'Pants on the Ground' Keeps Dropping Hits
From "The View" to the Minnesota Viking's locker room, it seems as though everyone's pants are on the ground.
"General" Larry Platt, known for his comical "American Idol" audition, "Pants on the Ground" hasn't just become an Internet sensation, he's now a performer whose anthem was victoriously sung by the NFL.
Brett Favre rounded up his teammates to do a "Pants on the Ground" chant after the Minnesota Vikings' victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Platt is on a roll.
He appeared on "The View" on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was fitting for the Civil Rights veteran.
Looking like he had undergone a make-over, the 63-year-old performed with pep, but didn't quite pull off his infamous split at the end, but the crowd didn't seem to mind.
When asked by "The View" co-hosts Sherri Sheppard and Elisabeth Hasselbeck how he came up with the song, an out of breath Platt said, "I was walking one day, I see a guy with a baby bottle in his mouth, pacifier, with his pants on the ground. That's what gave me an inspiration."
He told "The View" that he got a thrill from seeing his "Idol" audition on TV.
"I got so happy and enjoyment," he said. "It made me feel good, knowing that I wanted to get these pants up."
Will Platt even have his own clothing label?
Maybe not, but fans can buy a "Pants on the Gound" T-shirt that reads, "Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground."
How "Pants on the Ground" All Started:
Platt performed his original hit at an audition for the show's ninth season, winning over judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi - and earning a nervous endorsement from incurable skeptic Simon Cowell.
"I have a horrible feeling that song could be a hit," Cowell reluctantly predicted.
Platt's fan base exploded after the show Wednesday night, as his audition hit YouTube and Twitter. Within hours, he had been clicked and tweeted into one of the Internet's most popular topics.
Last week, "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon even got on the "Pants on the Ground" bandwagon and pulled off one of his best impressions yet.
Fallon took on the voice and look of legendary singer Neil Young and covered the new "Idol" anthem. With a guitar and harmonica, Fallon played and sang so much like Young it was almost uncanny.
On Thursday at his home in East Atlanta, the e-celebrity seemed dazed by the attention.
Cowell Called Irreplaceable
Will "Idol" Hang on as No. 1 Series?
Photos: "American Idol" Season Eight
Photos: The "Idol" Finale
Photos: Ellen DeGeneres
Photos: Simon Cowell
His show-stealing performance came at the end of the popular show that featured auditions from Atlanta taped on Aug. 17.
The spotlight on him, Contestant 103519 began singing - rapping?
Then came the now infamous verse: "Pants on the ground! Pants on the ground! Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!"
Moments after the chanting chorus started, singer and guest judge Mary J. Blige sank into her chair and howled with laughter, tears filling her eyes. Jackson bobbed his head and smiled. And just as a scowl-faced Cowell tried to wrap up the performance, Platt dropped to the ground in a split.
For Platt, the song was just another one of his causes. He said Thursday that he and his civil rights colleagues sacrificed too much for today's youth to walk around with sagging pants.
Platt - his black jeans securely fastened - proudly showed off black and white photographs of himself alongside civil rights icons Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Congressman John Lewis, and pointed to plaques from city and state officials recognizing his social justice work as a dedicated foot soldier with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Platt, who worked to elect President Barack Obama, is still an activist, and can frequently be seen in downtown Atlanta holding signs protesting foreclosures, war, violence, racism and "any wicked things that take place."
After seeing a young father with his jeans below his waist, Platt said he was inspired to write "Pants On The Ground," and hopes his message of personal responsibility doesn't get lost in his popularity.
Bolstered by his newfound fame, Platt doesn't plan to stop singing his "Idol" anthem anytime soon.
Shaking his head at the end of the song, Cowell delivered the news that Platt was about three decades too old for the show.
But, he offered: "I don't think this is gonna be the last we hear about you. I have a feeling about you, Larry."