Of all the new music I’ve heard this year, the song that has stuck with me most is a joke. Like all great joke songs, it’s a great song first.
Bo Burnham’s Netflix musical comedy special, INSIDE, culminates in a song call All Eyes On Me (YouTube, Spotify). There’s a concluding song that comes after it, but this feels like the emotional apex of the special before it wraps up.
All Eyes On Me is three-and-a-half minutes and includes a monologue. It’s best consumed with the visuals, ideally in the context of the full special. The hook has been stuck in my head for weeks.
It’s a joke song, but it’s also kind of a great song.
I would love to see this performed live even thought its power may come from the isolation from which it was created and performed.
I got to see it in a movie theatre last week, which I suppose isn’t exactly the same as live but counts as something in this day and age!
I see Can’t Handle This (Kanye Rant) this from his special Make Happy (5 years ago) as a spiritual prequel to All Eyes On Me…a special that also ends with him retreating to his backyard guest house.
You can also fill-in-the-five-year-gap with this live podcast interview he did on The Good One, breaking down that joke song while he was promoting his directorial feature Eighth Grade. Such a talented dude. Humbling, really.
I’ve seen (and enjoyed) “Can’t Handle This”, but didn’t know about The Good One – will check that out. Thanks.