Genre Synthpop, house Label Elektra | Length 3:08 | |
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Released July 11, 1985 (1985-07-11) Format 7", 12", CD single, CD Video Writer(s) Boris Blank, Dieter Meier | ||
"Oh Yeah" is a single released in 1985 by the Swiss band Yello and featured on their album Stella. The song features a mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals. The song gained popularity after being featured in the films Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Secret of My Success, among other films. It has become an iconic anthem of the 1980s, and used to metaphorically represent lust (in various forms) and cocaine. It is a popular staple in movies, television and commercials.
Contents
Its 1987 re-released version features the extra lyrics: "such a good time / a really good time".
Production
Describing the composition of "Oh Yeah," Blank said, "First I did the music and then I invited Dieter to sing along, and he came up with some lines which I thought, 'no Dieter, it's too complicated, we don't need that many lyrics'. I had the idea of just this guy, a fat little monster sits there very relaxed and says, "Oh yeah, oh yeah". So I told him, 'Why don't you try just to sing on and on 'oh yeah'?... Dieter was very angry when I told him this and he said, 'are you crazy, all the time "Oh yeah"? Are you crazy?! I can't do this, no no, come on, come on.' And then he said, 'some lyrics, like "the moon... beautiful", is this too much?!' and I said, 'no, it's OK', and then he did this 'oh yeah' and at the end he thought, 'yeah it's nice', he loved it himself also. And also I wanted to install lots of human noises, all kind of phonetic rhythms with my mouth; you hear lots of noises in the background which are done with my mouth."
Charts
In 1986, it reached No. 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 36 on the US dance chart. The single peaked at No. 9 in Australia in October 1988.
The song (and others) has been aggressively shopped around, the group going so far as to produce a special "All Time Classics" CD for advertising, television and movies.
The song has been wildly successful, and was the basis for Dieter Meier's investment fortune, which is now $175 million.
Remix
A remix of the song, entitled, "Oh Yeah Oh Six" went to No. 1 on the US dance charts in 2006.
In popular culture
After its use in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off — an "incredibly infectious song" from which it became virtually known as 'the Ferris Bueller song' — the song was used in various other film soundtracks through the end of the decade and developed a reputation as a 1980s Hollywood cliche. It was prominently used in the 1987 film, The Secret of My Success.
Film critic Jonathan Bernstein observed that despite never reaching hit status, the song "has become synonymous with lust. Every time a movie, TV show or commercial wants to underline the jaw-dropping impact of a hot babe or sleek auto, that synth-drum starts popping and that deep voice rumbles, 'Oh yeah…".
It was part of the soundtrack in She's Out of Control and Opportunity Knocks.
The song became a conceit on The Simpsons, being used when Duffman appears; an idiomatic staple in video games; and a repeated choice in television advertisements.
Matthew Broderick reprised his Bueller role in a Honda commercial aired during the Super Bowl in which "Oh Yeah" was featured. A teaser for the ad had appeared two weeks prior to the Super Bowl, which had created rumors of a possible film sequel. It was produced by Santa Monica-based RPA and directed by Todd Phillips. AdWeek's Tim Nudd called the ad "a great homage to the original 1986 film, with Broderick this time calling in sick to a film shoot and enjoying another day of slacking." On the other hand, Jalopnik's Matt Hardigree called the spot "sacrilegious".
Among the dozens of commercials, it has been used to advertise Twix.
In the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode "Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack", Mac identifies the song as "Day bow bow".
The North American release of the racing game Gran Turismo 4 included "Oh Yeah" as part of its in-game jukebox, and plays the song whenever the player fails a License Test.