Meier, left, and Blank (Courtesy Nick Canfield)
Oh Yeah! Brooklyn filmmaker goes deep on an iconic 1980s hit
Director Nick Canfield sets his sights on a song made famous by "Ferris Beuller" that evokes "desire, gratification, excess and freedom"
Odds are, simply reading the following words will trigger an ear worm for you: “Doo bow-bow … Chick, chickah chick-ahhhh.” Oh yeah, we’ve got you.
You know the song, especially if you are a reader of a certain age. It’s played a pivotal role in pivotal films from the 1980s, from “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off” to “The Secret of My Success” to “She’s Out of Control” to endless Twix ads in heavy rotation. It’s been featured in “The Simpsons,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Rick and Morty,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and more.
As a musical artifact, “Oh Yeah,” has become pop culture shorthand, a 1980s cliche at this point. Before TikTok was making pop songs famous for 15 minutes, “Oh Yeah” had a viral run that has lasted decades. But the story — and the duo — behind the song are less known. Recorded in 1985 by Swiss electronic group Yello (Boris Blank and Dieter Meier), “Oh Yeah” is the subject of a new short documentary from Brooklyn filmmaker Nick Canfield.
The director behind a recent film about Reverend Vince Anderson and his 20-plus-year weekly residency at Union Pool, Canfield has already filmed much of the project, including extensive interviews with Black and Meier in Switzerland. He’s now launched a Kickstarter to raise $15,000 to complete the film and premiere the movie by next year. He’s halfway to his goal.
“What is it about this European electronic song that has given it a special place in our cultural lexicon?” Canfield asks. Despite being the product of European artists, he adds, “it speaks to something inherent in the American mind. ‘Oh Yeah’ immediately connotes desire, gratification, excess, and freedom.”
And while not as well known in the States, the Swiss Blank and Meier have been making avant-garde music and videos across the pond for over 40 years. “It was a little shock that this track was kind of a sleeper,” says Black, who describes himself “more of a mood-maker than a musician” in one interview with Canfield. “And then suddenly we had this big success.”
Check out Canfield’s treasure-trailer for “Oh Yeah!” and good luck getting the song out of your head for the rest of the day.
