I'm gonna be honest: I didn't think this was an actual real song my entire life

“Every European country would be covered in the show at some point” One step closer to numa numa...

The fact that Dieter Meier did a piece at an art gallery in NYC in the 1970s where he sat outside the gallery buying the word "yes" or "no" from passers-by for $1 (and recorded it) and then used the recordings for an audio performance installation, in a way perfectly describes him and his attitude to Yello!.

I am from Switzerland and Yello is an absolute cult band here. My dad adores them!

-Reads title -Listens to Todd's piano intro "...I don't know this song." *Chk... Chk-chkaahhhh* "I definitely know this song."

7:26- "you can hear them starting to become more accessible" *shows man mumbling to some lightbulbs*

I guarantee that Dieter has zero regrets in life. Because he just does whatever will give him the most serotonin in that moment.

I will never refer to Swiss cheese as anything other than "incomplete cheese" ever again.

"Is it possible to be too Swiss?" Given this dude seems to have multiple functions he can pull out according to the situation like a Swiss army millionaire, no. No it is not.

This song has two associations in my mind: 1. "Oh yeah, that's hot" And 2. "tHIS COMPANY is being bLED like a STUCK PIG, mac, and I've got the paper trail to prove it"

Early nineties, when sub woofers and surround sound became a thing you could have in your home for the first time (at least here in Norway), a lot of my friends claimed that Yello was the ultimate test of your sound system. The walls would vibrate and sofas would levitate as the sub woofer underneath did its thing.

Back in college, a friend of ours discovered that “Oh Yeah” worked really well if played over the intro to Star Trek: The Next Generation (3rd season onward). So we did. Every Sunday night. Good times.

Sounds like Dieter Meier is the world's most interesting man.

5:18 "He's not too Swiss, for that he would also need to make watches." 17:39 "Nevermind, carry on."

*Someone* involved in Ferris Bueller had to be into underground electronic music. See the Cabaret Voltaire poster in Ferris' bedroom.

4:10 - "tapes" is actually a common credit to many musicians within these early avant-gard and experimental music (including members of Throbbing gristle as you've noted). It dates back to the 1940s to the 'musique concete' movement and artists like Pierre Schaeffer who were the first to cut pieces of tape up and glue them back together altering the recorded sounds.

"The Race" was the opening theme for the most popular music show in the 80s in Germany called "Formel 1". This might be another reason why it was higher on the charts.

Meier wearing sunglasses with his gray hair and mustache makes him look like Swiss Stan Lee

I'd like to personally thank this video for getting me into Yello as a whole--this is probably my favorite One Hit Wonderland! Oh Yeah was already iconic, but I didn't realize the rest of their stuff was just as weirdly delightful, which is absolutely my shit. Making up for lost time now!

There's exactly _one_ exception to the "this song is the soundtrack to sexy car/person" thing that I'm aware of, although incidentally it is still car related: in _Gran Turismo 4_ on the PlayStation 2 it plays whenever you fail a license test. It seems players had expressed annoyance with the fail music in GT2 and GT3, so this was the developers' way of striking back by trolling those players even more.

Growing up in (then) Soviet Union, I remember them being on the same level as Depeche Mode within the pre-goths who listened to experimental music. Highly underrated imo. I still remember having “Drive/Driven” be one of the earliest songs I burned on CD

Sees title: hmm, never heard this one *Video begins, music plays*: ...my god the Sex Cue is an actual SONG?!

Next proposed stops on the European One-Hit Wonderland Tour: Finland: Darude - Sandstorm Germany: Nena - 99 Red Balloons or ATC - Around the World (La La La) Netherlands: Vengaboys - We like to Party! (The Vengabus) or Alice DJ - Better Off Alone Romania: O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei, aka, the Numa Numa song (okay, not really a hit, admittedly)

Before "Oh Yea", most of the underground/new wave/alternative radio stations were already playing Yello. Those of us who listened to those kind of stations were already familiar with Yello from their songs "I Love You", "Lost Again" and "Crash Dance". No, they were never big commercial hits since they were relegated to the underground/new wave/alternative air waves, but we loved them anyway. Their sound was something fresh, different and daring without being stupid. Those of us that were fans of Yello were pretty excited to hear "Oh Yea" in a movie thinking that maybe they would finally start to get some appreciation, but sadly most people have no clue that "Oh Yea" was done by Yello or that it was an actual song done by an actual band. Sadly, most people think that it is just movie music.

Dieter Meier is just a Swiss Tony Stark.

The guy who played "tape" - being that they were in Europe and grew up in the 70s, they were probably influenced by "classical" composers who were building sound collages and splicing sounds on tape, sometimes making tape tracks and composing live instrument parts to go with them. Stockhausen famously jumped to "composing for tape" by then and this set off a wave of experimentation in music, primarily in the "composed music" or "classical" as we might call it, world of music. Anyway, if he "played tape" it means he was physically creating tape rolls to build unique musical tracks, and it's clear that for him specifically, he was trying to apply it to something resembling pop music, as opposed to the more atmospheric or abstract roots of the medium. Which ties in nicely with this band's general experimental style. These early tape writers predated electronic music and contributed heavily to it as it was taking off.

The fact a swiss electronic band got recognition in the US at all is pretty impressive and I've been a fan since the 80's.

Both Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Secret of My Success were edited by Paul Hirsch, and according to his memoir, he accidentally gave the director of Secret of My Success the idea to put "Oh Yeah" in the movie after playing a recording of the song for him. I guess that explains why they're basically the same scene.

"'Oh Yeah' by Yello" Who? *Starts video* OH, YEAH!

This is the soundtrack for Zeus whenever he sees a hot-ass mortal.

Man, I never really thought that hard about just how brilliant and important the song choice was to Ferris Bueller. I mean, I always viewed it as an iconic song/movie pairing, but it never occurred to me just how much the scene, and the movie as a whole, really lives or dies by that song. I never realized how lifeless the scene could have been with no music, or the wrong music. And you're right, if that scene had failed to drive home the idea of the Ferrari being the most priceless thing imaginable, the emotional climax of the entire movie would have failed to resonate. And John Hughes could've picked from a million over-played songs about excess and wealth. But instead, he reached into the bowels of avant-garde obscurity, and somehow unearthed a fucking 24-carat diamond of a song that couldn't have fit the scene more perfectly. It truly is one of the most brilliant uses of a pre-existing song in movie history. RIP John Hughes you sweet beautiful legend.

7:00 The "genre" you're looking for is probably just "Early Industrial" which had pretty little to do with later so-called Industrial. Especially in the German-speaking world you'll find a lot of great music from this era, intersecting with post-punk and Neue Deutsche Welle (Der Plan, DAF, Malaria, etc), all of it really weird and beyond classification, with a great balance between experimentation and sense of humour.

Gonna propose “Haus” as the name of this genre. Like House but weird and German-speaking.

Dieter Meier seems like the irl version of those "The Most Interesting Man in the World" beer commercials.

"This is the sound of Jabba the Hutt and/or a bald fat guy having a mid-life crisis." I think I now understand the character of Jabba the Hutt a little better.

No joke man. You don’t even realized how much these episodes mean to me. Your humor is awesome, the informative delivery, the respect you give many of these artists. I’ve gotten into bands and gone back to others because of this series. Thanks Todd!

Starting the video: "Oh, it's that one song everyone uses as a gag. This should be fun." Ending the video: "I want this group's entire discography." I always enjoy OHW, but this is my favorite yet. :)

"He comes from a rich family, as do most successful artists" TODD I FELT THAT!

Tapes is the art of recording a sound on a tape, then cut it, glue it together, re-record it. It was a kind of mixing before the softwares. A friend of mine is very fond of that. They were using nail dissolvant to glue the tapes together.

As a Yello fan I am very pleased with this very accurate description of the band.

_Sees title, hears intro_ Huh. I don't know this one. Todd: "A bunch of you don't think you know this one but you do." _Plays song_ "Oh. Yep. Sure do."

"Incomplete cheese" almost made me have to pause the video to get the laughter out of my system. You really have a way with words.

I'm a rock and metal guy, but Yello, Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre transcend genres.

"The Rhythm Divine", the song featuring Shirley Bassey (and co-writer Billy Mackenzie on backing vocals), is one of the most sublime singles of the 80s. Lush and gorgeous.

RIP Cameron's dad's car.

Have you ever thought about doing “Black Betty” by ram jam for One hit wonderland?

1:15 - While she probably fills more of a 2-Hit Wonder, I'd love to see a Wonderland on Vega's 'Luka' - which has an incredible story behind it (both in the meaning of the song, and the Prince shout-out). Follow-up Tom's Diner, which has minimal chart success but an incredibly well known song. Criminally underrated artist.

It is his love, it is his passion- *It is his fault he didn’t lock the garage.*

“Pedro Comacho, the former informant of the secret police, is still standing outside the club. Pretending to be blind, he watches the last flight to Miami disappearing in a fading purple sky. Now he knows he has been left behind.” - the exact moment that made me a fan of Yello

This is one of those songs where I ask myself "how is Todd gonna play this on the piano without it sounding bad?"

Film editor Paul Hirsch was responsible for adding the song to Secret of My Success and Ferris Beuller's Day Off. He talks about it in his autobiography.

New single on Friday, June 19th, AND a new album on August 28th! They're still rocking and going strong! Can't wait to hear what they have in store!

Ah yes, 2am, the perfect time for my dose of todd

I feel like this song deserves to be added to my list of "proof that memes in the internet sense were a thing before the internet". Alongside Kilroy Was Here and the World's Smallest Violin.

I didn't realize I needed this band in my life, but now I can never go back and have dedicated my everything to them.

"Pinball Cha-Cha" is not parody. It is as pure an expression as there has ever been, of the joy in a simple activity. That song is fucking awesome.

*sees "One Hit Wonderland" song title* *has flashbacks of failing license tests in Gran Turismo 4*

Me : IDK this song Me at 0:18 : oooooooooohhh

I grew up with Yello (my dad's a big fan) and they're genuinely one of my favourite bands. They were so present and influential in my own musical upbringing it's always kind of surreal to remember that most people don't know of them, or at most know them for one joke song. Seriously recommend getting into their other albums - to my mind they're the perfect fusion between experimental, atmospheric avant garde and actually fun, listenable, danceable music. Great music videos too!

Oh Yeah became a bit of a meme in my circle of friends after seeing Farris Bueller, and I decided I had to track down the song. Got their name from the credits and headed to my local record shop. Amazingly (because this was in small town Tasmania in the 80s), they had their 'best of' album on cassette, which I bought for that one song, but the album as a whole became an instant favourite, and I've been a fan ever since. Glad you made this video because they do deserve more recognition.

"Is it possible to be too swiss?" *Cesaro has entered the chat*

The 80s were a particularly fertile time for these weird dance acts. Cabaret Voltaire, DAF, those industrial acts that became interested in dancey electronica

In the U.K. , "The Race" was a bigger hit than "Oh Yeah". To us, "Oh Yeah" was best remembered because Bueller...Bueller...

I read another comment that said this already, but I can't find that comment anymore, so I'll just reiterate it for everyone else: Dieter Meier is Batman, and I will hear no word to the contrary.

The term I believe you're looking for is "Industrial." From the ninties on out, it described the likes of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson. But during the 70s and 80s, it referred to Industrial Records, a label owned by Throbbing Gristle, whose artists included them, William S. Burroughs, and Cabaret Voltaire. It went on to describe artists with a similar sound to the label's roster, who were in many respects an influence to the aforementioned '90s musicians. "Your favorite bands' favorite band," as you put it (or "favorite bands' favorite bands' favorite band" in the case of '90s rock).

Now that right there is the record. Let’s talk about the record. Can we talk about the record? Please, Todd, I’ve been dying to talk about the record with you all day, okay?

I think "incomplete cheese" is my new favourite term.

They're still making music. They made songs last year including Duba Wuba which was my favourite song of 2020 until I heard Supalonely. These two aren't going to stop for anything.

Omfg this was an actual song? I just thought it was a meme thing. Huh. Something new every day.

I highly recommend that, before writing off Yello as an eccentric couple of weirdos, people should listen through Stella as an album from beginning to end. It’s their Dark Side of the Moon, and it’s fantastic. Rich, deep, cinematic sound textures. One Second is equally great. I’d also argue that “Of Course I’m Lying” (off Flag) is a latent, moody pop hit which sounds custom-made for a stylized, Michael-Mann-type movie’s soundtrack. Seek it out here and see if you disagree.

My introduction to Yello was in my dance class where we did a jazz number to "The Race." It was awesome.

Old video, and you may never see this, but I wanted to thank you for introducing me into what is now one of, or my favourite musical acts ever. I have no interest in electronic music so this has never been on my radar, but when I heard a few of the songs in this video their sound instantly clicked with me. I still don't know what it is about them that works so well for me, given they're so different from everything else I listen to, but I adore so many of their songs, and I'd probably have never found them if not for this video. Absolutely incredible pick for a one-hit wonderland.

This song was part of a lobby music playlist at my old hotel that I worked at. Imagine checking in someone into a room while this song is blasting in the background

Another suggestion for One-Hit Wonderland: Jerk It Out by the Caesers

2:48 maybe I'm just that easy to amuse but that funny camera bit was maybe the funniest part of the video for me

They're still making songs! I recommend you check out "Limbo".

ONE HIT WONDERLAND: Brandy(You’re a fine girl)

My high school friend had this song on a 45 and whenever we'd be drinking at his house he'd throw on the record at 16 speed and it's so hilariously deep

Boris's catchy and inventive production + Dieter's atmospheric narrative = Pop Perfection. Great tribute Todd

Yello is an amazing group. Tool in Rose is one of the most beautifully haunting pieces of instrumentation I've ever heard, and then they have songs like this.

Todd, the word you were looking for the entire video is "decadent." Decadent.

"Oh Yeah" is the musical expression of pure lust.

Yello is one of the most underrated bands of all time.

YELLO were on RALPH RECORDS, the record label set up by The Residents. Their first two albums, "Solid Pleasure" and "Claro Que Si", are brilliant and essential listening for fans of 80's electro.

Makes chocolate, comes from money, dabbles in watches. The guy's like the living embodiment of Switzerland.

"He comes from a rich family, as do most artists." Shots fired! I mean, it's TRUE, but shots fired!

Yello also made the musical score to movie "The adventures of Ford Fairlane." Great movie! EDIT: Next should be Darude - Sandstrom! The national anthem of Finland.

Europe: "For our racing show, we'll use 'The Race' by Yello." USA: "Instrumental version of THAT PART of 'Fuel' by Metallica for NASCAR!"

Never thought I'd see Todd ever referencing The Residents and Throbbing Gristle.

Not only are the books on Yello expensive and in German, they're in expensive German.

Other people have said it, but "tapes" refers to tape music, which is considered the original form of all-electronic music. The idea is to record sounds to tape, then take the tape, cut it up, take the segments, put them back together, and then record the playback, using the combination of splicing and the tape controls to change the duration and pitch of the sounds, playing certain sections in reverse, and other such effects. Even the angle you cut the tape at can change the way a section sounds. Prior to the installation of the RCA Mk. II synthesizer at Columbia University in I think it was '56 or '57, this was the only 100% synthetic way to make music, and remained popular until the early-80's when the price of portable synths finally fell enough for anyone to buy (and drum machines became affordable, and samplers and sequencers became available, and turntablism emerged out of the hip-hop scene as its own unique artform). It's mainly considered a thing in experimental art/modern/postmodern composition circles, but the krautrock bands used tapes, the Beatles used them on "Revolution #9", and of course they were of course also really popular in the early industrial scene (itself so heavily influenced by both krautrock and early electronic composition) and among a small group of punks and postpunks. If you want to really hear good tape music, listen to John Cage's "Roseart Mix" and "Williams Mix" ("Williams Mix" having one of the most infamous scores ever conceived. Like most tape scores, it has instructions of what sounds to record, and for what lengths, but it also used like...a room sized diagram laying out exactly where the tape was to be cut, with specific lengths for each cut, at the specific angle to be cut, as well as exactly what sections should be spliced together, and what effects to add. Absolute tedium, which is why I think the piece was only ever performed once, for Cage's 25th anniversary concert. Which is a hoot to here, because the crowd were so split. You had some people whistling loudly in appreciation, while at least half the audience was trying to boo Cage out of the building! I believe Cage's assistants when putting it together where Louis and Bebe Barron, who did the Forbidden Planet soundtrack); Pierre Schaeffer's "Etude Aux Chemins de Fer" or "Music of Trains" from 1948, which is considered the first piece of tape music and is exactly what it says: a recording of train sounds, manipulated and mangled into a rough musical arrangement; and Edgard Varese's "Poem Electronique", which is the most demented 9 minutes of electronic music you will ever here. I can't even begin to tell you what sounds are recorded on that tape because it genuinely sounds like alien communications being beamed directly into your skull. All I know is it was made for the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair. And if it was made for the purpose of being an example of what the music of the future was going to be like, that future if obviously sometime in the 40K universe because this shit still sounds thousands of years more advanced than any piece of music since.

"The Race" was also in that Pink Panther remake that starred Steve Martin. Yello also composed the musical score, and contributed an original song, for the Andrew Dice Clay movie The Adventures of Ford Fairlane!

Besides Ferris Bueller, this makes me think of two things: - an old ad for Twix when I was a little kid - failing the damn license challenges in Gran Turismo 4 over and over!!!!

It says 10 seconds ago and there’s no comments or likes. So it feels like I’m in an empty lecture hall while Todd is talking. It’s odd

The Race was also used on Adventures of Ford Fairlane soundtrack.

Well before their song "Oh Yeah" we were dancing to their song "I Love You' in the only gay bar in Bloomington, Indiana around 1983. So there were some of us who were hip to them in the US way beforehand.

I'm so relieved that this was an actual One Hit Wonderland review and not another insufferable April fools joke video.

This reminds me of my favorite episode of 1HW where Todd talks about "Scatman." They are both songs that were considered "Novelty" songs in their time, but the musicians that wrote and performed them were absolutely real deal legit! Love that kinda stuff!

I've been binging this series and it's illuminating the episode of Phineas and Ferb where they become one hit wonders so much

And they're releasing a new album this year! I've heard the singles for it, they're GREAT!