Ten years ago, an unknown teenager dropped a low-budget music video that transformed the internet. Rebecca Black’s “Friday” was one of several viral one-hit wonders that captured the world’s attention and blurred the lines between ironic and sincere enjoyment. But neither Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” or Psy’s “Gangnam Style” seemed to capture the moment quite like Black, whose sticky sweet ode to the weekend felt like it was written on the fly but wormed its way into the public consciousness and ushered in a new era of viral hits. It was the worst song ever. America couldn’t stop singing it. Which seat will we take?
Jepsen was able to leverage “Call Me Maybe” into a successful career and Psy has remained popular in South Korea, but Black’s life mostly went back to normal, give or take a few knowing cameos in, say, a Katy Perry music video or a Funny or Die sketch. She’s been releasing music on her YouTube channel where she also does normal, winsome YouTuber stuff. And, now, ten years.
To celebrate, Black dropped a new “Friday” remix featuring a fairly impressive list of collaborators like Big Freedia and 3OH!3, transforming the song from a bouncy playground pop bauble to a club symphony. Some of Black’s collaborators also prove how much we’ve all grown by garnering the remix an explicit tag, bellowing “IT’S F****** FRIDAY” more than once, as if every day isn’t Friday when you’re a pop star. The smirking, “this ain’t your grandma’s ‘Friday’ by Rebecca Black’ tactics might grease the wheels for the remix’s chart prospects but it loses the innocent spirit of the original that made it such an odd hit.
