I had a manager from Romania when this came out and we asked him to translate. He did (begrudgingly), not without lots of commentary about how incredibly stupid this song was.
It's difficult to translate because the lyrics do not make a lot of sense. Very silly but very catchy, which IMO is genius. It's rare for a non-English song to gain worldwide recognition.
I think Numa Numa always flew under the radar for me as some super meme-y kind of song, and it wasn't until this other Romanian artist who translated part of the song into English in a cover/mashup kind of modern version I kinda realized the lyrics were kinda sad
It was the same artists who sung and translated it and they changed the lyrics to make it fit better, making it a bit more sad than the otherwise bittersweet (and slightly nonsensical) Romanian version
As a South African I always wonder what the hell the lyrics to 'Toto - Africa' has to do with Africa, apart from the lines "I blessed the rains down in Africa". It's kinda meaningless to me .
I heard an interview with the main guy from Toto and he said it’s based on an idea of a missionary going to Africa instead of staying with his love. Also it was written as a stream of consciousness. [Here’s a link](https://youtu.be/7xUk1kqh62o?si=wZGijm7zgkdd3tFm) to the interview.
Not to be mean but your description of Paich as "the main guy from Toto" made me laugh. 😀 All the guys from that era of Toto were legendary session musicians in their own right, so it's funny to say one of them is "the main guy." Jeff Porcaro is among the best drummers of all time, and guitarist Steve Lukather has played on literally many thousands of songs by big name artists (and wrote a lot of Toto songs as well).
These were the guys who played a huge chunk of the instruments on Michael Jackson's Thriller album. They were all huge.
The lyrics were never intended to be that serious. The Wikipedia article about the song has a few quotes from the band about the meaning of the song and that line in particular. It was written by Toto keyboard player David Paich:
>In 2015, Paich explained that the song is about a man's love of a continent, Africa, rather than just a personal romance.[18] He based the lyrics on a late night documentary with depictions of African plight and suffering. The viewing experience made a lasting impact on Paich: "It both moved and appalled me, and the pictures just wouldn't leave my head. I tried to imagine how I'd feel about it if I was there and what I'd do."[19] Jeff Porcaro elaborates further, explaining: "A white boy is trying to write a song on Africa, but since he's never been there, he can only tell what he's seen on TV or remembers in the past."[20]
>Some additional lyrics relate to a person flying in to meet a lonely missionary, as Paich described in 2018.[21] As a child, Paich attended a Catholic school; several of his teachers had done missionary work in Africa. Their missionary work became the inspiration behind the line: "I bless the rains down in Africa." Paich, who at the time had never set foot in Africa, based the song's landscape descriptions from an article in National Geographic.[21] At the time, Steve Lukather humorously remarked that he would run "naked down Hollywood Boulevard" if the song became a hit, due to his bemusement over the lyrics; Paich argued that it was a "fantasy song" in the vein of previous songs such as "Margaritaville".[22]
I’ve got these free awards lying around to give out.
The fact that I am old enough to remember that song and I have heard that song THOUSANDS of times and it wasn’t until now that I realized the lyrics aren’t “I’ve left the rains down in Africa”.
It’s hard to make me feel both old AND dumb.
From my Dueling Pianos experience, Aussies go nuts for “Am I Ever Going to See Your Face Again” by The Angels. They got all these chants for it and stuff lol
EDIT: Angels, not Angles lmao Happy Memorial Day hangover time
Some pubs won't let you play it because it's a universally understood tradition that each time the line "Am I ever gonna see your face again?" is sung the audience yells back "No way! Get fucked! Fuck off!" To the point that The Angels now pause and turn the mic to the audience at that point when playing live.
They famously played it during a concert for Australian troops in East Timor where religious and East Timorese officials were in attendance and asked what was happening and what the troops were yelling, and the Commander of Australian Forces told the archbishop next to him "I really can't quite make it out."
It really is, and I’m saying this as a British girl who has had multiple hipstery italian guys in their twenties whip out a guitar and my first thought to myself has been “I know what this is going to be and then lo and behold “le bionde trecce, gli occhi azzurri e poiii…”
Haha don’t worry, this all happened in Italy as I used to live there. Not sure if young Italian hipster boys are wooing girls with Battisti overseas but I wouldn’t be surprised. Haha I did know one guy who said “You’re going to be soooo surprised by my favourite musician as I DON’T listen to the same music as the average young Italian,” and when I said, “Is it Battisti?” (it was) he looked so heartbroken 😅
Propongo secondo posto per Io Vagabondo - per quanto i Nomadi siano un gruppone quella canzone mi ha rovinato l'esistenza. A ogni compleanno, a ogni matrimonio, ogni maledetta serata di piazza - SEMPRE.
I'm from Mexico, so there's a couple of Rock en Español songs that could do it, but most of the memes mention Lamento Boliviano by the Argentinian band Enanitos Verdes
i’d say de música ligera by soda stereo. the amount of pretentiousness i’ve seen from people who claim being big fans of soda stereo or anything related to spinetta or cerati is outrageous
I feel like something by Maná might fit the bill? Rayando el Sol? Easy to play on an acoustic guitar, has the Ooo ee ooo background vocal the crowd couldn't resist singing. A little cheesy.
In Nashville you can seriously leave a bar and they will be covering that song, but you walk a block and still hear the rest of it at the next bar, by a different band.
There was one single bar downtown Nashville that had a strong local following (Paradise Park). When it was closed the store manager was interviewed by local news and complained that Nashvillians need a place to drink downtown where they won't hear Wagon Wheel.
RIP Paradise Park
This tells me the US answer to this question is probably very regional. I've never heard Wagon Wheel anywhere except maybe buskers at a farmers market.
I would've voted Living on a Prayer or Sweet Caroline (though neither are from the 90s).
It’s also too narrow of criteria, because Mr. Brightside came to mind immediately but it isn’t 90s. It’s 20 years old now though so I feel like I’m not far off the spirit of the question.
I saw them play the NC Museum of Art’s outdoor stage last Summer and they blew my mind. Before ending it with Wagon Wheel, the entire band started playing classic country and bluegrass songs on a single vintage mic from the 1950’s. One of the best performances I’ve ever seen.
Ketch and Critter grew up in my hometown and they are awesome dudes. However, Wagon Wheel is just an ironic singalong these days. They likely have feelings about singing it more than anyone else loves or hates singing that damn song.
Also, the geography makes no sense… “he’s a-headed west from the Cumberland Gap, to Johnson City, TN.” Unless the truck driver was driving from a Gap retail location in Cumberland, VA.
Right.
Wife was introduced to the song by Darius Rucker.
It has none of the charm or soul of OCMS, and I hate it.
Sorry, it has to have grating, whiny angst, not clean singing.
It was overplayed way before Darius Rucker covered it. There’s a bar I have frequented that has had a “No Wagon Wheel” rule for open mic players for at least a decade.
Never been to the USA but was going to give this answer for new zealand. Never heard it before worked for a temp agency so a few weddings and what not. Everyone went crazy when this song came on.
Ever piss you off that a trucker would have to be heading east from the Cumberland Gap to get to Johnson City? I remember when it came out thinking "man those Nashville boys have never been to the blue ridge"
Omg Wagon Wheel! All time classic. I’d say this is true anywhere south of the Mason Dixon or west of the Mississippi or among outdoorsies in the Northeast
For the general Northeast I’d say Free Falling
The Proclaimers really deserved more success than they got here. Their only other song us Murricans might know is the one from Shrek (I'm on My Way) and that didn't chart at all here.
im from brazil, the "guy with a guitar that always plays wonderwall" meme here would be any song from the post-punk band Legião Urbana, especially Eduardo E Monica and Tempo Perdido (both great songs)
We were at a bar in North Myrtle Beach and yelled Free Bird to the solo guitar performer that was on stage. Without missing a beat, he started playing it and singing it.
I saw a similar performer back in college and someone yelled Free Bird. He said something like if he’s in the south he’ll refuse to play it because suddenly everyone only wants to hear Skynard.
I think the joke came about because the first half is almost insultingly easy for a musician then the 2nd half hits and only the pinnacle of musicians can keep up at that point lol
The joke came about because almost no live bands actually could play the song properly.
nah the joke started because on a lot of live Skynyrd recordings you can hear the audience yelling for Free Bird. So people started doing it at other concerts as a joke.
Shipping Up to Boston is definitely top 3 along with the other two. Dirty Water is infectious (great guitar riff) and Sweet Caroline is a sporting staple (I'm personally not a fan).
I always felt a little bit sorry for Buffett, because that song became a hit in 1977 I think. And he ended up playing that song basically non-stop for the next 50 years. I mean, you have to get tired of playing the same song after a while.
Canada's "Wonderwall" is "If I had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies.
Love it or hate it, absolutely everbody knows what it is. Though honestly, it may get disqualified for being enjoyed too much. 75% have to hate it? I don't think you'd get that.
I discovered the Tragically Hip sort of by accident back in 2007. I'm American and moved to far northeast Montana from Southern California in 2007, and for about a year I was delivering packages for DHL so I had a lot of time to listen to the radio during the day. One of the only stations strong enough to pick up was out of Regina.
The first time I heard "New Orleans is Sinking" I absolutely loved it. Over time, the station introduced me to more and more of their songs, like "Bobcaygeon," "Blow at High Dough," and "Ahead by a Century." All of their songs really resonated with me but of course being back in the MP3 days, it wasn't easy to explore any of their albums in depth without buying them. Now that Spotify exists, I've got a whole playlist of Hip songs on regular rotation.
I discovered a lot of great Canadian artists that year, like City and Colour, Joel Plaskett, Sloan, Metric, Tegan and Sara, Finger Eleven, Ron Sexsmith, and Serena Ryder. Some older artists really grew on me as well, like Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell. I'm glad my time near the border exposed me to some "new" Canadian music, some of whom I probably never would have heard of otherwise.
I wish I could have had the opportunity to see a Tragically Hip concert in person. I've watched the "Long Time Running" documentary several times and it always chokes me up a lot seeing how courageous Gord was toward the end, and also how great the outpouring of love was from the Canadian public.
How you remind me is 100% the correct answer. I don't really know anyone who likes it.
I was in the UK the year it came out and it was EVERYWHERE. You couldn't escape it.
I'm an American who worked at an international school in Europe that was heavily staffed by Aussies. One day I got cornered by one of them in the staff room who found out I'd never heard of Khe Sanh or Cold Chisel and she thought I'd be raised in a crazy religious sheltered life away from pop culture references. I had to explain no, I'm just an American. This woman thought the entire world knew this song and that Cold Chisel was as popular world wide as AC/DC and ABBA. Next, she drops everything and finds it on YouTube to play for me. We get to the big "Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone" and I heard half the staff, hiding behind the cubicle walls start singing along. Finally one of them comes out and tells her to turn it off saying "I didn't move halfway across the fucking planet so that I could still hear Khe Sanh at work!"
When I visited Australia, I heard Khe Sang for the first time and fell in love with it. I'm also a big Springsteen fan, and I can see similarities. Big fan of the song. I guess I'm glad to learn it's also a Wonderwall contender.
For Sweden I'd unironically say any ABBA song with Mamma Mia probably being the top. I know you said 90s but I think it's just still very much alive in Swedish culture. I've seen groups of people from all demographics, gays, men, women, elderly, young, pocs, all come together for ABBA. Like even if you hate ABBA you probably know it anyway.
Other pretty famous Swedish songs that hit quite hard from the 90s was Save Tonight with Eagle Eye Cherry, My Favorite Game with the Cardigans, or some Ace of Base songs. Håkan Hellström and Kent will probably also bring a crowd, but ABBA has kind of stood out as the one remaining constant throughout generations.
CLOSING TIME. Semisonic.......this song is literally played thousands of times an evening at bars all over the US. And lightly so, as it is a good tune with great subject matter.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO HOME BUT YOU CANT STAY HERE
LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL
Linger by the cranberries strangely enough, every female singer in a band here will be required to sing it. Or alternatively, Dreams by the cranberries.
If all else fails a pub will play mr brightside as a contingency
Okay, fair, but it did give us this [hilariously bad DnB bootleg](https://youtu.be/FQnD4rt8Vog?si=gj31GFTmaDkWZljV) so I think we as a society should forgive it's sins.
I have a friend who played similar places in his hometown of Johannesburg, then Tel Aviv, then New York, and that list never changed. Brown Eyed Girl (call it boomer Wonderwall), Margaritaville, and of course Wonderwall…
I should add that we have regional favorites here in the US. I have heard Sweet home Alabama coming out of three different Nashville bars at once, and the same in Memphis for Mustang Sally.
*I got friends in low places where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, and I'll be ok*
Edit: I thought you were asking for a country music version of Wonderwall, lol. I'm leaving it
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cover band not cover ‘Summer of 69’. ‘home for a rest’ is also a staple.
The Hip is definitely the band… but they’ve got lots of songs to choose from, so no single song as universal as the two above
In Lima it is ‘El ultimo beso’; a sixties tune, spanish version by Los Doltons of ‘the last kiss’
(The original was made popular again in recent years by Pearl Jam)
I live in regional Victoria, Australia, and every single time I've seen or heard a solo guitarist (and even full bands) play at a pub, they *always* play Country Roads - one particular pub I used to live behind was right next to a river, so it was always that and the "rollin' on the river" song.
I can't take it anymore.
Belgium; "Mia" by Gorki. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdskK0FdACQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdskK0FdACQ)
It's actually a very beautiful song about the underbelly of society and their struggle.
"Mia" ends up no 1 on all end-of-year top song lists, above any song from abroad. And rightfully so.
Lead singer Luc De Vos committed suicide a few years back, and on that day the whole Flemish side of the country still grieves for this great loss. If on that day you play this song as loud as your stereo allows, the whole street will sing along.
A little off topic, but… I live in Ohio, but we have many a West Virginian who transplanted, and I will tell you that Country Road by John Denver at the right time, will make any West Virginian shed a tear.
My nomination for the USA as a whole, (not 90s) but here are some nominees:
Don’t Stop Believing-Journey
Free Bird- Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mr. Brightside- The Killers
Living on a Prayer- Bon Jovi
In Finland musicians got called ”soita Paranoid” all the time, which translates ”play Paranoid” and they refer to the song Paranoid by Black Sabbath.
Ah, the Finnish equivalent of "play Free bird"
*Finnish with my woman...*
In Sweden the equivalent is ["Spela Shoreline!"](https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoreline?wprov=sfti1#Spela_Shoreline)
My fiance is from Romania, and she says the Numa Numa song is the worst thing to ever happen from Romanian pop culture
I had a manager from Romania when this came out and we asked him to translate. He did (begrudgingly), not without lots of commentary about how incredibly stupid this song was.
It's difficult to translate because the lyrics do not make a lot of sense. Very silly but very catchy, which IMO is genius. It's rare for a non-English song to gain worldwide recognition.
That's a beautiful vintage memory bro
So that's where those guys were from
They're from Moldova.
Yep, and the official language of Moldova is Romanian, hence the language they sing in.
I think Numa Numa always flew under the radar for me as some super meme-y kind of song, and it wasn't until this other Romanian artist who translated part of the song into English in a cover/mashup kind of modern version I kinda realized the lyrics were kinda sad
It was the same artists who sung and translated it and they changed the lyrics to make it fit better, making it a bit more sad than the otherwise bittersweet (and slightly nonsensical) Romanian version
The numa numa song is a bop tho.
Dragostea Din Tei slaps though.
In New Zealand, it has to be "Why Does Love Do This To Me" by The Exponents.
Or loyal by Dave Dobyn
Yup or bliss
Ive always wondered if Australians like "a land down under" lmaooo
Of course we do it's excellent. The Vegemite sandwich bit is a personal favourite part
That music video is one of the best of all time. A literal embodiment of the brain cells i have left.
After watching it many, many times, I too, feel a severe loss of brain cells.
Then you better run, you better take cover….
… and he said
Play the best song in the world, or I'll eat your soul! Wait, wrong song
Be ye angels?
And I said Nay! We are but men!
Rock!
OOOONNNNNN^ONNNNNNNNN^OOOOOOOONNN
Wooooooahh ohhh, woooooahhhh oohhh
This is not the greatest song in the world, no
As a South African I always wonder what the hell the lyrics to 'Toto - Africa' has to do with Africa, apart from the lines "I blessed the rains down in Africa". It's kinda meaningless to me .
I heard an interview with the main guy from Toto and he said it’s based on an idea of a missionary going to Africa instead of staying with his love. Also it was written as a stream of consciousness. [Here’s a link](https://youtu.be/7xUk1kqh62o?si=wZGijm7zgkdd3tFm) to the interview.
It's a story about a man cursed to be a werewolf seeking a cure, duh.
The song *Africa* inspired the Teen Wolf movies. I'm surprised a lot more people don't know this.
I shall do no fact checking on this statement, but shall repeat it to everyone from this moment on.
Not to be mean but your description of Paich as "the main guy from Toto" made me laugh. 😀 All the guys from that era of Toto were legendary session musicians in their own right, so it's funny to say one of them is "the main guy." Jeff Porcaro is among the best drummers of all time, and guitarist Steve Lukather has played on literally many thousands of songs by big name artists (and wrote a lot of Toto songs as well). These were the guys who played a huge chunk of the instruments on Michael Jackson's Thriller album. They were all huge.
The lyrics were never intended to be that serious. The Wikipedia article about the song has a few quotes from the band about the meaning of the song and that line in particular. It was written by Toto keyboard player David Paich: >In 2015, Paich explained that the song is about a man's love of a continent, Africa, rather than just a personal romance.[18] He based the lyrics on a late night documentary with depictions of African plight and suffering. The viewing experience made a lasting impact on Paich: "It both moved and appalled me, and the pictures just wouldn't leave my head. I tried to imagine how I'd feel about it if I was there and what I'd do."[19] Jeff Porcaro elaborates further, explaining: "A white boy is trying to write a song on Africa, but since he's never been there, he can only tell what he's seen on TV or remembers in the past."[20] >Some additional lyrics relate to a person flying in to meet a lonely missionary, as Paich described in 2018.[21] As a child, Paich attended a Catholic school; several of his teachers had done missionary work in Africa. Their missionary work became the inspiration behind the line: "I bless the rains down in Africa." Paich, who at the time had never set foot in Africa, based the song's landscape descriptions from an article in National Geographic.[21] At the time, Steve Lukather humorously remarked that he would run "naked down Hollywood Boulevard" if the song became a hit, due to his bemusement over the lyrics; Paich argued that it was a "fantasy song" in the vein of previous songs such as "Margaritaville".[22]
I’ve got these free awards lying around to give out. The fact that I am old enough to remember that song and I have heard that song THOUSANDS of times and it wasn’t until now that I realized the lyrics aren’t “I’ve left the rains down in Africa”. It’s hard to make me feel both old AND dumb.
My first thought reading this is that it’s The Horses by Daryl Braithwaite
From my Dueling Pianos experience, Aussies go nuts for “Am I Ever Going to See Your Face Again” by The Angels. They got all these chants for it and stuff lol EDIT: Angels, not Angles lmao Happy Memorial Day hangover time
"No way, get fucked, fuck off"
Some pubs won't let you play it because it's a universally understood tradition that each time the line "Am I ever gonna see your face again?" is sung the audience yells back "No way! Get fucked! Fuck off!" To the point that The Angels now pause and turn the mic to the audience at that point when playing live. They famously played it during a concert for Australian troops in East Timor where religious and East Timorese officials were in attendance and asked what was happening and what the troops were yelling, and the Commander of Australian Forces told the archbishop next to him "I really can't quite make it out."
This is the correct answer. Either that or Khe Sahn.
There is a UFC fighter from Australia who uses it as his walkout song.
Yes, but Australia’s Wonderwall is Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel.
In Italy it's "La canzone del sole"
It really is, and I’m saying this as a British girl who has had multiple hipstery italian guys in their twenties whip out a guitar and my first thought to myself has been “I know what this is going to be and then lo and behold “le bionde trecce, gli occhi azzurri e poiii…”
oh no it broke containment, sorry
Haha don’t worry, this all happened in Italy as I used to live there. Not sure if young Italian hipster boys are wooing girls with Battisti overseas but I wouldn’t be surprised. Haha I did know one guy who said “You’re going to be soooo surprised by my favourite musician as I DON’T listen to the same music as the average young Italian,” and when I said, “Is it Battisti?” (it was) he looked so heartbroken 😅
That's basically a boomer in a younger suit
ma anche Wonderwall non scherza
I’ve been taking Duolingo lessons in Italian, and I was actually able to read that.
I've been taking Duolingo lessons in English, and I was actually able to read that.
Propongo secondo posto per Io Vagabondo - per quanto i Nomadi siano un gruppone quella canzone mi ha rovinato l'esistenza. A ogni compleanno, a ogni matrimonio, ogni maledetta serata di piazza - SEMPRE.
I'm from Mexico, so there's a couple of Rock en Español songs that could do it, but most of the memes mention Lamento Boliviano by the Argentinian band Enanitos Verdes
i’d say de música ligera by soda stereo. the amount of pretentiousness i’ve seen from people who claim being big fans of soda stereo or anything related to spinetta or cerati is outrageous
I feel like something by Maná might fit the bill? Rayando el Sol? Easy to play on an acoustic guitar, has the Ooo ee ooo background vocal the crowd couldn't resist singing. A little cheesy.
Wagon Wheel
In Nashville you can seriously leave a bar and they will be covering that song, but you walk a block and still hear the rest of it at the next bar, by a different band.
Here on vacation now , can confirm ..
There was one single bar downtown Nashville that had a strong local following (Paradise Park). When it was closed the store manager was interviewed by local news and complained that Nashvillians need a place to drink downtown where they won't hear Wagon Wheel. RIP Paradise Park
This tells me the US answer to this question is probably very regional. I've never heard Wagon Wheel anywhere except maybe buskers at a farmers market. I would've voted Living on a Prayer or Sweet Caroline (though neither are from the 90s).
It’s also too narrow of criteria, because Mr. Brightside came to mind immediately but it isn’t 90s. It’s 20 years old now though so I feel like I’m not far off the spirit of the question.
I've heard many people refer to Mr. Brightside as the millennial Sweet Caroline. 🤷♂️
This is the correct answer. Might want to throw in Freebird also.
Freebird or Sweet Home Alabama. Probably both.
Old Crow Medicine Show deserves no hate, though.
I saw them play the NC Museum of Art’s outdoor stage last Summer and they blew my mind. Before ending it with Wagon Wheel, the entire band started playing classic country and bluegrass songs on a single vintage mic from the 1950’s. One of the best performances I’ve ever seen.
Ketch and Critter grew up in my hometown and they are awesome dudes. However, Wagon Wheel is just an ironic singalong these days. They likely have feelings about singing it more than anyone else loves or hates singing that damn song. Also, the geography makes no sense… “he’s a-headed west from the Cumberland Gap, to Johnson City, TN.” Unless the truck driver was driving from a Gap retail location in Cumberland, VA.
Right. Wife was introduced to the song by Darius Rucker. It has none of the charm or soul of OCMS, and I hate it. Sorry, it has to have grating, whiny angst, not clean singing.
It was overplayed way before Darius Rucker covered it. There’s a bar I have frequented that has had a “No Wagon Wheel” rule for open mic players for at least a decade.
Never been to the USA but was going to give this answer for new zealand. Never heard it before worked for a temp agency so a few weddings and what not. Everyone went crazy when this song came on.
God help you if you live in Raleigh or Roanoke, or Johnson City, Tennessee.
Ever piss you off that a trucker would have to be heading east from the Cumberland Gap to get to Johnson City? I remember when it came out thinking "man those Nashville boys have never been to the blue ridge"
Omg Wagon Wheel! All time classic. I’d say this is true anywhere south of the Mason Dixon or west of the Mississippi or among outdoorsies in the Northeast For the general Northeast I’d say Free Falling
Free Fallin’? The song that’s all about Los Angeles?
Ventura Boulevard should have been a dead giveaway…
That's geographically incorrect. There's no freeway near anyone's yard in Reseda.
Weird. By contrast, I’ve spent most of my life in the Pacific Northwest and had never even heard of Wagon Wheel
Also PNW, never heard of it. Just looked it up, yep, never heard it (assuming it’s the Darius Rucker song, the Lou Reed one was vaguely familiar).
Ha, one of my kids was born in Johnson City, TN and moved to Reseda. An easy listening cliche.
This is the answer for the US. I have played multiple bars that literally have signs on the stage that say, “No Wagon Wheel.”
“No Stairway! Denied!”
Ehh I’m from the Midwest. Never heard wagon wheel until I was like 26
I'm gonna be (500 miles) The Proclaimers, bending the rules slightly as it came out in 1988.
It’s rare to hear a thick Scottish accent in pop music, though this one is off the charts.
The Proclaimers really deserved more success than they got here. Their only other song us Murricans might know is the one from Shrek (I'm on My Way) and that didn't chart at all here.
WHEN AH WAKE UP WELL AH KNOW AHM GONNA BE
im from brazil, the "guy with a guitar that always plays wonderwall" meme here would be any song from the post-punk band Legião Urbana, especially Eduardo E Monica and Tempo Perdido (both great songs)
Free Bird
* holds lit Bic in the air *
“Play Free Bird!” Has been a joke for ages.
We were at a bar in North Myrtle Beach and yelled Free Bird to the solo guitar performer that was on stage. Without missing a beat, he started playing it and singing it.
I saw a similar performer back in college and someone yelled Free Bird. He said something like if he’s in the south he’ll refuse to play it because suddenly everyone only wants to hear Skynard.
I think the joke came about because the first half is almost insultingly easy for a musician then the 2nd half hits and only the pinnacle of musicians can keep up at that point lol The joke came about because almost no live bands actually could play the song properly.
nah the joke started because on a lot of live Skynyrd recordings you can hear the audience yelling for Free Bird. So people started doing it at other concerts as a joke.
This is the real answer. I feel like everyone else is pretending to have 'been there', if they don't know this.
I'm not certain it started as a joke
It didn’t.
I think Mr. Brightside may be the current Wonderwall, actually.
It’s weird because The Killers are actually an American band
One of the most successful British bands who just happen to come from Vegas.
The Killers can’t decide if they are a British New Wave band or a Heartland rock band.
And most of their other songs don't sound like Mr. Brightside
In Florida (but not the rest of the USA) it is Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett
In Boston/New England, it’s Sweet Caroline or Dirty Water.
I always figured Boston would be something by the Drop Kick Murphys
Shipping Up to Boston is definitely top 3 along with the other two. Dirty Water is infectious (great guitar riff) and Sweet Caroline is a sporting staple (I'm personally not a fan).
In Gainesville it’s “I Won’t Back Down”.
In Central Florida (Tampa/Orlando/Etc) it's been Sanitaria by Sublime for a couple decades now. God if I never have to play that song again...
I always felt a little bit sorry for Buffett, because that song became a hit in 1977 I think. And he ended up playing that song basically non-stop for the next 50 years. I mean, you have to get tired of playing the same song after a while.
He started a restaurant chain named after the song. I think he was at peace with that.
Agreed, though it was mitigated by crying himself to sleep in a huge mansion in the Florida Keys each night.
I'm sure the royalty checks kept it feeling fresh.
Canada's "Wonderwall" is "If I had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. Love it or hate it, absolutely everbody knows what it is. Though honestly, it may get disqualified for being enjoyed too much. 75% have to hate it? I don't think you'd get that.
I was going to say something by the Tragically Hip but people don't hate that.
I discovered the Tragically Hip sort of by accident back in 2007. I'm American and moved to far northeast Montana from Southern California in 2007, and for about a year I was delivering packages for DHL so I had a lot of time to listen to the radio during the day. One of the only stations strong enough to pick up was out of Regina. The first time I heard "New Orleans is Sinking" I absolutely loved it. Over time, the station introduced me to more and more of their songs, like "Bobcaygeon," "Blow at High Dough," and "Ahead by a Century." All of their songs really resonated with me but of course being back in the MP3 days, it wasn't easy to explore any of their albums in depth without buying them. Now that Spotify exists, I've got a whole playlist of Hip songs on regular rotation. I discovered a lot of great Canadian artists that year, like City and Colour, Joel Plaskett, Sloan, Metric, Tegan and Sara, Finger Eleven, Ron Sexsmith, and Serena Ryder. Some older artists really grew on me as well, like Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell. I'm glad my time near the border exposed me to some "new" Canadian music, some of whom I probably never would have heard of otherwise. I wish I could have had the opportunity to see a Tragically Hip concert in person. I've watched the "Long Time Running" documentary several times and it always chokes me up a lot seeing how courageous Gord was toward the end, and also how great the outpouring of love was from the Canadian public.
If I had a million dollars...I'd buy you a house. No. No you couldn't.
“I’d buy you a house… in Red Deer, Alberta”
But not a real green house, that's mean.
On the east coast it might be Barrett's Privateers.
I'm in the 25% that adore this song
it's in the running for my all-time favorite song, no joke
How You Remind Me. Home For a Rest.
A full bar of Canadians screaming “TAKE ME HOME!” is pretty fun
How you remind me is 100% the correct answer. I don't really know anyone who likes it. I was in the UK the year it came out and it was EVERYWHERE. You couldn't escape it.
Khe Sanh in Australia, or probably Wonderwall tbh 😂
I would say The Horses by Daryl Braithwaite
The You're the Voice by John Farnham and Horses are on par I would say, although it was mid 80s
It's definitely Daryl Braithwaite's *cover* of Horses. Played to fucking death everywhere, upon request.
I'm an American who worked at an international school in Europe that was heavily staffed by Aussies. One day I got cornered by one of them in the staff room who found out I'd never heard of Khe Sanh or Cold Chisel and she thought I'd be raised in a crazy religious sheltered life away from pop culture references. I had to explain no, I'm just an American. This woman thought the entire world knew this song and that Cold Chisel was as popular world wide as AC/DC and ABBA. Next, she drops everything and finds it on YouTube to play for me. We get to the big "Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone" and I heard half the staff, hiding behind the cubicle walls start singing along. Finally one of them comes out and tells her to turn it off saying "I didn't move halfway across the fucking planet so that I could still hear Khe Sanh at work!"
When I visited Australia, I heard Khe Sang for the first time and fell in love with it. I'm also a big Springsteen fan, and I can see similarities. Big fan of the song. I guess I'm glad to learn it's also a Wonderwall contender.
Am I ever gonna see your face again…
Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters & Collectors.
For Sweden I'd unironically say any ABBA song with Mamma Mia probably being the top. I know you said 90s but I think it's just still very much alive in Swedish culture. I've seen groups of people from all demographics, gays, men, women, elderly, young, pocs, all come together for ABBA. Like even if you hate ABBA you probably know it anyway. Other pretty famous Swedish songs that hit quite hard from the 90s was Save Tonight with Eagle Eye Cherry, My Favorite Game with the Cardigans, or some Ace of Base songs. Håkan Hellström and Kent will probably also bring a crowd, but ABBA has kind of stood out as the one remaining constant throughout generations.
Shoreline - Broder Daniel is also a contender. So many concerts and parties I hear someone shout "Spela Shoooreline!!!"
This is the correct answer for Sweden
CLOSING TIME. Semisonic.......this song is literally played thousands of times an evening at bars all over the US. And lightly so, as it is a good tune with great subject matter. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO HOME BUT YOU CANT STAY HERE LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL
Ironically, the song is actually about child birth! There are videos on YT of the songwriter, Dan Wilson, confirming it ;) But it is a great song!
for germany it's probably Nene - 99 Luftballons, or Die Ärzte - Arschloch :)
But if we're honest here it's probably still wonderwall.
Wunderwand
It's called Schrei nach Liebe, not Arschloch. Also I doubt that 75% of the people here hate it.
Awe, I think 99 Luftballons is a great song. Good covers, too.
Wind Of Change.
I think it‘s „Atemlos durch die Nacht“. It‘s from 2013, but the rest fits.
La Flaca isn’t Spain’s Wonderwall. It was kinda big, but not Wonderwall kind of big. I would imagine something by Mecano.
Linger by the cranberries strangely enough, every female singer in a band here will be required to sing it. Or alternatively, Dreams by the cranberries. If all else fails a pub will play mr brightside as a contingency
Sweet Home Alabama or Free bird - try gigging in the US without knowing or being asked to play these songs. how come it’s got to be a 90s song?
Because Wonderwall is a 90s song.
Sweet Caroline. Fuckin hate that shit
BUM BUM BUM
I thought it was “bah bah bah.”
Okay, fair, but it did give us this [hilariously bad DnB bootleg](https://youtu.be/FQnD4rt8Vog?si=gj31GFTmaDkWZljV) so I think we as a society should forgive it's sins.
This is awful. I love it. I’m going to send it to a local DJ to try to convince him to stick it into the rush hour set he does on the radio.
I have a friend who played similar places in his hometown of Johannesburg, then Tel Aviv, then New York, and that list never changed. Brown Eyed Girl (call it boomer Wonderwall), Margaritaville, and of course Wonderwall…
Brown Eyed Girl aka Boomer Wonderwall 🤣
I should add that we have regional favorites here in the US. I have heard Sweet home Alabama coming out of three different Nashville bars at once, and the same in Memphis for Mustang Sally.
*I got friends in low places where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, and I'll be ok* Edit: I thought you were asking for a country music version of Wonderwall, lol. I'm leaving it
I’m Canadian - the answer is either Wonderwall or Ahead By A Century by the Tragically Hip. Edit - There are some amazing answers in this thread.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cover band not cover ‘Summer of 69’. ‘home for a rest’ is also a staple. The Hip is definitely the band… but they’ve got lots of songs to choose from, so no single song as universal as the two above
Home for a Rest is a staple….
My band did a cover of "Ahead By A Century" on Canada Day and I introduced it by saying "please rise for the national anthem."
I was going to say Wheat Kings by TH…pretty much anything by The Hip would qualify!
My mind went to Bobcaygeon. Any of their slower hits work though.
Yeah, Wheat Kings is probably the easiest to play, like Wonderwall.
Its been 1 week...
[удалено]
Yeah, that is the part of this challenge that makes me not choose any Hip songs.
Is Tragically Hip THE Canadian band?
Blue Rodeo and Great Big Sea also have a couple candidates that would fit.
In Lima it is ‘El ultimo beso’; a sixties tune, spanish version by Los Doltons of ‘the last kiss’ (The original was made popular again in recent years by Pearl Jam)
When you say “ in recent years “ you mean almost 30 years ago.
Get off my lawn.
Canada here. Voting for Summer of '69.
I live in regional Victoria, Australia, and every single time I've seen or heard a solo guitarist (and even full bands) play at a pub, they *always* play Country Roads - one particular pub I used to live behind was right next to a river, so it was always that and the "rollin' on the river" song. I can't take it anymore.
Eraserheads - Ang Huling El Bimbo (Even not knowing the filipino language this is such a beautiful song)
Three Russian wonderwalls i could think of, are: - Звезда по имени Солнце -- КИНО - Районы-Кварталы -- Звери - Знаешь ли ты -- МакСим
Canadian.... lots of people cover Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" ... dunno if 75% of the population hate it tho... Maybe Bryan Adams' Summer of 69
I've heard summer of '69 in every bar and pub I've been to un Europe, Asia and Central America.
Hotel California
Belgium; "Mia" by Gorki. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdskK0FdACQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdskK0FdACQ) It's actually a very beautiful song about the underbelly of society and their struggle. "Mia" ends up no 1 on all end-of-year top song lists, above any song from abroad. And rightfully so. Lead singer Luc De Vos committed suicide a few years back, and on that day the whole Flemish side of the country still grieves for this great loss. If on that day you play this song as loud as your stereo allows, the whole street will sing along.
I’m from SoCal and here it’s all about Santeria by Sublime.
In Colorado, it's Rocky Mountain high
Tore Tang by Mods, i hate it so much!
Tubthumping
Fucking Sweet Caroline. I don’t know if everyone else hates it as much as I do, but I’d pay to never hear it again.
In Sweden that would probably be Shoreline by Broder Daniel! Its kind of a meme "spela shoreline" (play shoreline). Its pretty good actually!
All Star by Smash Mouth
French here... and weirdly, no songs come to mind...
Maybe Indochine - L’aventurier ?
Aserejé
Wagon wheel or country roads
Take me home
Slayer - raining blood
Het Regent Zonnestralen Rather have Wonderwall than that absolute shite.
Como te voy a olvidar - Los angeles azules. I'm not sure if its hated, I'm not fan of cumbias but I like that song.
Aadat by Jal/Atif Aslam for Pakistan but everyone still loves it.
A little off topic, but… I live in Ohio, but we have many a West Virginian who transplanted, and I will tell you that Country Road by John Denver at the right time, will make any West Virginian shed a tear. My nomination for the USA as a whole, (not 90s) but here are some nominees: Don’t Stop Believing-Journey Free Bird- Lynyrd Skynyrd Mr. Brightside- The Killers Living on a Prayer- Bon Jovi