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![Video thumbnail — Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe (Official Music Video) [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mOYZaiDZ7BM/maxresdefault.jpg)
A Swedish Eurodance group took an American folk tune older than the Civil War, bolted a banjo and a fiddle onto a techno beat, and produced the song that still triggers a stampede at every school dance, skating rink and wedding reception. "Cotton Eye Joe" hit number one in at least 11 countries — and its producer has since admitted the group knew almost nothing about the culture it was dressing up as.
A seven-note riff that sounds exactly like a bass — played by a band with no bassist. "Seven Nation Army" peaked at #76 on the Hot 100, then quietly conquered every stadium on earth. Millions chant it at games today without knowing they're singing The White Stripes.
The paradoxical summer of 2000 phenomenon: it peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 yet became completely inescapable at every stadium, school bus, and kids' movie imaginable.