How Steve Harwell and Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ Regained popularity through viral memes

Long before it became a popular meme, the song “All Star,” released by the California alternative band Smash Mouth in 1999, was an attempt to create a radio hit.

However, the journey to becoming an evergreen hit illustrates the transformative power of social media and fan-made content in the music industry. Social media and fan content have changed the way music achieves success.

The song originated during the making of Smash Mouth’s second album, “Astro Lounge,” after the success of their first hit, “Walkin’ on the Sun.” The band submitted a batch of songs to their record company, who then told them to keep working because they didn’t hear a potential single.

The guitarist and primary songwriter, Greg Camp, revealed that the theme of the song, which portrays a lovable-loser character, emerged from fan mail. Many of their fans were being bullied and the band wanted to write a song for them.

“All Star” was quickly featured on film soundtracks like “Inspector Gadget” and “Mystery Men” in 1999. The original music video even included clips from “Mystery Men.”

However, its immortality truly began with its inclusion in the opening credits of the animated film “Shrek” in 2001. The film grossed a staggering $484 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Years later, as a wave of generational nostalgia swept over fans who grew up watching “Shrek,” “All Star” became a popular meme. Various versions of the song emerged, including remixes using Bill O’Reilly samples and “Star Wars” clips from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

One of the most popular iterations was the Mario Bros.-themed adaptation titled “Mario, You’re a Plumber,” which garnered 1.6 million views on YouTube and has new lyrics written specifically for it.

These iterations demonstrate how user-generated content and social media can propel a song to success in today’s fragmented media landscape, as seen with Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”

Through this process, “All Star” has stayed relevant and even led to opportunities such as the band performing a snippet of the song in a Progressive insurance ad in 2020. The activity surrounding the song attracts listeners to streaming services, and “All Star” has received nearly a billion streams on Spotify alone.

In an interview with Stereogum in 2017, Steve Harwell, the band’s lead singer, expressed mixed feelings about the memes. He acknowledged the exposure and potential financial gains but also acknowledged that it can be disheartening to see one’s work turned into a joke.

While it may be entertaining, Harwell admitted, “It doesn’t bother me, but at the same time, I don’t love it.”