3 Novelty Songs From the 1990s With Lyrics You Can’t Forget

The 1990s are often remembered for the angst of Generation X, but the decade had plenty of novelty songs, too. Calling a song a novelty feels derisive, but it also describes something unique. And the novelty songs below were unlike anything else at the time, which is why they became massive hits and why you can’t forget the lyrics.

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“Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot

You don’t need me to explain the meaning behind “Baby Got Back”. Sir Mix-A-Lot says it plainly in the opening verse what it is he likes, and how he cannot lie. One rule of good writing is to say it straight, and the rapper born Anthony Ray does just that. He told TMZ in 2014 that Jennifer Lopez’s stint as one of the Fly Girls on In Living Colour inspired the song. Few will forget the words to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s indelible 90s hit.

I like big butts and I cannot lie
You other brothers can’t deny.

“I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred

When Taylor Swift released “Look What You Made Me Do”, the Reputation banger sounded familiar. Did Swift just build a new anthem from the too-sexy DNA of Right Said Fred? Indeed, she did. The English pop band received co-writing credits as Swift and producer Jack Antonoff borrowed from Right Said Fred’s defining hit “I’m Too Sexy”. Meanwhile, Right Said Fred’s Eurodance groove also borrows from an older song. Guitarists will recognize the riff plucked from Jimi Hendrix’s psych-jazz tune “Third Stone From The Sun”.

I’m too sexy for my car
Too sexy for my car
Too sexy by far
And I’m too sexy for my hat
Too sexy for my hat
What do you think about that?

“Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba

This is one of those one-hit wonders where most know the words, yet probably don’t know the title. Some may not even know the name of the artist. I’m here to help. Chumbawamba was an anarcho-punk band with a debut album called Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records. Even the early agit-prop had a groove, foreshadowing the dance-punk of “Tubthumping”, which appears on the group’s major label debut Tubthumper. When Chumbawamba signed with EMI, it caused a stink among its anarchist fans. But it also gave the band a broader reach and an outlet for further politicking over dance music.

I get knocked down
But I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down.

Photo by Suzi Pratt/FilmMagic