Lizzo's "Boys"
TL;DR · OriginLizzo's "Boys" is a meme that uses the second verse of the American singer's song "Boys" as a template, matching each "type of boy" in the lyrics to an animal, character, cel…
Origin
Lizzo's "Boys" is a meme that uses the second verse of the American singer's song "Boys" as a template, matching each "type of boy" in the lyrics to an animal, character, celebrity or something else. "Boys" was released as a digital single on June 22, 2018, with its music video posted to Lizzo's YouTube channel the same day, and was later added to the album Cuz I Love You.
The second verse lists the boys Lizzo likes by build, style and personality, and in it she sings, "I don't discriminate, come and get a taste." In an interview with Out, she explained that she wanted anyone to be able to identify with her story no matter what they like. That list-style verse became a meme format in which each line gets its own picture.
Spread
It started on TikTok. A video posted by TikTok user @kevboyperry on May 23, 2019 is one of the early examples, earning 442,600 likes and 12,500 shares in two weeks. Two days later, on May 25, an animated version by @TootyMcNooty collected 885,600 likes and 49,400 shares in two weeks, followed by @nickaufman on the 26th and a cartoon-character version on the 27th.
In late June it exploded on Twitter as a thread format. On June 24, @price_zach posted "Lizzo's 'Boys' as lizards, a thread," attaching a lizard photo to each line, and it passed 77,000 likes and 28,000 retweets in under a week. Between June 22 and 26, versions poured in featuring good boys (@adri_mdc), birds, snakes, cats, dogs (@builtsides), U.S. presidents, the paintings of William Hogarth, Marvel movie characters, drag queens and actor Jeff Goldblum.
Lizzo's Reaction
Lizzo herself helped fuel it. She replied to @price_zach's lizard thread with "OMG THREAD ALERT" and a string of emojis, adding "AND MAKE MORE OF THESE PLEASE," and left the same reaction on the follow-up dog thread from @builtsides. As outlets such as Bustle (June 26, 2019) and PopBuzz (June 27) covered the trend, it became one of the signature music memes of 2019, the year Lizzo was drawing the most attention.
Usage
- Image threads that pair each line of the lyrics ("I like big boys" and so on) with a photo of an animal, character or object
- TikTok videos set to "Boys" in which creators act out the different types or feature their pets
- Fandoms making "___ as Lizzo's Boys" versions with characters from their favorite series
Sources
- Know Your Meme, "Lizzo's 'Boys'" — song and music video release on June 22, 2018, early TikTok videos in May 2019 (@kevboyperry, @TootyMcNooty and others) and their figures, the list of Twitter thread subjects from June 22–26, the @price_zach lizard thread figures, PopBuzz coverage
- Bustle, "Lizzo's Song 'Boys' Became A Meme & The Singer Absolutely Loves It" (Parry Ernsberger, June 26, 2019) — Lizzo's "OMG THREAD ALERT" and "MAKE MORE OF THESE PLEASE" reactions, the @builtsides dog thread, the verse's structure and her comments to Out
