Mike Rowe Admits That Topping Adele On iTunes Chart Was ‘So Weird’

Last month, we reported that former “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe had shockingly topped Adele on the iTunes chart with his song “Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job,” which hit number one after he recorded it with country music star John Rich. 

Now, Rowe is reflecting on just how bizarre this experience was; he never imagined that he would be someone with a number one hit song under his belt.

Backstory: Mike Rowe Celebrates After He And John Rich Top Adele On iTunes Chart With ‘Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job’

‘It’s So Weird’

“It’s so weird,” Rowe told Fox News of this achievement, going on to add: 

“I was on John’s show ‘The Pursuit!’ He was interviewing me, and we were talking about music. I sang something, and he said, ‘Man, you can really carry a tune.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I can carry a tune.’ He said, ‘We ought to do an album.’ I’m like, really? But he said, ‘Yeah, that’d be great. We could do a ‘Dirty Jobs’ album. You know, Santa’s gotta dirty job.’ So we literally wrote the song in 10 minutes.”

“We went into the studio and recorded ‘Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job,’” Rowe stated. “And three days later, John Rich calls me at home. He says, ‘Mike, you’re not gonna believe this, but you’re right under Adele.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to be underneath Adele.’”

Before his “Dirty Jobs” fame, Rowe was an opera singer — for eight years. Here’s a video of him telling his opera story to Kelly Clarkson, and at 3:21, you can hear him sing.

Related: Mike Rowe Easily Dismantles Democrat’s Student Loan Forgiveness Scheme

Rowe’s Song Hits Number One 

That’s when things took a truly surprising turn.

“And then the next day, he calls back and says, ‘Mike, you’re not gonna believe this. You’re on top of Adele.’ And I said, ‘Holy c—p John! One day I’m under Adele. Next day, I’m on top of Adele. I love the music business,” Rowe continued. “We had, for about two weeks, the number one downloaded song in the world, right before Christmas. And the money we raised all went to charity – a really fun Christmas present.”

The song, which Rowe and Rich performed with the Oak Ridge Boys, involve them singing about some of the not-so-fun aspects of Santa’s job.

These include climbing down chimneys that are a messy, reindeer kicking “buttock in his face,” and “making a B-line for the bathroom” after eating too many cookies. 

“Santa Claus gotta dirty job / Santa Claus gotta dirty job,” the chorus of the song goes. “Santa Claus gotta dirty job / and he does it all night long.”

Check out the music video for the song below.

Proceeds From ‘Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job’ Go To Charity

All proceeds from the song went to Folds of Honor, an organization that gives scholarships to military families, and the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which helps people obtain apprenticeships while also promoting trades. 

When it comes to Christmas this year, Rowe isn’t ruling out a follow-up song after the success he garnered with his first track.

“I’ll probably do it again,” he said. 

There really seems to be nothing that Rowe can’t do! Here’s hoping that he comes out with another Christmas song later this year, and that it manages to hit number one as well.