Kevin Parker, ABC Music respond to The Wiggles’ Hottest 100 win
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker was quick to heap his blessing on The Wiggles’ 2021 triple j Hottest 100 win with a cover of ‘Elephant’.
It was the first time since the countdown began in 1993 that a cover took the top spot.
It performed better than Impala’s original which peaked at #7 in 2012.
“Congratulations to The Wiggles on their first number one in the Triple J Hottest 100,” Parker wrote. “So proud and honoured they chose my song to cover. They truly made it their own.
“The Wiggles mashing up a Tame Impala song and ‘Fruit Salad’ is something I never thought I’d hear in my lifetime.”
Triple j’s music director Nick Findlay suggested the track’s appeal was that it offered Australian comfort amid the challenges of the ongoing pandemic.
“In a year where many of us were wishing we could go back in time, The Wiggles’ heart-warming, nostalgia-filled cover of ‘Elephant’ was a gift that was sorely needed, even if we didn’t know it at the time,” he said.
The win sets up the next album by The Wiggles, who last year were named as the third-most streamed local artist on Spotify in Australia.
ABC Music’s head of music and events, Natalie Waller relayed, “When we came up with the concept for this forthcoming record, none of us envisaged it kicking off with such a massive impact via the Like A Version cover of ‘Elephant’.
“It’s not often in this business that you get to be part of something so special.
“My heartfelt congratulations to The Wiggles – and thanks to Kevin Parker for an amazing song!”
The Wiggles follow up ‘Elephant’ with the January 28 interpretation of Lime Cordiale and Idris Elba’s ‘Apple Crumble’. The original reached #14 on the Hottest 100.
Wiggles’ new era
The two tracks come from the March 11-due double album ReWiggled.
It includes the original and current lineups join forces with other acts.
Side One sees Spacey Jane, DZ Deathrays, The Chats, Stella Donnelly, San Cisco, Emily Wurramara, Polish Club, Dami Im, Donny Benet, Emma Donovan and The Putbacks, Custard, Melbourne Ska Orchestra and Luca Brasi take on Wiggles songs as ‘Hot Potato’, ‘Say the Dance, Do the Dance’ and ‘Red Car’.
Side Two features the act reinterpret AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, James Brown’s ‘Get on the Good Foot’, The Rolling Stones’ ‘She’s A Rainbow’, Melanie’s ‘Brand New Key’, The Chats’ ‘Pub Feed’ and Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’, among others.
The current and original lineups hit the road together next month with two tours – The Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour and the OG Tour for over 15’s.
The Wiggles commented that when they were first approached to appear on Like A Version, they were immediately struck with ‘Elephant’.
“It was a totally different experience to singing our usual songs like ‘Fruit Salad Yummy Yummy!’
“We’ve had so many people coming up to us telling us how much they love the song, and we’re so happy that it resonated with so many people.
“(We) can’t believe we made it into the top 10, let alone the top spot! It’s an incredible start to the year!”
12 number-crunching from the 2021 Hottest 100
* More than 2.5 million votes were submitted.
* 25 artists made their Hottest 100 debut.
* There were five Aussies in the Top 10: The Kid Laroi, Spacey Jane, Gang of Youths and Rufus Du Sol.
* 8 songs in the countdown were uploaded to triple j Unearthed last year.
* There were 102 f-bombs across the countdown – “as many as the last two countdowns combined”, the broadcaster relayed.
* The Kid Laroi, at #2 with ‘Stay’, was the highest place First Nations act in the Hottest 100’s history.
The previous high was Thelma Plum at #9 in 2019 with ‘Better In Blak’.
* Three other Like A Version placings were Spacey Jane at #30 with ‘Here Comes The Sun’, Ocean Alley at #54 with ‘Breathe/Comfortably Numb/Money’ and Tame Impala at #66 with ‘A Girl Like You’.
* August provided the most amount of entries.
* 3 artists joined the 15-Songs-Or-Over Club across all Hottest 100 annual countdowns.
* Multiple placings in the 2021 list included Olivia Rodrigo (5), Doja Cat (5), and Spacey Jane, Lil Nas X and Rufus Du Sol (3).
* Put aside a song about an elephant on the totem post, but six acts were named after animals.
They were Doja Cat, Glass Animals, Tame Impala, Dune Rats, King Stingray and The Wombats.