YOLO (The Lonely Island Song)
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"YOLO" is a song written and taped by American novelty rap/hip-hop trio
The Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The three ...
featuring
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
lead vocalist
Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine (; born March 18, 1979) is an American singer and songwriter. He serves as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the pop rock band Maroon 5. Levine began his musical career in 1994 with the band Kara's Flowers, of which ...
and American rapper
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...
for The Lonely Island's third studio album ''
The Wack Album ''The Wack Album'' is the third studio album by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island. Recorded in Los Angeles and New York City with producers including TODAY, DJ Nu-Mark and Asa Taccone, it was released on June 7, 2013 by Republic Reco ...
''. The song was released as the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
from the album on January 25, 2013, worldwide outside North America. The single premiered in North America on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' on January 26, and released as a single the following day.


Background and composition

The title and lyrics of the song reference the popular motto and
internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
" YOLO" ("You Only Live Once"), a phrase popularized by
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...
and
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
on such songs as " The Motto", which were intended to promote a mixtape originally titled ''YOLO''. The phrase has since become a
cultural phenomenon The bandwagon effect is the tendency for people to adopt certain behaviors, styles, or attitudes simply because others are doing so. More specifically, it is a cognitive bias by which public opinion or behaviours can alter due to particular act ...
and has been reworked to be an excuse for irresponsible and outlandish behaviour, but most of the time it is used sarcastically in this manner. "YOLO" parodies the phrase, and once again reworks the phrase to mean something else. The song's lyrics interpret "You Only Live Once" to mean the complete opposite of dangerous and irresponsible behavior, and to instead be over secure and protective of life, in a pessimistic viewpoint. The song urges the public to be fully aware of their surroundings and the hazards of everyday life, since everything, in the writer's viewpoint, is a threat to life. Some of the lyrics would later become relevant during the 2020
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
such as "Isolate yourself and just roll solo", "There's no such thing as too much
Purell Purell is an American brand of hand sanitizer invented in 1988, and introduced to the consumer market in 1997, by GOJO Industries. Its primary component is ethyl alcohol (70% v/v), and is used by wetting one's hands thoroughly with the product, ...
, and "Don't go outside, 'cause you don't want to die". The lyrics also satirize basic knowledge of economical events, dangerous activities and life-threatening events, and make reference to famous or not-so-famous acts done by other famous people or citizens (" Then bury all your money in the backyard like a Beagle", " Build a bomb shelter basement with titanium walls"). The song further parodies the acronym of YOLO at the end from "You Only Live Once" to You Oughta Look Out.


Recording and production

"YOLO" was written by all performers of the track, The Lonely Island, Adam Levine and Kendrick Lamar. Also credited for songwriting are Rhiannon Bryan and Rhydian Davies, members of the Welsh alternative rock band
The Joy Formidable The Joy Formidable is a Welsh people, Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 2007 in Mold, Flintshire, and currently based in London, England. The band consists of Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan (lead vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar, bass, ...
, whose 2011 single "
Whirring "Whirring" is a song by the Welsh alternative rock band the Joy Formidable. Written by the band, it was originally released on the band's debut EP, ''A Balloon Called Moaning'', in 2009 before being re-released on the band's debut full-length alb ...
" is sampled throughout the song. The song was produced by
Needlz Khari Cain (born April 19, 1978), professionally known as Needlz, is an American record producer and songwriter. Early life and career Khari Cain was born on April 19, 1978 in Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of ...
, who had previously worked with
Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, ''Lupe Fiasco's ...
and
50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
. The song was originally planned to feature
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
, but two weeks before the song was released, this was changed to feature
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
's Adam Levine, who was hosting ''Saturday Night Live'' the same night, and Kendrick Lamar, who had previously requested NBC to put him in a ''Saturday Night Live'' Digital Short or one of its many skits. The premiere of the song on ''SNL'' also marked the temporary return of Lonely Island frontman
Andy Samberg Andy Samberg (born David A. J. Samberg; August 18, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer and screenwriter. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2005 ...
, who had left ''Saturday Night Live'' the year before, but managed to get an appearance of The Lonely Island for the premiere of the song.


Release

"YOLO" debuted in North America as a ''Saturday Night Live'' Digital Short on the January 26, 2013
episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning t ...
of the
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
television series ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', which saw Levine and Lamar as the host and musical guest, respectively. Although the music video and single itself were released a day earlier outside the United States, no announcement was made until the ''Saturday Night Live'' airing. The single was released in North America on January 27, and in further countries on January 29. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' named it the 27th best song of 2013.


Track listing


Chart performance


Release history


References

{{Authority control Adam Levine songs The Lonely Island songs Kendrick Lamar songs Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Songs written by Adam Levine 2013 singles 2013 songs Song recordings produced by Needlz Songs written by Needlz Comedy rap songs