(Barnes & Barnes vs Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs Nine Inch Nails vs New Order)
In loving tribute to Robert Haimer
1978 - Bill Mumy and Robert Haimer, better known as Barnes & Barnes, originally started in 1970 as a private home recording project. They gained public recognition with the radio debut of their novelty song "Fish Heads" on the U.S. nationally syndicated Dr. Demento Show, which became the most requested song on the Dr. Demento radio show and a music video for the song directed by Bill Paxton in 1980 was in regular rotation on MTV. The song, inspired by a disgusting meal at a Chinese restaurant, is an absurdist celebration of fish heads, describing them in the high-pitched chorus as "roly poly" and delicious to eat. Spin magazine referred to the song as “the 1980s version of Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’”.
Fun Fact: Bill Mumy was a child actor known for his iconic roles in Lost in Space (as Will Robinson) and The Twilight Zone. (Remember the kid who magically wished people into “the cornfield?” That was Mumy.) Much later, he became better known for his portrayal of Lennier in Babylon 5 and had bit parts in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
March 1983 - "Blue Monday" by New Order is the best-selling 12-inch single of all time, and enjoyed long runs in the top 10 charts in countries across the globe. The original 12" vinyl single featured a die-cut sleeve designed to resemble a 5+1⁄4-inch floppy disk. The cover features no words, but instead has code in the form of coloured blocks that contains the artist, song and label information.The bassist, Peter Hook, cited Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder and Sparks as influences, and said the song was "stolen" from the Donna Summer song "Our Love". Sumner said parts were taken from "Dirty Talk" by Klein + MBO and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by Sylvester. Gilbert said Hook's bassline came from the film soundtrack "A Few Dollars More" by Ennio Morricone.
March 1990 - "Head Like a Hole" by Nine Inch Nails is among the band's most famous songs; recognized as an "industrial dance anthem, it remains both a critical and fan favorite. Released as the second single from the group's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, It was one of the last to be completed for the album. The song has been the encore for most NIN shows, or the last song before the encore if an encore took place. Amusingly, Reznor said in 1997 that "I don't want to be singing "Head Like a Hole" at age 50."
June 2009 - "Heads Will Roll" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs was released as the second single from their third album, It charted well globally making it to #1 "It's Blitz". The song is sung from the viewpoint of the Queen of Hearts in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The remix by Canadian DJ A-Trak appeared in the film "Project X" and has over 167 million views on YouTube.
April 2023 - Pimpdaddysupreme spends 6 hours producing a mashup about eating fish heads whilst suffering from a terrible case of food poisoning. The track ties with @The_Table for first place in the Crumplbanger's Not So Novelty Song Challenge. He very much hopes you appreciate the resulting track and *GASP* maybe dance to it. :)
