Pop Goes the World (song)

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"Pop Goes the World"
Single by Men Without Hats
from the album Pop Goes the World
B-side	"The End (Of the World)"
Released	October 1987
Recorded	1987
Genre	Synthpop, new wave
Length	3:43
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Ivan Doroschuk
Producer(s)	Men Without Hats, Zeus B. Held
Men Without Hats singles chronology
"Nationale 7" (1985) "Pop Goes the World" (1987) "Moonbeam" (1987)

"Pop Goes the World" is a song recorded by the Canadian new wave/synthpop group Men Without Hats. It was released in October 1987 as the lead single from the album of the same name. The song reached No. 1 in Austria, and No. 2 in Canada and Sweden. It was originally written as an electronic instrumental. The song has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[1]

Content[]

The song tells the story of "Johnny" and "Jenny," the two members of a musical group called "The Human Race" on their quest for fame in the industry. However, at one point the lyrics note that they come to the realization that they could make "more money on a movie screen." The members' instruments of choice vary throughout the song, though Johnny is primarily a guitarist and Jenny is a bassist.

Music video[]

The music video for the song features lead singer Ivan Doroschuk who tells the story of "Johnny," played by guitarist Stefan Doroschuk (impersonating Elvis Presley), and "Jenny," portrayed by an unknown actress^[a] playing a left-handed Höfner 500/1 bass. The two are seen dancing around a bubble-filled stage along with numerous other characters including a keyboard-playing baby and Bonhomme (the mascot of Quebec City's annual Winter Carnival). The word "Pop!", in writing reminiscent of a comic book, appears periodically on-screen in time with popping noises that punctuate the song. The video was released in 1988 in the CD Video format.

Charts[]

Personnel[]

• Ivan Doroschuk - vocals, guitar, keyboards, drum programming
• Stefan Doroschuk - backing vocals, bass

2012 version[]

The song was re-recorded during the Love in the Age of War sessions, with Ivan Doroschuk on vocals, James Love on guitar and bass, and Louise Dawson on keyboards and drum programming.^{[citation needed]} The recording was released as a digital single in 2012.^[10]

In popular culture[]

The song was featured in the 1987 film Date with an Angel, which starred Phoebe Cates, Emmanuelle Béart and Michael E. Knight. The song was also featured very briefly in the 1991 film Scanners II: The New Order.

Football teams in several countries use versions of the song as chants:

• In Argentina, it is used by several teams and is arguably the most popular tune sung by fans.^{[citation needed]}
• In Japan, it is used by the national team and Yokohama F. Marinos.^[11]
• In Brazil, it is used by Sport Club Internacional.
• In Hungary, fans of Diósgyőr use the song with the lyrics: "Amíg élek én, nem érdekel más, csak a Diósgyőr, csak a Diósgyőr, csak a Diósgyőr!" ("As long as I live, I don't care about anything but Diósgyőr, only Diósgyőr, only Diósgyőr!").
• In Israel, fans of Hapoel Tel Aviv sing the song with the lyrics: "הפועל עולה" ("Hapoel goes up").

In the 2019 Chilean protests against the Chilean government, protesters created the song "Chile Despertó" ("Chile Woke Up"), using the main tune of "Pop goes around the world".^{[citation needed]}

Since December 2015, the song has also been very popular in Argentina as an anthem of former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's followers; who sing "Oooh, Vamos a volver, a Volver a Volver, Vamos a Volver" ("Oooh, we will return, we'll return, we'll return, we will return").^{[citation needed]}

Cover versions[]

• In 1997, Canadian band The Nils covered the song on their album Green Fields In Daylight.
• In 1999, punk rock band Apocalypse Hoboken covered the song on their album Inverse, Reverse, Perverse.
• In 1999, Barcelona covered the song and it appeared as the fifth track on the single for the song "Robot Trouble."
• In 2004, DJ Ötzi performed "You Never Walk Alone" which uses the chorus melody of "Pop Goes The World"
• In 2004, LMP covered the song in their box-set A Century of Song.
• In 2007, the song was covered by Hyperbubble on the compilation NineteenEightySeven
• In 2007, the song was covered by on the compilation Southern Waves: Argentinian Tribute To Classic Electropop.
• In 2011, The Burning Hell covered the song. The cover was released on the Zunior sampler Have Not Been the Same, Vol. 1: Too Cool to Live, Too Smart to Die. On the same band's 2016 album Public Library, bandleader Mathias Kom wrote the original song "Men Without Hats" as a tribute to the band's role in his childhood; the song's first verse describes the experience of going to a record store to buy the album Pop Goes the World, and quotes both the "Johnny played guitar and Jenny played bass" lyric and a piece of the instrumental line from this song.
• In 2012, Savoir Adore covered the song. The cover was subsequently featured in commercials for Tide Pods.

Notes[]

References[]