Top 10 Music Videos That Went Viral for All the Wrong Reasons
#10: Do What U Want (2013)
Lady Gaga feat. R Kelly
Lady Gaga released her third album, Artpop, in 2013. One track featured singer and producer R. Kelly, who has been extremely controversial since the 90s. Hes been the target of numerous allegations, civil suits, and criminal trials, which eventually got him convicted in both 2021 and 2022. After working with him on the track Do What U Want, Gaga decided to throw the music video they filmed away. A few clips were leaked by TMZ in 2014, and they were beyond uncomfortable to watch. It featured Kelly giving Gaga medicine, alongside being painfully creepy. In 2019, Gaga removed the song from streaming services entirely, hoping to leave this regrettable collab in the past.
#9: Lotus Flower (2011)
Radiohead
The Radiohead album fans argue about the most is easily The King of Limbs. Its bizarre electronic production and a complete lack of a drum kit polarise the fans entirely. Not with regards to the Lotus Flower music video, however, which they all agree is hilarious. Its fairly simple, featuring nothing more than Thom Yorke in a hat dancing. The dance is so weird and confusing, it inspired a plethora of internet memes. These ranged from edits of him fighting bees, to him rocking out to All The Single Ladies. Over a decade later, and its still one of the biggest Radiohead memes.
#8: Its My Life What Ever I Wanna Do (2012)
Vennu Mallesh
Here, we have a music video where every person looks like its about to be the hit that defines a generation. Vennu Mallesh is a South Indian singer who released his debut track in 2012. It became an internet sensation, but not for its high quality. In fact, it succeeded for the opposite reason. The lyrics barely make sense, the production is bizarre, and it looks like it was made on a shoestring budget. The Internet aggressively turned him into a meme. But at the end of the day, its his life; he does whatever he wants to do.
#7: Lose Yourself (2002)
Eminem
8 Mile is a semi-biographical film showing Eminems early days in the rap scene. Alongside it, Eminem released the hit track Lose Yourself. Its well-remembered as an inspirational song, but also for one moment where he says, Moms spaghetti. It doesnt have any deep meaning; its just chosen for rhyming purposes, but people found it hilarious. This caused the song and its respective music video to become huge memes. Its so prominent, people might not even realise the edit with Moms spaghetti in every sentence is a fake. Thankfully, Eminem loves it, and has since opened up a spaghetti restaurant and brand in Detroit. No prizes for guessing its name.
#6: Miracles (2009)
Insane Clown Posse
One of the most unique hip-hop duos is Insane Clown Posse. Their followers are uniquely loyal, calling themselves Juggalos and dressing in clown makeup. In 2010, the duo released the video for a rap track titled Miracles. The lyrics are about appreciating natures beauty, but its not done very elegantly. It became a viral sensation almost immediately. The video includes hilarious graphics of the band rapping across the universe, which looks like a low-budget science documentary. Additionally, one lyric in particular became an eternally comical meme, specifically the one that asks how magnets work.For better or worse, this song and video are truly miracles.
#5: Im The One (2017)
DJ Khaled
For those unaware, DJ Khaled is a rap producer famous for shouting his name and brand at the start of songs. In the mid-2010s, he became a huge meme for this. It was kick-started by his video for the Chris Brown collab Hold You Down, which was unusually surreal for a rap tune. At the peak of this craze, he released Im The One, featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne. Its video featured an extravagant mansion, luxury cars, and a whole bunch of models. The result is an incredibly cringeworthy video, with Khaled awkwardly dancing and shouting the whole way through.
#4: Stacys Mom (2003)
Fountains of Wayne
Some of the best Fountains of Wayne tracks include Hey Julie, Radiation Vibe, and Sink to the Bottom. We bet you thought we were going to say Stacys Mom, too, right? Well, the band interestingly hates that song. Singer Chris Collingwood tried convincing its writer, Andy Schlesinger, not to release it. His fears were proven right when it became their biggest song, with a video that subsequently turned into a meme. It reduced them to being a novelty band, remembered for a silly music video, rather than for the songs they were genuinely proud of.
#3: You Belong With Me (2009)
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has been a household name since the late 2000s, with one of her oldest tracks being You Belong WithTo Me from 2009. The video featured shots of Swift holding up a sign saying, You okay?. It was intended to be a cute display of romance, aimed at her crush next door. Instead, the Internet saw it as an opportunity to go wild. As a rule of thumb, never post images or videos of you holding signs online. It got edited thousands of times, with Swift holding up all manner of messages. From asking for a Wi-Fi password to a trollface, its all been done.
#2: Photograph (2005)
Nickelback
Canadian rock band Nickelback was pretty huge in the 2000s. At the height of their fame, they released tracks such as Rockstar and, of course, Photograph. The latter would eventually see a revival in the 2010s, with the Internet turning it into a viral sensation. The videos opening shot of Chad Kroeger holding up a picture is prime fuel for a meme bonfire. It became so viral that even Donald Trump used it as a meme for pushing his political agenda. Interestingly, the photograph he holds up is the genuine image that inspired the lyrics. Unfortunately, more than 20 years after its release, science is still unable to determine what was on Joeys head.
#1: Blurred Lines (2013)
Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
Producer Robin Thicke is best-known for his single Blurred Lines, alongside the huge controversy it caused. It was so bad that Pharrell Williams said he was still embarrassed by it in 2019. The lyrics are exceedingly creepy, and its video made things worse. It features Thicke dancing alongside models in a way many felt was objectifying. People immediately began making memes out of its awkward, overly sexualised dance moves. Alongside this, parodies spread its notoriety further. In the end, Thickes career tanked, and he never regained mainstream success. Hes still actively making music, but Blurred Lines soured his image so badly that theyve all failed.
Whats your favorite music video-turned-meme? Let us know in the comments.