Crash Test Dummies

Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian Alternative Rock band with a definitely folksy bent, especially in their early albums. They are best known for their hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm", a song that showcases lead singer Brad Robert's distinctive bass voice, as well as his frequently bizarre lyrical subject matter and style.

Not to be confused with The Incredible Crash Dummies.


 * Black Sheep Hit: Though the band hasn't disowned it, nor is it unrepresentative of the rest of their songs, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" counts, as it's 1: their only big hit outside their native Canada, and 2: frequently included on lists of annoying songs.
 * The Dead Can Dance: the music video for "The Ghosts That Haunt Me".
 * Godly Sidestep: The song "God Shuffled His Feet".
 * Large Ham: Brad Roberts, especially on his solo live album Crash Test Dude which may be amongst the hammiest live albums ever made.
 * New Sound Album: "Give Yourself a Hand" was a complete overhaul of their sound, to the point where it is almost unrecognisable as the same band. Instead of writing humorous folk songs about god and body parts, sung in bass baritone, Brad started writing funk and dance songs about partying and sexual fetishes, sung in falsetto. There are also a few pop-rnb songs sung by Ellen Reid on the album, as well. There was some degree of Executive Meddling in that the record company rejected about 30 of their songs before releasing the album, but the band seemed to be having a good time.
 * Not Christian Rock: Despite the occasional references to God and Christianity, they aren't actually a christian rock band. Most of these deal with Brad Roberts' whimsical views on the subject and even deconstruct it. "God Shuffled His Feet" is a good example.
 * One-Hit Wonder: "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" was their only top 40 hit on the Hot 100, but they had other hits in Canada and the UK, along with a few hits on rock stations.
 * Shout-Out: Superman in "Superman's Song".
 * Step Up to the Microphone: Ellen Reid on several songs on "Give Yourself a Hand".
 * As well as "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" and "Fundies Never Have Fun On Sundays".
 * And a few on Demo-Litions, which were recorded between "A Worm's Life" and "Give Yourself A Hand".
 * Wasted Song: "It's Not That I Don't Feel Sorry", which appears on Demo-Litions, was written for a movie soundtrack but rejected because the filmmaker already had enough material. For some reason, the song wasn't released for 13 years. Many agree it is one of the band's best songs.