In an Australian Mad Libs of outback-sized proportions, The Wiggles topped the country’s triple j Hottest 100 poll with a cover of “Elephant” by Tame Impala. The long-standing children’s group recorded the tribute back in March for the internet series Like A Version.
In addition to recording the cover for Like A Version, The Wiggles also included it on their latest EP, ReWiggled. Alongside covers of fellow Australian luminaries The Chats and AC/DC, The Wiggles also paid homage to Queen, The Rolling Stones, Rhianna, and more.
“The Wiggles love animals, and so we chose it because we like elephants,” drummer Emma Wiggle said of the Tame Impala cover in an interview.
For the Like A Version session, The Wiggles spliced in some of their own musical DNA with a “Fruit Salad” breakdown in the middle of “Elephant”.
“We wanted to keep it faithful to the original, so the best way to keep it Wiggly is just stick in ‘Fruit Salad’ with a laugh,” founding member Murray Wiggle added.
Meanwhile, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker shares the same disbelief now that he felt back in March when he learned The Wiggles planned to cover one of his songs.
“If someone had told me back when we released ‘Elephant’ that, in ten years’ time, The Wiggles were gonna cover it and it would get Top 10 Hottest 100, I would’ve told you that you were out of your mind,” Parker told triple j of the news. “I would’ve told you that that’s a ridiculous idea and I wouldn’t have believed you. If a fortune teller told me that was going to happen, I would’ve asked for my money back.”
Prior to the Hottest 100 win, Tame Impala returned the favor by dressing up as The Wiggles for the band’s 2021 Halloween show at Outside Lands.
Check out The Wiggles’ cover of Tame Impala’s “Elephant” for Like A Version as well as Kevin Parker’s reaction to the Hottest 100 win below.
The Wiggles – “Elephant” (Tame Impala)
Kevin Parker reacts to The Wiggles winning Hottest 100
The Wiggles – ReWiggled EP