21 years ago, on November 13th, 1999 - Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5 peaked at number 3 on the Billboard charts.
Lou Bega isn’t from Cuba, despite finding musical success with a mambo, adopting a full stereotypical “Latin lover” persona, and dressing like he’s either going to or coming from a Havana mojito bar. His real name is David Lubega, and he was born in Germany to an Italian mother and Ugandan father. He found the inspiration for Mambo No. 5 after he spent a bit of time living in Miami.
Now, none of this is to say he can’t make a mambo nor that Mambo No. 5 is tainted. It’s an addictive song. It still guarantees anyone named Monica regularly hears people say they need a little bit of her in their life (not to mention Ritas, Sandras, Jessicas, and the rest getting their own tailored results). But it does mean Mambo No. 5 is less authentic than The Macarena or Who Let the Dogs Out? Welp. Pretty much.
Also on November 13th: Aladdin hit theaters (1992)… The Lisa on Ice episode of The Simpsons aired on FOX (1994)… I Still Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters (1998)… Len’s Steal My Sunshine peaked at number 9 and BG’s Bling Bling peaked at number 36 (1999)
November 14th
29 years ago, on November 14th, 1991 - Michael Jackson’s video for Black or White premiered on FOX after an episode of The Simpsons.
In 1991, it was hard to find two pop cultural forces more powerful than Michael Jackson or The Simpsons — and the two cyclones would collide more than once in 1991. The first was in an episode of The Simpsons in September of 1991 which featured a guest role from Michael Jackson playing a Michael Jackson impersonator (the role was uncredited, for some odd contractual reasons and because nothing with Jackson was ever simple, so he was only identified as “John Jay Smith”). The second collaboration came two months later, here in the form of the music video premiere for the first single off Jackson’s highly-anticipated new album.
The 11-minute video premiered on FOX after an episode of The Simpsons (season 3’s soap box derby episode, for those curious) and included an animated Simpsons clip at the end where Bart was watching the video and Homer told him to turn it off. (See the lousy screenshot above.) The video also featured Macaulay Culkin, lots of cutting-edge-at-the-time morphing effects, and an extended Jackson dance scene featuring significant crotch grabbing. The last part in particular was ill-received; Simpsons watching was a family event, Jackson’s crotch grabbing obsession was not.
However, that trade-off was most likely worth it to both Jackson and The Simpsons — as both felt like a bigger deal and somehow even more relevant pop culture entities through their association.
Also on November 14th: Hoosiers hit theaters (1986)… the single from the TV show The Heights, How Do You Talk to an Angel, hit number one (1992)… Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s single One Sweet Day was released (1995)… the series finale aired of Ren and Stimpy (1996)… the series finales aired of Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain (1998)
November 15th
30 years ago, on November 15th, 1990 - Milli Vanilla admitted to lip syncing all their songs.
I was a Milli Vanilli fan. I got their album at an extended family gift exchange in 1989 and, being quite young and only owning a few other non-kiddie albums at the time (the Cocktail soundtrack and New Kids on the Block’s Hangin’ Tough most notably), I immediately decided Milli Vanilli was the height of cool. I wore out that tape listening to it over and over in my clock radio’s tape player. (Now I have to go down a rabbit hole to find a picture of that clock radio.) (Found it, as pictured.) (Note to self: Buy vintage clock radio with tape player on eBay.)
I don’t remember feeling devastated when Milli Vanilli revealed how the sausage was made on this day in November of 1990. Plus, I’d already moved on to even *cooler* music, like Vanilla Ice’s To the Extreme and MC Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em; pre-teens are capricious that way. I still have fond feelings toward the songs my Milli Vanilli album and, still now, don’t fully comprehend why it was such an enormous deal they were lip syncing. They certainly aren’t the only musical act ever to use stand-ins for singers — weren’t the first, weren’t the last.
The scandal had tragic effects, with Milli Vanilli becoming a permanent punchline and one of the two guys, Rob, eventually turning to drugs and dying in an accidental overdose. The other, Fab, has continued to bounce around at least the fringes of the music industry, occasionally releasing singles using his own voice.
Also on November 15th: Devo’s Whip It peaked at number 14 (1980)… Cape Fear and Beauty and the Beast hit theaters (1991)… Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera joined the Mickey Mouse Club (1993)… TLC’s album CrazySexyCool was released (1994)… Space Jam and The English Patient hit theaters (1996)
November 16th
30 years ago, on November 16th, 1990 - Home Alone hit theaters.
Home Alone was the perfect movie for the kids of the era. Kidnapping was the fear of ‘80s kids, and with it came a healthy fear of strangers. Home Alone was almost a wish fulfillment movie as a result — a children’s equivalent of Taken — with one little kid outsmarting and physically decimating two frightening strangers. And with Macaulay Culkin, one of the best casting finds of all time, as that little kid, Home Alone was destined for the success it inevitably attained.
Also on November 16th: Rocky V hit theaters (1990)… Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting released their single All for Love (1993)… the SNL skit Delicious Dish debuted (1996)
November 17th
25 years ago, on November 17th, 1995 - GoldenEye hit theaters.
GoldenEye is a rare case where a video game based on a movie outperformed the movie; even here, with a James Bond movie. Much like how Bo Jackson’s Tecmo Bowl legacy is more enduring than his sports legacy, GoldenEye the movie retains less of a hold in the zeitgeist than the Nintendo 64 spinoff.
GoldenEye the movie marked the debut of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond after a long franchise hiatus. The movie itself basically merged into traffic with the glut of action films of the mid ‘90s (although it received some critical acclaim). It did, however, serve a key role in keeping the pulse beating in the Bond franchise when it could’ve come to an end. That being said, GoldenEye is still widely known as a video game first, a movie second.
Also on November 17th: The Little Mermaid hit theaters (1989)… The Bodyguard soundtrack was released (1992)… The American President hit theaters (1995)… the Rodney Dangerfield episode of The Simpsons premiered (1996)… the All Saints single Never Ever was released (1997)
November 18th
37 years ago, on November 18th, 1983 - A Christmas Story hit theaters.
There’s an irony to the nostalgic appeal of A Christmas Story — appeal which seems to grow every year — as the movie was the antithesis of nostalgia. As much as it had sentimentality and holiday charm baked in, the narrator in A Christmas Story has less-than-fond memories (or, at least, not rose-tinted memories) of everything he described in the story — including Santa Claus himself.
That baked in cynicism may’ve hurt the movie in its time. It’s possible early ‘80s families weren’t ready to pop the It’s a Wonderful Life bubble just yet; A Christmas Story was not a major box office success and really only got on the road to becoming a seminal holiday movie when Turner acquired its rights and, in the late ‘90s, started playing it on a 24-hour Christmas loop.
Today, it’s hard to imagine anyone (of any religious denomination) not checking in on that loop at some point on December 25th.
Also, because as a Cleveland native I’m contractually obligated to say this: Did you know did you know did you know A Christmas Story was filmed in Cleveland?
Also on November 18th: Joe Theismann’s leg was gruesomely broken during a game (1985)… Voltron aired its series finale (1985)… The Land Before Time hit theaters (1988)… C&C Music Factory’s single Gonna Make You Sweat was released (1990)… the Contest episode of Seinfeld was released (1992)
November 19th
21 years ago, on November 19th, 1999 - The first person won the full $1 million on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? was a TV sensation in the late ‘90s, as network prime time TV was in the early stages of its shift from a full reliance on scripted programming to leaning heavily on reality TV and game shows.
The first run of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? aired every night for two weeks in the summer of 1999. Its runaway success led to a second two-week event, this time during November sweeps. However, the show had a problem. For as much as people seemed to enjoy the drama, there’s only so long Americans will wait to get to the apocryphal fireworks factory. The show needed to actually give away $1 million.
That day came during the second run, in November, when a decently competent player received a series of questions that seemed far too elementary for the show (but were just tough enough to provide plausible deniability). John Carpenter ripped through the questions, never even needing a lifeline or vamping with one of the signature Millionaire verbalized inner turmoil debates; in fact, he only used a lifeline on the final question to theatrically call his dad to tell him he was about to win the million dollars.
Even Carpenter’s reaction to winning was more muted than expected; at some point, he realized he was hitting softballs, not knuckle curves.
Carpenter’s win buoyed the second run of Millionaire, keeping it so popular that ABC had no choice but to continue running it — and did so, straight into the ground. Deep fatigue set in, and the show would disappear to syndication in 2002.
Also on November 19th: The U.S. secured its first World Cup berth since 1950 (1989)… the Divinyls single I Touch Myself was released (1990)… the Simpsons episode Mr. Plow premiered (1992)… Dr. Dre’s single Nuthin’ But a G Thang was released (1992)… Addams Family Values hit theaters (1993)… No Doubt’s single Spiderwebs was released (1995)… Toy Story 2 hit theaters (1999)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
Strictly Come Dancing, which is the British name of (and original) Dancing with the Stars, featured an uncanny valley-affronting Simpsons-inspired performance.
