When it comes to certain bits of pop culture ephemera, the internet is never satisfied. Its hunger is never sated. There is always one more parody, one more mashup, or one more deeply ironic remix to be done. Take as an example “Gimme Pizza,” the much-ridiculed, oft-adapted song from Michael Kruzan’s 1995 straight-to-video offering You’re Invited to Mary Kate And Ashley’s Sleepover Party, one of the many Clinton-era vehicles for the famed Olsen twins. This novelty number about unlikely pizza toppings (marshmallows, fish, meatloaf, etc.), originally intended for undiscriminating children, has become one of the internet’s most stubborn memes, inspiring derivative after derivative since it was rediscovered circa 2010. Part of the credit/blame must go to the song’s profoundly ridiculous video, featuring some drastic overacting and surreal editing. And just when the world thought “Gimme Pizza” was all used up, along comes Lee Olsen with a new video called “Gimme Pizza x Today Was A Good Day,” combining the Olsen twins’ song with a classic 1992 track by Ice Cube.
In a way, incongruous as it might initially seem, this mashup makes perfect sense. Combining “Gimme Pizza” with “Today Was A Good Day” provides viewers with a double dose of 1990s nostalgia. And, besides, the original Olsen twins song was about unlikely pairings, so why not add some hip-hop to the mix for good measure? What’s truly notable about Lee Olsen’s mashup is that the vocals from “Gimme Pizza” are very low in the mix, putting the emphasis on the backing track, which samples “Footsteps In The Dark” by the Isley Brothers. Here, the pizza party seems like some vaguely remembered dream. This track is exactly the thing to put on the morning after an especially intense slumber party, when one is nursing a pizza-related hangover.
[h/t to reader Lee Jolson]