The song remains popular and is played at many sporting events in the U.S. and Europe. It is frequently played during breaks in the action at sporting events with crowds using the dance as an opportunity to stretch. Moreover, the song also remains particularly popular due to its status as a disco classic and gay anthem, even among listeners who are otherwise uninvolved in disco or gay culture. It is also known to be a favorite at weddings and school dances. A popular dance in which the arms are used to spell out the four letters of the song’s title may have much to do with this. “Y.M.C.A.” appeared as Space Shuttle Wakeup call on mission STS-106, on day 11. In 2009, “Y.M.C.A.” was entered into the Guinness World Book of Records when over 44,000 people danced to the song with Village People singing live at the Sun Bowl game in Texas. “Y.M.C.A.” is number 7 on VH1′s list of The 100 Greatest Dance Songs of the 20th Century.

The song won Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The music video for the song has become the basis for the “Rickrolling” Internet meme.

In 2004, it was voted #28 in 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs … Ever by VH1. In 2008, Rick Astley won the MTV EMA awards for “Best Act Ever” with the song “Never Gonna Give You Up”, as a result of collective voting from thousands of people on the internet, due to the popular phenomenon of rickrolling.

Other than the last 30 seconds containing a guitar solo by May, the song is generally set in a cappella form, using only stamping and clapping as a rhythmic beat. In 1977, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” were issued together as a worldwide Top Ten single.

Since its release the song has been covered, remixed, sampled, parodied, referenced and used by multiple recording artists, TV shows, films and other media worldwide

Although the official recording appeared in August 1964, the Beatles recalled Orbison having written and performed the song during a mid-1963 tour of the UK on which both acts performed.

Five years after its release, in 1969, the single was awarded gold record by RIAA.Orbison posthumously won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his live recording of the song on his HBO television special Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night. In 1999, the song was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and was named one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #222 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna,while at the same time serving as a call to abandon religious sectarianism, with its deliberate blending of Christian “alleluia”s with chants of “Hare Krishna” and Vedic prayer. “My Sweet Lord” is ranked 460th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

The song was also at the centre of a plagiarism suit due to its similarity to the Ronnie Mack song “He’s So Fine”, originally recorded by The Chiffons in December 1962.

Here Comes The Sun expressed Harrison’s relief at being away from the tensions within The Beatles, the troubles with Apple and the various business and legal issues which at the time were overshadowing the group’s creativity.

Harrison’s understated use of a Moog synthesiser was a key feature of Here Comes The Sun. Robert Moog’s then-recent invention was a rarity in the UK at the time, and The Beatles were keen to experiment with its sounds.

The rhythm track was recorded in 13 takes on 7 July 1969. Harrison played acoustic guitar and sang a guide vocal, McCartney played bass, and Starr was on drums. Harrison spent an hour re-recording his acoustic guitar part at the end of the session.

The next day Harrison recorded his lead vocals, and he and McCartney twice recorded their backing vocals. On 16 July handclaps and a harmonium were overdubbed. Here Comes The Sun was then left until 6 August, when Harrison taped more guitar parts alone in Abbey Road’s studio three.

The orchestra – the names of the players undocumented – was recorded on 15 August. The song was completed four days later, when Harrison taped his Moog part.

The song is a firm favorite amongst many performing barbershop music.

The song originated when Julius Dixson was late for a songwriting session with Beverly Ross. He explained that his daughter had gotten a lollipop stuck in her hair, and that had caused him to be late. Ross was so inspired by the word “lollipop” that she sat down at the piano and produced a version of the song on the spot. Beverly Ross recorded a demo of the song with Ronald Gumm, a 13-year old neighbor of Dixson, under the name Ronald & Ruby. Ross’ mother insisted that she use a pseudonym for safety reasons, because they were an interracial duo.

RCA got hold of it and Dixson, who owned the master and had produced the demo, agreed to let them release it. Ronald and Ruby’s version rose up the chart reaching #20.

“Lollipop” was then covered in the United States by female vocal quartet The Chordettes whose version reached #2 and #3 on the Billboard pop and R&B charts, respectively. The song became a worldwide hit. The Chordettes’ version reached #6 in the UK, where there was also a cover version by The Mudlarks which made #2.

The Argentinian band Viuda e Hijas de Roque Enroll had a hit in the mid 1980s using interpolations of the two most popular “Lollipop” songs: the Dixson and Ross version, and “My Boy Lollipop”. Samples of the original Ronald and Ruby version were also used.

The song was also covered by children’s entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram, on their 1995 album Let’s Dance!.

Squeak E. Clean & Desert Eagles covered and remixed the song for the film Whip It.

Kenny Loggins covered it on his 2009 album All Join In.

The song was used in the movies Crazy Mama (1976), Eskimo Limon (1978), Shifshuf Naim (1981), Stand by Me (1986), Harrison Bergeron (1995), Chicken Little (2005), Planet 51 (2009) and Whip It (2009). It was also used in an episode of the American drama CSI, as well as Cheers and Scrubs.

On the TV sitcom Cheers, Norm and Cliff sing their own rendition of the song, after sucking helium to give themselves a higher sounding voice.

In The Simpsons episode “The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase”, in the “Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour” sketch, Jasper tries to sing “Lollipop”, but when he tries to do the pop sound effect, his teeth fall out.

In a 1977 episode of Happy Days entitled “Time Capsule”, the gang is accidentally locked in a vault and Potsie sings “Lollipop” to try to cheer everyone up.

The 2005 video game Stubbs the Zombie uses a version of the song by Ben Kweller. It was also remixed by Junkie XL for the popular game Destroy All Humans.

An episode of Cold Case on CBS began with the song.

The song was the signature song of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation show Lollipop, airing from 1989 and presented by Rune Larsen.

In the end of Potter Puppet Pals episode Mysterious Ticking Noise, Voldemort sings the chorus replacing “Lollipop” with “Voldemort”.

In 2009, factory workers sing the song on a Dell computer commercial.

In 2011, the original song was used in the trailer for the videogame Lollipop Chainsaw and is used in the game menu when the player is shopping.