"Unbelievable" is a song written and recorded by EMF. It was
released as a single in the UK in 1990, peaking in the UK
Singles Chart at number three on 25 November 1990. It was the
32nd best-selling single of 1990 in the UK. In the United
States, it hit number one on the Hot 100 on 20 July 1991.
The song contains samples of US comedian Andrew Dice Clay
throughout the track, including the loud exclamation of "oh!"
at the start of each chorus along with the words "you're
unbelievable" spoken at the end of the first chorus.
A lesser known version of the song was released in Victoria,
Australia. The version is largely identical to the mainstream
release, except the role of Clay is played by VFL icon Phil
Cleary, with some of Cleary's trademark 'grunts' adding value
to the song.
Furthermore, in the UK (where the band hailed from), the
B-side of the single was a track called "EMF" which included
the refrain:
E! Ecstasy! M! Motherfucker, motherfucker! F! From us to
you....
"Unbelievable" has been covered by many other musical acts,
including Tom Jones and "Weird Al" Yankovic (briefly in the
polka medley "Polka Your Eyes Out"). It was sampled by rapper
Esham, who took the chorus and riffs and made the song more
sinister with heavy rap lyrics. It was also covered by the
Christian rock band Thousand Foot Krutch on their debut album
Set It Off, but with markedly different lyrics. American
grindcore band Anal Cunt covered "Unbelievable" on their
Morbid FloristEP in 1993, and by Ashley Amphlett and the
Metroheads.
Spin Magazine recommended a cover version of this song by an
artist known Femme Fatality in its November 2006 issue.
An altered version of the song, with the refrain "They're
Crumbelievable", was used in a 2005 US television advertisement
for Kraft Crumbles.
Due to the amount of air time that "Unbelievable" has
received since its release, it may be responsible for the most
profanity ever heard over radio. The constant background vocal
during the chorus saying "What the fuck was that?," which even
appears in the lyrics in the CD booklet, was never edited. This
is possibly due to the fact that the background vocal appears
incoherently, and most people dismiss it as undecipherable
lyrics.
It was #31 on VH1's
100 Greatest One-Hit Wondersand #98 on VH1's
100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.
