Monday September 27, 2021 “Mmm mmm mmm mmm” Crash Test Dummies
I have it in my mind that most, no all of the song of the dayers take their music seriously. Of course this is rock & roll and it doesn’t always take itself seriously so this week we are going to get into some real rock & roll ‘nonsense’.
And what better place to start than with a nonsense title like “Mmm mmm mmm mmm” by a group called Crash Test Dummies. Big stars in their native Canada for years, the Crash Test Dummies would not achieve even cult status outside of Canada until their 1993 album God Shuffled His Feet produced by former Talking Head Jerry Harrison.
The first single from that record, today’s song of the day, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm," became a worldwide top ten hit, and the Crash Test Dummies a minor sensation with their self-consciously bizarre lyrics but mostly due to singer/songwriter Brad Roberts' deep baritone.
In 2000, Roberts was nearly killed in a car accident, but escaped with a broken arm before his car exploded. The band, active since 1988 was already named after those devices used to test the effects of car accidents on humans. The Crash Test Dummies once toured with Alanis Morissette, do you think she might have considered that ironic.
As a result of this song, The Crash Test Dummies were nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 1994, even though they formed in the late '80s and released their first album in 1991. They lost to Sheryl Crow.
Stay safe and well...my only comment on this piece of nonsense is “mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm” in my best baritone.