"Pop Goes the World"
Single by Men Without Hats
from the album Pop Goes the World
B-side"The End (Of the World)"
ReleasedOctober 1987
Length3:43
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Ivan Doroschuk
Producer(s)Men Without Hats, Zeus B. Held
Men Without Hats singles chronology
"Nationale 7"
(1985)		 "Pop Goes the World"
(1987)		 "Moonbeam"
(1987)

"Pop Goes the World" is a song by Canadian new wave and synthpop band Men Without Hats. It was released in October 1987 as the lead single from their third studio album of the same name. The song reached No. 1 in Austria, No. 2 in Canada, and No. 3 in South Africa. It was originally written as an electronic instrumental. The song has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.[1]

Content

Ivan Doroschuk wrote the song as a light-hearted instrumental tune like "Popcorn" and tagged it at the end of a 10-12 track demo he sent his producer. The producer urged him to discard the other songs, put lyrics to the instrumental, and write 10-12 more songs in the same vein as the instrumental. The instrumental became "Pop Goes the World", and the other new songs turned into the rest of the album.[2]

The song tells the story of "Johnny" and "Jenny", the two members of a musical group called "The Human Race" on their quest for fame in the industry. However, at one point the lyrics note that they come to the realization that they could make "more money on a movie screen". The members' instruments of choice vary throughout the song, though Johnny is primarily a guitarist and Jenny is a bassist.

Music video

The music video for the song features lead singer Ivan Doroschuk who tells the story of "Johnny," played by guitarist Stefan Doroschuk (impersonating Elvis Presley), and "Jenny", portrayed by an unknown actress[lower-alpha 1] playing a left-handed Höfner 500/1 bass. The two are seen dancing around a bubble-filled stage along with numerous other characters including a keyboard-playing baby and Bonhomme. The word "Pop!", in writing reminiscent of a comic book, appears periodically on-screen in time with popping noises that punctuate the song. The video was released in 1988 in the CD Video format.

Personnel

  • Ivan Doroschuk – vocals, guitar, keyboards, drum programming
  • Stefan Doroschuk – backing vocals, bass

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Pop Goes the World"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

2012 version

The song was re-recorded during the Love in the Age of War sessions, with Ivan Doroschuk on vocals, James Love on guitar and bass, and Louise Dawson on keyboards and drum programming. The recording was released as a digital single in 2012.[19]

The song was featured in the 1987 film Date with an Angel, which starred Phoebe Cates, Emmanuelle Béart and Michael E. Knight. The song was also featured very briefly in the 1991 film Scanners II: The New Order.

The song was used by Tide in TV advertisements for their "Pods" in 2012. The opening riff of the song was also utilized in the promotional advertising for the American television series Young Sheldon in the summer of 2017.

Football teams in several countries use versions of the song as chants:

  • In Argentina, Paraguay, and Ecuador, it is used by several teams and is arguably the most popular tune sung by fans.[20]
  • In Japan, it is used by the national team and Yokohama F. Marinos.[21]
  • In Brazil, it is used by Sport Club Internacional.
  • In Hungary, fans of Diósgyőr use the song with the lyrics: "Amíg élek én, nem érdekel más, csak a Diósgyőr, csak a Diósgyőr, csak a Diósgyőr!" ("As long as I live, I don't care about anything but Diósgyőr, only Diósgyőr, only Diósgyőr!").
  • In Israel, fans of Hapoel Tel Aviv sing the song with the lyrics: "הפועל עולה" ("Hapoel goes up").

In the 2019 Chilean protests against the Chilean government, protesters created the song "Chile Despertó" ("Chile Woke Up"), using the melody of "Pop Goes the World".

Since December 2015, the song has also been very popular in Argentina as an anthem of former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's followers; who sing "Oooh, Vamos a volver, a Volver a Volver, Vamos a Volver" ("Oooh, we will return, we'll return, we'll return, we will return").

Notes

  1. ↑ Although one source identifies the actress as Louise Court,[3] others indicate that this appears to be a case of mistaken identity.[4] Court had previously appeared in the band's videos for "I Like" and "Safety Dance".[4]

References

  1. ↑ Dunlevy, T'Cha (September 1, 2020). "Men Without Hats' Safety Dance, Pop Goes the World enter hall of fame". Sudbury Star. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Behind The Vinyl: "Pop Goes the World" with Ivan Doroschuk from Men Without Hats". YouTube. July 18, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ Wuench, Kevin (January 15, 2015). "Can you name the THIRD biggest hit for Men Without Hats? Here it is". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Berry, Rohan (December 3, 2011). "The Mystery of the Manic Safety Dancer". Apercu.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "Men Without Hats – Pop Goes the World" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  7. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0919." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Men Without Hats – Pop Goes the World". Top 40 Singles.
  9. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)".
  10. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. February 13, 1988. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. December 26, 1987. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. December 5, 1987. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  15. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1988" (in German). Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of '88". RPM. Vol. 49, no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 9.
  17. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1988". rock.co.za. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Men Without Hats – Pop Goes the World". Music Canada. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  19. ↑ Pop Goes the World (song) at Discogs
  20. ↑ Olé (January 3, 2018). "Un clásico de los 80". www.ole.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Yokohama F. Marinos saposon" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
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