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Ylvis Troll America With Love in ‘Massachusetts’ Video

Ylvis 'Massachusetts' Video Parody Tourism Talk Show

Ylvis’ viral hit “The Fox” may unintentionally parodize the sorta-genre known as EDM, as one of its producers told SPIN, but the lyrical concept is comedic gold — after all, 120,000,000 Ylvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong (closer to 150M now, by the way). And as we know, Norwegian siblings at the center of the song host a variety show in their native country, so it was only a matter of time before Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker capitalized on their newfound fame here in the land that put capitalism on the map.

Above you’ll find “Massachusetts,” a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the history-rich northeastern state and, as it turns out, Ylvis’ “favorite place on earth.” What do they like so much about the Bay State, you ask? Well, blue jeans and flannels, for one. Also, the Boy Scouts of Attleboro, the Staring Dogs of Suffolk County, Nelson Mandela’s home, and that one guy named Bruce. It’s pretty funny and musically deft — heartland-meets-soft rock with the occasional church choir or African percussive flurry — and mostly comes across as a hat-in-the-ring for Lonely Island-style status as a video/song/comedy production team.

Our only gripe: the recurring gag about men blowing men just kinda smacks of lame, in-and-of-itself “Hey, isn’t gayness funny?” humor. When Andy Samberg and his peeps took on that particular gag with help from James Franco, they at least gave it up to marriage equality. Otherwise, a strong second entry.