We’re taking a look at unforgettable songs where the words are just as memorable for their oddness as their catchiness! From gibberish choruses to surreal imagery, these standout tracks have us humming along—even if we have no idea what they’re actually saying. Our countdown features hits from artists like Nirvana, Harry Styles, Ylvis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more. Did you ever try to figure out what these quirky lyrics really mean?
00:00I don't know if I could ever go without watermelon sugar hot.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today, we're counting down our picks for the hit songs whose lyrics don't always pass the smell test.
00:21Number 10. Give It Away, Red Hot Chili Peppers.
00:25Lead singer and songwriter Anthony Kiedis was moved to write this track about selflessness and the power of giving away your material goods to those who need them.
00:33Lofty and inspiring as its message is, Give It Away isn't always easy to follow.
00:46Filled with outdated terminology and intentional grammatical errors, the song is most known for its rapid trilling chorus.
00:55We're still not sure what they meant by No Time for the Piggies or the Hooskow.
01:04Sometimes the song's lyrics take a backseat to the music and instrumentation.
01:08That certainly seems to be the case here.
01:10Number 9. The Fox. What Does The Fox Say?
01:21Elvis.
01:22One of the biggest memes of the 2010s, this novelty song by two Scandinavian comedians took the internet by storm.
01:29Elvis didn't mean to write a hit. They were really just trolling.
01:32Cow goes moo, the frog goes crow, and the elephant goes toot.
01:40It's barely coherent to begin with, sounding at times like a children's song.
01:44Some of it just sounds like belligerent screaming.
01:47Describing the sounds various animals make is all well and good.
01:51But once the song gets to its central question, this thing just goes off the rails.
01:55What does the fox say?
01:59The duo's fox noises are really just shrill chanting and scatting that gets more absurd as the song goes on.
02:16Number 8. Hook. Blues Traveler.
02:19Disillusioned by the formulaic nature of contemporary hits,
02:22the harmonica-forward rock band behind songs like Runaround
02:25decided to write a song skewering modern pop songwriting.
02:34It doesn't matter what I say.
02:37Hook tells you straight up the words don't matter.
02:40As long as it sounds like a pop song, well, then it's a pop song.
02:43The lyrics are knowingly clunky, especially in the third verse,
02:47where some unlikely pairings are mixed in with some cultural commentary.
02:51To really understand it, you have to look past the cleverly constructed formula of the music.
03:03These are lyrics you have to sift through once the song is over and realize you've been fooled.
03:08Sure, but I'm so raging, pain and pain and fear of self
03:11And I can't keep these feelings on the shelf
03:13I've tried, well, no, not a lie
03:16An unexpected hit if there's ever been one.
03:22The lyrics here are what you might call Spanish-sounding.
03:26Though the verses are written in actual Spanish, the chorus is genuine gibberish.
03:30Also, if that chorus seems vaguely familiar, there's a reason.
03:40It's inspired by the Sugarhill Gang track, Rapper's Delight.
03:43In fact, it might just be an approximation of that song's chorus
03:46filtered through another language.
03:49The result is a hilariously catchy and captivating jumble of words and sounds.
03:53But that didn't stop some from accusing it of having hidden messages
04:04trying to convert listeners to Satanism.
04:07That's when you know you've got a real hit on your hands.
04:10Regardless of the meaningless lyrics,
04:12girl group Last Ketchup scored their biggest success with the Ketchup song.
