2018 / Meme / Official music video and remix-era meme
Smash Mouth’s “All Star” Meme Resurgence
A 1999 pop hit returned as a meme-culture staple through hundreds and thousands of increasingly strange All Star variations.
The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.
What was this?
The song’s instantly recognizable opening and Shrek-era associations made it easy to place in remixes, mashups, abrupt edits, and deliberately excessive variations.
Why it spread
In 2018, NPR reported that hundreds and thousands of All Star variants had made the song a meme-culture staple, with the band aware of its continuing afterlife.
What happened
The song’s instantly recognizable opening and Shrek-era associations made it easy to place in remixes, mashups, abrupt edits, and deliberately excessive variations.
Where it came from
Smash Mouth released “All Star” in 1999; its official music video identifies itself as the band’s official video. By 2018, the song had a documented meme resurgence.
Why it mattered
All Star shows how a familiar song can become shared remix material long after its original release, with the 2018 resurgence distinct from the song’s 1999 debut.
How it spread
In 2018, NPR reported that hundreds and thousands of All Star variants had made the song a meme-culture staple, with the band aware of its continuing afterlife.
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