The Fox – Over 217,517,128 Million Views?
Once a generation maybe, pressures for change combine with forces for a better, fresher future, and a generational musical event like “The Fox” happens. That vision satisfies better than an image of a stodgy, smoke filled back room of cigar aficionados deciding who the next music “superstars” are going to be. Or the possibility that such viral events are simply whims of chance; fate taking hold of an otherwise uninteresting career. Whatever the actual case, once in a blue moon some strange brew of creative energy triggers a formidable collection of rag-tag artists to combine their talents to launch, then catapult into stardom, a new musical product. The entertainment industry has been doing this for more years than JellyBelly has flavors of Jellybeans.
Where my grandparents had Enrico Caruso, my parents Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey, my sisters and I had Beatles, Monkeys, Hermits followed by a whole parade of Zepplins, Creams, Tulls, on and on and etc. Many carefully crafted musical entertainment creations were orchestrated and choreographed to draw the maxim exposure to sell the most records possible. Such is my generations musical history. Such also is the history behind “The Fox.”
The one thing history teaches us from the music business is you can learn from viewing the rear view mirror, but if you want to join with the latest pack, you lead by taking a chance and being different. It sure helps being a incredibly talented as the Brothers Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker, comedy/cabaret duo (they are often referred to as the Norwegian version of Lonely Island) who makeup the duo Ylvis. Catchy name, eh? Remind you of anyone else? Not to take anything at all away from this excellent collective effort, the name association is deliberate, as is much of what these two master performers, marketers and their handlers have orchestrated. The Fox is a classic example of artists getting together for work, and just having fun.
Ylvis has racked up numerous awards in their native Norway, but it wasn’t until their video for the hyper-surreal, dancefloor-ready ear candy “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)” went viral that they became an international sensation, especially in the United States where the song is so popular it was even adapted by the Ohio University Marching Band for a halftime performance.
How popular is The Fox? Only published on September 2, 2013, the Fox has garnered 217,517,128 YouTube views, and has already topped the iTunes music charts where The Fox currently sits at #17 as I write this, down from number five just a month ago. The Fox is ℗ Concorde TV AS and 45th & 3rd Music LLC 2013 under exclusive license to Parlophone Music Norway, a Warner Music Group Company. So the boys with the bucks are driving this train, and you better believe they are going to promote The Fox for all it is worth. And rightly so, The Fox is one hell of a creative adventure!
With that in perspective, if you have been hiding out in a rural corner of the world, and haven’t seen it yet, here is the original “Official” HD Youtube version of The Fox:
A close examination of the YouTube Channel reveals other Ylvis productions that while not 217 million views “HOT” are certainly no dogs. A good example is the following piece with a paltry 11,125,708 views last count. Never doubt the star making potential of the music industry giants. They may not be the force they once were, but they are far from done creating sweet musical success that rings the cash register.
Oh, and just in case you wonder what the Fox really says? Check out the following video beginning at 0:30.
Other Red Fox Fast Facts
- Type:
- Mammal
- Diet:
- Omnivore
- Average life span in the wild:
- 2 to 4 years
- Size:
- Head and body, 18 to 33.75 in (46 to 86 cm); Tail, 12 to 21.75 in (30.5 to 55.5 cm)
- Weight:
- 6.5 to 24 lbs (3 to 11 kg)
- Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
Music by: S.Bull/L.Devik/H.Vaaland/V.Ylvisåker/B.Y
Lyrics by V.Ylvisåker/B.Ylvisåker/C.Løchstøer
Produced by Lars Devik, Hallvard Vaaland & Ylvis
Directed by Ole Martin Hafsmo
Link til soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hallvardvaaland
