Daft Punk has a musical identity that's easy to incorporate into other parts of pop culture. Maybe it's the robot costumes. It may have become part of the ultimate pop culture reference however when its album Random Access Memories was remixed with "Everybody to The Limit (Come On Fhqwhgads)" from HomestarRunner.com.
The website was the home of the title character and a slew of cult animated characters, including the renowned Strong Bad e-mail series. Strong Bad was a short, Mexican wrestling mask wearing character, noted for his bullying and being able to type with boxing gloves on. He was also the source for most of the site's musical moments, including the hit featured in the Daft Punk remix ("Fhqwhgads" was the seemingly mistyped name of one of the fans e-mailing Strong Bad).
The experiment in place here is fairly straightforward: Strong Bad repeats his lines from "Come On Fhqwhgads" over-and-over as a 54:26 mix of Random Access Memories plays in the background. And it all flows. The creator allows the original vocals to come back at some points-Pharrell Williams enters at about 26:00 with the hook from "Get Lucky" if you want to skip ahead-but Strong Bad handles most of the vocal work.
This project got us thinking about who'd we like to see handle new versions of Strong Bad's other best songs.
1) "Trogdor" with Children of Bodom
This idea isn't totally outset the realm of possibility, as dozens of metal bands already play "Trogdor" as a live cover. Bodom is known for its melodic death covers of oddball songs, and vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho has both the shrieking and shredding abilities required for such a cover.
2) "The Cheat Is Not Dead" with John Legend
Strong Bad penned this ballad after having a fallout with his Pikachu-shaped buddy The Cheat. It opens with a mellow, R&B lament from the performer, ending in a handclap-bolstered crescendo. Legend could bring a new level of emotion and really elevate the track.
3) "Song About Sibbie" with A$AP Rocky
Strong Bad becomes irritated when fan Sibbie asks him to write a song about them. He incidentally creates a rhythmic hook during his rant, which The Cheat sets to a keyboard beat. The single becomes a national hit, driving Strong Bad to madness. We imagine Rocky performing the song as a diss track to the title character, delivering the line "I will never ever ever ever ever write a song about the Sibbie" with the same cold demeanor presented in his current single "In Distress."
