Video: My Chemical Romance's "Na Na Na" Is Indebted to These Ten Songs
Categories: Useless Lists, Video
My Chemical Romance's "Na Na Na" is the best sort of trend-hopping piece of art. Not only does the video run with the "karaoke as story line" concept that Cee-Lo's "Fuck You" used so successfully but the song itself follows the successful lineage of using a semiannoying but undeniable syllable instead of bothering with real words. From MCR's upcoming Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, file this track under "Stadium Anthem the Offspring Will Never Have but Still Awfully Similar to This Hot Hot Heat Track."
Below, watch "Na Na Na," and listen to a gathering of ten songs that paved the way for this one.
My Chemical Romance's "Na Na Na"
And now, the precursors:
10. Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head": Technically, the song below has umpteen "las" -- but for the purists, there's a bit of "na-ing" in "Come Into My World." Regardless, the infectiousness here is twofold, lyrically and melodically.
9. Beck's "E-Pro": He has remarked that his was the song that his son Cosimo likes best.
8. M.I.A.'s "Boyz": Back before Maya was annoying for every other reason on the planet, it was earworms like this one that got us simultaneously riled and reverent.
7. J. Geils Band's "Centerfold": Whether whistled or sung, this chorus can never be unheard.
6. The Beatles' "Hey Jude": Only the Beatles could tack on a coda so relentless that it could render the rest of the song almost useless.
5. The Kaiser Chiefs' "Na Na Na Na Naa": For those who remember this English band -- Franz Ferdinand coined the sound first, but just barely -- if you didn't already have about 20 other melodic lines bouncing through your head, this one might be worth another listen.
4. Pink's "So What": Imagine Pink sitting around with her cowriters saying, "How can I write the biggest song of my career while royally dissing my estranged husband at the same time?"
3. Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye": Major League Baseball's favorite song to bid a pitcher adieu.
2-1. Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." and "Man in the Mirror": No big surprise that the King of Pop has two of the best examples of the "na," both used sparingly but memorably.
Below, watch "Na Na Na," and listen to a gathering of ten songs that paved the way for this one.
My Chemical Romance's "Na Na Na"
And now, the precursors:
10. Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head": Technically, the song below has umpteen "las" -- but for the purists, there's a bit of "na-ing" in "Come Into My World." Regardless, the infectiousness here is twofold, lyrically and melodically.
9. Beck's "E-Pro": He has remarked that his was the song that his son Cosimo likes best.
8. M.I.A.'s "Boyz": Back before Maya was annoying for every other reason on the planet, it was earworms like this one that got us simultaneously riled and reverent.
7. J. Geils Band's "Centerfold": Whether whistled or sung, this chorus can never be unheard.
6. The Beatles' "Hey Jude": Only the Beatles could tack on a coda so relentless that it could render the rest of the song almost useless.
5. The Kaiser Chiefs' "Na Na Na Na Naa": For those who remember this English band -- Franz Ferdinand coined the sound first, but just barely -- if you didn't already have about 20 other melodic lines bouncing through your head, this one might be worth another listen.
4. Pink's "So What": Imagine Pink sitting around with her cowriters saying, "How can I write the biggest song of my career while royally dissing my estranged husband at the same time?"
3. Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye": Major League Baseball's favorite song to bid a pitcher adieu.
2-1. Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." and "Man in the Mirror": No big surprise that the King of Pop has two of the best examples of the "na," both used sparingly but memorably.
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