So, this week I discovered Bo Burnham's Netflix special, Inside. I'm evidently late to this Bo Burnham party, since he's been popular on TikTok for about three years now unbeknownst to me, but no matter -- better late than never. I thought I would rank some of the best lyrics from the special, from casually existential to deeply life ruining.
5. Casually Existential: "The simple narrative taught in every history class / is demonstrably false and pedagogically classist" (How The World Works)
If only because I'm in a history class right now, constantly wondering how facts can be so immutable and yet so constantly evolving. Is England a global superpower because they underwent the Scientific Revolution first, or because they stole jewels from Africa and Asia? Did Newton invent Calculus, or steal it from another, less wealthy mathematician? History is written by the victors, isn't it?
I read this theory that all education is inherently agenda-ed: either it serves to reaffirm the problematic ideals upheld by the wider society, or it serves to inspire revolution from the wider society. It almost begs the question of whether objective truth even exists at all, or if it's an illusion made to convince us to believe in someone else's grand design.
4. This Is No Longer Fun: "If you wake up in a house that's full of smoke, / don't panic. / Call me, and I'll tell you a joke." (Comedy)
The entire song Comedy is basically about how Burnham is trying to "fix the world's issues" through music and comedy, even though neither of those things create immediately tangible change. He calls himself (and others) out for seeking a career that simulateously allows him to remain the center of attention while retaining his moral high ground and superiority complex.
But even for those of us who aren't in Hollywood, attempting to convince the world that we're not racist by casting a person of color to be the second love interest, this line is remarkably caustic. After all, weren't we all posting little black squares on Instagram, *aesthetically* protesting police brutality? Didn't the fervor of the Black Lives Matter movement fizzle out after Disney renamed Splash Mountain? (Which is, obviously, the only thing BLM protesters were fighting for, I'm sure...) Haven't we all but forgotten about the Russo-Ukraine War that is, by the way, still going on?
Our reaction to serious situations has always been oddly narcissistic. We care as long as we have nothing else to care about. But if you tell us a joke, we'll forget about the fire.
3. I'll Address It In Therapy: "I swear to God that all I've ever wanted is / a little bit of everything, all of the time. / Apathy's a tragedy, and boredom is a crime." (Goodbye)
I swear, Burnham wrote this line specifically for me. Wanting the impossible is such a fundamental part of the human experience, is it not? Inevitably failing to achieve it is, too. This reminded me of If I Should Have A Daughter by Sarah Kay, specifically:
"Because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers
Your hands will always be too small to catch all the pain you want to heal"
And, well...that pretty much says it all.
2. A Personal Attack: "The whole world at your fingertips, the ocean at your door. / A gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall. / Twenty-thousand years of this, seven more to go." (That Funny Feeling)
My mother and I watched Big Little Lies on a flight to India last summer. In it, there's a six-year-old girl who is forced to go to therapy because she's so depressed. At their first session, her therapist asks her mother what her triggers are, and Laura Dern (the mother) replies, "global warming". My mother told me I remind her of that girl, and frankly I think our entire generation does -- acutely aware of our own mortality, perpetually trying to slow the chain of dominoes collapsing before us. My friend and I always joke that we're named Gen Z because we're the last generation and there's nothing left after us. The worst part of that joke is that it just might be true.
1. Deeply Life Ruining: "You say the whole world's ending, honey, it already did. / You're not going to slow it, Heaven knows you tried." (All Eyes On Me)
If you haven't already heard it, I highly encourage you to listen to this song. I know Burnham is technically considered a comedian, but after listening to this song, I think it's high time we acknowledge his musical brilliance, too. I mean...just listen to the harmonies at 3:22. Genius.
But of course, as a lyricist, he's brilliant, too. This was truly the overwhelming emotion I experienced throughout the pandemic: everyday was just a fractional step closer to Doomsday, so much so that we could convince ourselves that the world was merely slightly off-kilter, not spinning backwards.
And with that, we conclude today's existential crisis. Please join us next week, for some regularly scheduled programming. :)
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