"Miracles" / Fucking Magnets, How Do They Work?

About

"Miracles" is a 2010 rap song by Detroit-based hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse that describes the wonders of the universe and an appreciation for nature’s beauty, while expressing skepticism towards the dogmatic nature of modern science. Upon the YouTube debut of the music video in April 2010, the song instantly went viral and garnered an ironic fandom for its abundance of quotable lyrics, most notably "fucking magnets, how do they work?".

Origin

On April 6th, 2010, the music video for Insane Clown Posse's 2009 single "Miracles" was published on YouTube, where it was met with immediate Internet acclaim and quoted in forums as well as internet humor blogs. As of April 6th, 2017, the music video has received more than 17 million views on YouTube.

Water, fire, air and dirt
Fucking magnets, how do they work?
And I don't wanna talk to a scientist
Y'all motherfuckers lying, and getting me pissed.

Spread

The response to the video has been remarkably varied. In addition to standard responses to any music video, because of Shaggy 2 Dope's above mentioned line, many have commented that the video might be a politically or religiously charged, right-leaning, anti-scientific diatribe hoping to sway the opinions of ICP's notoriously loyal fans. What is even more notable, however, is Violent J's own response to the overwhelming popularity of the video, both with Juggalos and ICP detractors alike:

VIOLENT J I know this sounds crazy, but I’m being as honest as I can: We planned all this out. Our tour starts in May. And then we have our nuclear weapon, which is the movie “Big Money Rustlas.” That comes out in August. This is all happening so perfectly for us.

On April 7th, 2010, the music video was tweeted by comedian Aziz Ansari:

Meanwhile on 4chan, hundreds of image macros and COMBO posts featuring screen captures from Miracles ran rampant:

Notable Examples

Since the music video's online debut, dozens of image macros have sprung up in various message boards and has caused enough reaction to warrant exploitable image macros. For more image macros, check out our blog article Memes in 2010 / Effin' Magnets.

Two-Pane Comics

Cross-Meme Combos

Guide to Magnets

Parody Videos

Analysis

Music Video

The song became most notable for its "so bad it is good" dynamic, with plenty of quotable phrases such as “Fucking Magnets, How Do They Work?”_, "Magic Everywhere in this Bitch" and "Fucking Rainbows", alongside the large quantity in visual effects that go alongside the lyrics.

The line spoken by Shaggy "and I don't want to talk to a scientist, y'all mother fuckers lyin, and gettin me pissed" implies a sense of frustration and paramount struggle in understanding basic scientific concepts, while maintaining a childlike sense of wonder over the forces of nature. He wants to know how certain aspects of nature work, yet is not willing to accept a scientific explanation.

Scientific Community Reacts

Amidst the peak of magnet-related discussions on YouTube and other hubsites, many users began providing straightforward, scientific answers to ICP's question, including links to the single serving site How Magnets Work and a scientist's rebuttal video published by the Escapist Magazine.

On June 5th, 2010 Noisebridge organized a science fair outside of a San Francisco ICP concert. The group was threatened with by Posse members Corp, Dougie and Sugar Slam. They were named named in a tweet about running "scientist haters off." More coverage of the event is available at LaughingSquid.

Search Interest

External References