and producer R. Kelly, who has been extremely controversial since the 90s.
00:42He's been the target of numerous allegations, civil suits, and criminal trials, which eventually got him convicted in both 2021 and 2022.
00:51After working with him on the track Do What You Want, Gaga decided to throw the music video they filmed away.
00:57A few clips were leaked by TMZ in 2014, and they were beyond uncomfortable to watch.
01:02It featured Kelly giving Gaga medicine alongside being painfully creepy.
01:07In 2019, Gaga removed the song from streaming services entirely, hoping to leave this regrettable collab in the past.
01:149. Lotus Flower – Radiohead
01:21The Radiohead album fans argue about the most is easily the king of limbs.
01:29Its bizarre electronic production and a complete lack of a drum kit polarized the fans entirely.
01:35Not with regards to the Lotus Flower music video, however, which they all agree is hilarious.
01:47It's fairly simple, featuring nothing more than Tom York in a hat dancing.
01:51The dance is so weird and confusing, it inspired a plethora of internet memes.
01:56These ranged from edits of him fighting bees to him rocking out to all the single ladies.
02:09Over a decade later, and it's still one of the biggest Radiohead memes.
02:138. It's My Life – Whatever I Wanna Do – Venu Malesh
02:25Here, we have a music video where every person looks like it's about to be the hit that defines a generation.
02:31Hey, are you going to sing?
02:33Yeah, but it's not a song. It's my life.
02:37Venu Malesh is a South Indian singer who released his debut track in 2012.
02:50It became an internet sensation, but not for its high quality.
02:54In fact, it succeeded for the opposite reason.
02:57I'm a very good bad boy. I'm a very good bad boy.
03:03The lyrics barely make sense.
03:05The production is bizarre, and it looks like it was made on a shoestring budget.
03:09The internet aggressively turned him into a meme, but at the end of the day, it's his life.
03:14He does whatever he wants to do.
03:207. Lose Yourself – Eminem
03:228 Mile is a semi-biographical film showing Eminem's early days in the rap scene.
03:28Alongside it, Eminem released the hit track, Lose Yourself.
03:32His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.
03:35There's vomit on his sweater already. Mom's spaghetti.
03:38It's well-remembered as an inspirational song, but also for one moment where he says, Mom's spaghetti.
03:44It doesn't have any deep meaning. It's just chosen for rhyming purposes.
03:48But people found it hilarious.
03:57This caused the song and its respective music video to become huge memes.
04:01It's so prominent, people might not even realize the edit with Mom's spaghetti in every sentence is a fake.
04:11Thankfully, Eminem loves it and has since opened up a spaghetti restaurant in Brandon, Detroit.
04:17No prizes for guessing its name.
04:20Mom's spaghetti. It's all ready.
04:236. Miracles – Insane Clown Posse
04:27One of the most unique hip-hop duos is Insane Clown Posse.
04:31If magic is all we've ever known, then it's easy to miss what really goes on.
04:36Their followers are uniquely loyal, calling themselves juggalos and dressing in clown makeup.
04:41In 2010, the duo released the video for a rap track titled Miracles.
04:46The lyrics are about appreciating nature's beauty, but it's not done very elegantly.
04:56It became a viral sensation almost immediately.
04:59The video includes hilarious graphics of the band rapping across the universe, which looks like a low-budget science documentary.
05:06Additionally, one lyric in particular became an eternally comical meme, specifically the one that asks how magnets work.
05:14For better or worse, this song and video are truly miracles.
05:235. I'm the One – DJ Khaled
05:31For those unaware, DJ Khaled is a rap producer famous for shouting his name and brand at the start of songs.
05:38In the mid-2010s, he became a huge meme for this.
05:47It was kickstarted by his video for the Chris Brown collab Hold You Down, which was unusually surreal for a rap tune.
05:54At the peak of this craze, he released I'm the One, featuring Justin Bieber, Huevo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne.
06:09Its video featured an extravagant mansion, luxury cars, and a whole bunch of models.
06:17The result is an incredibly cringe-worthy video, with Khaled awkwardly dancing and shouting the whole way through.
06:234. Stacey's Mom – Fountains of Wayne
06:29Some of the best Fountains of Wayne tracks include Hey Julie, Radiation Vibe, and Sing to the Bottom.
06:35We bet you thought we were going to say Stacey's Mom too, right?
06:38Well, the band interestingly hates that song.
06:49Singer Chris Collingwood tried convincing its writer Andy Schlesinger not to release it.
06:54Did your mom get back from her business trip?
06:59Business trip?
07:01His fears were proven right when it became their biggest song, with a video that subsequently turned into a meme.
07:07It reduced them to being a novelty band, remembered for a silly music video, rather than for the songs they were genuinely proud of.
07:19I know it might be wrong, but I'm in love with this thing too.
07:233. You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
07:27You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset.
07:31Taylor Swift has been a household name since the late 2000s, with one of her oldest tracks being You Belong With Me from 2009.
07:39You could see that I'm the one who understands you.
07:43The video featured shots of Swift holding up a sign saying,
07:47You okay?
07:48It was intended to be a cute display of romance, aimed at her crush next door.
07:52Instead, the internet saw it as an opportunity to go wild.
07:56As a rule of thumb, never post images or videos of you holding signs online.
08:00For all this town, how could you not know, baby?
08:06It got edited thousands of times, with Swift holding up all manner of messages.
08:11From asking for a wifi password to a troll face, it's all been done.
08:16You belong with me, Taylor Swift
08:21Number 2. Photograph – Nickelback
08:25Canadian rock band Nickelback was pretty huge in the 2000s.
08:36At the height of their fame, they released tracks such as Rockstar and, of course, Photograph.
08:41This is where I went to school
08:44Most of the time had better things to do
08:47The latter would eventually see a revival in the 2010s, with the internet turning it into a viral sensation.
08:53The video's opening shot of Chad Kroger holding up a picture is prime fuel for a meme bonfire.
09:00It became so viral that even Donald Trump used it as a meme for pushing his political agenda.
09:05Interestingly, the photograph he holds up is the genuine image that inspired the lyrics.
09:10Unfortunately, more than 20 years after its release, science is still unable to determine what was on Joey's head.
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09:461. Blurred Lines
09:51Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell
09:54Producer Robin Thicke is best known for his single, Blurred Lines, alongside the huge controversy it caused.
10:01It was so bad that Pharrell Williams said he was still embarrassed by it in 2019.
10:10The lyrics are exceedingly creepy, and its video made things worse.
10:14It features thick dancing alongside models in a way many felt was objectifying.
10:19People immediately began making memes out of its awkward, overly sexualized dance moves.
10:29Alongside this, parodies spread its notoriety further.
10:32In the end, Thicke's career tanked, and he never regained mainstream success.
10:40He's still actively making music, but Blurred Lines soured his image so badly that they've all failed.
10:47What's your favorite music video turned meme?
