Long before your TikTok algorithm knew your deepest secrets, danceable pop music was already mastering the art of global domination.
From the pride of Tupelo, Mississippi making parents clutch their pearls…
…To the pride of Banpo-dong, South Korea making everyone doubt their faux-pony-riding abilities…
These songs weren’t satisfied to just climb the charts. They held civilization hostage.
Think you can spot the difference between a genuine cultural phenomenon and just another pop song?
Test your knowledge of pop songs that created cultural phenomena, dance crazes, and viral moments from the 1950s to 2020s. No hand sanitizer required.
Fair Warning: Side effects may include spontaneous Macarena outbreaks, uncontrollable moonwalking, and the sudden urge to teach your grandma the Running Man Challenge. Proceed with caution. And maybe move the ottoman a little to the right.
Question 1 (1950s)
Elvis Presley’s hip movements while performing this song on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 caused such controversy that cameras only showed him from the waist up.
Which song?
- A) “Love Me Tender”
- B) “Hound Dog”
- C) “Don’t Be Cruel”
- D) “Heartbreak Hotel”
Question 2 (1960s)
More from Ed: The Beatles’ appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 drew 73 million viewers and sparked “Beatlemania.”
What was the first song they performed that night?
- A) “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
- B) “She Loves You”
- C) “All My Loving”
- D) “Please Please Me”
Question 3 (1980s)
Michael Jackson’s moonwalk became iconic when he first performed it on TV in 1983.
During which song did he debut this famous move?
- A) “Beat It”
- B) “Billie Jean”
- C) “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
- D) “Rock with You”
Question 4 (1990s)
Speaking of Michael Jackson:
He was a huge fan of this record and was dead serious about recording a new version with the original artist, but it never came to be.
- A) “Tootsee Roll” by 69 Boyz
- B) “Cha Cha Slide” by DJ Casper
- C) “Macarena” by Los del Río
- D) “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex
Question 5 (2000s)
Soulja Boy’s 2007 hit became viral partly due to its instructional dance video on YouTube.
What was the song called?
- A) “Lean wit It, Rock wit It”
- B) “Crank That (Soulja Boy)”
- C) “Walk It Out”
- D) “Laffy Taffy”
Question 6 (2010s)
“Gangnam Style” by PSY became the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views in 2012. The horse-riding dance move became a global phenomenon.
What does “Gangnam” refer to?
- A) A type of Korean martial art
- B) A district in Seoul, South Korea
- C) PSY’s real name
- D) A Korean slang term for “cool”
Question 7 (2010s)
This 2016 song sparked the “Running Man Challenge” on social media, with everyone from NBA players to police departments participating.
Which song?
- A) “Juju on That Beat” by Zay Hilfiger
- B) “Hit the Quan” by iLoveMemphis
- C) “My Type” by Saweetie
- D) “Watch Me” by Silentó
Question 8 (2020s)
This 2020 song became the soundtrack to countless TikTok videos and dance challenges during the pandemic, with celebrities and regular users alike participating.
What song?
- A) “Renegade” by K Camp
- B) “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion
- C) “WAP” by Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
- D) “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo
Score Time: How You Feeling?
0 correct: Completely Immune to Pop Culture! (Quarantine yourself with some music history, stat)
1-2 correct: Barely Exposed! (Time for some cultural antibodies)
3-4 correct: Showing Symptoms of Pop Awareness! (A few viral moments slipped past your immunity)
5-6 correct: Moderately Infectious! (You caught most of the cultural outbreaks)
7-8 correct: Super Spreader of Pop Knowledge! (You’re patient zero of trivia mastery)
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I did badly. Just 4 correct. At least the ones I got right I actually knew and weren’t lucky guesses, but I expected better of myself.
I got 6 out of 8 (only one was a guess too). And I couldn’t do a single one of these dances to save my life!
I got 5. I missed the Beatles one and I feel ashamed. But I had no idea about Michael’s love for the Macarena!
Four. Determinedly average.
I got 5/8 – not great, but not terrible. The MJ / Macarena thing was wild.
Four correct here. Eh, I’ll live with it.
For sure, I thought I got the first one right. Surely, it couldn’t be “Hound Dog”. I remember seeing a video of Elvis serenading a dog. (0-1) In Robert Zemeckis’ I Wanna Hold Your Hand, The Beatles perform the title song. Eddie Dezeen gives an Oscar-worthy performance. Everybody goes home after the song. What second song? (0-2)…(1-3)…(1-4) I was looking for a Hot Space track….(2-5)…(3-6)…(3-7) Not familiar with any of these songs. That’s my loss…(4-8).
Paddy McAloon met Paul McCartney at a party. Prefab Sprout scored a fluke top ten hit with “The King of Rock and Roll”. McCartney knew Paddy wrote better songs. He told him: “That’s your ‘My Ding-a-Ling'”.
Chris Farley is great here. I remember the profile of him in Rolling Stone. The SNL housekeeper liked him the best from that year’s cast.
I missed the Beatles one — blame the fact that I was only five months old at the time and all of the cultural references I’ve seen to that Sullivan show referenced the song I guessed, which wasn’t correct. Otherwise, I’m surprised I knew the 21st century questions (or at least could hazard correct guesses).
I am embarrassed to say I got all but the last one.
I got 4, 3 lucky guesses and I know about Korean geography.