Is This 1983 One-Hit Wonder the Most 1980s Thing To Exist?

There are some bits of pop culture history that just ooze the decade that they came from. Jangly sunshine pop with sitars and backup harmonies that sound like they’re full-out belting five feet from the mic? The 1960s. Misty, moody, drug-fueled dancefloor grooves? Probably the 1970s. A late-era Rodney Dangerfield rapping to synth and breakbeats? Well, that has to be the 1980s.

This delectable bite of American entertainment history came to us in 1983, when the long-time comedian released his fourth comedy album, Rappin’ Rodney. By this time, Dangerfield was a household name, having already won a Grammy Award for No Respect from three years earlier. Rappin’ Rodney expanded on a bit from one of his television specials and featured Dangerfield doing what he did best: lamenting about how the rest of the world shows him no respect in off-the-wall, eccentric ways.

Honorable mentions include: “My car broke down, I called Triple A / They left the car and towed me away / I can’t take it no more, I’m getting too old / I called suicide prevention, they put me on hold.”

The 1983 Music Video for “Rappin’ Rodney” Is Even Better

One needs only to listen to this iconic comedy rap track to know that it’s from the 1980s. The cadence Dangerfield uses to rap, the four-on-the-floor rhythm, the punchy bass, the trio of backup vocalists—even more than that, the song is pure camp. It’s goofy and a little dumb and somehow really catchy, which can arguably describe a lot of music coming from this time period. And as one would expect (or hope) from a song like “Rappin’ Rodney”, the music video is equally absurd and ridiculous.

The music video starts with Dangerfield on the stand in a courtroom, pleading with a judge. The action moves into the rest of the room, with Dangerfield singing to the jury before they take the floor for a dance break. Dangerfield ends up in jail (obviously), and this time, he pleads to an uninterested pastor who is eating the comedian’s final meal out of a takeout container. Eventually, Dangerfield ends up in an execution room with a police officer tying a noose around his neck. The hangman? A leather-clad Pat Benatar, because it was the 1980s, and more importantly, why not?

The video ends with Dangerfield in heaven, where there are more campy interactions and dance breaks among angels and other heavenly newcomers. The pearly gates end up closing before Dangerfield can get in, leaving him yanking on the balusters.

Sure, “Rappin’ Rodney” might not be the most culturally significant thing to come out of the 1980s. But it still helped define this musical era with all its hammy charm.

Photo by George Mann /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images

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