The ’90s were a weird time. Especially when it came to music. The decade began with Nirvana and similar bands bringing grunge music to Top 40 radio. Not to mention acts like Nine Inch Nails, once the darlings of college radio and industrial music nightclubs, becoming household names. Everything alternative in the ’80s was now mainstream and slapped on a lunch box. But by the late ’90s, the pendulum swung back to the light, frothy teen pop of groups like the Backstreet Boys, and of course, the Spice Girls.
But what if someone took the two extreme opposite examples of ’90s popular music and mashed them together? Thanks to Boing Boing, we’ve discovered that’s exactly what’s happened. YouTuber JohnDopamine5 used the OpenAI Jukebox to transform the Spice Girls’ signature hit song “Wannabe” into the style of Nine Inch Nails over the course of the song. Does it go together like peanut butter and jelly, or is it oil and water? Have a listen above, and then decide for yourself. We’ve got to admit… we kinda like it?
Virgin Records
JohnDopamine5’s channel has other hilarious examples of AI musical updates. Keeping things on the ’90s tip, the AI software imagines what Christmas songs would sound like if Nirvana played them. “Jingle Bells” never sounded so angsty. And Toto’s “Africa,” an ’80s hit that people have rediscovered in recent years for some reason, got AI continuations based on 15-second samples. Those are just off-putting in a totally different kind of way. Forget Skynet from Terminator or the robot overlords of the Matrix. I’m more worried about AI. rewriting every iconic pop song ever made, not launching nuclear missiles.
You can check out several other examples of AI “improving” well-known songs on the JohnDopamine5 YouTube channel. Who knows? You might even like some of the new versions even better.
Featured Image: JohnDopamine5
