Some songs are recognizable almost instantly. The second the tune starts to play, you will automatically know it. However, just because you know the song does not mean that you will know the artist that goes with it. Some songs become bigger than the artists who perform them, as the song itself gets ingrained within society while the artist behind the song gets rendered essentially irrelevant. Here are five songs that have become bigger than their respective artists. Essentially, they are songs that most people would most certainly recognize, they would just more than likely have no idea who actually sings any of them.
1. Stacy's Mom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku5rdPaz10Q
The classic line of "Stacy's mom has got it goin' on" is something that just about anyone would surely recognize, but if you asked them who sings it, they would likely have no idea. So, who does sing this seemingly strange, yet very catchy track? Well, the answer is Fountains of Wayne, a band that you have probably never heard of. Few people would likely be aware that this band is responsible for the song they know so well, and even less people would be able to name any other song by Fountains of Wayne. It is difficult to think of a better example of a one-hit wonder.
2. Jessie's Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYkbTyHXwbs
"I wish that I had Jessie's girl" is another classic lyric that the majority of people would surely recognize, but who sings this classic 80's track? Well, the honor goes to Rick Springfield, a man who apparently used to be in love with his best friend's girlfriend, at least according to the song. I wonder what Rick, Jessie, and Jessie's girl are up to these days.
3. 867-5309/Jenny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WTdTwcmxyo
I would feel bad for anyone who happened to have this phone number because they must get so many calls every single day just to test whether the phone number is real or not. But, I like to believe that the phone number is real, and hopefully, it belongs to someone named Jenny. This must be the most popular song to ever feature a phone number in its title, a clever move by Tommy Tutone, the man behind the music. Has Tommy Tutone made any contributions to society or the world of music besides his age-old mantra about a girl named Jenny and her phone number? Maybe, but I have no idea.
4. Song 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSbBvKaM6sk
Not very many people would even recognize the name of this song, yet alone the band who sings it. However, the song itself is highly recognizable, it's just one of those ones where nobody really knows what it happens to be called or who it is by. Well, for those who don't know, it's called "Song 2," and it is by a band called Blur. "WOO HOO!" That's a line from the song.
5. Closing Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8nSyUhgCBw
Thanks to a particular episode of the beloved sitcom "The Office," this song has also joined the esteemed ranks of songs that everyone knows but nobody can name the actual musician. It is the perfect song to sing when getting off work, and it happens to be by a band called Semisonic. Just remember, "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Is that actually deep or profound? I have no idea. Is it a line from the song? Yes, it most definitely is.
Well, now you know the musicians behind these five popular songs with essentially invisible artists. So, the next time you are standing around with a group of friends and one of these songs comes on the radio, you can proudly and pretentiously one-up all of them. As the rest of the group starts saying things like "I know this song, but I can't remember who sings it" and "this is going to drive me insane until I figure out who this is," you can gracefully swoop in and say "I know who it is," forever winning the respect of your peers and asserting your dominance over everyone else in the group.
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