“Roman Holiday” is a song by Nicki Minaj that talks about her alter ego, Roman Zolanski. It is the first song In 2012, the song was performed at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards with many allusions to religious imagery such as levitation, exorcism, and speaking in tongues.[1] These theatricalities have drawn controversy due to the use of these symbols.[2] The song also features part of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” adding to the uniqueness of the pop-rap song.[3]
In 2019, “Roman Holiday” became a meme on social media. Accompanied by any sped-up version of a video, PopBuzz says that it is the perfect template for any meme because of its manic nature.[4] Interestingly, the song has also been used in conjunction with “Le Festin,” another song featured in this archive, for some memes.
The first iteration of “Megalovania” was released in 2009, which was six years before the release of the game “Undertale.”[1] The song was released in 2015 as part of the soundtrack of “Undertale,” featured as the theme to a boss battle.[2]
Its rise in popularity led to the creation of remixes. The same year the game was released, RichaadEB posted a metal version of “Megalovania,” which has over 14 million views as of June 2022. Other musicians have also released their own versions of the song, most of which garnered millions of views.
“Megalovania” has been used in memes and videos that reference “Undertale.”[3] For instance, the song was featured in a “Baby Eats Camera” meme, as well as a “Pufferfish Eating a Carrot” meme. The memes are often referential, which means that people find ways to include a reference to the critically-acclaimed game “Undertale.” In many instances, the song is inserted to other references or situations when it fits the rhythm, timing, circumstance, or atmosphere.
“Only Time” by Enya was released in November 2000 as part of her studio album, “A Day Without Rain.” A remix was released in 2001, the sales of which were donated to help the families of firefighters who aided in the response operations during the September 11 attacks.[1] This led to a dramatic increase in sales, as well as its usage in media coverage on the said attacks. The song was also on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10.
In 2013, a commercial named “The Epic Split” was advertised by the Volvo Trucks Volvo FM range, which featured “Only Time.” Because of the advertisement, the song charted again at the Billboard Hot 100 at number 43.[2] The song was used again by Kraft Foods in their commercial for their Macarani & Cheese,[3] showcasing its popularity in the media. It appeared again in the film “Deadpool 2,” accompanying “a scene of violent, slow-motion teabagging.”[4]
Since then, “Only Time” has been used as a meme to depict tragedy.[5] Many videos start off normally, but end in a tragic situation. This prompts the music to start, which is also accompanied by the video suddenly shifting to a more sepia tone to emphasize the tragedy.
“Ratatouille” is an animated film produced by Pixar, depicting the harsh realities of the food industry. It portrays the intersecting lives of Remy, a street rat immersed in the culinary arts, who meets Linguini, the son of renowned chef Gusteau, who did not inherit the aptitude for cooking. In order to cook food, Remy pulls the hair of Linguini to control his movements.
The main theme song of the film is “Le Festin,” which was written by Michael Giacchino and performed by Camille.[1] The overall soundtrack of the film has features of romanticism, blended with elements of Parisian cafe music and folk-pop.[2] It had an excellent reception among music critics, magazines, and the like.
In June 2020, YouTuber Pepe Guerra posted a meme video that parodies events in “Ratatouille.” Also featuring “Le Festin” in the background, the video makes a rather extreme depiction of the film––featuring two people, one of whom acted as Remy through a rat headpiece. The result is expectedly funny, ending up in chaos in the kitchen.
Note: The origin of the meme is unclear. The poster of the video claims ownership of the meme, mentioning that they failed to include a watermark before posting it on Facebook. According to them, the video was reproduced and posted in multiple pages without giving them credit.
“Le Festin” has been used in many memes to poke fun at specific elements of the film. Many of them include real-life rats, perhaps to mock the absurdity of the relationship between Remy and Linguine. In some videos, a parody version of the song without instrumental accompaniment is used. This was originally posted on Tiktok,[3] but the actual video is unrecoverable.
The intro to “My Heart Will Go On” is one of the most recognizable melodies of love in popular music. The song, which was performed by Céline Dion and released in 1997, was featured in the film “Titanic”––grossing billions in success.[1] Today, it is perhaps the most popular song in the discography of Céline Dion. As part of popular music repertoire, “it is covered, mocked, and celebrated by many.”[2]
Regarding parodies, “My Heart Will Go On” has become an internet meme. YouTuber Matt Mullholand posted a cover of the song on November 27, 2009.[3] It features the instrumental of the song, to which is set a deliberately poor performance on the flute recorder. It also has an accompanying music video, with scenes that have been post-processed in a way that parodies the movie “Titanic.”
Since then, many videos have been made that use the Mullholand cover of the song. Many of them are set at sea, which is close to the context of the original song. Others are depictions of scenes from “Titanic,” specifically the iconic “I’m flying” scene between Jack and Rose. The song may also be taken out of context, as shown by fail videos.
Other than using content on real-life rats, another trend with “Le Festin'' memes seems to be the usage of irony to create comedy. Using its direct association with the movie “Ratatouille” that engages with the food industry, I made a parody of Tiktok videos on cooking. Using comedic timing, I carefully built up the punchline by making it seem like I was doing a serious cooking demonstration up until the end of the verse of the song. When I finished cooking vis-à-vis when the song reached its climax, the expectation would be that I would enjoy the food. Through flipping this expectation by gagging on the food, the timing with the song creates a sense of comic irony that definitely takes people by surprise. I should make it clear that the aglio olio I made was quite delicious, and none of it was wasted.
Megalovania
When I watched videos of memes that use “Megalovania,” I found that there was the common trend of using scenes from animated works. “Spongebob,” in particular, has become a meme among young people because it ages very well. Growing up, I resonated with Spongebob and Patrick because they represented fun and youthfulness. In time, I began resonating more with Squidward because he represented existential dread, self-deprecation, and realities of adulthood. By using the rehearsal scene in the episode “Band Geeks” where Squidward conducts a marching band, I sought to turn his hopelessness into angst by editing it to match the musical elements of “Megalovania.”
My Heart Will Go On (Flute Fail)
Similar to “Le Festin,” I also used a form of comic irony that was more straightforward. “My Heart Will Go On” is inextricably linked to the movie “Titanic,” which explores a sort of epic love story. The flute fail version of the song, on the other hand, is funny because it is done so badly. This opens up opportunities for memes that make fun out of the context of the original song. By using videos found in my personal archive, I paired the song with footage of animals––specifically, those that elicit feelings of disgust––that seem to be engaging in intercourse. In doing so, the videos, which would otherwise be disturbing, instead became funny. As someone who is scared of cockroaches and lizards, this meme allowed me to poke fun at them and at my own fears.
Only Time
A popular trend with memes using “Only Time” is betrayal, specifically when a person is betrayed by the situation or their environment. The video I used is from my personal archive, which was shot in 2020 at the UP College of Music, home to many friendly cats. In the video, I encountered a cat, who began rubbing against my leg––a gesture that cats supposedly do when they greet humans in a friendly manner. I guess not! I felt so shocked and betrayed when the cat tried to bite me. I didn’t realize it would make for a great meme two years later.
Roman Holiday
This is my go-to song whenever I cram my school requirements. I saw a comment on YouTube saying that this song is the embodiment of a panic attack, and I really felt that. As someone diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, it’s no wonder that this song––specifically, the portion featured in the creative output––resonates with me so well. It just perfectly encapsulates the rush of adrenaline and anxiety, which I think is represented in the sped-up version of the workout. It may not look natural, but filming this was so physically painful because I never actually workout. I probably should, though.
I decided to combine the more modern use of the All-Star meme and the earlier “remix” type parodies of the song. I extended the pause between “some” and “body” and synced the distorted “BODY” with a jump scare from the horror game I was playing. Then I paired the “they don’t stop coming” with the different ghosts going after my friends and I to both highlight and juxtapose the fear we felt in the different game scenarios.
Caramelldansen
I decided to stick with the more modern Caramelldansen Lights version of the meme. My room has a reputation in my family for always being dark and shuttered. I also have a tendency to just stay in my room working on all sorts of things which led to my older brother jokingly calling me a gremlin. Given that at the time of the video’s making, it was Hell Week for UP students, I thought that my normally dark room having strobing rainbow lights and Caramelldansen playing coupled with my presumably stressed out, blank expression would be a humorous juxtaposition.
But as an homage to the original use of the Caramelldansen song and as a thank you to a friend of mine, I put together the Caramelldansen animation she did for me of one of my favourite comic book characters, Emiko Queen.
Emiko Queen's Caramelldansen
Hide and Seek
With the popularity of Riot Games’ Tactical Shooter “Valorant”, numerous content creators have created all sorts of videos and montages. I play the game as well so I thought that it would have been appropriate to make my own version of The Shooting involving the death of my teammate’s character. Mostly because this particular death was quite dramatic, with me going as far as to cry out “no!” in the original video (not heard in the meme version.)
Mii Channel
Still in the game Valorant, among my friends, I garnered a reputation of being notoriously bad with characters called “controllers”. These are characters that put down smokes to block the enemies’ line of sight. I’m known to struggle with these characters’ utility which made it appropriate for me to make fun of my own cluelessness using the Mii Channel Theme.
Running in the 90’s
Since one of the known earlier videogame montages of Running in the 90’s were montages that involved speedy videogame character, Sonic the Hedgehog, I thought it would have been funny if I used a character from Valorant who some people have jokingly said looked like Sonic the Hedgehog. With blue hair and a passive ability to move faster than regular characters, Neon certainly matched the adrenaline rush that comes with the fast beat of Running in the 90’s.
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