Some are downright classics, while others remain one-hit-wonders, but all are unquestionably memorable—and yes, undeniably strange. From quirky rock masterpieces like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" to dance-fueled Latin fads like Los del Río's "Macarena," here are 18 truly weird songs that managed to hit the No. 1 spot on global music charts.
18 Weird Songs That Went To No. 1
It's arguably the greatest stadium anthem of all time, but that doesn't change the fact that "Bohemian Rhapsody"—the Freddie Mercury-penned lead single from Queen's 1975 studio album A Night at the Opera—is an odd little ditty. Well actually, not that little! Clocking in at six minutes long—with the number crescendoing from an introspective ballad to a bombastic headbanger—is littered with references of everyone from Galileo to Beelzebub.
He continued: "I just said it either goes out in its entirety or not at all. So it was a big risk, it was either going to be a big flop because nobody would play it or something would happen—and luckily, it became a major hit."
2. 'My Ding-a-Ling' by Chuck Berry
Despite having such classic hits as "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" in his repertoire, guitar legend Chuck Berry actually had one Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single over his career and for a seriously surprising tune: "My Ding-a-Ling."
Some radio hits weren't even made for radio to begin with and that's the case when it comes to Jan Hammer's opening-credits tune for the popular 1980s TV series Miami Vice. The NBC crime drama starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as a fashionable pair of Florida detectives.
Related: 1971 Timeless Classic, Named One of the ‘Best TV Theme Songs,’ Never Made It To No. 1
4. 'Dominique' by The Singing Nun
In addition to French and English, Deckers recorded versions in Dutch, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese—making the song both a commercial success (it was a top-selling record in 11 countries)—and a critical triumph (the song won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording in 1964).
The goofy dance track ("I'm too sexy for my shirt / Too sexy for my shirt / So sexy it hurts") reached No. 1 for two consecutive weeks in the U.S. and topped the charts in 32 countries. Decades later, the brazen bop was sampled by pop queen Taylor Swiftin one of her own No. 1 songs—2017's “Look What You Made Me Do.”
6. 'Gangnam Style' by PSY
In the summer of 2012, you simply couldn't Gangnam-gallop away from "Gangnam Style," the K-pop behemoth from South Korean singer PSY off the performer's sixth studio album, Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1.
Movie fans know Baz Luhrmann as the maximalist, music-loving filmmaker behind such big-screen spectacles as William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby and Elvis. But back in the late '90s, the Aussie multi-hyphenate was also a chart-topping music star, thanks to his 1998 hit "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)."
Related: Elvis Presley Stage Show in Development, Baz Luhrmann Confirms
8. 'Batdance' by Prince
"There are what presumably are cut-ups of dialogue from the film, mad laughter and some demented screaming," Mike Soutar wrote for Smash Hits of the chaotic, sample-laden song. Despite its unusual nature, it managed to reach No. 1 in the United States and was Prince's first number-one hit since "Kiss" three years prior.
Translating to "It's Hard to Be a Baby," the dance-pop song humorously recounts the hardships of being a toddler ("Keep seated, I disagree! / Don’t touch that, I disagree! / Don’t go there, I disagree! ...It’s so hard to be a baby"). The first single from the pint-sized performer's debut album Pochette Surprise achieved global success, reaching No. 1 in Belgium, Italy, Hong Kong, Spain, Greece, Mexico and its native France, where it spent a then-record-breaking 15 weeks at the top of the charts.
10. 'Axel F' by Crazy Frog
The original track—a synth-heavy electro instrumental by German musician Harold Faltermeyer—doesn't feature lyrics, but the Crazy Frog version does. So do your best to sing along to "Ring ding ding daa baa / Baa aramba baa bom baa barooumba."
There are plenty of songs by famed Austrian composer and musical virtuoso Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart but far fewer about him. Consider Falco's 1985 hit "Rock Me Amadeus" as a notable exception. The synth-pop novelty track chronicles Mozart's life and career, from his birth in Salzburg to his first piano concerto to his marriage to Constanze Weber.
12. 'Disco Duck' by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots
The disco era of the 1970s and early 1980s produced many bizarre songs—and "Disco Duck" by Memphis-based disc jockey Rick Dees was certainly one of them.
Related: 1977 Hit Ranked ‘Best Disco Song of All Time’ Was the Artist’s Debut Song
The band's gonzo hit was originally intended for an animated series that was never produced. However, lead singer Chuck Negron still believed it would be a memorable single for the group. “I knew that [‘Jeremiah was a bullfrog’] was going to be in everyone’s head,” he said during an interview on the Professor of Rock podcast. “It was just too bizarre.”
14. 'Star Wars (Main Title)' by Meco
Meco's groovy cover "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list for two weeks, beginning on October 1, 1977, and was later certified Platinum. Williams' original musical theme also popped up concurrently alongside the cover in the chart's top 10 rankings.
The "Mr. Custer" in question is General George Armstrong Custer, a cavalry commander in the American Civil War. In this satirical 1960 march song from novelty act Larry Verne, the lyrics center on a cowardly Confederate soldier pleading with Custer ahead of the Battle of the Little Bighorn to let him stay behind and not join in the fight against the Sioux. ("Hey, Mr. Custer, please don't make me go / I had a dream last night about the comin' fight / Somebody yelled 'Attack!' / And there I stood with an arrow in my back.")
16. 'A Whole New World' by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
It's not all that strange for a Disney movie ballad to make it to the Billboard charts. We're talking animated film classics like Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (The Lion King), Phil Collins' "You'll Be in My Heart" (Tarzan), Vanessa Williams' "Colors of the Wind" (Pocahontas) and the like. But it is rare for one to top the list: "A Whole New World"—the Aladdinpop duet crooned by R&B icons Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle—did just that when it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a week in March 1993.
Related: Disney Is Releasing 3 Iconic Songs in American Sign Language—Including ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’
That sensation clearly manifested on a major scale in December 2000 with "Can We Fix It?" The cheerful theme song from the British children's animated series Bob the Builder topped the radio charts for three weeks and became the United Kingdom's No. 1 single of the Christmas season. (In a truly odd-couple pairing, it beat out the Eminemrap classic "Stan" for the title of the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.)
18. 'Macarena' by Los del Río
Coupled with an equally ridiculous and repetitive dance craze, Los del Río's "Macarena" was one of the most inescapable one-hit wonders of the 1990s. The Bayside Boys' remix of the Spanish pop song went on to become one of the longest-running No. 1 Billboard hits of all time. It spent 14 weeks at the top spot and a whopping 60 weeks in the top 100 in the U.S. and was a smash hit all over the world.
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