“PPAP... I have a pen... I have an apple... apple pen!”
For anyone who spends way too much time on the internet, I am sure you recognize the song “PPAP” or “Pen Pineapple Apple Pen.” If you have not yet had the infectious pleasure, check it out right here and come back to this article when you finish.
You’re back? Yeah... if you are weak, like me, then you probably watched it several times, back-to-back, you cannot get it out of your head, and it has more-or-less taken over your life. If you have a stronger will, then you probably shrugged after watching it once and continued to live your productive life, in which case I envy you (and am probably judging your boring life).
At this point, I do not know why this video has taken over my life and distracted me so much. Honestly, this video kept me from writing a research paper for my Asian American literature class. The night before the paper was due, I was writing the draft when my friend sent me the link to the video, and I could not stop watching it (fortunately, I got my paper done in time).
As soon as my friend sent me the link to the video, and I saw the thumbnail of a man with a thin mustache dressed in a leopard print suit and scarf, I knew that I was about to go through a life changing experience... and I was right. “PPAP” is just so stupid, so ridiculous, so infectious, and so dank! I’m actually listening to it right now as I’m writing this article. ”I have a pen... I have a pineapple... pineapple pen!”
It is hard to say what makes the video so infectious. Is it the music? Maybe. I do not really know much about music, so I doubt I would be able to provide any real insight, but I do know that in any moment of silence, this song's electronic rhythm starts flowing through my head. Then again, maybe it’s not the music, since “PPAP” is just as infectious and distracting when put to any other kind of music. Don’t believe me? Listen to the R&B mix here, and tell me that you are not being lulled into a somber trance.
It must be that leopard suit and scarf. Like with music, I do not know much about fashion. In fact, I can't really care less about people’s fashion choices, but I do know that when I watch “PPAP,” I cannot keep my eyes off that leopard print suit that looks more like a pair of pajamas than clubbing attire. “Apple pen... Pineapple pen... Pen pineapple apple pen!”
Wait, I know! It is the lyrics that make “PPAP” so enchanting. But what does it all mean? What symbolic meaning or literary reference do pens, pineapples, and apples have? Do the pens, as a writing tool, represent literacy and education? Do the pineapples and apples, as fruit, represent nutrition? Does “PPAP” have a message promoting a healthy mind through education and a healthy body through smart eating habits? Or perhaps the pen represents the political system, and the fruits are normal everyday people who are impaled by the corruption of politicians? Or is it some nihilistic message that nothing really matters, which is why pens and fruit are never even seen?
I have no idea. I just know that it is catchy and distracts me from doing my homework. “Pen pineapple apple pen!”
