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ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter

🕑 Added 2025-02-28 23:52:39 +0000 UTC

Comments

Crimson Nova

Once again, Todd makes a prequel trilogy joke that makes me crack up. But yeah, this is one of those songs that was played all the time, but when it was finally reviewed on this show, I was like, “What song was that again?” That a song can be played over and over without really leaving much of an impact typically doesn’t speak well for its longevity.

Alt0id

I don't know if I would call it a Trainwreckords worthy album. Maybe Before I Self-Destruct, which was a really bad album and had 50 quit rapping, but Curtis was more just him starting to phone it in plus the Kanye battle

Salvatore Sultana

50 Cent Curtis - Trainwreckords

Adam F

Good thing that he did, and that James Blunts label said no to You're Pitiful. Otherwise we never would have gotten White And Nerdy

BscalE

What Do You Want From Me by Monaco. Technically a one hit wonder by the book, actually it's a chance to nerd out about two of the best bands ever to exist.

Nadine

I wish to take this back. Other people are also comparing the two... https://youtube.com/shorts/fz7jAlOnYPQ?si=F6Ew_a9pVoxWO2yP

RedBedroomRecords

yup.

RedBedroomRecords

What song is it? i'm curious.

Liza Boudreau

I saw the Patreon notification while I was grocery shopping and “Bad Day” was playing on the speakers. Transcendent.

Sarah Schumm

Oh no, he only sold 6, and they sold out in under 2 hours. I was a Patron for years for years hoping he would sell them again. I scored one by turning on all my Patreon notifications and staring at my phone for two days waiting for the requests to open.

Nadine

I literally was at a James Blunt concert yesterday and can confirm that there is noone on earth who knows all the lyrics to all of his songs BUT to compare the Bad Day guy to him... He has 7 no1 Hits in europe 😭

Nir revel

Hey Todd, seeing as you switched once the Anakin scene used in the episode, if by any chance you need to one day reedit it please put in the Darth Vader NOOO instead. Please and thank you

Russet Burbank

The discussion on how when "Bad Day" hits wrong, it hits REALLY wrong very closely parallels the discussion for "Don't Worry Be Happy". No wonder he never charted again!

Steph

For 20+ years I had no idea who sang this song or that it was Canadian. My brain always wants to mash this song up with "Breathe" by Faith Hill. A real Todd in the Shadows double-feature.

BscalE

Are you still selling requests? Because I have a song I've been dying for years that you'll cover. It's a goodie.

RedBedroomRecords

One Tree Hill is better then The O.C. IMO, I really disliked how they fridged Marissa and had her seemingly forget about being attracted to women.

Sarah Schumm

Ben Folds, Randy Newman and Tom Tom Club aren’t one hit wonders. At the very least even if they only had one song on the Hot 100, Tom Tom Club had multiple top 10’s on the US Dance Charts, and Ben Folds, Ben Folds 5, and Randy Newman had multiple songs on soundtrack albums that charted.

RedBedroomRecords

I wonder if any of them requested that 4 Non Blondes song "What's Up" as Todd as repeatedly said he does not want to cover that song if possible because of how depressing and miserable it is. I'm not a fan of that band myself. I wouldn't mind seeing a OHW episode on the Fabulous Thunderbirds "Tuff Enuff" or Danger Danger - "Bang Bang".

RedBedroomRecords

Todd's criteria generally is if a band had more then one top 40 hit on the Billboard hot 100 they're not a One Hit Wonder, so Sixpence just barely scrape by.

RedBedroomRecords

The soundtrack for Josie was a hit but not the film itself sadly. She was also in that Nancy Drew movie.

RedBedroomRecords

Yeah he did the theme song for "One Tree Hill", shame he performed at the Dunce inaguration though.

RedBedroomRecords

She is? Aw damn that sucks to hear, I really liked her on The O.C. and in that movie Stay Alive.

RedBedroomRecords

Yeah songs like this and The Fray's "How to Save a Life"(Which I will forever associate with a Youtube parody mocking Sony for the cold reception to the PS3 launch with how overpriced it was and how few games there were) were a dime-a-dozen back then.

RedBedroomRecords

Apparently Daniel was reluctant to let Weird Al do a parody called "Bad Date" and only changed his mind at the last minute, by that point it was too late and it ultimately didn't happen. Too bad as a parody of that song might've prevented Powter from fading into irrelevance maybe.

Bailey Vogt

I wonder if 9/11 and the subsequent war have anything to do with it. Like we had moved on from the immediate jingoism, were reminded what a long-term war actually looked like and started to sour as a popular culture. Bad Day definitely captures the sonic mood of Bush's second term and how we were in this for the long haul now

Bailey Vogt

Holy shit I forgot about the chipmunks version

Bailey Vogt

And his gay fling Dick Fellatio

Bailey Vogt

Hey Todd! Pink Moon drowns you out at 3:19

Avram M Forstein

Kinda. James Blunt gave Al permission so he recorded a song, but Blunt’s record label stopped the song being on the album.

Arbor Rainier

damn that's another parallel between him and james blunt

Arbor Rainier

wait it's THAT ????

Arbor Rainier

cuz she had a MAG day she's bringing us down she's killing your rights if you're trans or are brown

Arbor Rainier

i'm genuinely surprised he didn't make that joke, esp with him talking abt how the song doesn't hit when you're having the type of bad day where it WONT get better tmoro

jacob Garaycochea

10:23 the caption says “piece” instead of “pieces” LOVE YOU TODD

Simon Ritter

Also an old "character theme songs" video where Spider-Man got Bad Day by Daniel Powter.

Simon Ritter

I always associate this song with Bad Day by REM, hearing both Bad Days a lot as a child of REM-loving parents in the mid-oughts. Also, both mention getting your picture taken on a bad day.

Zack

Great video as usual, made even better by a Nick Drake mention - and a new title card font! As for errors, I noticed you wrote "piece" instead of "pieces" at 10:22, and there's a little audio glitch at 24:08. Also, the loudness changes pretty drastically throughout.

Herbieguy98

Yeah I don't think it's extremely likely to happen (unfortunately) but I'm a huge Folds fan. I feel like the contrast between silly funny 'Rockin the Suburbs' Ben and depressing heartbreaking 'Songs for Silverman' Ben would be a fun thing to analyze. Silverman is an album I cry to literally every single time I listen to it, and I can't help but be amused that it's made by the same guy who made songs about having so much sex it hurts or Nu-Metal being a shitty genre. My top 3 picks for OHW episodes if I were able to nab a commission in time: 1. Randy Newman - Short People 2. Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love 3. Ben Folds Five - Brick

James Wymer

It was funny to see Sharon Osborne pop up briefly at the end there because my one abiding memory of post-Bad Day Powter in the UK was him singing one of the boring follow ups on Top Of The Pops, which she was presenting that week, and she commented that he needed to cheer up.

James Washburn

Badly Day Boy

Rei The Gei

It’s funny to watch this episode and not see Todd describe this song with the Todd-ism that I’d use to describe it, which is that Bad Day is one of those songs that feels like it’s been around since the beginning of time. Like even though its sound is *immediately* identifiable as being from the mid-2000s, there’s still just something timeless about it and the way it’s constructed. (I’ll admit I could very well think this because I was only a year or two into elementary school when it came out, lol.)

Kaylynn Williams

This is a guilty pleasure I’m sorry. Maybe because I was born in 2004 so at least I’ve heard it less than most

Rei The Gei

That really was a perfect way to end this quintessentially 2000s episode, lol

Alina

I guess you're right. I would've thought that in 2006, she was still a big name, but looking at her wikipedia entry, she was doing direct-to-video and a lot of voice work then. Not that I think it's indicative of her doing "badly," she was working, possibly entirely happy with it, but if they called her up and said "this singer wants you specifically to be in his video" I can see where she'd have the time to say "yes."

Simon Ritter

"Detroit Cool." I assume he forgot to mention his Asian ex San Francisco Sushi and his Jewish ex Brooklyn Bagel.

Russet Burbank

Between that and the James Blunt debacle, it seems like AL dodged two bullets that year

Richard Angle

Without watching the video yet, I’m assuming there’s an obligatory joke about every day being a bad day now.

Avram M Forstein

I believe I read that it would have been called “You Had a Bad Date”.

Justin V

"No one died or anything" *Zooms on Mandisa, who just died last year*

Kim P.

What I noticed about the music video is that it has Samaire Armstrong, who is now a MAGA mouthpiece.

llama

Minor error: the end credits say “This video is owned by Warner Bros” instead of this song

Spalfos

Incredible restraint in not making a joke about the “Bad Day” guy being a “Daniel Pouter”

Kathy Mathers

Even when it's for trashy songs like this, I still love 2000s one hit wonderlnds the most!

Sarah Schumm

It’s like Hanson or Radiohead, where they aren’t one hit wonders but the most annoying song gets the most radio play.

Sarah Schumm

Not because I hate “Brick”, I’m not sure “Brick” qualifies as a one hit wonder by any definition. I didn’t even know “Brick” was Ben Folds until I was complaining about it on Facebook being used as a Christmas song. Maybe it’s a Gen X thing, but Ben Folds and Ben Folds 5 have a bunch of songs and a pretty consistent presence on college stations and alternative radio.

Henry Kiley

"And Powter at the party, playin' with his nose now"

Christian Reiswig

A OHW on “Brick” would be rough….. Not an easy song to cover on a show that’s still supposed to make you laugh

Christian Reiswig

Or hearing that “Hey Soul Sister” was an attempt at writing an INXS song.

Christian Reiswig

I’ve long said that this song could be another entry into the One Hit Wonder Spooktacular Halloween episode

Christian Reiswig

I wonder what the parody would have been. “You have a peg leg”? “Green ham and eggs”? Something about Ben Gay?

Christian Reiswig

The Chipmunks version is used as the credits song in this vid

Cody Baird

And they made one of the most memorable choruses of the decade by doing so! It's very satisfying to learn all the words to it

Es

Apparently that's sorta how Eve 6's "Inside Out" was written - the lyrics were meant to be placeholders, written for their sound and rhythm rather than for their meaning, and they just... never got replaced.

Semilocon

When I saw this in my email inbox, I went like the Sicko meme "Yes, hahaha, yes!" I hated that song when it was around because it felt like radio stations refused to play anything else. Still know every line, still hate it, lol.

Lennon Riley

shockingly no mention of this song's biggest contribution to society as the first song sung by alvin and the chipmunks in their first live action movie

Cody Baird

Love the NPs. They are basically GBV but replace the cheap domestic beer with homemade fruity wine

Matt O

Also as the inevitable James Blunt episode will have to mention the Kosovo "didn't kick off WWIII in 1999" moment, might want to get that out before things escalate any more

Matt O

If you'd never made this video, I'd have just thought this WAS James Blunt.

Dovis Bellwood

Omg Free Loop was on German radio A LOT as well at the time, but I had no idea it was the same guy 😅

Yannic Schäfer

Great video! Here's a couple editing mistakes I found: 3 black frames at 6:41. 1 black frame at 13:01 At 22:11 there seems to be an unintentional edit/stutter in the audio, although maybe that's from the source video. At 23:15 there are 2 fast frames flashing up from a later shot shot. At 24.08 the music skips/stutters, although maybe that's just the source footage.

Danny Bishop

Daniel Powter looks like Tony Hawk. I can’t unsee it.

Danny Bishop

I’m Australian, so this episode made me watch your Midnight Oil episode again. Because wow Tony Hawk is boring

Russet Burbank

God, there would be so much to talk about with that song and its followup. I would guess that Z&E don't have enough video footage.

Russet Burbank

I'm shocked that "There She Goes" charted that low, I remember hearing it way more, and I would absolutely call them two-or-more hit wonders

Russet Burbank

The New Pornographers too

Herbieguy98

Anyone who disrespects Weird Al deserves no respect in return. How dare he.

Herbieguy98

I think there's still three to go. If any of them requested Ben Folds or Tom Tom Club that's gonna be a dream come true for me.

Russet Burbank

Come on, this song is right in your pocket and you know it

Lanth

Honestly, I kind of liked Bad Day back in the day and I still enjoy it as a happy little bop. I knew nothing about the artist, because apparently there was nothing to know, but I enjoyed every time you played it on the episode.

Noelle Harrison

SO THAT'S WHY I HATE WILCO

Sarah Schumm

Unrelated to the song, as a fellow Boston Terrier owner, she’s farting MORE? How is that possible? They fart so much! Anyway, those refrigerated sausage dog logs seem to make mine fart less. If it’s ok with your vet, try slipping her some yogurt.

Paul Anderson

Thank you for confirming that Bad Day sounds like the remixed ingredients of You're Beautiful passed off as a new menu item. And for losing your patience with the indoor knit beanie pulled all the way down. I didn't want to be petty but that's a baffling choice.

Avram M Forstein

And I was going to do a Daniel Powter parody on the new album, with his song Bad Day. And he said 'No.' "And then literally the day before we went into the studio to record White And Nerdy, we got a call saying he changed his mind and he wanted to do it after all. And I had to inform him that the train had left the station." - Weird Al Yankovic https://web.archive.org/web/20170502162722/http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Artists/Y/Yankovic_Weird_Al/2006/10/18/2059924-sun.html

Keith Badje

I don't like the song, but this video is classic and definitely cheered me up on a bad day. So, thanks Todd!

S. R.

This song was stuck in my head for MONTHS in 2006. I felt like I was going insane. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOU DOG FARTS WON'T BE THE WORST CURSE UPON YOU

Keith Badje

Go to Coors Field and see a Colorado Rockies Game. DJ Otzi is what they play during the 7th inning stretch. Though Daniel Powter would be more appropriate at most Colorado Rockies games.

Sarah Schumm

I feel that way about “Dancing Queen”

The Hand Of The People

He seemed pretty pissed at me so I’m not mad he kept it anonymous

Sarah Schumm

I hate that song! (Brick, I mean, Bad Day isn’t terrible)

Sarah Schumm

I was nice! I requested a great song! Why would anyone blow $1500 on Bad Day? Edit: it occurred to me that the tragic ending of my “Tarzan Boy” request was pretty sad.

Sarah Schumm

Oh man, I really hate “Hey There Delilah” I was dating this guy/girl? Who was completely nuts when I was in a spate of post divorce derangement, who decided one day that he was transgender (he wasn’t, he changed his mind a few weeks later) and showed me a video of someone transitioning with that song in the background, and it almost turned me transphobic. I’m not, I’ve had friends transition and that’s why this guy going through a month long phase where he swears he’s trans, then claiming it was a “manic” episode made me sick. The guy was a total psycho who stole my stuff and then claimed he was going to give it back and sent me to a fake address in Oakland. So that’s what “Hey There Delilah” reminds me of every time.

Sarah Schumm

I see why I got my request first, lol.

Ashe.

You made that song sound like a perfect little jingle, my lord is that a prometheian rhythm

Castleknackers

I'm shocked and reassured to find out the hat wasn't stitched into his skull.

Moizza Khan

Ugh, this patronizing ColdplayXBruceHornsby garbage. Dude cannot sing.

bail harp

also thank u for introducing me to a girl named "detroit cool."

bail harp

i love how every single after "bad day" just gets progressively more ridiculous. the daniel powter/james blunt comparison is EXTREMELY accurate and im willing to argue "jimmy's gonna get HIÍIIIIGH" is a funnier "high" than "ffFUckinggg HIIIiiiiigh" from "you're beauitful." the whimpery falsetto really hits hard for both of em.

Katy Hart

Yes, but this just seems more prominent. I was constantly drawn to it.

Sean C.

I did recognize the chorus of "Free Loop", but I didn't know its name or that it was from the guy who sang "Bad Day".

bail harp

when has he ever not had his mic in the shot?

Sadie S

Brilliant idea for a video this year! It's the, uh, 500-year pre-anniversary.

JazzySpF

I hate this song. Good video though. I will share with people when its public.

Sadie S

Great as usual. I would class this with Hey There Delilah in terms of annoying mid-oughts hits, except this one is too boring to hate. It'd be nice to have song lyrics on screen for the verse at 7:28, like you had for the previous verse.

Katy Hart

Do you really want your mike in the shot the whole time?

Tom Carter

I guess it’s kinda fitting, since Rachael Leigh Cook is kind of a one-hit wonder in her own way. This is absolutely not a knock on her, since I met her at a Con, and she’s cool in person. That said, how many movies of hers do you think many people know besides She’s All That? I guess MAYBE Josie and the Pussycats, but that seems to be more of a cult hit than anything. I’m not sure where her career was at the time she did this video, but I guess something worked out somewhere. Though, speaking of She’s All That, could Sixpence None The Richer qualify for this show? I mean, Kiss Me was their biggest hit by far (peaking at #2 and going 3x Platinum), with their next biggest being a cover of The La’s’ There She Goes (which peaked at #32). So maybe they’re one of those kinda are/kinda not a OHW?

Gabby Wolf

I was waiting for the Chipmunk version the whole time lol. Great video Todd, you finally got it out of the way!

Herbieguy98

Man I WISH someone commissioned Brick. I'd love to see Ben Folds covered on the channel. If I were fast enough I had 5-6 different one hit wonderland ideas in mind.

Colton Moore

This is just a post reminding y'all that Gavin DeGraw basically did the exact same "VH1 piano guy with a hat" shtick, but he was actually insanely talented and good at songwriting - give him a second look if you forgot about him!

Joe Moyer

Oh, and on the American Idol segment, you mention that it was a good choice because it’s not like anyone died. I don’t think you have Mandisa on screen at that point, but make sure she’s not at that point because she may not have died from Idol, but she did die last year.

Cody Baird

I've liked both ways, but my favorite band, Guided by Voices, does a lot of abstract nonsense lyrics that just sound good to accompany amazing songwriting

Joe Moyer

Came to mention minor error in lyrics at 10:25 of piece should be pieces. At least unless Daniel Powter’s enunciation wasn’t so bad that he just pronounced piece as pieces.

Kristopher Bluth

I know, right? It’s like hearing that “Steal My Sunshine” was inspired by the Velvet Underground or Silver Apples.

Tashlin Familiy

My dream One Hit Wonderland episode is Zager and Evans’ “In the Year 2525,” another one of the rare examples of a HUGE hit from a group that never charted again.

Anonymous Bear

How are you inspired by Nick Drake and write Bad Day?

Lanth

I call it the "Wilco songwriting method", after Jeff Tweedy's book How To Write One Song (a fantastic book, btw) where he eschews the idea that lyrics have to mean something, in favor of their overall vibe and sound. It's definitely A Thing for a lot of bands though, and as a lyric-lover it's not my favorite thing.

Jordan Schmidt

how are there two different 00s one hit wonders known for singing mood-lifting pop songs that aren't very genuine who are known for constantly wearing knit caps? all i'm saying is be thankful dj otzi never charted here in the states

Kristopher Bluth

I had this song in my head this afternoon, so this is a little eerie. I've watched maybe ten minutes of American Idol total, but even a Luddite like me couldn't escape this (I knew someone at work who freaking LOVED IT). Kristen Bell also sang a few lines of the chorus on an episode of Veronica Mars and actually made it sound kind of sexy, so maybe that's my other association? As for Powter himself, he doesn't come off as a bad guy and he certainly didn't seem like he asked for this. I'm not a fan, but I'd cut him a little more leeway than you do (and as someone who's actually bald, I was all set to chide him for the hat, but huh. Guess you learn something new every day).

Andrew Behm

I think it’s less about hating the song per se, and more about being forced to listen to it so often at a very angry time in my life lmao

Mitchell McIntyre

So I'm Canadian, and usually I know another hit or two from these one hit wonders, like from S club, or Crazy Town, even Eiffel 65 back in the day because of how weird our music industry is. I have no recollection of a single other Daniel Powter song. Not one. Not even a passing memory. But there are worse people to get a number one hit. So you know... Good for him.

Calvin Conklin

ya know i think this is exactly what i expected from the Bad Day career except the hat. i didn’t expect the hat would always be there (and always has been there since childhood) good vid! minor error: 10:25 should say “pieces” instead of “piece”

triggthediscovery

I love Bad Day, but the other songs you showed of his were all rough. Even if it's a little sarcastic, the song really does feel like a sincere pep talk from a friend for something that's not that big a deal. It's low key and grounded in a way that matches the spare piano vibe and low key look he has. One night stands and hard drugs are the complete opposite vibe lol.

Alina

That's Rachel Leigh Cook in his 5th single's video. How on Earth could he afford her?!

Harry Harman

Is there a shoutout to who did the request in this one?

Jennifer Adcock

Oh god, I had ENTIRELY forgotten Lie to Me, which I did have on my ipod that year, until it started playing here and it ALL came back

duke86fan

you know todd is desperate for covers when you use the chipmunks version for the outro

Vanessa Picard

I'm Canadian and I don't recall ever hearing another Daniel Powter song which is always impressive for a Canadian artist even if they are one hit wonders everywhere else. Usually they at least have other songs here, nothing else played in this video sounds remotely familiar. Like you said, charts only mean so much.

Jack Darnell

Missed the plural on “falling to pieces every time” around 10:26. Loved the video!

Connor Rankin

Maybe I just have terrible taste, but this song isn’t that bad to me. It’s like the very poor man’s Brick by Ben Folds Five

Cody Baird

I'd be interested to hear more about the different types of artists who seem to use lyrics for their phonics than for symbolic or narrative purposes, from Todd specifically. You find it in any genre from milquetoast ballads like this to weird indie rock

Kyle Hancharick

I’ve been waiting for this one. I’ve always been curious about this guy, though not far beyond a Wikipedia search. The only mistake I could find was in the captions at 10:24. It should say “pieces” rather than “piece.”

Tom Carter

As someone who was really big into American Idol from Season 4-9, I remember they used to use this as the elimination montage song. That's how this song has always stuck in my brain. I've never really hated this song, but I can see why others don't like it.

pigeonb0y

Hilarious video! At 10:26, the subtitle should say “pieces” but says “piece”

Herbieguy98

Wow. These patreon commissioners are cruel.

Andrew Behm

Oh God, I was hoping to never hear this song again. Was inescapable when I was in middle school

Skull Servant Tier 0 (Rosie)

I've wanted this one a lot. I remember looking into it and seeing he was Big In Japan, so I hope you bring that up!

Jaszon Alexzander

AHHH I love this song. My summer job after my first year at uni was in a supermarket, we had 1 CD with 6 songs and this was one of them. I went through every phase of feelings towards it until the Stockholm syndrome kicked in.

waywardlaser

The one I’ve been waiting for. It finally happened.

Scott Sandler

Heck yeah! The moment I needed the most! No but seriously, the fact that the American Idol library is (seemingly?) inherently unstreamable in a legal capacity is a major blow.