[VIRAL FLASHBACK] We're Still Confused About Ylvis' Hit Song 'The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)'

We know the sounds that cats and dogs make. But how about the fox? What does the fox say?

If you're a frequent visitor of the internet, perhaps you've heard of this song by Ylvis brothers from the 2010s period.

"The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" was released in September 2013 as an advertisement for a Norwegian talk show.

The Norwegian comedy duo of Vegard and Bård Ylvisåker did not intend to make the song popular as the video was created to fail. But with one billion view as of writing, the music video is a certified viral hit.

What's the Story Behind the Song?

"The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" was made for it not to be hit. But ironies of all ironies - the video ended up being viral.

The Ylvis brothers are supposed to use the footage of the song on their show in Norway to prove what absolute failures they were in the music business.

In 2013, the Ylvis brothers has an out of this world idea, which is to make an intentionally terrible song, pair it with a high-quality, studio-level music video, and release it as a joke. They expected the song to fail but help promote their Norwegian TV show.

Ylvis brothers focused their song and video on what sound a fox makes. The song says that we commonly say dogs bark, cows moo, and ducks quack, but Ylvis observed that foxes generally have no sound associated with them.

They comically filled the fox-sound gap in "The Fox," answering the chorus lyric question of "What does the fox say?" with bizarre vocalizations including: "Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding" and "Joff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!"

They were actually going for a comedic element, and they wanted to misuse Stargate's talent to turn their opportunity into a disaster.

In an interview, Vegard said that they want to come back to the show and say to the audience, 'Sorry guys, we had the chance, we couldn't find anything else than what sound the fox says- we blew the opportunity.'

But their plan backfired as the song and the video became a massive success, immediately turned viral, and became the subject of memes.

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Who's Ylvis?

Brothers Vegard and Bård Ylvisåker are hosts of Tonight with Ylvis, a late-night talk show in Norway. "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" is part of their promotion for their new season.

The brothers spent boyhoods in Mozambique and Angola, and according to Bård, Vegard learned how to play the double bass, while he studied the violin.

Bard said that their parents were always really fond of music and they encouraged them to do whatever we wanted to do. They, in fact, went to choir when we were kids.

According to Vegard, even in their younger years, they made small music things in their room and it was always with a comic context.

The brothers said that they were influenced by Monty Python's Life of Brian and a Norwegian variety comedian. They developed humor that was a mix between those two.

Ylvis were the first ones to be surprised when the song became a hit. According to them, the song is made for a TV show and is supposed to entertain a few Norwegians for three minutes.

But the unexpected happened. With one billion views, who cares if "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" is a stupid fox song? Everyone is so into it. So, what does the fox say?