The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ Inspired a 1990s Song About Aliens

TL;DR:

• The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” inspired a 1990s song by a famous band.
• “Yellow Submarine” almost hit No. 1 in the United States and its parent album was a hit too.
• The song inspired by “Yellow Submarine” was not a hit but its parent album was.

The Beatles‘ “Yellow Submarine” is one of the most famous children’s songs of all time. During an interview, a member of a 1990s band said “Yellow Submarine” inspired one of his group’s songs. Notably, the 1990s tune in question was about alien life.

How The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ inspired the feel of Hanson’s ‘Man from Milwaukee’

During a 2004 interview with Songfacts, Hanson’s Zac Hanson said the first type of music he and his brothers embraced was 1960s music. In the interview, Zac was asked about his band’s song “Man from Milwaukee. “It represents the joy in music, the same way as ‘Yellow Submarine,'” he said.

“It’s not necessarily the most meaningful song or the perfectly well-written song with every edge trimmed and achieved, but it’s just about having fun and the joy,” Zac opined. “That one’s kind of back to our roots as a garage band; it’s crazy.”

What inspired Zac Hanson to start writing Hanson’s ‘Man from Milwaukee’

Zac had a positive view of “Man from Milwaukee.” “That’s a really fun one,” he said. “Pretty simply, it’s about an alien encounter. I don’t really believe in aliens, but it was just a funny idea that came along.”

Zac said the lyrics of “Man from Milwaukee” were related to his band’s career. “We got stuck in Albuquerque, New Mexico — we drove out from Oklahoma to make our first album; we do that every time we make an album; we drive across the country; it’s sort of the beginning of the journey of making a record and the writing process,” he recalled. “The car broke down in Albuquerque. I was sitting on the side of the road, and I started coming up with the chorus part.”

How The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Hanson’s ‘Man from Milwaukee’ performed

“Yellow Submarine” became a hit in the United States. The tune reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for nine weeks. The track appeared on the album Revolver. The record topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks, lasting on the chart for a total of 94 weeks. Revolver was a success, but it was outperformed by several other Beatles albums. “Yellow Submarine” also appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Yellow Submarine.

On the other hand, “Man from Milwaukee” was not a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune appeared on the album Middle of Nowhere, which also included the hit “MMMBop.” Middle of Nowhere reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for a total of 58 weeks. Middle of Nowhere became Hanson’s sole album to reach the top five.

“Man from Milwaukee” proves that The Beatles had a huge impact on music, including on 1990s teen pop.