You’d think a single disease would hit the whole world equally—we’re all human, after all. But some cultures have very specific disorders associated with them, with symptoms and consequences generally not extending outside of their particular country or ethnicity.

10 Retired Husband Syndrome

Japan is famous for its work ethic, with many spending long hours at the office and devoting all their waking hours to their careers. Couples neglect their marriages in favor of business, and once the man retires, all sorts of problems follow.

Once couples have no careers to focus on, forcing them to spend more time together, spouses find they don’t really know each other. Arguments pile up—especially after trips to celebrate retirement. In the last 10 years, the divorce rate in Japan has risen 27 percent, and it’s expected to keep climbing as more approach retirement age.

Many men, unable to transition from the work world to home life, treat their wives like coworkers or servants. Most husbands’ social groups are tied to their workplace and vanish once they retire. Many women can’t cope with the disruption—the husband is suddenly home 24/7 and tries to take charge of her life. These women suffer from stress and health problems like ulcers, rashes, difficulty sleeping, and even slurred speech patterns.

Adding to the issue, households no longer follow their traditional setup. Earlier, many retired couples would live with their children. Now, many of the younger generation stay unmarried longer, keeping them from helping their parents adjust to the transition with the help of children and grandchildren. It’s such a problem now that therapists and psychologists specialize in treating affected women, and thousands of support groups assist men with relationships post-retirement.

9 New World Syndrome

The industrialized world, particularly the United States, enjoys sedentary pastimes like watching TV and playing video games. Food, meanwhile, is high in fat and calories. While there’s more than that to the American lifestyle, that’s the stuff that gets exported, that’s the stuff that’s popular, and that’s the stuff that’s causing a weird, culture-bound disorder called New World Syndrome.

Places like Micronesia and other islands throughout the South Pacific were long ignorant of American delights like Spam and Oreos. Originally, the native people ate a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and freshly caught fish. When pirates discovered the islands in the early 20th century, they brought with them alcohol and infectious diseases. Then when a prosperous mining industry sprang up in the decades that followed, the islands suddenly imported fatty foods and were exposed to Western life.

The result was a massive spike in diabetes and heart disease. Some islanders suffer their first heart attacks in their twenties. By the time they’re in their late fifties, most consider themselves old. Around 85 percent of the population is classified as obese.

Interestingly, New World Syndrome has also introduced the idea that it’s very possible—and common—for people to be both obese and malnourished. The World Health Organization estimates the number who suffer from both at 1.1 billion.

8 Latah

Latah is a rare disorder from Malaysia. Meaning “nervous,” latah is characterized by an exaggerated reaction to sudden noises or other startling stimuli. Case studies describe individuals with uncontrollable movements ranging from gestures to cursing, singing, and dancing.

Sufferers also become unable to resist doing what they’re told. One case study tells of a woman who would hit other people on command, eat normally inedible objects, and react to dangers that were clearly not in the room. Another patient tried breast-feeding a hat when told that it was her hungry baby. Once the episode passes, the afflicted return to their natural personalities and are unable to explain their previous actions.

Just what causes latah hasn’t been confirmed. It may be genetic, but this is difficult to determine because many sufferers lack family records. Superstition says latah is caused by witchcraft or tickling a child too much when they’re young. The most commonly afflicted are post-menopausal women, although younger women and men can also develop latah. There is no outward manifestation of the disease, and those who develop it are physically normal.

7 Fire Sickness

Hwabyung (“fire sickness”) is unique to Korea and is characterized by burning, heavy sensations in a person’s chest. Other symptoms include insomnia, muscle pains, heart palpitations, weight loss, and blurred vision. It can ultimately turn into severe depression.

The disease happens most commonly in middle-aged women, occurring when they find themselves angry often but can’t express that anger. They focus anger inward instead of dealing with it, and when situations don’t change, that anger manifests itself in physical and mental ways.

Psychologists blame a combination of cultural and historical factors. Traditionally, Koreans have suffered massive unrest and political upheaval. For many, all that’s left is for them to bear it. Korean citizens who emigrate are also commonly afflicted with hwabyung, often finding a new life in another country as stressful as the situations they have left behind.

According to Korean folk beliefs, anger is fire. Keeping that fire inside means that it builds up in the body, disrupting the natural state of balance and causing an endless cycle of helplessness and depression.

6 Dhat Syndrome

Dhat syndrome hits young men living in the Indian subcontinent, most commonly Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. The syndrome describes a psychological concern that the body is losing semen, through urine or other unusual discharges. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, exhaustion, loss of appetite—and sexual dysfunction.

Those suffering from Dhat syndrome believe that they are losing a vital part of themselves. The concern comes from the philosophy of Ayurveda, which lists substances in the body as crucial to maintaining balance and well-being. These substances are blood, fat, flesh, bone marrow, chyle, and semen, with semen being the most important. All other fluids and substances in the body are thought to go through stages in which they transform, and at the end, they become semen, the key to a long, healthy life. Losing semen means something is very wrong.

Sufferers believe it a physical condition, but those treating it refer patients to psychiatrists. Without proper treatment, depression sets in.

5 Pa-Leng And Pa-Feng

Pa-leng and pa-feng strike Chinese individuals and immigrants who practice ideas connected with yin and yang. Classified as anxiety disorders, pa-leng is an extreme fear of the cold, while pa-feng is an overwhelming fear of the wind.

Both disorders are rooted in the idea that for the body to maintain balance, it needs a balance of temperature. Wind and cold both take valuable heat from the body, disrupting that natural balance. Wind is believed to bring with it disease; if a person feels fine in the morning and suddenly comes down with an illness, people often link it to the presence of wind.

Cold and wind are both associated with the yin, and individuals suffering from this disorder will go to great measures to preserve body heat, or yang. They may overdress in heavy clothing, avoid drafts, or even eat only hot foods. The person will also begin to suffer the consequences of an imbalance in their yin and yang, such as headaches, dizziness, stomach pains, and coughing.

4 Scrupulosity

Scrupulosity hurts the most devoutly religious, and it’s often associated with Catholicism (although sufferers can come from all faiths). People suffering from scrupulosity believe that they are in a constant state of sin. No matter what they do, they anger God.

Usually, individuals agonize over a single idea, such as following a biblical verse to the letter, avoiding any sort of blasphemous thoughts, or remaining pure—all while ignoring major ideas like the Commandments. More than just viewing themselves as sinners, they suffer from the debilitating idea that they are unworthy, to the point where they cannot come to peace with anything that they do.

Scrupulosity is classified as an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it can result in self-chastisement or self-sacrifice to cleanse oneself of sin. Sufferers damage their social relationships by constantly seeking reinforcement from friends and family. Doctors treat it in much the same way as other obsessive-compulsive disorders—with behavioral therapy and sometimes medication—along with assistance from religious leaders.

3 Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome

Sudden unexpected death syndrome is prevalent throughout Southeast Asia, and it’s terrifyingly exactly what its name suggests. Healthy men—most not yet approaching middle age—go to sleep at night and never wake up. Most are found dead after crying out in the middle of the night.

According to folklore, these mysterious deaths are caused by a visiting spirit that kills men in their sleep. In Thailand, the spirit is said to be that of a widowed woman, stealing the souls of living men. In Japan, it’s known as pok-kuri. In Vietnam and Laos, it’s called tsob tsuang. In the Philippines, it’s bangungot or batibat.

References to the mysterious deaths date back at least to the turn of the 20th century, but only recently have scientists been able to associate the phenomenon with spikes in electrocardiograms. The ECG irregularity is shaped like a shark’s fin and is known as the “Brugada Sign” after cardiologists Pedro and Josep Brugada. Those who die from SUDS have no other health problems, save this weird spike in heartbeat.

A review of unexplained deaths in Manila between 1948 and 1982 revealed that most victims were about 33 years old, most died at around 3:00 AM, and the majority of deaths occurred in December and January. The factors combine to create a pattern weirdly different from other deaths in the same region.

2 Tabanka

Tabanka is the name given to an extreme form of heartbreak suffered by men in Trinidad. Historically, tabanka struck those who lost their significant other to a rival, but more recently, the definition has been extended to cover unrequited love. In most cases, someone suffering from tabanka loses interest in the world, goes without eating, and suffers from stomach pains and insomnia.

While that might just sound like normal heartbreak, sufferers from tabanka often move down a very dark path. Many drink heavily to forget their pain, which can lead to worsening depression and ultimately suicide.

Part of the problem with tabanka is that sufferers hide the condition, fearing mockery from peers. The general consensus is that those suffering from it should just move on. Men and women deride tabanka equally. Women suffer from it far more rarely than men, however, partially because they start out by accepting the high likelihood of losing a partner to another woman.

1 Zar Possession

According to the belief system of Ethiopian Jews, Adam and Eve had 30 children. Worried that the most beautiful of her children would attract the envy of God, Eve hid 15 of them in the Garden of Eden. God, of course, saw this, and as punishment, He made all 15 children invisible. The other 15 became the ancestors of the human race, while the 15 invisible children became the zar, spirits that haunt and hunt their worldly siblings.

Individuals diagnosed as possessed by the zar (but actually suffering from any of several conditions) first begin to suffer from headaches and fatigue. This spirit possession often happens alongside a traumatic or stressful life event, particularly a shift in relationship status, struggles with infertility, or major changes in a social circle.

If attempts at exorcising the zar aren’t successful, the individual might call on a cult healer. The healer puts them into a trance, during which time they talk to the spirit. Rather than fighting, the host and spirit form an understanding relationship. In exchange for a life free from the ill effects of spirit possession, the patient makes a promise to the spirit. This can be anything from eating particular foods to associating with certain people or dressing a certain way.

A lot of hard work goes into making a movie, especially when there is hype and anticipation surrounding its release. Long hours and tough conditions often lead to off-screen moments that are in such contrast to the on-camera scenes that they become iconic. On this list are just a few examples of behind-the-scenes moments that are still awesome after all these years.

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10 Cameron in the water

Titanic made a huge splash in 1997, becoming the highest grossing movie in history at that time. The movie features a host of memorable and quotable scenes, including Rose wanting to jump off the ship, Jack shouting that he is the king of the world, the car scene, the band playing in the midst of chaos and the woman who tells her children a bedtime story, knowing they are all going to die.

However, most fans’ favorite scene comes at the end when Rose and Jack are in the water and Jack is unable to clamber onto the floating door. Instead he dies from hypothermia in the icy Atlantic Ocean and sinks down beneath the surface. One of the most iconic ‘on set’ photos shows Cameron getting into the water with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio during the filming of this scene, highlighting his commitment to getting the job done.

9 Tobe Hooper at work

Poltergeist (1982) was directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Steven Spielberg. The film became a massive commercial success, amassing over 120 million at the box office. The movie also gained the reputation of being cursed after a series of cast deaths.

Poltergeist features a lot of unforgettable scenes such as the ‘spirits in the TV’ and skeletons in the swimming pool. The photo below depicts Tobe Hooper directing another awesome scene: Robbie is yanked through his bedroom window by an ‘evil, possessed tree.’

8 Happy twins

The Shining introduced the world to perhaps the creepiest twins ever when it was released in 1980. Even though there are only glimpses of them throughout the film, it was enough to give audiences nightmares for life. It is therefore good to see that the twins, played by Lisa and Louise Burns, were just regular little girls in real life. Check out this picture of them posing for the camera, smiling and clearly having a grand old time, even if they were still decked out in their creepy twinsies outfits.

7 Masterpiece in the making

Jaws, released in 1975, was a massive hit in theatres worldwide. It grossed over 470 million from a budget of just 9 million and is a classic thriller that people enjoy to this day. As one can imagine, there are tons of behind-the-scenes photos that were taken during filming, but the ones featuring the giant mechanical shark named Bruce are truly iconic. The picture below features Bruce in all his glory during outdoor filming. Not sure what Joe’s doing. Flossing, maybe?

6 Bullet-time

Before there was John Wick there was Neo. The Matrix is a mind-bending sci-fi action film that people either love to love or love to hate. The movie features mind-blowing bullet-time moves, the choice between the red or blue pill, and the Oracle. The image below shows Keanu Reeves in his Neo get-up, ready to make some magic in front of a green screen.

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5 Getting in on the action

A lot of scenes in Saving Private Ryan received high praise for their graphic depiction of the horror soldiers had to face during World War II. Not to mention the heartbreaking scene where a mother learns that three of her four sons had died during battle. In this image, Steven Spielberg is having a chat to Tom Hanks about the details of the scene they’re shooting.

4 You’ll think a man can fly

In 1951 Lippert Pictures released Superman and the Mole Men, the first Superman feature film. However, whenever anyone talks about Superman, it is impossible not to think of the man who really made the role iconic: Christopher Reeve. Superman: The Movie was released in 1978 and the tagline “You’ll think a man can fly” added to the excitement and anticipation surrounding its release. The movie cost 55 million to make and grossed over 300 million, earning praise and three Academy Awards Nominations.

This picture shows Reeve on set during filming, flanked by Colin Chilvers who was the Director of Special Effects.

3 Have the lambs stopped screaming?

Sir Anthony Hopkins might be famous these days for playing the role of Odin, but in 1991 he brought life to one of the most unnerving characters of all time: Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The Silence of the Lambs had a modest budget of 19 million but grossed over 270 million worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest grossing movie that year. It also earned 5 Academy awards.

Naturally, there were several behind-the-scenes photos taken during filming, but the eeriest of all has to be Hopkins trying to eat a french fry through his toothy mask.

2 Welcome to Jurassic Park

The simple line ‘Welcome to Jurassic Park, still has the ability to send shivers of excitement down one’s spine. Jurassic Park was a super blockbuster in 1993, grossing over 1 billion worldwide. The huge T-Rex stole the show on screen and off. In this image, a stage-hand is preparing the gigantic dino for filming. The animatronic T-Rex was used for the pivotal car scene, while a CGI version was used for other scenes where full-length shots were required.

1 The Empire Strikes Back

The highly recognizable, crawling opening credits of the Star Wars films are almost as iconic as the movies themselves. The crawl is used to give details on the backstory and context of the film. A wall of text against a starry backdrop, this simple ‘scene’ has been replicated by TV shows including The Big Bang Theory and Glee (which references the Star Wars Holiday Special.)

This surprisingly low-tech, behind-the-scenes image reveals how the opening crawl for The Empire Strikes Back was filmed. The Star Wars crawls were inspired by similar ones used for Flash Gordon and the 1940s Buck Rogers film serials.

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The Hot 100 is not a meritocracy. If it was, then “The Monster Mash” would have just spent its 58th year at the top. Many of the most iconic songs ever recorded were denied the #1 position for comparably worse records. Immortal classics stalled at #2 behind forgettable one hit wonders, frivolous novelties, or just plain garbage. History has vindicated the following ten songs as transcendent. They just were not quite enough to prove it at the time.

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10 Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Song that kept it off: Kris Kross’ “Jump”

The stranger thing might be that “Bohemian Rhapsody” nearly topped the charts seventeen years after its 1975 release. The cultural power of Queen’s operatic odyssey has never faded. It took a couple of headbanging doofuses to revitalize interest in the classic rock mainstay. An iconic scene in Wayne’s World features five friends jamming out to the gloriously theatrical “Galileo” breakdown. The movie’s popularity spurred the song to chart seven spots higher than it did decades earlier.

The top two in May of 1992 were as backwards as Kris Kross’ pants. Outside of their gimmick, Kris Kross were a couple of kids who lucked into an irrepressible hit. It is not fair to write Kris Kross off as flashes in the pan, but “Jump” remains their singular defining moment. More importantly, “Jump” launched Jermaine Dupri’s production career.

Compared to the short-lived fame of Kris Kross, “Bohemian Rhapsody” still remains omnipresent. Following the biopic that shares its name, “Bohemian Rhapsody” joined the exclusive list of songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in three separate decades. It has quite the legacy. Still, the fact that Freddie Mercury’s signature tune lost to Kris Kross for eight continuous weeks is wiggida wiggida wiggida wack.^[1]

9 Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”

Song that kept it off: 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop”

New York’s post-punk revival was all about grit. Indie upstarts in the early 2000’s retreated to the abrasive aesthetics of bygone eras to recapture something lost in a post 9/11 world. It is cosmically unjust that the people who shepherded this sound into the top ten were a prepackaged reality show diva and the Swedish mercenaries responsible for Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. In their defense, they absolutely nailed it.

Pop Svengali Max Martin felt “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was missing something. He was alone. “Maps” is among the most celebrated songs of the new millennium. Martin still thought the tender ode of devotion needed a more powerful chorus. That idea eventually morphed into the single, “Since U Been Gone.” Clarkson’s anthemic roar saved her from American Idol irrelevance and prefaced a new age of pop singers backed by guitars from Katy Perry to P!nk.

On the other hand, her main rival, 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” was already a fading relic during its nine-week perch. By 2005, braggadocio rap’s reign was declining. “Candy Shop’s” insipid wit and ham-fisted metaphors encapsulated exactly why the genre waned.^[2]

8 The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby”

Song that kept it off: Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs’ “Sugar Shack”

Phil Spector is one of pop music’s worst villains. He should be remembered as an abusive demented murderer. Equally, he should be hailed for producing one of the purest bursts of euphoria ever put on record. History is funny like that.

Nowhere as bad as the monstrous Spector, Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs are responsible for another great injustice against the Ronettes. In the creative nadir between the explosive birth of rock and roll and the dawn of the British Invasion, goofy treacle like “Sugar Shack” could become the best-selling song of 1963. Among the lone geniuses climbing the charts, the Ronettes were the muses for Phil Spector’s innovative girl group sound. “Be My Baby’s” evocative opening heartbeat drum fill is the most overanalyzed 1963 recording outside of the Zapruder film. Conversely, “Sugar Shack’s” beat is a clumsy Hammond amble resembling a farting accordion. The Ronettes perfected the dizzying rush of new found love. It certain makes for a more compelling subject than a smarmy creep hitting on a woman at her job.^[3]

7 The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie”

Song that kept it off: The Singing Nun’s “Dominique”

Perhaps, the country needed a balm. Appropriately, the first #1 song in the wake of John F. Kennedy’s assassination was a simple ode to an earlier fallen Catholic leader. Few other justifications explain how the wholesome French ballad “Dominique” beat out one of the foundational chaotic texts in all of rock. Despite the fact that their sole hits could not be more sonically dissimilar, both The Kingsmen and The Singing Nun got into trouble with their respective governments.

The Kingsman’s formative garage rock stomper “Louie Louie” was so raucous that the FBI investigated its muddled vocals. Apparently not too busy dealing with the Kennedy assassination, federal officials spent two years listening to the amateurish cover to hear if the audio buried any questionable lines. They could have saved a lot of time just listening to the Richard Berry original. In the end, they determined that the lyrics were completely unintelligible. Embarrassingly, they never realized that drummer Lynn Easton shouts “f*ck” after flubbing his cue.

Sister Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers’ track has a much sadder background. Belgian authorities hounded her for back taxes. They could not believe she never got any residuals from her global smash. Her label and convent scammed her out of a fortune. Decker was forced out of her convent. Following a crisis of faith, Decker started dating Annie Pécher. In 1985, the two long term partners intentionally overdosed on barbiturates and alcohol. A nearby note read, “We hope God will welcome us. He saw us suffer, so He should show clemency.”^[4]

6 Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”

Song that kept it off: Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World”

Marvin Gaye had enough. Begrudgingly stuck in the sidelines, he resented not fighting like his brother stationed in Vietnam. He could still serve his country. Using his dissolving family as a microcosm for society at large, Gaye saw how violence divided the nation. His soul-searching call for unity resonated with a bit less people than a song about getting drunk with a bullfrog.

Three Dog Night’s brassy fluke “Joy to the World” is one of the dumbest novelties of all time. “What’s Going On” is such a tightly constructed standalone single that it still served as the title track of a cohesive elegy of an album. “Joy to the World” barely strings along inane non sequiturs into something with the passing semblance of verses. So consumed by Vietnam, Gaye was thrown into depression. The only time the simpleminded Three Dog Night mention the war, they immediately undercut it by saying that they just want to make sweet love. Hopefully, this refers to someone other than their amphibian friend Jeremiah.^[5]

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5 Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”

Song that kept it off: Fergie’s “London Bridge”

In 2006, two songs posed questions. Along with Gnarls Barkley collaborator Danger Mouse, Cee Lo Green contemplated whether he was crazy to think he could will his marriage back from the dead after his wife asked for a divorce. Even if he could rekindle the relationship, would it merely be a bleak visage of what it once was? Why even be a part of a marriage like that? Fergie simply wondered, “how come every time you come around [her] London, London Bridge wanna go down, like London, London, London?”

The ethereal haunt of “Crazy” could not compete with twin raunchy powerhouses, Nelly Furtado’s dynamically flirtatious “Promiscuous” and Fergie’s obnoxiously clunky “London Bridge.” Fergie succinctly describes “London Bridge” in its own opening two words. If one can ignore the incredibly cumbersome simile that some anatomical feature is comparable to either a historical English landmark or a children’s nursery rhyme, it still contains the woefully cringeworthy refrain of “me love you long time”. If only history repeated itself and “London Bridge” had fallen down.^[6]

4 The Rolling Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown”

Song that kept it off: SSgt. Barry Sadler’s “The Ballad of the Green Berets”

During one of the most fruitful explosions in pop culture history, a plodding pretentious piece of pro-war propaganda was the bestselling single of 1966. The five weeks stay on the summit meant something assuredly better was blocked off.

In their own ways, “The Ballad of the Green Berets” and The Rolling Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown” are both reactionary records against disaffected youth. Their targets could not be more different. The Stones’ condemnation against spoiled elites is filled with venomous derision. Bill Wyman’s propulsive bass line elevates Mick Jagger’s mocking sneer into effigy of London’s Swinging Sixties. Barry Sadler’s take down is comparatively lifeless. The faux military drum roll is the closest thing to a pulse. It carries Sadler’s monotone story where a soldier dies and wishes his child joins the same organization responsible for his death. Stoic Sadler never questions the needlessly cruel conflict. He displays no emotion either way.

Barry Sadler did not have much success outside of pop music. The royalties off one song dried up pretty quickly. He moved to Nashville to revitalize his career. In 1978, he shot Lee Emerson Bailey, Marty Robbins’ and George Jones’ former manager, over a woman. Sadler claims that he saw a glint of metal in the unarmed Bailey’s hand. Sadler only served 28 days in prison for the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter. Out of prison, Sadler moved to Guatemala to train Nicaraguan contras. Either accidentally by his own hand or in a robbery, Sadler was shot in the head. The resulting coma contributed to a fatal heart attack at 49. The Rolling Stones ended up doing pretty well for themselves.^[7]

3 Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin’ But A G Thang”

Song that kept it off: Snow’s “Informer”

Snow was not an imposter. He was a criminal living among Jamaican immigrants. Yet compared to the effortless swagger of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Snow seems desperate. Every choice sounds like a man floundering his credibility. Gangstas threatening to stab someone are a lot more believable when they call it anything other than “licky boom-boom down.”

Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre were at the door, ready to make an entrance. Snow did not back on up. Snoop and Dre would have given the #1 slot some much needed legitimacy. The first batch of rappers to top the chart were an assortment of ridiculous wannabees, like Vanilla Ice and Marky Mark, or momentary highlights, like P.M. Dawn. With his Toronto born patois, Snow is firmly in the first category. Snoop and Dre are neither. They were pioneering artists trailblazing a whole new style of hip hop, G-funk. Instead, the public chose a Canadian putting on a fake accent bragging about being anally probe by a police officer.^[8]

2 Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang”

Song that kept it off: Larry Verne’s “Mr. Custer”

The only time Sam Cooke hit #1 it did not count. Cooke’s shimmery coo “You Send Me” peaked in an early forerunner of the Billboard charts, the Best Sellers in Stores. In 1958, Billboard consolidated their respective lists into the Hot 100. When it came time to properly ascend, he was blocked by one of the most repellent hits ever.

In theory, both “Chain Gang” and “Mr. Custer” describe historical minorities suffering. In practice, the differences are stark. Cooke empathizes with the plight of abused prisoners yearning to reconnect with loved ones. Verne idolizes a genocidal madman and treats those fighting his invasion as a punchline. “Chain Gang’s” beat is driven by inmates’ sledgehammers, turning their tortuous exploitation into a celebration of resilience in an intolerant justice system. Conversely, “Mr. Custer” destroys any momentum by interrupting the melody with yelped out racist caricatures of Native American war cries and spoken word sketches. For a week in 1960, the record buying public preferred a yokel belching out a southern twang over the angelic voice of one of the greatest soul artists of all time. American taste has always been inexplicable.^[9]

1 Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street”

Song that kept it off: Andy Gibb’s “Shadow Dancing”

The most egregious block in chart history has nothing to do with the respective songs’ quality. Both “Baker Street” and “Shadow Dancing” have merits. They work as companion pieces for the same ennui. “Baker Street” wallows in bourbon-soaked dread. “Shadow Dancing” is cocaine propelled anxiety. Nor does it have anything to do with fatigue of Bee Gee’s cultural onslaught. In the height of disco, Barry Gibb was so prolific that his younger brother could turn his runoff into the biggest selling song of 1978. The problem with the “Baker Street’s” silver medal status is that its gold was stolen.

For six of “Shadow Dancing’s” seven-week run, “Baker Street” sat within striking distance. In one weeks, chart tabulators told America’s Top 40’s producers “Baker Street” finally broke through. Billboard chart director Bill Wardlow protested. Gibb’s managers threatened to remove him from a Billboard show if “Baker Street” knocked off “Shadow Dancing.” Host Casey Kasem re-recorded after Wardlow called. Even outside of the lyrics, “Baker Street” could not win.^[10]

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About The Author: Nate Yungman’s favorite song is “Baker Street.” If you thought this article was a load of number two, then you can email comments or questions to [email protected]. If you thought it was the tops, follow him on Twitter, @NateYungman

Answer songs, which are written as a response to other songs, have been around for a long time. For instance, in 1923 the song “Yes! We Have No Bananas!” made waves on the music scene. Later that same year an answer song called “I’ve Got The Yes! We Have No Banana Blues” was released.

As the years went by, more and more answer songs saw the light with some of the most well-known ones including “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division and according to some, “The Rain Song” by Led Zeppelin.

On this list are just some of the many, many answer songs that have been written in response to the famous ones that came before them.

10 “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” – Kitty Wells

Country music singer, Hank Thompson, released one of the most popular songs in country music history in 1952, namely, “The Wild Side of Life.” The song and especially the following lyric “I didn’t know God made honky tonk angels” inspired the Kitty Wells answer song “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.”

Wells’ lyrics directly address what Thompson sings about, namely: “I didn’t know that God made honky tonk angels.” She sings in reply: “It wasn’t God who made honky tonk angels, as you said in the words of your song. Too many times married men think they’re still single. And that’s caused many a good girl to go wrong.”

The Wells song became the first number one hit on the Billboard chart for a solo female artist and has been credited with creating opportunities for other country stars like Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, and Loretta Lynn. Wells’ success also brought its own set of problems, however. The song was banned from NBC radio and Wells was barred from performing it at the Grand Ole Opry.

9 “Play It All Night Long” – Warren Zevon

Some answer songs use more than one famous tune for inspiration. In the case of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”, the lyrics were written in response to two of Neil Young’s songs: “Southern Man” and “Alabama.” “Sweet Home Alabama” name-checks Young in the lyrics: “Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her. Well, I heard ol’ Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember. A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow.”

In 1980, singer songwriter Warren Zevon took it upon himself to write a musical response to “Sweet Home Alabama” and the result was “Play It All Night Long.” Zevon’s wit and dry sense of humor shines throughout the lyrics in which he refers to the ‘southern life’ as being bleak and poor. It is also the only song (in popular music) that refers to brucellosis.

8 “Superstar” – Lydia Murdock

Michael Jackson will forever be one of the most famous music superstars that ever lived. His songs include massive hits like “Thriller”, “Rock With You”, “I’ll Be There”, and of course “Billie Jean”. After “Billie Jean” was released in 1983, Jackson said that the lyrics were based on false claims made by groupies about his brothers while they were on tour.

Later that same year, American pop singer Lydia Murdock released a scathing answer song called “Superstar”. The lyrics include: “I’m Billie Jean and I’m mad as hell” and “You can’t love a woman and push her aside.” This song led to short-lived fame for Murdock and peaked at number 14 in UK in 1983.

7 “Live Forever” – Oasis

In 1993, Nirvana released “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” on the compilation album, The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience. The official release of the single was cancelled after Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994 and was eventually released on vinyl in 2014 after which it reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart. The song was never performed live.

Noel Gallagher, from Oasis, felt inspired to write a positive answer song the following year called “Live Forever”. He explained that he was struck by the fact that an extremely talented and popular guy like Cobain wrote lyrics about hating himself and wanting to die, while Gallagher himself wanted to ‘live forever.’ Oasis released “Live Forever” in August 1994, and it became the band’s first single to enter the top ten in the UK.

After the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack, Liam Gallagher and Chris Martin of Coldplay performed the song at the One Love Manchester tribute show.

6 “The Wallflower” – Etta James

Hank Ballard and the Midnighters started something with “Work With Me Annie” and its sequel “Annie Had a Baby” in 1954. These two singles spawned a horde of answer songs including “Annie’s Answer” by the El-Dorados and “I’m the Father of Annie’s Baby” by Danny Taylor.

Etta James recorded her very own response to the original song in 1955 in the form of “Wallflower” which is also known as “Roll with Me, Henry.” James’ version was thought to be too risqué for radio stations with lyrics such as “Hey baby, what do I have to do to make you love me too. You’ve got to roll with me Henry, alright baby.”

Even though the lyrics clearly refer to dancing, many believed that it held a sexual connotation as well. When it was covered by Georgia Gibbs that same year, the title was changed to “Dance With Me Henry” to make it acceptable for radio airplay.

The Midnighters got the last say however when they closed out 1955 with ‘an answer to the answer’ called “Henry’s Got Flat Feet (Can’t Dance No More)”.

5 “No Pigeons” – Sporty Thievz

TLC was one of the most popular American girl groups during the nineties. Their super hits included “Creep”, “Unpretty”, “Waterfalls” and the somewhat divisive “No Scrubs”. To go with the release of “No Scrubs” in 1999, TLC shot a futuristic music video, and the rest is music history. The song became the group’s third number one single and won 2 Grammy awards following TLC’s 4-year hiatus.

Naturally, some other artists weren’t about to take the ‘diss’ lying down. One group in particular, Sporty Thievz, released an answer song “No Pigeons” that peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 around the same time that “No Scrubs” was getting all the major attention.

“No Pigeons” was originally called “No Vultures” with the title changed to avoid causing extreme offense. The term ‘pigeon’ has also been used in other Sporty Thievz songs including “Cheapskate” and the remix “Even Cheaper.”

The “No Pigeons” lyrics include “… I don’t want no Pigeons, them be them girls who gets no dubs from me. Playin’ the bar dumb broke wit her best friend’s coat, tryin’ to holler at me”.

4 “The Night I Fell In Love” – Pet Shop Boys

Sometimes urban legends make their way into music as is the case with the Phil Collins song, “In The Air Tonight”. Legend has it that the opening lines describe a drowning that was in progress and someone standing close enough to the scene to help but doesn’t. Also, Collins apparently took it all in from a distance that was too far away to help. This of course isn’t true and Collins himself denied it as well, but the legend also made its way into another song; “Stan” by Ellen DegeneresEminem.

Then the Pet Shop Boys decided to name drop “Stan” in their 2002 song “The Night I Fell In Love” by singing “Then he joked “hey man, your name isn’t Stan, is it? We should be together!”” The song tells the story of a homosexual encounter between a teenaged boy and the rapper he idolizes. Because of the name “Stan”, the consensus is that the rapper referenced in the song is Eminem.

Dr Dre and Eminem responded to the track in 2003 by releasing “Can-I-Bitch” in which they run over the singing duo while rapping “Boosh! Boosh! Boosh! Boosh! What was that? Pet Shop Boys.”

3 “Diane” – Cam

“Oh, I promise I didn’t know he was your man
I would’ve noticed a gold wedding band, Diane
I’d rather you hate me than not understand,
Oh Diane”

These lyrics seem like it could belong to any country song, until you realize they were written as a reply to Dolly Parton’s infamous “Jolene.”

The song, according to country artist Cam, is “the apology so many spouses deserve, but never get.” It tells the story of Jolene coming forward to tell Diane that she never knew the man in question was married.

While the song was mainly inspired by “Jolene”, some of the inspiration also came from a friend of Cam’s real-life situation. When she was nine years old, her father came home and told her that his secretary was pregnant and that he would be leaving her mother to go and live with his mistress.

2 “Go Your Own Way” – Fleetwood Mac

Answer songs don’t always have to come from a different band or artist. The members of Fleetwood Mac took it upon themselves to answer one another in song. One of many examples of this is when Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams” which is about the breakup between her and Lindsey Buckingham. The upbeat song is included on the band’s 1977 Rumors album.

Buckingham had a swift reply in the form of “Go Your Own Way” which can also be found on the album. Nicks later said that she ‘wanted to go over and kill him’ every time the song was played on stage.

Buckingham explained he was initially inspired by “Street Fighting Man” by the Rolling Stones but ended writing the lyrics as the beginning of a conversation with Nicks to help him move forward after their breakup.

1 “Good Idea At The Time” – OK Go

The Rolling Stones also inspired another band with their song “Sympathy for the Devil”. The song was released in 1968 with Jagger singing in the first person as the Devil and referencing tragedies and atrocities throughout history and blaming it squarely on humans:

“Stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed Tsar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain”

Rock band, OK Go, wrote an answer song titled “Good Idea At The Time” which was released in 2005. Some fans of the song believe it was written as a follow up ‘tribute’ to the Stones’ original, whereas others are of the opinion that OK Go’s lyrics tries to take some blame away from humankind for all the tragedy that has befallen the world and places it back within the devil’s court:

“True about my taste; true about my wealth.
The thing about St. Petersburg:
I was never there myself, so come on.
Anastasia might have cried all night, I couldn’t say myself,
So come on, yeah, come on.”

Nature breaks records all the time but there are events so unique that they deserve their own list.

Some are creepy. Like when fog killed thousands in London and the aftershocks of an earthquake rattled Washington State for a century. When not making people run for their lives, the weather can also brew events like electrical lakes and rain that lasts for a million years.

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10 The Lighthouse Of Catatumbo

During Colonial times, navigators relied on the Lighthouse of Catatumbo to find their way. It flashed white, blue, purple, red, and orange lights. But the disco show did not come from a tower. It came from lighting.

The Lighthouse of Catatumbo is the name given to an area near Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Roughly 1.2 million lightning bolts zing the place every year, making it the most electric region in the world.

Some people love to call the Lighthouse by another name—the Eternal Storm. Some also claim that the lightning has no thunder. Neither legend is true. Lake Maracaibo only gets flashy about 160 nights of the year but then things get impressive. One can expect to see 280 strikes per hour. The reason behind the “silent lightning” is simple. Most people are standing too far away to hear the thunder.

Nobody knows why this patch in Venezuela is so volatile. The leading theories suggest that the lightning could be attracted to uranium deposits and methane in the area or that humid air has something to do with it.

9 Smoke That Stayed For 6 Months

When the Australian fire season settled down in 2020, the relief was palpable. The scale of the bushfires and the damage had been immense. To understand what had happened, scientists studied the disaster from all angles but those who gazed upwards found a couple of interesting things.

The fires had pushed more smoke into the atmosphere than anyone had expected. In fact, it was a record for any bushfire. To put it into perspective, the last time something ejected so much smoke was in 1991 when the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the Philippines.

The smoke produced by the Australian fires also circled the Earth, having departed from the eastern coast and arrived back at the continent from the west. The journey took two weeks which was a speed record for an event that size.

Smoke also stay in the atmosphere for a few days or weeks. The 2020 fire plume stayed for 6 months.

8 The Coldest Cloud

Scientists love to measure stuff, even the temperatures of clouds. In 2018, they found one for the record books. The world’s coldest cloud was hovering over the Pacific Ocean and it was messing with satellites. Indeed, the cloud was so frosty that normal weather satellites could not take its temperature.

An infrared sensor aboard a NOAA satellite did the honors.

The cloud, which was part of a severe thunderstorm, measured minus 167.8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 111 degrees Celsius). The reason for this extreme number was partially explained by a phenomenon called “overshooting tops.” This is when the top of a cloud overshoots the lowest layer of the atmosphere and enter the next layer, a bitterly cold realm known as the stratosphere.

The Pacific cloud had an overshooting top. But even the stratosphere’s freezing nature could not explain why the top of this storm was 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) colder than any other cloud on record.

7 The Longest-Lasting Aftershocks

In 1872, a big earthquake shook central Washington State. The epicentre was never located and for decades, scientists wondered why Entiat, a town in the area, kept experiencing earthquakes after the 1872 event. It was over a century later, so nobody thought that these might be hundreds of aftershocks.

That view changed as seismologists began to find aftershocks all over the world that lasted longer than expected. Aftershocks also behave differently from earthquakes and after researchers gathered data on the 1872 quake, the subsequent shakes matched aftershocks in almost every way.

The Entiat phenomenon could be the longest-lasting aftershocks in the world. They have been going strong for nearly 150 years and counting.

6 The World’s Largest Storm

Typhoon Tip is not a household name. But as the world’s biggest storm, Tip deserves a mention. Born over the Pacific ocean, it grew into a Super Typhoon. With a diameter of 1,380 miles (2,220 kilometres), it officially became the top dog of all storms. Besides its record size, Tip also surged with unsurpassed intensity.

The good news was that the typhoon lost some of its power before it slammed into Japan on October 19, 1979. The bad news? It was not enough to avoid disaster.

Almost 90 people were killed and hundreds were injured. The flooding caused countless mudslides and destroyed 20,000 homes. A gasoline tank also exploded and torched a US Marine Corps base, injuring dozens more and claiming the life of another victim.

5 The Truth About Beijing’s Sandstorm

In 2021, gale-force winds scooped up sand from the Gobi desert and moved through Mongolia. The huge sandstorm caused 341 people to go missing and killed at least 6. Then it arrived at the capital of China. The city of Beijing faded away as the sandstorm hid skyscrapers and turned the skies orange.

But the news agencies had it wrong. This was not a sandstorm.

It was a dust storm. The difference sounds insignificant but in reality, the situation was alarming. Dust consists of smaller bits than sand, stay in the air for longer and can be inhaled far deeper into the lungs. This was bad news. When the dust arrived in Beijing it mixed with the city’s terrifying air pollution levels and turned the storm into a thick toxic haze.

4 Black Sunday

During the 1930s, the community living across the Great Plains in the US was familiar with something called “black blizzards.” These dust storms were so dense that they darkened everything around them. But in 1935, a storm bestowed April 14 with an ominous title and also gave the region its famous name—the Dust Bowl.

Black Sunday started out like any other day. But then a blizzard arrived. It soon became apparent that this one was different and people began to panic. The dust storm was a beast that measured 1,000 miles (1,609 miles) long. It blocked out all light including street lamps. Families sheltering at home could not see each other in the same room. Precious farming land was destroyed, a lot of animals died, and one man was blinded. People were trapped inside their cars for hours.

The aftermath of the storm inspired federal aid. But despite being offered money and advice by the government, many families gave up farming and left the area.

3 The Tri-State Tornado

In 1925, a deadly tornado cluster touched down in the United States. Twelve major twisters appeared over a large area but one was about to take destruction to a whole new level. Called the “Tri-State Tornado,” it tore through 3 states and left behind the longest track made by a twister—235 miles (378 km).

The statistics were horrifying. The tornado’s diameter swelled to more than a mile (1.6 km) and it sped along at 70 miles per hour (113 kilometres per hour). It destroyed 164 square miles (425 square kilometres) of land and wiped out 15,000 homes. In today’s estimates, the damages totalled $1.4 billion.

The storm was never graded but most experts believe that the Tri-State Tornado was an EF-5. On the tornado scale, an EF-5 is the biggest and the most dangerous thing you can ever hope not to see. Whatever its true grading was, the Tri-State Tornado remains the deadliest tornado in US history. The death toll numbered 695 people including 69 students who attended some of the 9 schools the tornado hit that day.

2 London’s Killer Fog Solved

London is a foggy place. But in 1952, the fog turned on everyone. The haze, which appeared in December and stayed for 5 days, hospitalized over 150,000 people.

For decades, the deadly fog remained a mystery. But in 2016, researchers agreed that they had enough evidence to blame one of the earliest suspects in the investigation—burning coal. Tests showed the air pollution caused by coal emissions led to chemical changes in the weather that ultimately laced the fog with sulphuric acid.

At the time, the death toll was thought to be 4,000 people. Tragically, the real number was closer to 12,000. Thousands of animals also perished in the fog. It remains the worst air pollution event in Europe’s history.

1 A Million-Year Rain Storm

The Triassic era came to an end around 233 million years ago. During that time, raindrops began to fall leading to a storm that would last for a million years. This deluge became known as the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE).

What opened the floodgates, so to speak, had always been a mystery. But in 2020, a study found the two likeliest suspects—climate change and volcanoes going nuts. Truly, the eruptions went beyond epic. They left behind lava fields that stretched uninterrupted for thousands of miles.

There was a lot of death. The downpour killed a third of all the species that lived in the sea. Meanwhile, on land, countless plant and animal groups became extinct as well. But the study also found that the CPE created the world as we know it today. It changed the environment so much that new species emerged, including some of the first coral reefs, reptiles, trees, and the dinosaurs that would rule the earth for the next 150 million years.

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