The dark horse of Marvel’s cinematic universe, James Gunn’s upcoming sci-fi/comedy/action-adventure Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t have as big a built-in fanbase as Iron Man or Captain America, but that doesn’t make them any less rabid and faithful. A fine example of that intense following occurred after Tuesday’s release of Guardians’ highly anticipated first trailer, which utilized the Blue Swede song "Hooked on a Feeling" to frame all of the action and humor. On Wednesday alone, the single was bought and downloaded over 2,000 times, boosting its sales over 700%. A lot of people are once again hooked on this song, or perhaps they’re just caught on one of Groot’s limbs.
And the week still isn’t officially over, so those numbers will probably be much higher when Billboard’s final tallies are reported. Compare that to last week, when the song’s sales were about as newsworthy as my last haircut. But like most hits of yesteryear, pop culture has given it the occasional resurgence.
Released in 1974 as a cover of B.J. Thomas’ original track, the song became a number one hit for the group, and its radio life is still strong, but it isn’t exactly a mainstay on the digital charts. (Its previous best week came in 2008 when it was downloaded over 1,000 times.) Quentin Tarantino used the song in 1992’s Reservoir Dogs, and you might recall back in 1998 when Ally McBeal used the song in the scene with the dancing baby, a video that repeatedly took the still-young Internet by storm. That led to a new recording of the song, which went on to sell 111,000 copies. So, this Guardians-influenced rise in sales isn’t quite so meteoric, but then we don’t know how well it’s selling in the Negative Zone.
Go ahead and listen to the song now while we talk about Guardians for a little longer.
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, Guardians of the Galaxy follows a gang of ragtag interstellar heroes protecting a powerful orb that Peter Quill (Pratt) stole. And it’s only once he realizes the true secret of the orb that it’s understood how precariously balanced the safety of the universe is. And then a bunch of awesome fights and explosions and spaceships. It’s gonna be amazing.
Youooga chaka youooga youooga – ahem – You can find it in theaters on August 1. If you haven’t already, introduce yourself to these characters with Eric’s latest Hero Blend podcast. And because we’re not veiny almighty monsters, here’s the trailer again.
