Los Angeles (AFP) – The year is 2023, but it could also be 1997.
One of the trending songs at the moment is DJ Crazy Times and Ms. Biljana Electronica “Bass Planet” is a parody song Pulled straight from the silliness of the late ’90s and early ’00s European dance music. Think “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65, or “Axel F.” for Crazy Frog. At the time of writing, the various versions of his song have surpassed more than 250 million combined views across social media platforms.
Confused? you are not alone.
Who are DJ Crazy Times and Ms. Biljana Electronica?
A clip of the tune went viral – which features hilarious lyrics like “Life, never dies / Women are my favorite man” – began going viral in late July after comedian Kyle Gordon posted it on social media. The video is 50 seconds long and is titled “Every 90s Euro Dance Song” and was filmed indoors world Trade Center Skylight, The fiery-haired program director, DJ Crazy Times, appeared alongside a curly-blonde-haired woman: Ms. Biljana Electronica herself.
In fact, it was “DJ Crazy Times” – in his signature black jacket and baggy pants – that Gordon, who first developed the character in his college a cappella as a DJ in the style of David Guetta. He has since evolved into “this weird, pathetic Latvian guy,” as Gordon describes him. And while “Mrs. Biljana Electronica” was played onscreen by creator Audrey Trullinger, singer-songwriter Chrissy Boland also performed her voice.
“It’s the only session I’ve done in my entire career where I had to keep pausing while laughing so hard at the lyrics,” says Boland.
Poland does not appear in any of the song’s four videos, a deliberate decision that pokes fun at European dance music videos where “they have these singers sing riffs in the studio and then they hire models,” she says.
“It was always meant to be a parody of that trope,” says Gordon. “Black Box’s ‘Ride on Time’ is another example – the song would be a huge hit, and then they’d shamelessly put models or actresses in the video.”
To some fans’ dismay, Trullinger was replaced in a second segment – featuring the same voice – by influencer Mara Olney, and then in a third segment by comedian Sabrina Brier. But she took over her role as the original “Mrs.” Biljana Electronica” in the official music video for the song, which was released earlier this month.
Gordon says it was “great to see this whole saga, people arguing about what the part is” and cheering on their favorite version of Ms. Biliana Electronica. “I think seeing if it slowly unfolded and manifested to people was very funny.”
Why did Planet Bass explode?
Gordon attributes the success of “Planet of the Bass” to several different reasons: There is, of course, nostalgia for this music, but the timing was fortuitous.
The first clip hit TikTok at the end of its promotion cycle The movie “Barbie”.which brought new attention to 1997 hit “Barbie Girl” by Danish-Norwegian Europop band Aqua.
“It may be that pan-European boogie is in the zeitgeist,” says Gordon.
He adds that as his DJ Crazy Times persona has evolved over the past decade, he didn’t feel like he was too quick to jump on the trend, but rather it was “just lucky, that song times out with where this song came from”. In the life of the movie “Barbie”.
So why do we love Planet Bass?
nate Sloan, Musicologist And Assistant Professor at USC Thornton School of Music, he said that upon first listening, “Planet of the Bass” crossed the line between parody and sincerity. Even a verse by DJ Crazy Times.
“One time he said, ‘Women are my favorite man,'” says Sloan, who also co-hosts the show. “I realized it was a joke.” “Switched On Pop” podcast.
The reason for any confusion is that the song shows a deep understanding of the music from which it draws – source material that was actually playful and less serious than other forms of pop music.
“Aqua is probably the most obvious antecedent to the song,” says Sloan. “Musically, this song doesn’t sound like their own — say, ‘Barbie Girl.’ But it does sound like a tribute.”
“One thing I love is the interaction between the singer and the singer,” he adds. On a song like Barbie Girl, they’re constantly bouncing back and forth. On “Planet of the Bass,” DJ Crazy Times provides small interjections at the end of each of Ms. Biliana Electronica’s lyrics.
He cites a theory first put forward by music journalist John Seabrook, which suggests that European songwriters—particularly Swedish ones—were so effective in the late 1990s and early 2000s because they focused on the sounds of words rather than their clear meaning.
“Maybe, unexpectedly, he made those songs more successful,” says Sloan. Its harmonies and rhymes sound really good. So maybe the emphasis on the sound of the words more than the meaning is actually part of what makes the genre so appealing. in Italian disco music of the 1980s as a formative lyrical influence).
There’s also the music for “Planet of the Bass” itself, which Sloan described as fast and syncopated, with drawn-out melodies bordering on opera—which, given the song’s humor, creates a pleasurable tension.
Are parody pop songs having a moment?
There is an argument that imitation music comes and goes in waves. In 2023, Planet of the Bass might not look all that different from a satirical movie, for example. Lily Rose Depp “World Class Sinner / I’m a Freak,” From “idol” – which uses the same chord progression and is scored in the same key as the The Weeknd “I can’t feel my face.”
Sloan finds that parody songs inspire moments of virulence not only for their musical qualities, but because they are bound by a powerful visual vision.
“There’s a continuum from ‘Planet of the Bass’ to ‘World Class Sinner’ to ‘What Does the Fox Say’ to ‘Gangnam Style’,” he says — and with it Except for “Gangnam Style.” Few survive as hooks in the cultural imagination.
“I’m skeptical that these songs have a longer life as musical material than as comic and audio-visual sketches,” says Sloan.
But perhaps longevity is synonymous with virality — these songs are great fun even if only for a short amount of time.
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Associated Press journalist Halleluya Hadiru contributed reporting.
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