In 2010, Norwegian TV show Gylne Tider aired a low-quality music video starring a baffling assortment of celebs lip syncing the Beatles song "Let It Be" on a beach at sunset.
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Sure, celebrity-laden charity music videos are so ubiquitous that 30 Rock satirized the genre with a video of its own. But this video wasn't made for any good cause — unless you consider bringing joy to the internet a worthy cause.
The video was so bizarre that it immediately went viral. And now, whenever a video like Gal Gadot's star-studded "Imagine" cover blows up, someone inevitably tweets about the "Let It Be" video.
This may be the greatest thing I've ever seen. It blows Gal Godot's "Imagine" out of the water, and I CANNOT BELIEVE no one has ever told me about it before. https://t.co/NPJNLzJBjG
Gylne Tider's "Let It Be" video walked so Gal Gadot's "Imagine" video could run.
The video resurfaced again this year, so I'm taking it upon myself to catalogue every weird moment in the entire 307-second-long video...for science.
@scully1888 I've been ill the last few days. Just had to check I wasn't hallucinating
Like a fever dream, the video is bombastically magnificent and bafflingly unsettling in equal measure.
1. Right off the bat, I'm so distracted by Roger Moore's exaggerated eyebrow acting that I almost missed his weird shrug as he sensually whispers the line "let it be."
2. At 0:14, I want to meet the genius who paired Jason Alexander and Huey Lewis for the next verse — confirming that the only thing we can expect for the next 5 minutes and 43 seconds is the unexpected.
3. Then the camera pans to Ricki Lake, who is definitely standing on the same beach as Jason and Huey. Meanwhile, Josie Bissett stares past Ricki in a wholly unconvincing attempt to look like she's present for Ricki's performance.
4. Who is singing this rendition of "Let It Be"? Because it's definitely not The Beatles — or anyone in this beach hellscape.
5. Good news, everyone! As we come upon the first chorus at 0:40, we finally get an appearance from B̶o̶n̶o̶ Alberto Tomba. You know...Alberto Tomba, famous Italian skier in the '80s and '90s. That Alberto Tomba!
6. Alas, the sands of time — much like the very real sand on this beach — are fleeting. So, we must bid A-lister Alberto Tombo arrivederci. But don't worry, because John Nettles is here to deliver the least convincing lip sync of the video thus far!
7. Corbin Bernsen closes out the first chorus, which isn't bizarre on its own. But take note of his placement on the beach (in front and to the right of Jason and Huey, presumably in front and to the left of Ricki and Josie), because things are about to get weird(er).
8. At 0:49, we're treated to the first real wide shot of the beach. Notice anything strange?
During Corbin's solo, he had to be standing in front and to the left of Ricki; otherwise, we would have seen him when the camera panned from Jason and Huey to Ricki.
But all of a sudden, Corbin is to the back right of Ricki in the wide shot. Even stranger, half the celebs have disappeared from the beach entirely.
9. Also, everyone's haphazard shadow and foot placement in the wide shot is suuuper weird. At this point, I'm ready to admit that the physics of this Let It Beach make about as much sense as the beach that makes you old.
10. Hypnotist Paul McKenna appears at 1:02, and I assume he's here to hypnotize viewers into enjoying this clusterfuck of a video.
11. At 1:22, we can see that Josie Bissett has returned to the beach — but Huey Lewis is missing. (Is it a take-a-celeb, leave-a-celeb type of deal?)
12. At 1:29, Glenn Close's startling inclusion in the video bolsters my emerging theory that this is actually a hostage situation.
13. Conversely, Alfonso Ribeiro's presence makes me question my hostage theory, because he honestly just seems happy to be there.
14. At 1:48, figure skater Katarina Witt gives us the air guitar performance of a lifetime that goes on wayyyyyyy too long.
15. Then, for reasons I truly cannot begin to fathom, we cut to a photo album filled with stars like Leslie Nielsen and Pamela Anderson. They are not lip syncing, despite their inclusion in a video explicitly created for lip-syncing celebs.
16. At 2:23, there's somehow ANOTHER air guitar breakdown.
17. Dolph Lundgren's foot placement at 2:39 is so bizarre that I'm open to considering the unlikely possibility that perhaps these celebrities are performing in front of a green screen. (Is Dolph hovering?!)
18. At the 3:16 mark, a shot of Malcolm-Jamal Warner adds to the ever-expanding Let It Beach lore. Until now, I thought the beach was fairly removed from civilization, but apparently, it's in front of a strip of resorts?
19. Seconds later, we're given more clues via the field of empty oil drums and busy highway behind Columbo. (Don't worry, Glenn Close, we're coming to rescue you!)
20. Given everything we know about the Let It Beach, this is my best guess as to the layout. But I'm left with more questions than answers, such as: What beach in Norway looks like this??????
21. We may never know for sure where this beach is, be it Earth or purgatory, but my best guess is somewhere on the west coast of Halmstad, Sweden, where Gylne Tider sometimes filmed their show.
22. With that mystery behind us, I'm entirely focused on the fact that everyone except Alberto Tomba has a shadow?????
23. Returning to the captive vs. there-by-free-will debate for a moment, 3:53-3:58 gives us compelling arguments for both sides. On one hand, Bud Spencer looks ready to kill-or-be-killed in the ultimate spaghetti western shootout. Meanwhile, Jason Alexander is having the time of his goddamn life.
24. This is the point in the video where the person in charge of labeling each celebrity gave up.
25. Obviously, I left a lot of random celebrities out of this breakdown, because all of them are random. But I would be deeply remiss if I didn't mention that Fabrice Morvan from Milli Vanilli is in the video, because of course he is. Also, Dee Snider.
26. And the geniuses behind "I'm Too Sexy" who, in an ironic twist, are wearing shirts.
27. At 5:09, Daryl Hannah shows up just to flash a peace sign, evidently forgetting that the song they're lip syncing to is "Let It Be," not "Imagine." She was truly ahead of her time.
28. Oh hey, remember when I made that "Cotton Eye Joe" joke ten thousand years ago and promised it would make sense eventually? Well, "eventually" is 5:12 in the video, when Rednex join the crowd. NOW it's a party!
29. At 5:39, it occurred to me that this version of "Let It Be" is so much longer than the original because there's an extra two minutes of choruses. That's bizarre, bordering on a human rights violation.
30. At 5:44, the song fades, and the camera pulls out to reveal the entire beach — which I'm beginning to suspect might not be real — filled with celebrities and "celebrities" alike.
31. And as the sun sets into the sea, I'm struck with the realization that we all enter this world alone, letting it be in our own unique ways. But maybe being here is best when we learn to be together, as one. Then, and only then, can we let it be, being our let until our let has been. Amen.
In total, these random celebrities did 31 super weird things* in 307 seconds, for an average of one super weird thing every 9.9 seconds. That's a lot of super weird things!!!!!
If you think this video was bafflingly hilarious, you'll love "A Complete List Of Every Bizarre Thing Dr. Oz Does In This 39-Second Clip Of Him Grocery Shopping!"