Fun facts I learned on my drive this morning

1)  There is a “musical” group called LMFAO.

2)  They are responsible for that horrid “I work out” song, of which I have heard occasional snippets over the past few months.  Its real name seems to be “I’m Sexy and I Know It,” rampant inanity being an irresistible aphrodisiac amongst kids these days.

2a)  That song features lyrics about tanning one’s buttocks at the beach.

3)  That song has topped Billboard’s ringtone chart.

3a)  Apparently Billboard is now charting ringtones.  (I advise you to keep your eyes peeled for horsemen in the sky.)

4)  The above are sufficiently newsworthy to justify coverage of the song on “Morning Edition.”

5)  I would rather listen to an endlessly repeating loop of two angry cats in a sack than ten seconds of “I’m Sexy and I Know It,” and I will curse the memory of Alexander Graham Bell every time I hear that ringtone.

Russell Saunders

Russell Saunders is the ridiculously flimsy pseudonym of a pediatrician in New England. He has a husband, three sons, daughter, cat and dog, though not in that order. He enjoys reading, running and cooking. He can be contacted at blindeddoc using his Gmail account. Twitter types can follow him @russellsaunder1.

24 Comments

  1. How are you just finding out about this group? You work with kids and I assume you aren’t spending your free time in a cave.

    • ???

      I do, indeed, work with children. I have an adorable moppet of my own, through whom I am exposed to the glories of NickJr. I listen to a local radio station that plays a selection of new and old hits (Grace Potter, Gotye, etc.) that gives me some familiarity with a certain kind of current music. But since most Top 40 songs these days make me envy the deaf, I don’t listen to the stations that play treats like “I’m Sexy and I Know It.”

      I suppose I could start asking my adolescent patients what they’re listening to these days, but somehow I think doing so would merely underline my being out of touch. On the rare occasions the subject of music comes up, I prefer to jokingly acknowledge that I have no idea what Kids These Days are listening to and/or express amazement when a patient wears, say, a Pearl Jam t-shirt.

      • I think you should be the kind of doctor that is “with it” and “relates” to his teenage patients. I think you should use whatever street slang that it is your understanding that kids use these days when treating them. (“Take these antibiotics twice daily and your uniranry tract will be the schizzle, Katelynne!”)

        Then you should videotape it and post it.

        • Great suggestion, Tod!

          If it helps, Doc, I know I would be very sure to disseminate such a video as far as wide as possible in order to increase the general awareness of the relative hip/freshness of your practice.

  2. I’ve never heard of it. But musically speaking, I’ve lived in a cave since 1993.

    3a is why you have been, are, and always will be my bestest bestie. (autocorrect changed “bestie” to “beastie,” and I was sorely tempted to leave it that way).

    • Only you truly appreciate what I mean when I ask “What the hell is wrong with everyone?”

      I think we should agree now to have that as our shared epitaph.

    • The thing to realize about that song (not clear until you see the video), is that it’s deeply ironic. None of the members of LMFAO (one of whom is, and I am not kidding, Berry Gordy’s grandson — yes, that Barry Gordy) are conventionally attractive, but the entire video pretends that they’re some kind of super-achieving cross between Brad Pitt and any given Olympic gymnast.

      My favorite creation that would not exist without this song is I’m Elmo and I Know It, which is a brilliant parody.

      None of this is to say you have to enjoy the song, just that it became a little less unpalatable to me personally when I realized it was making fun of all the uber-prevalent I AM THE MAAAAN WHO GETZ THA CHIIIIIIX dance anthems out there.

    • I also had up until now been blissfully ignorant of this abomination.

      So thanks for that.

  3. knowledge can be a terrible, terrible thing.

    it’s also a good argument to avoid the radio at all costs.


  4. If you’re sexy and you know it [censored] your [censored]
    If you’re sexy and you know it [censored] your [censored]
    If you’re sexy and you know it
    Then your [censored] will [censored] [censored]
    If you’re sexy and you know it [censored] your [censored]

      • I was going to ask (because I sure as heck don’t intend to listen to it) how this LMFAO song could possibly hold a candle to its obvious-to-me inspiration, the unparallelled genius of Right Said Fred’s ‘I’m Too Sexy’.

        But I think I’ll just sing Mike’s version in my head, which of course substitutes long and loud ‘BLEEPs’ for [censored].

  5. The above are sufficiently newsworthy to justify coverage of the song on “Morning Edition.”

    This turned the post from a funny cute one into one that fills me with bile.

      • I adore NPR. It helps get me through the day. Breathless reports on European opinions on the Middle East sooth my savage breast.

        It’s when they start discussing LMFAO (on any show other than Saturday) that my head explodes. THESE ARE MY TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!

          • “Don’t listen to music like my brother.”

          • npr is a curious beast when it comes to music. half the time they’re tapping hepcat surface bubbles and the other half they’re asking their 12 year old niece for advice.

  6. Is this a bad time to point out how much I adore that song?

  7. This is why I really don’t leave the house except to go to work or the grocery store.

  8. I knew all those things. And I’m straight. Are we bizarro versions of each other?

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