Top 10 Greatest Pop Songs with Hilarious Lyrics
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Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the unforgettable hit songs that are also really funny. For this list, we’ll be looking at songs that are genuinely good, but feature some very funny lyrics.
#10: “I’m Too Sexy” (1991)
Right Said Fred
Told from the point of view of a narcissistic male model, this campy dance track from British band Right Said Fred feels like a look inside the mind of Derek Zoolander. It’s as unforgettable as it is ridiculous. Inspiration for the song actually started with its most famous lyric, “I’m too sexy for my shirt.” The band was making fun of self-absorbed men and ended up accidentally creating an iconic pop song as a result. Catchy, satirical, and just really fun to sing and dance along to, “I’m Too Sexy” is distanced enough from its cringy narrator for everyone to enjoy.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Too_Sexy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoolander#Soundtrack
“I’m Too Sexy”
Right Said Fred
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mtclwloEQ
“Zoolander” (2001)
Good looking: https://youtu.be/EMTbkfgT_jc?si=iyjGIu_1b6EvlXbG&t=37
#9: “Whip It” (1980)
Devo
Easily one of the most 80s songs to ever exist, the lyrics of this new wave, synth-pop classic have inspired countless musings and analyses of its meaning. But one thing is for certain. Its collection of cliches and unhelpful instructions for locating and eliminating problems is actually really confusing. For such a well-known and well-worn retro hit, “Whip It” makes little sense at face value. What do you mean by “whip it,” and why are suddenly talking about cream that’s sat out too long? The lyrics are probably even more fun for listeners who are convinced they have a naughty double meaning.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye_Earl
“Whip It”
Devo
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_QLzthSkfM
#8: “Stacy’s Mom” (2003)
Fountains of Wayne
This 2003 single, and its accompanying music video, is the epitome of 2000s pop-punk cheekiness. Part of what makes “Stacy’s Mom” so hilarious is just how bold it is. The song’s narrator is hilariously cocky about his crush on an older woman. His shameless way of letting Stacy down easy while still trying to come over to get a glimpse of her mom is the kind of stuff you’d expect from an “American Pie” movie. Mixing the juvenile humor of sex comedies with an earworm chorus, this iconic song became Fountains of Wayne’s highest charting single.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacy%27s_Mom
“Stacy’s Mom”
Fountains of Wayne
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLfasMPOU4&pp=ygULc3RhY3kncyBtb20%3D
“American Pie” (1999)
Stifler’s mom: https://youtu.be/HnDxOMhGbso?si=5wrVd8qqg90101-K&t=90
#7: “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (1990)
C+C Music Factory
This 1990 smash hit by the massively successful producing duo Clivillés and Cole and their C+C Music Factory supergroup has one of the most instantly recognizable hooks in pop music. The rest of its lyrics haven’t necessarily endured in cultural memory. Most of the song features pretty standard, simple rhymes about getting on the dancefloor. Everyone in the 90s was too busy dancing to notice the words. But there’s a lot to chew on there. Lines like “I’m just a squirrel trying to get a nut to move your butt” should not be ignored.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonna_Make_You_Sweat_(Everybody_Dance_Now)
“Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (1990)
C+C Music Factory
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaTGrV58wec
Trying to get a nut: https://youtu.be/LaTGrV58wec?si=eXiVFU5vaaBHu5JO&t=70
#6: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (2012)
Taylor Swift
Given how much her personal life was dominating the news cycle at the time, everyone was absolutely eating up this wry revenge song from Taylor Swift. Addressing a frustrating ex who never makes time for her yet still always comes crawling back, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” is her sarcastic battle cry. Anyone who’s ever wanted to stick it to an ex can relate. From mimicking her ex’s accent to taking apart all his pretensions and belittling statements, she lets him have it in the most glorious way possible. There’s no way to not sing this one at the top of your lungs.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_Never_Ever_Getting_Back_Together
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (2012)
Taylor Swift
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64
Verse: https://youtu.be/WA4iX5D9Z64?si=gptf7WrxOv3_W5R7&t=28
Chorus: https://youtu.be/WA4iX5D9Z64?si=Hq4u8T-TAd5PCtcl&t=89
#5: “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)” (2013)
Ylvis
If you don’t remember this one, you must have blocked it out, because it was everywhere. Day in, day out, we all heard this Norwegian pop duo’s viral novelty song. The music video has over a billion views on YouTube. It’s probably safe to say it’s not because the lyrics are incredibly deep. Aside from posing some deeply philosophical questions about lupine communication, comedy duo turned hitmakers Ylvis leaned heavily into the bizarre. Throughout “The Fox,” they cycle through a series of animal noises followed by several bars of rhythmic, almost belligerent gibberish. It’s impossible not to be charmed by just how dumb it is in the best way.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ylvis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_(What_Does_the_Fox_Say%3F)
“The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)
Ylvis
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE
Animal Sounds: https://youtu.be/jofNR_WkoCE?si=jRm8CzwTU-dVaZp8&t=23
#4: “I’m on a Boat” (2009)
The Lonely Island feat. T-Pain
This one is so convincing as an actual rap song that it’s kind of easy to forget that it’s meant to be a parody. Well, maybe the stuff about climbing buoys and owning flippy-floppies tipped you off. But “I’m on a Boat” is an uproariously funny song full of pop culture references and genuinely unhinged bragging. Most famous for their work on “Saturday Night Live,” the trio consisting of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer wrote several viral rap spoofs. But a collaboration with T-Pain actually put them on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and earned them a Grammy nod.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lonely_Island# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_on_a_Boat
“I’m on a Boat”
The Lonely Island feat. T-Pain
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avaSdC0QOUM
#3: “WAP”
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
Let’s face it. We all needed a laugh in 2020. From its repeated hook to its not safe for work full title, “WAP” was making listeners belly laugh at the absurdity and shameless naughtiness of it all. Released at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this brash, vulgar, and endlessly quotable hip hop duet climbed the charts and whipped up a moral panic. Hyper-specific and filled with the most hilarious and obscene imagery, “WAP” features Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion describing erotic scenes in vivid detail. A few years later, it still has the power to make us gasp and guffaw.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAP_(song)
“WAP”
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsm4poTWjMs
“63rd Annual Grammy Awards” (2021)
https://youtu.be/UnBZLFB7kLo?si=zDAQciuQzvgYTgYO&t=151
#2: “Barbie Girl”
Aqua
Upon its release in 1997, this Europop single immediately became a massive earworm. Like its namesake doll, it’s so cute and bubbly, you might not expect there to be any subtext here. But the provocative, satirical lyrics are enough to make you pause once you realize what the song is actually doing. Sure, they’re just describing the things you can do with a Barbie doll, right? Not everyone was laughing. Mattel actually sued MCA Records, Aqua’s American label, for violating several Barbie-related copyrights. The suit went nowhere. Mattel would later use the song in its own marketing.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattel,_Inc._v._MCA_Records,_Inc.
“Barbie Girl”
Aqua
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhrYis509A
Beg on my knees: https://youtu.be/ZyhrYis509A?si=Kaoq1jd4_epWhX7y&t=104
#1: “Baby Got Back” (1992)
Sir Mix-a-Lot
This track from the early 90s has been referenced, sampled, and parodied several times, including Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda,” but the original was a culture shift. Sir Mix-a-Lot’s ode to big butts and thick bodies is full of hysterically funny and downright goofy lyrics. From the opening dialogue addressed to someone named Becky to the stream of compliments, “Baby Got Back” is a ride from start to finish. While some critics thought the song was misogynistic, Sir Mix-a-Lot felt he was celebrating body positivity. Regardless, lines like “red beans and rice didn’t miss her” and “begging for a piece of that bubble” are hard to get out of your head once you hear them.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Got_Back
“Baby Got Back”
Sir Mix-a-Lot
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X53ZSxkQ3Ho
“Anaconda”
Nicki Minaj
Music Video: https://youtu.be/LDZX4ooRsWs?si=oO2_t6AX-FcaL2We&t=18
What’s a pop song that makes you laugh? Tell us in the comments.
“Work It”
Missy Elliott
Music Video: https://youtu.be/cjIvu7e6Wq8?si=tTuSPCF8jzoSQMiw&t=136
