Top That (Teen Witch)
About
Top That is a scene from the 1989 film Teen Witch which went on to become a viral video thanks to its cheesy rapping and dancing. The video went on to inspire numerous parodies on social media through the 2000s and 2010s.
Origin
In the 1989 film Teen Witch, the character Louise Miller is a teenager who discovers she has magical powers. In one scene, she discusses with her friend Polly Polly's crush on a boy named Rhet. The two then come across Rhet dancing and rapping with his friends in the middle of the street. Louise uses her powers to give Polly the ability to rap and dance, resulting in the two undergoing a rap battle dubbed "Top That." The song is credited to The Michael Terry Rappers.
On December 2nd, 2006, YouTuber jlajr2 uploaded the clip to YouTube, where it gained over 1.5 million views in sixteen years.
Lyrics
I'm king and they know it
When I snap my fingers everybody says show it
I'm hot and your not
But if you wanna hang with me I'll give it a shot
Top that, top that
You can do all you can but you'll never top that
Top that, top that
You can try until you blow but you'll never top that
Supersonic Idionic
Disconnected, not respected
Who would really wanna go and top that
Such a wast of pretty fave but hanging in your no where space
I wish you would take a look and really stop that
Top that, well stop that
I dont really give ah! about trying to top that
Top that, well stop that
I wish you would really take a look and stop that
whats this (stop that)
what gives (top that)
(I don't reall give ah! about trying to top that)
Top that (big deal)
Stop that (unreal)
You can try until you blow (I will make a fool of you)
Top that
Spread
According to comments on the clip's various uploads, notable moments include when Polly says "He's so funky…" before the camera cuts to Rhet doing an embarrassing dance. She then sighs, "I'll never be hip…" before Louise uses her magic.
The clip grew in infamy through the 2000s and 2010s, inspiring parodies and blog posts. In 2009, producer Jack Antonoff recreated the scene as Rhet with Arrested Development actress Alia Shawkat as Polly.[3] On February 26th, 2010, YouTubers Niles Productions posted a parody that gained 12,000 views in twelve years (shown below, right).
A parody of the scene also appeared on 30 Rock, where Kenneth performed a portion of it (shown below, left). Robyn Lively, who played Louise in the film, also made a parody version on her personal YouTube channel (shown below, right).
Buzzfeed[1] covered "Top That" on January 22nd, 2013, giving mocking commentary about the scene's various issues. Huffington Post[4] covered it shortly after, giving updates on the actors' post-Teen Witch careers. The clip was uploaded to the Movieclips YouTube channel[2] on January 14th, 2014, where it gained over 842,000 views in eight years.
In 2018, Entertainment Weekly[5] interviewed the actors in the scene and the composer of "Top That," Larry Weir. The interview revealed that the producers wanted the scene added after the original cut of the film and asked Weir to write the rap. Actors Noah Blake and Mandy Ingber revealed they were mortified by the rap and the dance.
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Buzzfeed – 'Teen Witch' Rap Will Make You Embarrassed To Be An American
[3] Teen Vogue – Rachel Antonoff and Alia Shawkat's Teen Witch Video Remake
[4] Huffington Post – 'Top That' 'Teen Witch' Rap Where Are They Now
[5] Entertainment Weekly – 'Top That!' The stars of Teen Witch look back at the supersonic scene
