#do u really look up the lyrics for every anime op u see?

[aprivateplace7]

Right??? Like look at the Nier Automata ost, most of its vocals are in a made up language called Chaos language that doesn't even have a translation! Doesn't stop it from being nothing but bangers.

ngl i think the most ignorant thing you can say about foreign music as an english speaker is that you ‘dont understand the lyrics’ as an excuse to not listen to it.

if you dont like the vocals, fine. if you dont like the instrumentals, fine. if you dont like the beat, fine. those are legit reasons based on your personal taste.

but saying you ‘dont understand the lyrics’ just tells people that you arent willing to expand your horizons beyond your immediate and base understanding.

do you understand every english speaking song? do you understand the meaning behind every english lyric & harmony choice? do you understand every double meaning of an english phrase?

unless you’re the composer, you will never fully ‘understand’ any song, english or not. to remain willfully ignorant of foreign music on that basis is to deprive yourself of the beauty and fun of other cultures, and to stay in your own little bubble where nothing can challenge you and what you ‘understand’.

…it also tells ppl that you’re a lazy fuck who can’t be bothered to do a simple google or youtube search for translated lyrics.

[despiteherself]

what ur favourite ahkj side character says about you:

pancho: you’re a furry

willie: your doctor is giving u free handout of adderall bc ur broke ass couldn’t afford it otherwise

ted: as a child you wanted to be a cowboy when you grew up before you realised you’re scared of horses

horst: you secretly like taylor swift

hector: httyd2 was your least favourite movie of all time and you want people to stop asking you about it

dorothy: you subscribe to men’s magazines and pretend they belong to your boyfriend/husband/male dog

xixi: you know all the lyrics to the pina colada song

dr. s: you are also a furry. are they called scalies if it’s a snake? is that’s what’s going on?

rob mctod: you have an embarrassing crush on your best friend & they WILL definitely think differently about you if you told them

timo: a jock literally gave you a swirly in high school

mary Ann: you have girlboss gaslight gatekeep in modern calligraphy on your living room wall

butterfish: you don’t even bother to crack the window when you’re smoking weed in your work’s bathroom and literally everyone knows what you’re doing in there for like half an hour Jesus Christ man, you’re lucky the manager thinks you’re cute

tammy: you bully children at the playground because you have no life outside of babysitting your nephew and you call it “character building” when the police are called for the fifth time this week

todd: your parents & your kindergarten teacher got you professional mental help because you always painted only in black but it was literally just because that was the only colour left at the end of the day when you remembered that you actually wanted to paint

karl: you get upset that your ninety five year old grandfather doesn’t know what anime is

chauncey: you make vague posts on twitter about how rude it is to reply “kill it with fire” to any non conventional pet because you’re too scared to call people out directly

bruce: you’re trying to get your friends into investing in bitcoin

Trent and whatever the other dolphin is called: ok but seriously no one’s fave is the dolphins

king shark: you need scocophobia tagged

tentacle: you think your posts of rupi kapur poetry and like screencaps from pride and prejudice are high art

hans: you haven’t heard of deodorant

crimson: you have deep worries about the state of the earth, and how everything feels like it’s going to shit but you’re so overwhelmed by the state of all you just sort of do nothing and then like order doordash for the fourth time this week because your vegan boyfriend has cooked tempeh and seaweed for dinner again.

pam: you think anyone agreeing with someone else online and they follow each other is like, a secret cult

king joey: your favourite movie is wallace and gromit

karen: you are married to your childhood sweetheart, have three kids and a nursing degree

masakura: you think phoebe from friends is underrated and won’t stop telling people that

sage moondancer: you think you’re special because butterflies are your favourite animal and give unsolicited commentary about how you think they scream whilst in their pupa and present it like a real scientific fact

koto: idk some trump voter joke. #mmga

the crocodile ambassador: once you found a monogrammed handkerchief whilst op-shopping and you’re convinced it’s got your initials on it but really there’s a clothes moth hole and a weird stitch that doesn’t fit in and you throw a tantrum whenever one of your friends point this out

princess amy: you want your pet japanese spitz to be instafamous and you bully all your friends into liking and sharing all the photos you post

andy fairfax: you tell everyone you meet a different back story because the Heath Ledger joker is your icon and you will get into a fistfight with anyone who liked Joaquin Phoenix’ portrayal better

fred the giant scorpion: no one will watch movies with you because they hate having to explain that not every movie is a documentary

zora: you have a subscription beauty box addition and you won’t admit you need help

uncle king julien: you’re a simp for henry winkler and u know what? i respect that

grandma rose: you see a buff woman and you stan

butterfly queen: you unironically post “just because I’m beautiful doesn’t mean I’m not fierce” posts whilst you’re getting a manipedi and think that’s peak femininsm

prince barty: you think James Bond is a real man

princess julienne: you get mad when people think you “had” a superwholock teaboo phase. you’re still in it, it’s just called a dark academica now >:(

julien the terrible: as a child your friends dared you to eat a millipede and you did it but then they all called you millipede-breath and laughed about it and told everyone, and so you planned a years long revenge plan that you’re still slowly finalising to this day

becca: you have like ten brothers and you have to beat them at literally everything. you punch harder, spit farther, yell louder.

abner: you’re trying out a new clothing style and are disappointed that no ones noticed you look different

magic steve: you get mad when people can’t pick out the 42 ingredients you out into a soup you overpowered with garlic

brodney: you’re that sibling that’s like at least 10 years younger than your siblings so you know you were definitely a mistake and No! Of course it doesn’t affect you in any way! How dare anyone suggests that!

stanislove: you’re obsessed with the space race and goddamn i am SO damn sick of hearing about it

any of the pirates: you’re like 13

maggie the unwashed: you are literally 13 and you think fart jokes is peak humour

pineapple: you are allergic to strawberries and if you hear “oh, like pepper potts?” one more time you will commit murder and that just can’t happen because if you’re arrested then they’ll finally catch you for tax fraud

shrimp cocktail: your meat is huge

watermelon hawking: in your spare time you ponder the inner workings of the universe because you think it makes you seem very smart but the truth is no one literally has any idea what you’re thinking about so it’s not actually doing anything to impress anyone? if you’re gonna be like that why not at least ask fake deep questions to make sure everyone knows you think you’re big brained and you’re sure your name will be in history books.

wickman wilderbeast: once you beat an old lady at arm wrestling and you won’t let anyone forget

[sasukebarmitzvah]

watching every naruto opening and discussing my opinions because im bored liveblog

original

took me a little while to warm up to it idk why maybe because its not as up tempo and its a shonen and i want to get hype but i love it now. love the part where the camera pans around team 7 fighting randos they are babies… also its so funny when sasuke holds out his hand to naruto to help him out of the lake and he jsut fist bumps him. gay boy

Haruka fucking kanata baby!!!!!!!! a fav. like we all know this. i listen to the song just regularly a lot and every time it comes on shuffle im like Oh my god its haruka kanata. read the english translation of the lyrics… sns

this one got stuck in my head for a while lol. i like seeing everyone babie and i like naruto shaking his head at the end to dry off like a dog

DDMnanannaddnnaaaaa naaaaaaaaa nda aaWE ARE FIGHTING DEAMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OOLI OLI OLIOOOOoohh!!!!! very fun very good also a very good time in the show, hello tsunade

**edgy shonen opening where theres something important in front of a chain link fence**

lol skipping 6-9 bc thats the huge chunk of filler which i didnt actually watch most of

shippuden

heros come back is SO GOOD absolutely one of my favs. banger first of all. i love how its actually choreographed and naruto sakura kakashi are like moving to the beat and i love the part where the animation is like pencil sketchy and theyre running and their bodies warp bro its just cool. the part where everyone dramatically reaches for gaara is fun, also love deidaras moment. anyway i shake my ass to this song eveyrday

distance oh god oh fuck. YOU ARE MY FRIEND!!! the sasuke and naruto stuff where they are little baby at the beginning at the end we return to the same place theyre there and like about to stab each other i’m going to scream. i lvoe the song of course. hello sai! i love team 7s little spotlight moments where they get to pose to the music its so cute. why is sasuke snake jesus? DO you remember that long lost DREAM!!!!!!!!!!

BLUE BIRD YA BANGER ok the whole symbolism. when naruto falling next to sasuke rising is positioned like yin and yang lol. when naruto is falling from the sky but then sasuke comes to mind and he springs into action lol. ok random people from the fillers i dont care about. naruto fell in the lake he picks up the bird feather interspersed with a couple shots of sasuke horgh. additional reading: paper bag by fiona apple

closer is one of the ones where im like eh its ok its not my favorite and then it gets to the chorus and my dumb ass is jsut screaming YOU KNOW THE CLOSER YOU GET TO SMETHING THE TOUGHTER IT IS TO REACHIT. the funniest part where narutos moping and thinking of sasuke and then he just perks up and smiles at the camera like. gay boy. like getting to see the asuma fight scenes in this op, also it was so funny seeing him get all the screentime in this op knowing hes about to die like yeah very subtle

SHA LA LA!!!! LOVE IT i love it i love it soooo much first of all banger second of all naruto looking into the water and his reflection is sasuke. lollllll. metaphor m-e-t-a-p-h-o-r the little prechorus bit in the middle gives me chills. love sasuke walking into the purple pool like a smug motherfucker thats my boy. at the end zooming into sasukes pupil zoom out it’s narutos eye oh the poetry..

signs another one of the ones where im like eh whatever its fine but not my fav but by the chorus i am standing on the table freaking out. like fuck jiraiya but this one got me a lil. the lighting and choreography of the sasuke itachi fight bit is sooooo nice and pretty, love getting to see all the new players in the story. baby ame orphans fading to the shot of yahiko as pain.. :(

this one literally makes me cry. i get chills what the fuck. definitely one of my favs. am i a bitch? maybe. i like the song by itself but like the way the rise/general shape of the melody flows with the visuals its like oh god oh fuck. again fuck jiraiya but like the role his character serves as a link between these disparate groups of people and the way thats used in this opening… how it starts and ends with him writing and this is the arc where naruto reads tales of a gutsy ninja and he learns about how he got his name and jiraiya wrote the book and hes WRITING and im going CRAZY!! i’m starting to tear up watching it rn. the shot of konan and the pains in that moment just before they leap forward. Sayonaaaaaaara aa lksasldfkwpoeifjhnuerIELFeuiertekdjsnlfweiourbg kakashis moment is cool in this op. also love to see the girls getting fight scenes in this op cus they sure dont in the actual show LOL anyway yeah im at the part where the melodys just hitting sooo different oh my god naruto frog eyes

DIVERRRRRRR. FAV literally like naruto is drowning. hes drowning and everyone is pushing him up so he can breathe again everyone is fighting to save him and thnen he s ouf ot the water and then he sees sasuke drowning and he JUMPS BACK IN. FOR ONE PERSON EVEN THOUGH ALL THESE OTHER PEOLE were working to help him out he dives back in for SASUKE whos drowning in the eyehole of obitos mask which is cool. ok yeah this is another one where im like tearing up because THe cymbal is em….. the way The movement of the visuals is choreographed with the song is so much. nico TOUCHED the fucking walls.

this one kinda annoys me i dont know why it just wasnt my favorite. love the sasuke and naruto staring at each other intensely moment though, would this be a shippuden opening without that. also the part at the end where sakura holds up her kunai and it like slashes and covers sasuke and naruto… inch resting…

newsongs so weird i love it. like what the hell is going on. why is naruto running like hes from some weird gmod video from 2013. love the LITERAL choreography, everyone dancing to the song like this is a musical. theres just a lot of weird moments which is fun. love sai naruto and sakura making the seal together to shoot lightning. raikage leaping gracefully across the beach

i do not enjoy this one. i just dont. it just feels like we’re bootlicking which of course we are because this is the war arc and everything is a nightmare

i remember seeing the first episode with this opening and i was excited bc its like… great another naruto pining for sasuke one this is what im here for. a light banger. minato manlet monday. ohh right this was the one where gaara sees his dad again and his OH I SEE SASUKEE

Banger! nico did indeed touch the walls again. i like that this one is like visually thematically consistent thru the whole thing, i like the nighttime dimly lit atmosphere with the bursts of brighter colorful lighting, also whenever i see tsunade i freak out. narutos cute at the end

SUCH A BANGER!!! also very cool visual style, appreciate it for that like the last one, its got that pretty consistent aesthetic with the red sky and the high contrast black blocking its fun and cool to watch. did i mention the song is a bit of a banger. obito passing thru the rock is cool too bad hes an idiot

ok from this one there were two lines i remember always seeing in the english sub that made me freak out. and one of them was like “this red hot love burning my heart” and it was over kakashi and obito fighting like damn OK. also the “i put the candle out with my finger” thing sticks in my head idk why. hate that we have the narutos big meaty claws i mean manly hands moment though. omg its hashirama and madara and then it CUTS TO SASUKE AND NARUTO IN THE SAME POSE LOL OK…

SILHOUETTE IS a banger… not as much so as some of the others but its a lot of fun. very colorful op, we got some naruto pining for sasuke, classic. also love the thing where ppl are running and they age as they do and they sort of grow into their present selves, a fun visual bit. the end where narutos like obito be nice now look at all these people behind me who think youre a meanie please be nice :(((((((((

another one with a really good visual principle ugh i love how the style of the show is integrated w the styles of more traditional printmaking its very swexy and nice to look at

LINE uugrgh i love this one, maybe a fav… naruto chasing after the light and sasuke trying so hard to snuff it out as they both reflect on their memories of each other oh god oh fuck… also i love the bits where it just has all the characters in a row like it reminds me of that one post about how in the endgame trailer they had a shot of all the female characters together to be like Girl power!! and someone was like yeah thats them showing u exactly how many women theyre going to disrespect LMAO but yeah i do love this op. also the song itself being slower w/ the triplet tempo is a nice change of pace

blood circulator hee hee… the version of this with naruto and sasuke moments is A Lot but even just the generic first version is fun. the part where narutos like knocked on his face hes sinking into the tar and hes not even trying to save himself hes just staring at sasuke, but then he sees sasuke distressed and he goes bijuu mode immediately like What did u say about my mans? there is some homoeroticism

i really hate everything about this i hate it all. sasuke is cute. thats it. ok first of all why did choji cut his hair his long hair look was so gooooooood. hinata bimboification? i mean if anything it was fun to watch these fillers just cus it was fun to watch kakashi be the hokage but really goofy and also the Crumbs tossed to the kakairus… but yeah i hate everything temari got bimbofied too like ugh please let her be a dyke :( this isnt even me talking necessarily about the opening this is me just being like i hate the naruto ending. LOL SASUKE AND NARUTOS NO HOMO BRO HIGH FIVE AT THE END LOLLLLL

ok im done

[blondtan]

biker!got7

PART TWO (a.u)

SEE PART ONE HERE

or’: in which dumb7 like to think they’re the new local gang and should be considered badass just because they got a bunch of bikes off ebay that were on sale and now they pretend to take beatdown requests. tip: don’t trust maknae line to be on their own. 

warnings: mentions of bars/paid violence/gangs, vulgar language, lots of crack actually 

○  | see more of my aus here |  ○ 

youngjae: 

• signature items: dentist voucher card 2 at the price of 1 for teeth whitening                              + smiley face fake earring 

• cutest biker you’ll ever meet w a smile so pure that u start to feel bad for that time you forgot to give a pencil back in 3rd grade that is the youngjae effect© • he lets little kids around the neighborhood  put cute stickers and flowers on his motorcycle and it’s the cutest thing he gets so happy when he sees a new lilly on the handle he actually has a flower chain all over the front and everyone envies him • and no the background sound you just heard wasn’t jackson screaming that little kids won’t come near him as they cling onto yj’s leg nope (that cursed honda...,,) • everyone loves him like this is certified u exist u love youngjae these are the rules but grannies are especially in love w him  • once said a bad word and the whole group panicked and put youngjae into quarantine bc they thought they were losing him to ~the plague~ • he goes to buy them bread every morning and delivers them w his bike and then in the afternoon they race each other yj with his motorcycle and the grannies w their scooters except poor so rin whose husband always goes to afternoon ‘strolls’ w it so he takes her on the back of his bike and ends up losing bc of that like 99% of the time  • sunday night it’s break from fight night bc he goes to play bingo with them and takes the rest of got7 and they are the most excited whenever someone yells bingo even tho it’s not their boy (tip: youngjae has no idea about bingo to this day) •  met the grannies at the dentist as he was getting his teeth whitened and they bonded over weird mumblings and random swallows and trying to communicate while having multiple people’s hands in their mouths at the same time and he just can’t let them go  • now he may look innocent & pure but listen up ok,,,,listen here,,,,,,,,,,he rly is •  except maybe that one time when he bumped into a stranger and didn’t apologize and jesus fucking christ it haunted him for weeks like he would decline when offered lucky charms bc he failed his #code and g o d so he’s not worthy of receiving happiness • he’s supposed to be the one who beats people up but he’s the poodle and the only infernal thing is other gangs’ desire to protect this flower man • wears fluffy socks bc he gets cold feet easily • every time a member is sad said member wakes up with a stuffed bear wearing a leather jacket next to him in bed but “no one” knows who puts them there cause stuffy’s mama didn’t raise a snitch

bambam: 

• signature items:  puppy photos to appease the gods                              + shea butter hand cream 

• the whole city knows him like they hear the word ‘bam’ and this guy pops into their heads 5 mins later the streets are deserted • cue in confused baby bam coming up the street on his bike like ‘:( where is everyone i wanted to show them my new pastel pink mickey mouse socks i bet jihyo would’ve liked them’ so he just takes polaroids of them and puts them in everyone’s mailbox as tokens of his affection • has sometimes troubles with parking his motorcycle bc he can’t rlly hold it perfectly always to park it and yugyeom just jumps out of the bushes like ‘here i come to halp worry not my small noodle man’ • the first one to reject jaebum’s “infernal poodles” idea • ”hyung do you want us to be the laughingstock of the neighborhood we can’t name ourselves infernal poodles that’s so 3rd grade let’s go for malevolent west highland white terriers” - triggered bam 2k17 while holding his pinky up bc he has #class “don’t encourage him u nuthead”

• you’d think he would stop dabbing at some point but nope he’s a professional dabber born&raised™ nearly crashed his yamaha into jackson once while dabbing and the poor guy has never been the same     • like really he would literally get his collection of gold holy crosses out and start spewing latin exorcism chants whenever dumb bam raised his hands • once dabbed in a rly shabby bar bc the beat was lit and punched this shawn michaels wannabe in the face and started a bloody (literally) fight which ended up w/ yug dragging everyone to the hospital bc he was the only one who hadn’t fought (bless his tiny bladder) • PAW patrol enthusiast made everyone dress up as the characters during halloween (he nearly passed out after channeling his inner tarzan to fight mark bc i aM GONNA BE SKYE U PIECE OF PUP POOP-) then forced them to sing the op whilst searching for roaming ghosts bc he also wanted to be ray from ghostbusters (but like ~cooler~ and on a bike)       • sneak master from bangkok hides in the shadows to take aesthetic pics of these rly hipster looking guys (like, living in the sewerage bc we don’t believe in homes hipster) smoking bc he may be soft and squishy but his insta theme is #edgyweedaddictbiker even tho he freaks out whenever someone says ‘mary’ • wanted to decorate his bike w/ some rly cute & rly glittery & not badass at all baby animals stickers but jaebum caught him and confiscated them and now bambam goes all (๑´╹‸╹`๑) whenever they’re alone in a room

• (”but hyung, they fit our aesthetic!!!” 

“how in the heavens do a bunch of black kittens represent us”

“...they mean bad luck??”) =>> jaeshook needed like 10 mins and an ear pull from jinyoung to compose himself  •  has noticed that jb lets youngjae have stickers on his motorcycle bc ‘the kids put it there’ so he tries that too but jaebum is like ‘oh yea and please tell me where do this kids find yellow glittery stickers with baby camels on them’  ‘it’s mustard goddammit hyung’)

• he’s the sacrificial lamb whenever the guys wanna get in a fight like rly they might lowkey want him to get beaten so that he’ll become T O U G H • and all he can do is stand in front of these big&buffed up men like ‘pls don’t hurt the child i can do the cooks they call me bambam bc my maple syrup pancakes are yumyum’ • insert housewife!bambam making muscly man breakfast for those big ass guys resulting in them being all friends!!amigos!!comrades!!! who are in love with bambam • bambam receiving black roses (bc red roses are for pussies) every 2 weeks from the dudes in return!!!! (also guess what’s the sole reason why nobody messes with his gang) •  always pretends that he hadn’t noticed that his instagram captions are my chemical romance lyrics added by jaebum,,, but,, he knows,, •  and now he might have welcome to the black parade saved to his phone but what jb doesn’t know won’t hurt him 

yugyeom: 

• signature items: fur turtlenecks                             +  XL skinny jeans ( the xl stands for extra leggy) • wears heavy clothes so he thinks they make him look shorter (but rly they just turn him into this cheap & memey version of slenderman bc he just can’t get the tentacle part right) • the neighborhood kids start crying whenever they see him on his bike and yj has to spend like 5 hours trying to calm them down and then 5 more to console  • but rly he’s just an overgrown puppy in need of love and when he doesn’t receive enough he just wraps his arms and legs around someone like ‘hi it me the friendly octopus may our love prevail and may you never escape our - not gay at all what are you talking about we’re bros, bro - embrace~’ • he would write these super poetic poems about love & adoration and all that mushy mushy fluffy shit and then read them to the others (insert: distressed members trying to keep at least their sexuality straight bc they sure as hell can’t do that with their bikes) but then he adds ‘bro’ at the end and the magic dissipates and everyone is reminded that they keep him around just bc he looks rly ominous in the dark + he’s tall so he keeps other gangs away •  goes home complaining to his hyungs about him just lightly pushing a bad guy to set him off and then said guy punched him in the face and he feels extremely wronged • ‘yeah i started it but he didn’t have to hit me so hard’ • usually complains at the dinner table and uses the kitchen utensils in his hand gestures and knocks some plates down and that is where he really catches those hands from mark and jinyoung • the members sometimes call him daddy long legs so at night he pretends he’s the babadook and hides in their closets just to mess with them bc he can • and after he startles them he’s like ‘why did you -hyung stop screaming it’s just me- why did you think it was ok to put the cereal on the bottom shelf you know i never notice things that are below my arms’ ((lmao he never gets an answer bc jackson always faints)) • at first he didn’t want to join the gang because that meant buying a motorcycle and he couldn’t do that bc when he was 13 his parents bought him this rly snazzy™ bike for his bday - a few months later and he couldn’t use it anymore bc he’s grown out of it and he’s been scarred ever since so now he thinks that bikes make him grow taller & he fears that one day he might crush his smol friends while stepping on them • ok but like grannies love him tho bc he’s lean, strong & can carry things =>> he’s like perfect grandson material and when he’s not around they can’t stop gushing about him and yj is on the verge of crying every time bc this is so beautiful this is what he lives for and he sometimes records them and plays the recording when he’s sad and can’t sleep • has troubles with talking back to his hyungs and sometimes gets smacked without deserving it bc jb think’s he’s being sarcastic but that’s just his voice give the boy a break • during the winters he wears this weird ass fur coat that jb got him from the same dealer and he puts it on w a serious expression before the fights and acts like he’s jon snow and sometimes does it during jy’s negociations too but always gets the references wrong and told the barman during closing time that he shall not pass ((someone save him.mp3))

[uncrcow]

Q: Why does everyone know the chicken dance?

A:

Seriously. Everyone seem to know “The Chicken Dance” (well almost everyone). From little kids to the elderly (and maybe even Beyoncé?) everyone knows the steps to this (cringe-inducing) dance step. It even has its own special day. It’s been a favorite at kids parties, high school dances and, apparently, weddings for many years. But where did it come from and why is it, presumably, here to stay? Well honestly, the answer can be found by looking at popular music.

History of Chicken Dance

It seems strange now to think of the accordion music accompanying your dance floor flapping as pop music, but that’s exactly what it is. And while everyone might know how to do the chicken dance, I bet you would be hard pressed to find many people who could accurately name the song title.

Everyone’s favorite polka melody was originally called “Der Ententanz,” which is translated as “The Duck Dance.” It was written by Swiss musician, Werner Thomas in the mid-1950s. There are conflicting reports on how the song got its name. Thomas might have developed it from his time watching over ducks and geese or he got the name because he thought skiers looked like ducks as they glided down the hill. However he came up with the name, two things are certain: first, this song was meant to be danced to and second, it has always had an avian theme.

“The Duck Dance” was well received in Germany in the 60s and in the 70s, it became a hit in a number of other European countries. The name of the song though began to change depending on who was playing it. It was called “Bird Dance,” “Little Bird Dance” and “Tchip Tchip” among others. De Electronica has a synthesized cover of the song in 1980 that was extremely popular in Denmark and they helped popularize the duck dance to go along with the music (although it looks a little different).

Around this same time a record producer, Stanley Mills, thought of introducing the song in the United States. “The Birdie Song” by the Tweets was a hit in the UK so he thought it would be a good bet, but he didn’t see a lot of success early on. Mills called his version “Dance, Little Bird” and it was released in the early 1980s. It started to pick up steam in the Midwest and it is also at this time that it became associated with chickens. It may be apocryphal, but the first known chicken-connection comes from an Oktoberfest in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1981. They knew it was called “The Duck Dance” but they couldn’t find a duck costume. However, they had a chicken costume available that was donated by a local TV station and “The Chicken Dance” was born. Mills didn’t even know the song had been transformed into a chicken themed romp until much later, but by the year 2000 it was making him around $50,000 a year. Overall, there have been over 340 official recorded versions of “The Chicken Dance” and it has been on over 40 million records sold.

Chicken Dance Psychology

You are probably asking yourself right now, “Why? Why is it so popular?” Well, psychology might have a few clues. There’s not been any studies about why “The Chicken Dance” is popular, but there has been a lot of work done on why songs become hits. A recent study found that songs with more repetitive lyrics are more likely to be successful. Well “The Chicken Dance” doesn’t really have lyrics (at least any lyrics that anyone knows), but also it kind of does have lyrics. Those “da-da-da-dum” sounds run through my head whenever I think about “The Chicken Dance” and they are really easy to learn and impossible to forget. Another factor is that liking music is a social activity. We like the popular music we do because we like to fit in with what other people like, regardless of quality. Researchers have experimentally tested this phenomenon and they also saw that the more popular a song is the more likely others would be to like it. Finally, there is a concept in psychology called the mere-exposure effect. This is the idea that the more we are exposed to a stimulus, the more we will like it because it is familiar to us.

Putting all this together then, imagine hearing “The Chicken Dance” for the first time. Everyone is dancing and having a good time, so you learn to like the dance because it you want to be part of the group. It is also repetitive enough that it is super easy to learn. Then you start to hear it at every sporting event and birthday party and you start to actually look forward to showing off your hot chicken moves. There is a downside to all this though. If we are exposed to something too much we do begin to like it less. So while everyone knows “The Chicken Dance” it also makes sense why many people groan at the sound of it.

PS. Best chicken dances ever!

Resources

Birdie Song Lyrics. (n.d). Retrieved from https://genius.com/The-tweets-birdie-song-lyrics

Buhlinger, L. (2016, September 27). Tulsa’s Biggest Party Oct. 20-23. Tulsa Lifestyle. Retrieved from http://www.tulsalifestylepubs.com/2016/09/27/wunderbar-oktoberfest-tulsa/

Carey, B. (2006, February 9). The Science of Hit Songs. LiveScience. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/7016-science-hit-songs.html

Carnaval en Feestmuziek. (2015, January 23). De Electronica´s - De vogeltjesdans (1980) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q26NF7KfaSU

Chicken Dance Day – 14th May 2017. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/chicken-dance-day/

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. (2010, January 7). Four Kids Chicken Dance [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NEjjq2BW54

Colman, A. M. (2016). Mere Exposure Effect. A Dictionary of Psychology (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved from www.oxfordreference.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/view/10.1093/acref/9780199657681.001.0001/acref-9780199657681-e-4992?rskey=k6wMWi&result=1

Crisp, R. J., Hutter, R. R. C., and Young, B. (2009). When mere exposure leads to less liking: The incremental threat effect in intergroup contexts. British Journal of Psychology, 100, 133–149. doi:10.1348/000712608X318635.

Ententanz. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.phantomranch.net/folkdanc/dances/ententan.htm

Kleinhout, T. (2015, June 6). Beyoncé doing the Chicken Dance - Beyoncé Always On Beat! [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuPolWVxzYQ

Lewis, T. (2009, December 2). Arrested Development Chicken Dance Montage [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APWXorE6h8U

Mancini, M. (2016, November 28). A Brief History of the Chicken Dance. Mental Floss. Retrieved from  http://mentalfloss.com/article/89007/brief-history-chicken-dance

Nunes, J.C, Ordanini, A., and Valsesia, F. (2015). The power of repetition: repetitive lyrics in a song increase processing fluency and drive market success. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25(2), 187-199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.12.004.

Packer, T. (2012, July 30). Old ladies chicken dance [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYCvggT_7O

ShizDiz DJ - Columbus Wedding & Event DJ's. (2013, July 2). How to Do the Chicken Dance Song Step by Step With Music for Children & Adults [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XJxycc-ops

The Chicken Dance (A.K.A. Dance Little Bird) Lyrics. (n.d). Retrieved from https://genius.com/Bob-kames-and-the-happy-organ-the-chicken-dance-aka-dance-little-bird-lyrics

The Ententanz. (2015, January 1). News.ch. Retrieved from https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.news.ch/Der%2BEntentanz/649092/detail.htm&prev=searc

The Old World. (n.d.). History of the Chicken Dance and Oktoberfest. Retrieved from http://www.oldworld.ws/chickenhistory.html

TheEllenShow. (2016, September 16). 'You Must Say' with Seth Rogen and Carrie Underwood [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg_PDIWn3Oo

TheFeministBride. (2015, March 10). The Chicken Dance Conspiracy Theory: Why America’s Classic Wedding Dance Disappeared [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://thefeministbride.com/chickendanceatweddings/

Wooley, B. (2000). Mythic Texas: Essays on the State and Its People. Republic of Texas Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=jXX9AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA150&dq=tchip-tchip+chicken+dance+song&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwit-Ie_g7bQAhUB7iYKHUdNC2QQ6AEIJTAC#v=onepage&q=tchip-tchip%20chicken%20dance%20song&f=false

Image Resources

Bayerischer Rundfunk animated GIF. (n.d.). Digital Image. GIPHY. Retrieved from http://giphy.com/gifs/br-munich-oktoberfest-wiesn-3o7TKsD5sJObtqhgze

Chicken. Chickenchickenchicken. (n.d.). Digital Image. Gyfcat. Retrieved fromhttp://fat.gfycat.com/PolishedInsistentCassowary.gif

Fandor Animated GIF. (n.d.). Digital Image. GIPHY. Retrieved from http://giphy.com/gifs/fandor-movie-scene-film-stroszek-3oEdv5jk7miq98Jv0c

Written by Adam Griggs