OK Go

About

OK Go is an American alternative rock band formed in 1998, consisting of members Tim Nordwich, Andy Ross, Dan Konopka and Damian Kulash. The group is best known for their visually stunning and innovative music videos that incorporate a variety of digital filmmaking techniques, from the long take and stop motion photography to the use of forced perspectives and Rube Goldberg machines.

Early Career

Damian Kulash and Tim Nordwind met when they were both eleven, and the band's name came from a teacher's command at the summer camp where they met. When Dan Konopka was added to the band it was called Stanley's Joyful Noise, but the band's name was officially changed to OK Go in 1998. In 2000 they released their first EP Brown EP, and in 2001 they released Pink EP. Their debut self titled album was released on September 17th, 2002.

Online History

A Million Ways

In 2005, OK Go posted a video of themselves performing a choreographed dance routine to their song “A Million Ways.” The earliest version of the video still available online was uploaded to the EMI Music YouTube channel^[1] on February 26th, 2009. The video sparked a dance meme in Japan, with many videos of people performing the band’s dance uploaded to Japanese video sharing site Nico Nico Douga.

Here It Goes Again

On July 31st, 2006, the band released a music video directed by choreographer Trish Sie for their song Here It Goes Again which featured the four band members dancing on a collection of treadmills. The earliest video of "Here It Goes Again" still available online was uploaded to the EMI Music YouTube channel" on February 26th, 2009. As of June 2014, the video has gained over 21.2 million views.

The video inspired many parodies and tributes. On August 19th, 2006, YouTuber mreel777's channel^[3] uploaded a stop motion Lego recreation of the music video (below, left). As of June 2014, the video has gained over 2.1 million views. On January 27th, 2007, YouTuber Ben Hiler^[2] uploaded a video (below, right) of four students from from Granbury High School recreating the music video onstage. As of June 2014, the video has gained over 4.3 million views.

This Too Shall Pass

On January 8th, 2010, the band uploaded a new music video (below, left) for their song “This Too Shall Pass” to their official YouTube channel.^[4] The video features the band members dressed as a marching band performing in a swamp, and as of June 2014, the video has gained over 9.2 million views.

End of Love

On June 14th, 2010, the band uploaded a video (below, right) for their song “End of Love” to their official YouTube channel. The video features the band members performing a stop motion dance, as of June 2014, the video has gained over 9.4 million views.

Three Primary Colors

On January 30th, 2012, the official Sesame Street YouTube channel^[12] uploaded a clip from the show (below, left) featuring OK Go singing a song about primary colors. As of June 2014, the video has gained over 9.3 million views.

Needing/Getting

On February 5th, 2012, the band uploaded a music video (below, right) they created for Chevrolet's Super Bowl XLVI commercial, which featured the band playing their song “Needing/Getting” by driving an SUV equipped with percussive mallets through an obstacle course lined with various musical instruments. As of June 2014, the video has gained over 27.9 million views.

The Writing's On the Wall

On June 17th, 2014, Ok Go uploaded a music video for their song "The Writing's On the Wall" to their official YouTube channel. Shot in one take, the video features a series of optical illusions. The video was covered by many websites including Rolling Stone^[10] and Slate.^[11] Within three days the video gained over 4.8 million views.

Fandom

In addition to their branded web presence, there are several sites dedicated to the band run by their fans, including the OK Go page of FanPop.^[7] Popular fan-run Tumblrs dedicated to the band include fuckyeahokgo^[5] and everythingremindsmeofokgo.^[6] As of June 2014, there are over 300,000 pieces of OK Go fan art on Deviant Art. ^[7]

OK Go-Pid

On March 19th, 2012, College Humor^[13] posted a video titled “Shorts / OK Go-Pid” which featured a parody of a Match.com commercial for a fake dating site run by OK Go.

Reputation

As of June 2014, OK Go's YouTube channel has gained over 290,000 subscribers. Their official Twitter account^[8] has gained over 1 million followers and its Facebook page^[9] has gained over 580,000 likes.

Search Interest

External References