They always ask "Are you Jimmy Ray?" but never *"How* are you Jimmy Ray?"

"Are you Sting Ray?" "Yes." *swims away, song abruptly ends*

"There was just no market for a teen idol British hip-hop Elvis" and _that's_ how I know we're in the wrong timeline

"The guy behind the Spice Girls tries to make a new Elvis" sounds like something out of a fever dream.

I want this song to just keep going and going and going with the rhymes. "Are you Marvin Gaye?" "Are you Michael Bay?" "Are you Tony Jay?" "Are you Mary Kay?"

Jimmy Ray looks like somebody gave Brendon Urie an Elvis costume and then put him through a taffy puller.

It sounds like the intro-theme to a shitcanned Nickelodeon Show that never made it past its pilot

This is a man who doesn't have a pencil moustache but really should

The weird 50s-homage-except-not-at-all aesthetic reminds me of another bygone Jimmy: Jimmy Neutron

Jimmy ray walked so brenden urie could run

Man, I'm glad you mentioned "Who Wants to Know", because that's honestly a pretty good song. The thing that's interesting about it is that even though the lyrics are mostly the same as "Are You Jimmy Ray", the tone of the song feels very different. It feels way less braggadocios and more like he's leaning into the irony of singing "who wants to know about me?" when he's kind of a nobody now. There's a part near the end where he goes "Stingray, Link Wray, it's all the same to me / Fay Wray, Johnnie Ray, be who you wanna be" which I really like, because in the original song those names are basically just nonsense rhymes, but here it's more like he doesn't even care if you get his name wrong as long as you're acknowledging that he exists. It's basically a song about him being a one-hit wonder, while also being *a cover of the song that made him a one-hit wonder*. There's something very fun about that.

He absolutely looks like he'd be a minor character in Showgirls

Todd: so he wanted to be Elvis Jimmy Ray: I wanted to be Jane Goodall Todd: you wanted to be ELVIS dammit Jimmy Ray: but the chimps- Todd: NO

I love how Todd is consistent during a world virus and riots. Like this is the only time Todd consistent ever.

Missed opportunity for “Are you Sugar Ray”. Fly was a #1 hit the year prior in 1997.

Funny story, my brother worked for the server farm that hosted the fantasy soccer game and filed the papers to bankrupt Jimmy Ray. When he realized who it was as they chased him for money he felt bad but really really wanted to call him and say "Are you Jimmy Ray?"

He looks like he'd be an enemy racer in a Speed Racer sequel

"Yes, I'm Jimmy Ray." "Jimmy Ray Who?" "Jimmy Rey Skywalker."

lol at 8:11 "Are you Fay Wray?" The singer so cool, he can be easily confused with a 90 year-old actress!

To paraphrase another One Hit Wonderland subject: “Poor old Jimmy Ray”

Oh, so many times have I confused Jimmy Ray with Slim Ray, the guy who writes rafting safety manuals. I'm glad he took the time to clear that up.

Brendon Urie stole this man's look so hard

I think Taco's "Putting on the Ritz" would make a great One Hit Wonderland.

“Are you IRA RAY? Who wants to know? This yahoo was sent in by...”

That eerie feeling when you were just humming *this exact song* this morning while cleaning and wondering, “Say, what was Jimmy Ray’s deal anyway? This song would probably be an interesting One Hit Wonderland!” Well! I’m both delighted and kind of freaked out. O_o

Anybody else think this sounds like the backstory of a character who would die in a David Lynch movie?

Surprised no WWE wrestler ever went by Jimmy Ray and licensed this for their theme

"Everybody's talking about Jimmy Ray!" "They are?" "Yes, they are. Take our word for it." That's more hilarious than it should be to me.

"I'm going for rockabilly revival." Jimmy Ray ends up sounding like Fatboy Slim, Junkie XL, and Savage Garden on his first three singles. How... do you miss the mark so spectacularly and yet manage to crank out three decent singles?

"I always wanted to work with chimps" A MAN OF THE PEOPLE

Jimmy lost his background dancers in the third single. That’s probably why it flopped

This is the exact kind of novelty pop song I'd hear on Radio Disney when I was a kid. I can see a direct line from this to "That's How I Beat Shaq."

“An odd collective half memory we are not sure actually happened” the perfect synopsis

This song gets stuck in my head, unprovoked, several times a year. I know who you are, Jimmy Ray, please leave me alone

Sadly, Jimmy Ray was overshadowed by the similarly named Sting Ray who would become infamous after killing Steve Irwin. I imagine that must have made public appearances awkward.

So, this song is the Sharkboy and Lavagirl of songs. Something that you just...randomly remember, and can't figure out if it actually happened or was just a collective fever dream, so you Google it to confirm it's existence.

"And whenever Poochie's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking, 'Where's Poochie?'"

CONFIRMED: Todd in the Shadows is Jimmy Ray.

Man, I love the idea of "popabilly" and wish it was a thing now. I kinda feel like Panic at the Disco has a hint of this at least in asthetic though, if not in his actual music.

As someone who has never heard this song a single time in their life, I can say without a doubt that to my ears, the songwriter and producer were CLEARLY going for "Unbelievable" by EMF. And it's like....70% there. Who wants to knOOHHH! OW! OW!

Finally I’ll know the MBMBaM Ira Wray lore

"James your sister forget the turkey platter." *James whips off giant belt buckle* "I've got it covered mum!"

YES I AM SO HAPPY YOU'RE DOING THIS ONE A while back I went through the 90s year end hot 100 lists and came across this song. I was actively listening to pop music during this time period and had no recollection of this guy or this song. I really really hoped you'd cover it because I wanted to know who the hell IS Jimmy Ray and why don't I remember him?? Why is his only song echoing this sentiment??

I love how colorful and eclectic 90s pop was. Quality of music may vary but at least people were having fun.

Me: This is weird, I have no memory of this. Me after hearing backup singers for one second: This is weird, I have vivid memories of this.

It’s funny how half the comments are people saying that they never heard of this guy. Meanwhile I remember this guy being EVERYWHERE for, like, three weeks in 1997. Definitely the 90s version of an industry plant.

the ska mention is making me want a one hit wonderland for the mighty mighty bosstones' "the impression that i get" (a 10/10 banger of a song)

He's leaner, he's meaner, now he works as a cleaner

I'm kinda surprised he didn't mention Billy Ray. Although I suppose no one wanted to be associated with Billy Ray by 1998.

He looks like Phil of the Future.

Rule #1: Don’t name your first song after yourself. Same problem plagued Vanilla Ice, Living in a Box, Big Country, Cupid, Soulja Boy and dozens of other artists

This friggin thing was #2 in Canada in 1998. I was 13 at the time and didn't have many CDs so I listened to whatever radio station wasn't playing commercials or opera. So I heard this. The entire time I was wondering "am I missing something? what the hell is this?". Turns out the answer is, 22 years later, "nope, it's just stupid".

He looks like the lovechild of David Bowie and Egon Spengler.

Out of all the questions asked by songs - "What is love?", "Do you really want to hurt me?", "What's love got to do with it?", "How deep is your love?", "Should I stay or should I go?", "Wouldn't it be nice?", "Wouldn't it be good?", "Can you feel the love tonight?", "Who are you?", "Who let the dogs out?" and "How much is that doggy in the window?" this one is certainly the most philosophical and the least interesting.

I was twelve when this dropped, and in the 20 some years since I'd convinced myself that it was a figment of my imagination. Thanks Todd for awakening this unholy earworm.

I feel bad for Jimmy Ray because if his record label didn't try to push him to be a pop idol and he had more creative control, he could have been a cult figure like Marshall Crenshaw. However, instead of becoming his generation's Gene Vincent, Jimmy Ray became his generation's Olly Murs.

"There just wasn't room for a British teen idol hip-hop Elvis." *Robbie Williams has entered the chat.*

This song and video feel like they were written for a movie about a washed-up former pop star and this was his "big hit" back in his heyday Like, it reminds me of "Pop Goes My Heart" from Music + Lyrics, only it's not as good

Working in a Target electronics department in the 90's. I got to hear this song from the TV's demo every 20 minutes for months. Certainly a new level of hell.

Okay if you are watching in 2022 there is a PERFECT cut between the moment of Jimmy Ray singing "well" at the start of his song and Elvis singing "well" in the trailer for that Elvis movie. Like I legit thought it was part of the video for a second it was so well timed. Not to give to much credit to ads but if that wasn't intentional it was a hell of a serendipitous moment.

His hip size to belt buckle ratio is... odd. He looks like someone glued a flattened penny on an emaciated Ken doll

Are we sure this wasn't some Panic! At the Disco side project?

When I heard "popabilly hip-hop", I got excited. Then I realized they took out both the "billy" and the "hip" and it's just run-of-the-mill late-90s pop-hop...

As a British person who listened to music in the 90's, I can honestly say I do not remember this song at all. Shampoo on the other hand, that song was awesome. Hey Todd, if you read your comments. What about a Drinking in LA by Bran Van 3000 as a One Hit Wonderland?

Why am I now imagining Brendon Urie fronting The Stray Cats?

I have literally never heard this song before.

I was in college when this came out, and I really liked the song. I think it was a blip of rockabilly aesthetic connected to Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You". Those songs always seemed paired in my mind.

Jesus Christ, I all but forgot about this song... "For anyone who was there, 'Are You Jimmy Ray' has lingered on in the back of their minds like an odd, collective memory that we're not sure actually happened." YES, that is the perfect way to describe that feeling. That is it *exactly*, thank you, Todd!

Now that the 2020s are here, Todd should do some 2010s One Hit Wonders like Orianthi, Alex Clare and Capital Cities.

Anyone else see Freddy Krueger trying to come through Todd’s wall?

I had no idea that he was British. As gloriously weird and unique as this song is, I could imagine an artist spinning this into a career by going a little more Beck with it, leaning into the assembly of oddball elements and playing up the modernity just as much as the rockabilly. But respect to him for really wanting to go Elvis, if that was his deal.

I loved Jimmy Ray's album. The fact that almost three hundred thousand people have viewed this video, tells you that he was somehow captivating.

Funny that the next "I'm Here Bitch" single that comes to mind (after Kid Rock and Eminem) is another OHW: MIMS' "This Is Why I'm Hot"

Ah the return of One Hit Wonderland featuring a song and artist most Todd viewers are unfamiliar with

I have literally never heard this song before. That has never happened before for me with this show.

I was trying to remember this song and I keep remembering the instrumental from Need You Tonight by INXS. Now I really need a mashup of the two.

This is the first One Hit Wonderland I’ve never heard. Learned something new everyday.

why does jimmy ray look like the result of brendon urie and dallon weekes doing the fusion dance with a british filter

One Hit Wonder? More like Zero Hit Wonder... at least in my country, I'm gonna assume. I'm 40, so I got a pretty good recollection of what was played on the radio/music TV channels and what wasn't back in the late 90s, and seriously... this is the very first time I hear about this dude. And I'm sure as heck that I'd remember that hubcap-sized belt buckle & pompadour-wearing mannequin if I had seen it before.

The way Todd describes people remembering this hit, as a "half-memory" that we vaguely remember due to it's eccentric, catchy sound is EXACTLY how I remembered it until I looked it up a few years ago. Must have heard it a handful of times at the most, but the catchy nature of the chorus and the combination of a wonderful late 90s childhood and the draining fatigue of life since those times have made sure the Nostalgia kept some parts of it alive in my mind for nearly 2 decades.

"Are you Sugar Ray?" No, no he's not. Also, I've never heard this song until today.

"An odd, collected half-memory that we're not sure had happened." The fact that I looked up this song, heard the "I'm meaner and leaner" part, and immediately snapped my mind-fingers in an "OH, I KNOW THIS" moment, well, I can't say I disagree with you.

It sounds and looks like 2019 Panic! At the Disco

"You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me…" The character then proceeds to list almost every conceivable permutation of his name before finishing with "…but you doesn't has to call me Johnson!"

Billy Ray looks like if Space Dandy tried to launch a music career.

This is why I love Todd's videos, because I learn so much from them, and he's been digging deep lately. I'm a sucker for '90s pop culture, but I had no idea who sang "Rhythm of the Night", I had no idea Arrested Development had a second album beyond 1992, and I had no idea this song even existed, despite listening to a ton of pop radio in 1998. Todd, please never stop teaching us 🙂

So glad to see this. I LOVED this song. I actually owned the physical CD SINGLE of this song, which had it, and like 3 remixes of it, iirc, and cost $3.99. It was one of my favorite songs of that year I'm sure

♪Are you Jimmy Ray?♪ No, this is Patrick

but did that belt buckle go on to have a career of its own tho?

tfw almost every one hit wonderland introduces you to a song instead of helps you relive it

It's rare for Todd to review a British artist who was a one-hit wonder in the US *and* in his home country. If he really wants to get under the skin of his UK viewers, he should do "Never Ever" by All Saints. That group was (and maybe still is) absolutely gigantic in Britain but it was their only major hit in the US. ("I Know Where It's At," which actually came out first, barely sneaked into the top 40.)

I have literally never heard this song until just now, and I was an adult in the 90s. Allegedly.

I love how this charted higher than mummers dance a veteran of one hit wonderland, and a much better remembered song (in its genre) Edit: stupid fat fingers

This reminds me of The Simpsons episode about Poochie. To quote Roger Myers Jr., “One, Jimmy Ray needs to be louder, angrier, and have access to a time machine. Two, whenever Jimmy Ray’s not onscreen, all the other characters should be asking 'Where's Jimmy Ray?' ”

Its a fantastic hook about not quite remembering someone. Which is interestingly exactly what happened to this guy.

He looks like if Elvis Costello tried to be Elvis Presley.

Who would win in a fight between Jimmy Ray and Rico Suave?

PLEASE DO Bittersweet Symphony By The Verve PLEASE DO IT, A Great Band and a Great Song

The sheer mention of Reverend Horton Heat in this video makes me incredibly happy. They are so good, they should be more widely known.

Hey, Todd! Instead of covering another 90s fluke hit or an 80s new wave hit for OHW, how about the first electronic single, Popcorn by Gershon Kingsley in 1969. (Not that I have anything against the 90s fluke hit sweepstakes or 80s new wave.) He was a brilliant electronic musician, he just passed away last year in December and Popcorn is one of those songs that everyone seems to know but doesn’t know the name of or the artist, if there’s a guy who definitely needs more exposure, It’s Mr Kingsley. He kinda reminds me of a modern day Classical Composer, some of his compositions even have a bit of classical flavor.