My girlfriend came back from her college homecoming event two weeks ago and told me about this weird song one of the college kids played at a tailgate. A couple days later it popped up her Facebook while we were sitting next to each other. She said she was pretty sure this was the right song, so we played the video. Five seconds in and I was sure this would be a terrible song. Ten seconds in I was hooked. One minute in (the R.Kelly joke) and I knew I’d be playing this song on repeat for the rest of the year.

Is this a joke song? A novelty? Well, yes, kind of. It’s just about into Lonely Island territory, but seems to escape to the end without the ego deflation that usually happens at some point in their songs. The Lonely Island guys can’t make it to the end while still being badasses; the characters might not be aware of it (“Dick In a Box”), but nobody wants to be them at the end of the day. But with Macklemore & Lewis’s “Thrift Shop,” there still a sense of Class Clown cool that stays strong throughout. They take the piss out of their clothes (literally), but he’s quick to point out that it’s better to wear a 99-cent shirt with style than to count on your expensive name-brand clothes to be your only appeal.