Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of the Billboard Top 100?
The Shadow knows.
The Shadow knows.
"I don't make these videos because I hate pop music, I do it because I LOVE pop music."
Todd Nathanson (born 3 June 1984), better known online as Todd in the Shadows, is a YouTube-based reviewer who focuses on snarking on pop music of the past and present. Combines legitimate complaints with humorous observations and Shout Outs. Also, he always obscures his face in his videos.
Todd has four different shows:
- Todd's Pop Song Reviews: reviews of modern pop songs, talking about how bad (and sometimes good) they are, which makes him ask how they even became popular in the first place. He also releases a pair of videos where he lists the worst and best hit songs of the current year at the end of each year.
- One Hit Wonderland: self-described in each episode as "a look at bands and artists known for only one song". In each episode, Todd goes over the early careers of the hitmaker, reviews their one hit song, details the failed follow-ups, and analyzes whether their talents and/or charisma meant they deserved better.
- Trainwreckords: analyzing Creator Killer albums that removed well-known, successful artists from the popular spotlight.
- Cinemadonna: a review series of the entire filmography of Madonna (now completed).
He also has a podcast Song vs. Song which compares big hits from pop history.
A former member of Channel Awesome, he left the site in early 2018. Once a frequent "Special Guest" on Pushing Up Roses' "Let's Play Shorties". Todd also regularly appeared on Roses' Let's Plays of Edutainment PC games from the early '90s. He also had frequent cameo roles and co-writing credits on The Nostalgia Chick's early videos. He also occasionally cameos as a quote reader on Sarah Z's videos.
His videos can be found on his YouTube account here.
His Bluesky account can be found here, and his formerly-used Twitter / X account can be found here.
Works covered on Todd's docu-review shows:
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One Hit Wonderland
- 2012
- a-ha — "Take On Me" (1986)
- Sir Mix-A-Lot — "Baby Got Back" (1992)
- Carl Douglas — "Kung Fu Fighting" (1974)
- Dexys Midnight Runners — "Come On Eileen" (1982)
- Gerardo — "Rico Suave" (1990)
- Billy Ray Cyrus — "Achy Breaky Heart" (1992)
- Men Without Hats — "Safety Dance" (1982)
- Wild Cherry — "Play That Funky Music" (1976)
- Bobby "Boris" Pickett — "Monster Mash" (1962)
- Chumbawamba — "Tubthumping" (1997)
- Elmo & Patsy — "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" (1979)
- 2013
- Eddie Murphy — "Party All the Time" (1985)
- Semisonic — "Closing Time" (1998)
- Billy Paul — "Me & Mrs. Jones" (1972)
- The Weather Girls — "It's Raining Men" (1982)
- Rednex — "Cotton-Eye Joe" (1994)
- EMF — "Unbelievable" (1990)
- A Flock of Seagulls — "I Ran (So Far Away)" (1982)
- The Proclaimers — "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (1988)
- Mr. Big — "To Be With You" (1991)
- Iron Butterfly — "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (1968)
- Baha Men — "Who Let the Dogs Out" (2000)
- Rockwell — "Somebody's Watching Me" (1984)
- Alien Ant Farm — "Smooth Criminal" (2001)
- Debby Boone — "You Light Up My Life" (1977)
- Dead or Alive — "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" (1984)
- 2014
- Marc Cohn — "Walking in Memphis" (1991)
- OMC — "How Bizarre" (1995)
- The Floaters — "Float On" (1977)
- Pras — "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" (1998)
- Nine Days — "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" (2000)
- Deee-Lite — "Groove Is in the Heart" (1990)
- Biz Markie — "Just a Friend" (1989)
- Snow — "Informer" (1992)
- Blue Swede — "Hooked on a Feeling" (1974)
- Michael Sembello — "Maniac" (1983)
- Shawn Mullins — "Lullaby" (1998)
- 2015
- Cameo — "Word Up!" (1986)
- Eiffel 65 — "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (1998)
- John Parr — "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" (1985)
- Hanson — "MMMBop" (1997)
- The Vapors — "Turning Japanese" (1980)
- Crazy Town — "Butterfly" (1999)
- Meco — "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" (1977)
- 2016
- Toni Basil — "Mickey" (1982)
- Barry McGuire — "Eve of Destruction" (1965)
- Chamillionaire — "Ridin'" (2005)
- The Darkness — "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (2003)
- Living in a Box — "Living in a Box" (1987)
- Donna Lewis — "I Love You Always Forever" (1996)
- Divinyls — "I Touch Myself" (1990)
- Wall of Voodoo — "Mexican Radio" (1982)
- Coven — "One Tin Soldier" (1971)
- Jars of Clay — "Flood" (1995)
- Midnight Oil — "Beds Are Burning" (1987)
- 2017
- Falco — "Rock Me Amadeus" (1985)
- The Buggles — "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1979)
- Adina Howard — "Freak Like Me" (1995)
- SR-71 — "Right Now" (2000)
- Mungo Jerry — "In the Summertime" (1970)
- D4L — "Laffy Taffy" (2005)
- Jordan Knight — "Give It to You" (1999)
- Right Said Fred — "I'm Too Sexy" (1991)
- The Crazy World of Arthur Brown — "Fire" (1968)
- Rick Derringer — "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" (1973)
- 2018
- Kyper — "Tic-Tac-Toe" (1990)
- Haddaway — "What Is Love" (1993)
- Butthole Surfers — "Pepper" (1996)
- Scatman John — "Scatman (Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop)" (1994)
- Everything but the Girl — "Missing" (1994)
- The Cardigans — "Lovefool" (1996)
- Thomas Dolby — "She Blinded Me With Science" (1982)
- Loreena McKennitt — "The Mummers' Dance" (1997)
- The Calling — "Wherever You Will Go" (2001)
- S Club 7 — "Never Had a Dream Come True" (2000)
- 2019
- Harvey Danger — "Flagpole Sitta" (1997)
- OK Go — "Here It Goes Again" (2005)
- House of Pain — "Jump Around" (1992)
- Paper Lace — "The Night Chicago Died" (1974)
- New Radicals — "You Get What You Give" (1998)
- Van McCoy — "The Hustle" (1975)
- Asher Roth — "I Love College" (2009)
- 2020
- Young MC — "Bust a Move" (1989)
- Lipps Inc. — "Funkytown" (1979)
- Yello — "Oh Yeah" (1985)
- Corona — "The Rhythm of the Night" (1993)
- Jimmy Ray — "Are You Jimmy Ray" (1997)
- Modern English — "I Melt With You" (1982)
- The Buoys — "Timothy" (1970)
- The Waitresses — "I Know What Boys Like" (1980)
- 2021
- Tag Team — "Whoomp! (There It Is)" (1993)
- Mark Morrison — "Return of the Mack" (1996)
- Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots — "Disco Duck" (1976)
- Meredith Brooks — "Bitch" (1997)
- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus — "Face Down" (2006)
- Lou Bega — "Mambo No. 5" (1999)
- Evan and Jaron — "Crazy for This Girl" (2000)
- 2022
- Edison Lighthouse — "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" (1970)
- Bobby McFerrin — "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (1988)
- Mims — "This Is Why I'm Hot" (2007)
- Los del Río — "Macarena" (1993)
- White Town — "Your Woman" (1997)
- 2023
- Autograph — "Turn Up the Radio" (1984)
- Nena — "99 Luftballons" (1983)
- Skee-Lo — "I Wish" (1995)
- Aqua — "Barbie Girl" (1997)
- Mike Oldfield — "Tubular Bells" (1973)
- 2024
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood — "Relax" (1984)
- Tom Cochrane — "Life Is a Highway" (1991)
- Baltimora — "Tarzan Boy" (1985)
- 2025
- Daniel Powter — "Bad Day" (2005)
- The Veronicas — "Untouched" (2009)
- Big Country — "In a Big Country" (1983)
- M — "Pop Muzik" (1979)
- Brenda Russell — "Piano in the Dark" (1988)
- 2026
- Terry Jacks — "Seasons in the Sun" (1974)
Cinemadonna
- Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
- Shanghai Surprise (1986)
- A Certain Sacrifice (1985)
- Who's That Girl (1987)
- Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989)
- Dick Tracy (1990)
- Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991)
- A League of Their Own (1992)
- Body of Evidence (1993)
- Dangerous Game (1993)
- Evita (1996)
- The Next Best Thing (2000)
- Swept Away (2002)
- Die Another Day (2002) and other cameos
- Filth and Wisdom (2008)
- W.E. (2011)
- I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (2005)
Trainwreckords
- 2017
- Jewel - 0304 (2003)
- Styx - Kilroy Was Here (1983)
- 2018
- MC Hammer - The Funky Headhunter (1994)
- Oasis - Be Here Now (1997)
- Van Halen - Van Halen III (1998)
- Creedence Clearwater Revival - Mardi Gras (1972)
- Billy Idol - Cyberpunk (1993)
- 2019
- Lauryn Hill - MTV Unplugged 2.0 (2002)
- Madonna - American Life (2003)
- Robin Thicke - Paula (2014)
- The Clash - Cut the Crap (1985)
- Hootie & the Blowfish - Fairweather Johnson (1996)
- 2020
- The Beach Boys - Summer in Paradise (1992)
- Arrested Development - Zingalamaduni (1994)
- Gregg Allman & Cher note - Two the Hard Way (1977)
- Liz Phair - Funstyle (2010)
- 2021
- Metallica - St. Anger (2003)
- The Human League - Crash (1986)
- Spin Doctors - Turn It Upside Down (1994)
- Carpenters - Passage (1977)
- Edgar Winter & L. Ron Hubbard - Mission Earth (1986/1989)note
- 2022
- Katy Perry - Witness (2017)
- Will Smith - Lost and Found (2005)
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - American Dream (1988)
- Mötley Crüe - Generation Swine (1997)
- 2023
- Run–D.M.C. - Crown Royal (2001)
- Ringo Starr - Ringo the 4th (1977)
- Nickelback - No Fixed Address (2014)
- 2024
- Faith Hill - Cry (2002)
- Justin Timberlake - Man of the Woods (2018)
- Kid Rock - Bad Reputation (2022)
- 2025
- Limp Bizkit - Results May Vary (2003)
- John Fogerty - Eye of the Zombie (1986)
All tropes regarding Todd himself go to the character sheet.
