Throwback Thursday: Whale and Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe (1993)

Here in North America, we heard from Stockholm’s Whale exactly one time: 1993’s super-shouty anthem, Hobo Humpin’ Slobo Babe. It was a top ten hit in certain places in Europe, got some MTV play, and was a hit regionally on North American alt-rock stations.

What is this? A little Chili Pepper, a little Bjork, a touch of Beastie Boys, and some cute orthodonture work provided by vocalist Cia Berg. What’s a “slobo babe?” No idea. The band said, :We’re the crappiest lyric writers in the world. We don’t pretend to understand anything about it. But people have been getting too clever in this business. So we’ll just be stupid.”

The video, shot by acclaimed director Mark Pellington, was made for about $500 and won an MTV Europe Video Award. Talk about good ROI, huh?

Tell me you won’t be shouting the chorus for the rest of the day. I dare you.

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