issue 10// vol 47 arts // no. 9 Best meme songs that seriously slap » You can’t rickroll me if it’s my favourite song Janis McMath Editor-in-Chief Daler Mehndi - Tanak Tunak Tun The rest of this list is in no particular order, but this song is undoubtedly number one. The song, the energy, the dancing, and the outfits all make this song the absolutely iconic piece of musical history it has become. On YouTube, the official video has 158 million views—not counting all the eyes on the parody videos that were all the rage in 2005 when the song officially blew up as a meme. It gained a lot of popularity in the 2000s, but the song was originally made in 1998 and already had legendary status in India; Daler Mehndi used the song asa clever middle finger to all his critics that said his popularity as a musician hinged on the fact that he had beautiful women in his videos. In retaliation, Mehndi’s music video used CGI to feature four versions of himself wearing different fabulous monochromatic outfits. You can tell he’s having a good time in his video; you can't help but love him. This song is without a doubt his biggest, but he’s got many other high-energy-party- till-you-die beats. I would recommend “Ho Jayegi Balle Balle,” “Bolo Ta Ra Ra,” “Na Na Na Re,’ and “Saade Dil Te Chhuriyan.” The videos are similarly fabulous and full of fun and humour. Also, to all those monolingual people in the same boat as me that are curious as to what “Tunak Tunak Tun” means, it’s an onomatopoeia for the sound atumbi makes—a traditional Punjabi instrument. Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up Let’s learn the etymology of the term “rickrolling”! Like the history of many things on the internet, this origin story begins on the message boards of 4chan. The creator of 4chan—“moot’—made it so whenever someone would post the word “egg” on the website, it would come up instead as “duck.” When people would discuss their delicious Chinese dinners, eggroll would become duckroll. So, duckroll became the coined term for this prank of misdirection, and an image of a duck on wheels was used by pranksters. In the historic year of 2007, rickrolling was born; a 4chan user claimed to be sharing a trailer of Grand Theft Auto IV but instead linked readers to the 1987 award winning single. When this prank gained traction, rickroll was based on the aforementioned term duckroll—and now you know some useless trivia for your next party! Oh, and did anyone in your life care about you enough to tell you that Rick Astley is hot now? His voice has gained more of an edge but is still as clean as ever—AND it has an added sultry tone. His voice is seriously way better now. You'll probably take his offer for love, protection, and care seriously this time. If youd like to see the babe in action, check out his 2018 cover of his renown song with Choir! Choir! Choir! on YouTube. Rebecca Black - Friday and Alison Gold - Chinese Food Both of these very topic-specific bangers serve the perfect purpose as that song you always listen to when you do the activity related to it. Just as the song “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang gets an obligatory play at any graduation party, “Friday” and “Chinese food” get an obligatory play when I’m enjoying either. Sure, both of these songs get a lot of flak for being particularly stupid (credit to Illustration by Athena Little the lyrics “Tomorrow is Saturday/ And Sunday comes afterwards”) but if you’re looking for intelligent commentary in fun pop music, you might be the stupid one. The beats slap, the topics are universally relatable, and both are so dumb they’re actually absolutely brilliant. Both songs were also produced by the same group. The Moscow Kremlin Choir - Russian National Anthem This song has got me feeling patriotic in all kinds of ways. It just rouses the soul into a “battle for the homeland” kind of mood. We can see where the Super Smash Bros. game got the inspiration for their soundtracks. Pretty and soft music for boring, rainy November » Cuffing season music is in full swing Photo by Arnaldo Fragozo Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor hen I think of November, I think about cold, rain, and flirting. For all three of those things, I listen to the same music. November’s all about being by yourself but crushing on someone hard. Feeling butterflies while being lulled by the gloomy outside weather (specifically the pitter patter of rain on your window) as you dreamily wonder on “what if?” I could list Frank Ocean for this entire list, but everyone already knows that! (If you haven't listened to Endless though, you are gravely missing out.) Instead, here’s some lesser known but deserving musicians. Cuco Cuco’s voice is the smoothest thing to hear, apart from his music itself. My favourite from him that fits the bill is “Lover Is a Day.” The nearly eight-minute song goes on for so long that it fully submerges you into its dreamy atmosphere. The lyrics, “Made my life harder lying ’bout the stupid shit I say / Then you wouldn't know a single thing about how I feel about you / And all those really dumb things people feel,” explain the feeling of crushing with the added pressure of trying to present your best self. Another beauty is “Amor de Siempre,” a shorter song, but just slow enough to feel like you're floating. I can just hear the song with a rainy background track. The best part is that the vocals are in Spanish—truly the language of the hopeless romantic. EDEN EDEN ’s entire discography can be described as gloomy heartache. His album i think you think too much of me, while older, is drenched in this November aura of sitting by the window while checking your phone for texts too often. “Sex” is the first song on the album, and it speaks volumes to this feeling with the lyrics “And we're just having sex, no, I would never call it love / But love / Oh no, I think I’m catching feelings.” Ah, now that moment is classic. Alvvays Indie pop has never sounded better. Alvvays sounds you're hearing them play out of a forest already, so that floating feeling is alvvays there (pun intended, of course). The instruments and vocals have a lot of reverb, but they are more specifically delay-heavy. Big chorus, flanging, and other funky filters make Alvvays an exciting band to listen to. Each instrument on its own is incredibly heavy, but it’s so far back in the mix that their sound remains extremely soft and nearly angelic. The beginning to “Adult Diversion” goes, “How do I get close to you? / Even if you dont notice as | admire you on the subway,’ which sets the tone for the rest of their self-titled album. Just one song is hard to recommend since all of their music is perfect for this mood, but to start, “Adult Diversion,’ “Archie, Marry Me,” and “Dreams Tonite,’ are fantastically heart wrenching in the most comforting way. Let November guide you with indie pop heartache, and mellow RnB walks in puddles. Have fun this cuffing season but know when to feel out your feelings through music instead of cuffing whoever’s close. (I promise you're going to want someone who's not going to leave before Christmas, because where's the fun in that? Get those extra presents!)