On the Wednesday before thanksgiving, Netflix dropped Tim Burton’s take on America’s creepiest and kookiest family with his series Wednesday. Since then, the show’s star, Jenna Ortega, has been raking in rave reviews for her performance. Specifically, the internet is still buzzing about a certain dance sequence in the show. However, plenty of Gen X viewers will already be familiar with the unexpected song choice.
‘Wednesday’ Revives ‘Goo Goo Muck’ By The Cramps
If The Cramps is a band name you haven’t heard in a while, you’re not alone. However, Tim Burton’s new Netflix series Wednesday has suddenly brought one of the band’s most popular singles back into people’s homes all across the country. It seems like the show could be setting up for another Stranger Things-Kate Bush “Running Up That Hill” scenario as a new generation is discovering a song Gen X has enjoyed for decades.
That song is “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps. In the show’s fourth episode, Wednesday Addams performs a delightfully odd dance sequence to the tune of the 1981 cult classic song.
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Since then, young fans of the series have been sharing clips from the scene like wildfire, meaning it’s been decades since this many people were listening to “Goo Goo Muck.” According to Billboard, the song went from averaging 2,500 daily listens on Spotify to reaching 134,000 daily streams. Much like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” there’s a good chance that the song’s 21st-century revival could surpass the popularity of its original run.
‘Goo Goo Muck’ Was Released In 1981
The song was released as the second track of The Cramps’ album Psychedelic Jungle and slowly became a major hit in underground music circles. However, while The Cramps made the song popular, they actually didn’t write it themselves. Instead, it was a cover of the 1962 song “Goo Goo Muck” by Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads. So, similar to Cyndi Lauper’s cover of Robert Hazard’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “Goo Goo Muck” is a cover that has overshadowed its original recording.
The song choice was certainly an exciting surprise for Gen X viewers. While it’s tempting to start declaring to anyone who will listen that “I knew ‘Goo Goo Muck’ before it was popular,” (and you should totally still do that, by the way) both Wednesday and Stranger Things have proven that music truly does transcend generations.