ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "I Melt with You" by Modern English 

HE GOT A SPONSOR HE'S A BIG DEAL NOW. KEEP CALM PEOPLE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL

Never thought I'd hear the words "Nick Cage" and "teen idol" used in the same sentence. I always kind of imagined he was born in his early 30's.

Nick Cage is one of those people who feels like he’s just... always been some indistinct middle age? I can’t imagine him as a baby. You’re showing me footage of him Baywatch style emerging from the ocean while young girls croon about how hot he is and I just can’t absorb it. He’s middle aged and he always had been.

This song just skipped One Hit Wonder and went straight to being part of the Cultural Zeitgeist.

7:37 “God what a hunk!” *Enter Nic Cage Running like a newborn giraffe* “Look at those pecs!”

Modern English: Not to be confused with their first band, Old English; or their second band, Middle English.

I remember Bowling For Soup did a surprisingly good kidzbop cover for the hero movie Sky High. Key moments include "being friends with you was never second best" and a bitchin' kazoo solo.

I literally cant believe he is getting sponsored.

This song is quite literally "if I had to spend my last moments with anyone, it would be you" I used to think it was like "I would save the world for you", but honestly the darker outcome is somehow even more romantic.

So in the end, my girlfriend became my arch nemesis. My arch nemesis became my best friend. And my best friend became my girlfriend.

Girls: wow! What a hunk! Nick Cage: *awkwardly lopes up a sand dune*

I like how both Nick Cave and Nic Cage get mentioned in this video.

Not gonna lie: I only knew this song from a Bowling For Soup cover in Disney's Skyhigh and a Hershey's commercial.

This might be the most shocking One Hit Wonderland he's ever done. On every level. There is nothing about this band's history that makes any goddamned sense, and I love it.

Cage was actually originally credited in Valley Girl as "Nicky Coppola", but they changed that when they released it on VHS.

Really wish Todd would’ve thrown in a “Broken English” joke with one of there break ups

Funny story: the sound designer for the I Melt With You movie was a professor at my college. As I remember, he didn't think very highly of the film either, but he was proud of some of the work he did on the audio, and would use examples from it in his Basic Sound class. I don't know the extent, if any, to which he was involved with that version of the song, however.

Melt with You: Song about dying in a nuclear holocaust. Ad execs: What a perfect way to sell things featuring cheese or chocolate, cuz they melt.

Exactly how long does an artist have to go without a second hit to officially be called a one-hit wonder? Because I think the clock's run out on Gotye. Yeah, Gotye, remember him? Remember that "Somebody I Used to Know" song that was the biggest thing in the world? That was almost TEN YEARS AGO.

The guitar riff that continues through the whole song really drives the song to its epiphany.

I also just realized that there's a Beatles reference in this. "You've seen the difference and *it's getting better all the time.*"

Contrary to popular belief, "thing good" content is actually better than "thing bad". "Thing flawed but has many bright spots" is top tier.

For some reason as a teenager I thought this one hit wonder and the other apparently one hit wonder “Our House in the Middle of a Street” were the same band.

I have to admit, "Pushing forward using all my breath" is one of the most wonderful ways to describe sexual intercourse in a song. It can be misconstrued, so subtle.

I remember Valley Girl and a being in love with Nick Cage and yes, he was a heart throb for a little while. At least for us new wave chicks who used to go to David Lynch movies. Lol.

Is anybody else proud that Todd is getting sponsored? Get your bag king

This song is so ubiquitous I can’t imagine it not being a massive hit. Side note, Todd doing an 80s new wave song that is absolutely everywhere made by people that had absolutely no other commercial success feels so right.

Given that we're facing a slow end via global warming, I'd say "I melt with you" has only become _MORE_ appropriate now.

I’m going to have this song play at my wedding, I swear. An intense love song which sounds upbeat but has a barely-concealed undercurrent of apocalyptic existential dread is a song practically made for me.

Hearing Nicholas Cage being called a hunk hit me like a train.

This song for me is forever associated with Sky High.

People ask me "Todd how do I become a RU-vidr?" And I tell them "Don't do that, God it's awful!"

I accidentally ran into a free concert Modern English was doing while on a walk with a friend in downtown LA where I was living at the time. We stuck around for kicks and I ended up with a few new favorite songs.

All jokes aside, I'm glad Todd is getting sponsorship deals. I've seen this guy from back when he was connected with Channel Awesome, so to see him on his own and making it makes me so happy. Godspeed, Mr. In The Shadows.

_"...so, if you've worn out Wonderwall and want to learn a second song..."_ There ARE random times that, as a guitar player, I'm super glad to be Gen-X.

Todd finally selling out, and to an education platform no less! Shameful. Now innocent viewers will be tricked into learning...

Forget "It's The End of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", THIS is the best apocalypse song in the history of popular music. The jangly guitars, the slight melancholy of the melody, the way Robbie Grey sings with aching sincerity in the chorus- I cannot say enough good things about it

There was nothing creepier to me than when this song was used in a Hershey's chocolate commercial with parents and kids. Friggin' Folgers territory.

Todd is doing an 80s new wave song again. nature is healing

Basically, ‘Pompeii’ but a different indie rock band.

This song presents a different definition of "hopeless romantic." "Trapped in a state of imaginary grace, I made a pilgrimage to save this human race never comprehending that the race has long gone by." It's from that intersection of youth, where blind enthusiastic optimism has met real disillusionment that no, giving the world a Coke won't solve geopolitics, the situation is permanently shithouse and we're all going to die in the most violent way possible. Of course, you usually cross that intersection of youth with a companion in young love, which is both stupid and intense enough to make "let's die in a fire together" seem like a genuinely good idea.

And with that, Todd has covered every single one of my dad’s favorite New Wave songs

This song is like that final scene in the movie Pompeii when they both were vaporized by the pyroclastic surge.

I actually saw this band live... and they played "I melt with you" twice.

Woke up, middle of the night. Sorry sleep, this is important. I’ll stop my schedule and melt with Todd

I've heard this song in like six movies, so how was this not a hit?

I'm 30 and I've heard this song on the radio like all my life. How did it not hit the top 40? That's insane

These videos can leave one feeling a little sad. It reminds me of a job I had when I was younger. My boss was in a band back in the 80’s that almost got signed to a major label. They released just one album and some singles on an indie label. And they were pop as fuck. I mean that in a good way. He must have been 19 and was crafting these fucking punky-pop gems with a sort of latin vibe like you wouldn’t believe. When he told me he was in a band, I just politely shrugged it off, but then when another coworker told me “they were huge locally” and lent me a CD and I realized, “Oh shit. He was in a real REAL band! And he was the main songwriter and lead guitar”. The music was seriously as good as anything on the pop charts at the time. But then their manager screwed over their chances with a major label and the singer quit acrimoniously (they were all just fresh out of high school and had been friends since childhood). One time I caught him looking at an old poster of his band’s female lead singer with this sad look like “ we were so young, the world was ours”. It was heartbreaking.

This song was in heavy rotation on MTV without having much airplay elsewhere. There were many songs like that in the early MTV days.

Did not really expect Dead Can Dance or This Mortal Coil to ever get a shoutout in one of Todd's videos...nice.

The montage to this song in Valley Girl may very well be one of the best music videos of all time.

I was unaware Nic Cage was a teen idol. That is just. Hilarious in retrospect.

This song is tied with the Cure's Pictures Of You for best use of 2 chords in a song.

For the suggestion list, I would like to nominate: Kiss Me - Sixpence None The Richer California - Phantom Planet This Beat Goes On/Switching to Glide - The Kings The Boys of Summer - The Ataris Connection - Elastica Here & Now - Letters To Cleo The Middle - Jimmy Eats World Send me an angel - Real Life Naked Eye - Luscious Jackson Breakfast at Tiffany’s - Deep Blue Something Popular - Nada Surf In the Meantime - Spacehog

This is my parents “song”. They have it as each other’s ring tone. It’s very sweet. And for me, it evokes feelings of nostalgia and safety. Also yeah, my parents are still together, they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last year. (I’m 33, for the record). And this song is just something that is inherently linked with that feeling of sweetness and safety that I associate with growing up with the parents that I had. They’re pretty awesome, and have a huge amount to do with my taste in music. Mum was the one to introduce me to metal (with Fast as a Shark by Accept), and Dad got me into classic rock (which is still my favourite genre), as well as more folky stuff like Don McLean (and more than just the one song) and Redgum- an Aussie political folk band. It’s kinda funny that this is their song, given neither of them were particularly into New Wave- they were all about rock. But I guess when a song is this romantic, it doesn’t matter what genre it’s from.

Holy shit y’all, I mainly associated this song with a commercial I didn’t like until the reveal about “melt” being literal, I think it’s one of my favorite songs now

I actually buy the nuclear bomb analogy...I mean, the name of the song is “MELT with you”.

10:27 - 420 Warheads - noice And yeah, I came of age during the thick of this. '80s pop culture was chock-full of it - we were all certain the mushroom clouds were going to start popping up at any time. Of course now the apocalypse is both more real, and less immediately terrifying because it's occurring over a longer timeline - not a bang, but a whimper. But let's not forget, those nukes are still there - the Sword of Damocles is still hanging over us and the thread isn't getting any stronger. Have nice day! :-)

I'm from England, I'm shocked this wasn't a hit over here. It's amazing. Reminds me a bit of Bodys by Car Seat Headrest.

Early Modern English sound like they could’ve recorded the music to Silent Hill, Jesus.

Hey, don’t wanna sound too weird or anything but you are one of the main RU-vidrs I watch, So needless to say I’ve been a long time watcher, I think it’s just really great entertaining content with insightfulness about music, Please don’t feel weird about going with sponsorships, I’m really glad you can afford to eat in these times haha, Stay safe out there

IMWY was the classic example of an "MTV hit." Even at the time people were unclear why it wasn't doing better on the pop chart.

Look, man, I’m an 80’s kid (graduated from high school in 1985) and there are only a couple songs out there that define the decade for me: this song, “don’t you forget about me,” “let’s dance” by Bowie. And a few more. Just damn classic bangers that are near flawless. Also, my kids love, love, LOVE this song. Of course they do… they’re smart.

Putting this out here now for my fellow nerds, this song ALWAYS makes me think of The End Of Evangelion when everyone turns to LCL

Sponsors! We have sponsorship!!

Seriously kids today do not appreciate just how much we were convinced the world was going to end in the 80s to nuclear apocalypse.

"Making love to you was never second best" is such a great line. The whole song is great.

I recently discovered Mesh and Lace and it is one of the best post punk albums I've heard in a while. Definitely worth listening to.

I just love listening to Todd talks about music he loves. He's so passionate about it.

This song has been on radio CONSTANTLY for most of Forty Years...Every city has at least one or two Adult Contemporary station (or Soft Rock) and this song likely has never been off of the playlist; it’s also VERY WELL SUNG!

One of the things I adore about this song is the very prominent, strummy, acoustic rhythm guitar smack dab in the middle of this synth-pop staple. It just doesn't get any better than that. I was very surprised to learn that it didn't chart any better than it did. It feels like it was such a part of my late high school and early college days.

Someone please mash up this song with Bastille's "Pompeii" so we can get a nice bit of aftermath music.

This song became the blue print for every song you cry to in pubs in Australia for the whole till the 2000s - looking at you Powderfinger

By the way, Todd... I'm still waiting on the LEN - Steal my sunshine episode.

10:25 420 warheads sounds like a THC infused hard candy.

HOW DID YOU GET A DECADE INTO THIS BEFORE DOING THIS SONG?!

Todd’s demonstration of the song’s chord progression is stuck in my head

I find it interesting how so many of these bands don’t start as pop bands

It has been a while since we've had some 80s new wave synthy goodness!

I stop the world when I see a One Hit Wonderland in my YT feed.

Why does the Fred Durst clip feel so cursed...

For a split second, I was upset that it wasn't "No Rain", then I was very happy. This song IS the 80s for me. It ranks up there with I Ran as not only the best OHW, but one of the best songs of the decade.

It’s not just one of the best one hit wonders of the 80’s, it’s one of the top 5 best songs of the 80’s. Seriously perfect.

I remember Bowling For Soup did a rendition of this song back in the mid 2000's. That was how I was first introduced to it.

For years I've been wondering when Todd was going to get around to covering this song. Glad he finally got it out of the way. Next he should cover "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora.

bro i was literally just talking about this song with a friend because we were comparing it and “dancing with myself” to the song “bad decisions” by the strokes. good job on the sponsor todd!!!

I unfortunately watched the movie I Melt With You and had the same miserable experience, Todd. Jesus, that movie is a depressing slog of joyless nostalgia.

This is the content that keeps youtube usable

2 minutes in... "best new wave song"... LIKE This song is a goddamn masterpiece

"Wait....It's all melting?!!" a l w a y s h a s b e e n

the Dead Can Dance clip you chose was REALLY mean, most DCD stuff is pretty pristine-sounding and ethereal. I ain't mad tho, nice to hear you talking about my goth bands.

I'm always fascinated by the "did they deserve better" question. Most of the time, it's a close call; 55-45 either way. This time, it's a 100-0 Yes. Should be one of those bands that pumps out good music for year after year.

80s doomers wrote the best bops

It’s funny I did just watch I melt with you recently, he’s not exaggerating it’s god awful

RU-vid was suggesting this to me like 10 minutes early. I have been refreshing for a bit now. ha ha

I Melt With You was my second ever favorite song ( the first was Somebody That I Used To Know) it feels so good to learn more about this song’s history. It’s also funny to see that my other favorite song by Modern English, After the Snow, isn’t on their Spotify playlist. Might have to add Ink and Paper to that list now.

Holy crap that sudden clip of “Mesh and Lace” literally freaked out my cat who was otherwise sleeping peacefully. Thanks a lot Modern English, I hope your avant-garde sensibilities were worth it: you made a cat upset.

“I’ll stop the world and melt with you You see the difference and it’s getting better all the time There’s nothing you and I won’t do I’ll stop the world and melt with you.” Great song.

Todd's ad read comes across like he loathes every word of it and doesn't really want to do it except he's being paid to. Perhaps counterintuitively, this approach has actually got me to pay attention to the ad. Huh.

I literally watched “The Day After” a few days ago...that movie was a gut-punch. All I felt was dread. I was born in 1985 so I caught the tail end of the Cold War, but it’s only been by talking to my older brothers that “yeah, we basically lived under a cloud of possible nuclear annihilation for 10 years” that songs like “I Melt With You” actually resonated outside of just a cool 80s pop tune.