Ahh YouTube, our venue for ripping free music audio, watching viral videos, and generally wasting time since 2005. There’s some statistic out there that says it would take a person hundreds and hundreds of years to watch all of the content that has been uploaded to YouTube. With millions and millions of clips uploaded to the video site, it is safe to say that the vast majority goes unnoticed and never watched. However, there are some that have completely taken off and only people living under rocks haven’t seen. Here are the YouTube videos you have surely seen (and will now probably go watch again).
1. Charlie the Unicorn
This video totally brings me back to middle school. I remember sitting in homeroom one day when some really trendy, tech savvy kid said, “Have you guys seen ‘Charlie the Unicorn’ yet?” Boom. Instant school-wide mania. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing some kid in an annoying high-pitched voice saying, “Charlieeeee, we’re going on an adventure!” This video was just plain weird, stupid, annoying, but oddly funny at the same time. I still don’t know what the exact plot line of this YouTube sensation was, but all I know is that “Charlie the Unicorn” made the Liopleurodon popular far before Jurassic World was even a thought in Spielberg’s mind. And then there was the end where Charlie wakes up and one of his kidneys has been removed? Weird.
2. Leave Brittany Alone
Oh yes, another YouTube sensation. In this particular YouTube hit, Britney Spears super fan Chris Crocker records himself pleading with America to simply leave Britney Spears alone in the wake of her 2007 meltdown. Crocker cries and appears emotionally distraught throughout the entire video. This was another video that led to many annoying quotes throughout the middle school hallways. After Crocker’s own meltdown went viral, this led to all sorts of spoofs of Crocker’s behavior itself. This video led to Chris Crocker then becoming a YouTube sensation, recording videos of him providing many different social and pop culture commentaries. Nothing like Internet stardom.
3. Greatest Freak Out Ever: Original
This was a video that launched a series of viral videos about a young man named Stephen who had serious anger management issues (and then who we began suspecting was just a really great actor). While some of Stephen’s later freak outs seemed rather fake and far-fetched, the original freak out seemed very real. For those of you who have no seen it, I will set the stage: Stephen, a misunderstood youth, is caught on camera throwing a major temper tantrum after his mother deleted his World of Warcraft account. Stephen reacts to this news as if the world’s next greatest tragedy has occurred. At some points of the video, you will probably begin to think that some demonic creature has possessed Stephen, but you simply just can’t stop watching.
4. Antoine Dodson
Have you ever watched your local news and thought that sometimes they make it their goal to get the craziest field interviews that they can possibly find? Well, Antoine Dodson’s news spot will make you sure to forget your local boring newscast. Antoine’s sister was the victim of a break-in and attempted rape, something that is not funny whatsoever. However, her brother Antoine’s reaction to the event is what caught America’s attention. Antoine’s fifteen minutes of fame turned into a pop culture phenomenon. An app “soundboard” was created from his interview and a rap remix was even created. Insensitive reaction to a series issue that a young woman faced? Yes, but welcome to America and the age of the Internet.
5. “Friday” by Rebecca Black
Once upon a time, a young teen named Rebecca Black decided that she wanted to become the next teen star, so she made a music video celebrating everyone’s favorite day of the week. The results: Instant viral status (but not necessary for a good reason). Rebecca, while not a horrible singer, was nowhere near good enough to be a star. Coupled with her average talent was a song that was just plain stupid and an even stupider video. This music video features 13-year-old “partying, partying, yeah!” in a convertible that surely none of them are old enough to drive, a painful rap portion, and the genius lyrics, “Yesterday was Thursday (Thursday), today it is Friday (Friday)…Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards.” This was one of those videos that you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you first saw it, and then quickly wished you could obliterate it from every corner of your mind.
