Written by Harsh Mehta
Edited by Vyakhya Vashishth
Illustrated by Hoonesha Peter
That Funny Feeling -- Bo Burnham (from "Inside")
Part 1
This won’t just be a simple lyric explanation. Those are plain to find on websites like Genius. The point of this article is to really decide on what the titular “Funny Feeling” really is. If you haven’t already, watch Bo Burnham’s special “Inside” on Netflix. It’s a phenomenal piece of art that really gets you thinking and gets you connected to the feeling you just can’t put your finger on. I can’t recommend it enough. “Inside” was a much-anticipated return from Bo Burnham to the world of musical comedy and commentary. He quit performing 5 years ago, as we learn in this special, because he started having severe panic attacks on stage as he performed. Bo got his start on YouTube as a teenager, innocently uploading videos onto the platform for his family to see, but on seeing the traction he got from some songs, he leaned into it, getting a Comedy Central deal at just 17 years old and the rest is history. Bo Burnham is known for extremely layered jokes and clever commentary which I will hopefully be able to adequately express to you over this two-part article.
The song is a basic guitar tune and soft singing, giving off the vibe of it being a comforting and wholesome song, however as we are gonna see soon, it's anything but that. Irony being the main theme of the song becomes extremely apparent as he mentions a meditation app in stunning 8K resolution. Meditation is intended to be a spiritual practice performed with eyes closed, so it’s juxtaposed with 8K resolution, bleeding edge technology. Something artificial, mechanical, man-made that specifically appeals to visuals. The song also repeatedly points out the vapid nature of news in our daily lives. A massive company like the Gap promoting a sale in honor of the revolution, a worker uprising is being used to earn more profits for the wealthy. It’s a representation of performative advocacy. We’ve seen the growth of it from companies in the last few years. Companies virtue signal and appeal to the emotions of marginalized communities simply to earn money. The Gap itself has also done this by putting out a statement supporting Black Lives Matter in 2020 coinciding with the release of a black-artist specific line of clothing. Topics of passion and personal importance to people are exploited by companies just to make a quick buck.
The next line points out the personalization that companies like to achieve to relate to audiences. It is especially seen with brand Twitter accounts that interact with each other and adopt personas. This is a marketing strategy that was popularized by Wendy’s, when they started roasting people on their Twitter. The last line of the verse talks about our attitude as people to public discourse. It all devolves into incoherent yelling while the actual issue that was at the root of the original controversy is forgotten about.
After the chorus, we have a whole verse talking specifically about the corruption caused by corporations. Etsy, a company run for profit has agitative propaganda that is associated with the Soviet Union sold on it. Bugle, a part of a mega-conglomerate giving its two cents on race, which involves a marketing team getting together to just determine what will drive the most sales with their core consumer base. All these petty distractions from the entertainment we consume distracts us from the alarming reality of climate change and other serious issues like it that might spell our doom in the real future. However, because of the status quo, we would rather retreat inward and resort to escapism in the media we consume. Even on top of that, creative and hard-hitting stories like The Lion King that are a source of nostalgia for billions aren't sacred to companies like Disney. They released a live action remake of it. It was commercially successful, but everybody relevant agreed that it was a soul-less cash grab that was pumped out simply to bank on nostalgia. A demonstration of genuine talent and passion like the Super Bowl half-time show also gets corrupted into just becoming a vehicle to advertise Pepsi to the public. It's even been renamed to the Pepsi half-time show. Art and media has become so unoriginal that a concept like Carpool Karaoke, a show where celebrities just drive around, singing already existing songs is successful. Talk about original. People become so desensitized to the loss of life in this cycle that mass shootings are just meaningless blips in the information highway while the combative divide between people on political grounds grows even further into violence.
These two verses definitely clue you into the general ballpark of what that feeling might be, but the next verse really delves into it. Unfortunately for engaged readers, I’m a bit evil, so you’re going to have to wait a month for a continuation. I know, I know, you’re invested. You’ll definitely get a conclusion and my opinion on what the feeling really is next month, though. Expect a bit of an existential crisis!
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