"Bezos I" is a song by American musical comedian Bo Burnham, appearing as the seventh song in his 2021 special Bo Burnham: Inside and its soundtrack of the same name. The song satirically describes Jeff Bezos, and later became a viral song on TikTok.
| "Bezos I" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bo Burnham | |
| from the album Inside (The Songs) | |
| Released | June 10, 2021 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 0:58 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | Bo Burnham |
| Producer(s) | Bo Burnham |
| Audio | |
| "Bezos I" on YouTube | |
Composition
edit"Bezos I" lyrically contains a single chorus and verse. The former repeats the occupation, birth year, and name of Jeff Bezos, and the latter disingenuously praises Bezos' efforts and wealth.[1] A synthesizer solo and a scream follow this,[2] ending the song in under a minute.[3]
Reception
editThe song garnered widespread usage on the video-based social media TikTok,[4] being used to soundtrack various poor working conditions of Amazon employees.[3] The song saw its highest popularity on July 20, 2021, the day of Bezos' space flight. Through the day and July 21, "Bezos I" and its sequel "Bezos II" were collectively streamed 1.7 million times, a rise of 21%.[5] This led to the song appearing on several charts globally.[6]
Sequels
editBurnham has released several sequels to "Bezos I". "Bezos II" is featured later in Bo Burnham: Inside, while "Bezos III" and "Bezos IV" each appear in the special's outtakes and album's deluxe version.[7]
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Tidal.[8]
- Bo Burnham – vocals, instruments, composer
- John Greenham – mastering engineer
- Mike Malchicoff – mixing engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9] | 87 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[10] | 141 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[11] | 51 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12] | 79 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 44 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[14] | 21 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Schifano, Izzy (July 12, 2021). "It's all over your TikTok, but here's where that 'Jeffrey, Jeffrey Bezos' song actually comes from". The Tab. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Schroeder, Audra (July 23, 2021). "Bo Burnham's Jeff Bezos song gets some new context on TikTok". The Daily Dot. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Macaulay, Thomas (January 12, 2022). "How Bo Burnham's Jeff Bezos song became a Gen Z anthem about disaster capitalism". The Next Web. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Diaz, Ana (May 31, 2022). "Bo Burnham releases over an hour of outtakes from Netflix special Inside". Polygon. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (July 23, 2021). "Bo Burnham's Jeff Bezos-Themed Songs Leap 21% in Streams After Space Flight". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Rossignol, Derrick (July 26, 2021). "Bo Burnham's Songs About Jeff Bezos Saw Significant Streaming Increases After The Space Flight". Uproxx. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Gita (May 31, 2022). "Bo Burnham Releases a New Jeffrey Bezos Song and Other 'Inside' Outtakes". Vice Media. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Credits / INSIDE / Bo Burnham". Tidal. June 11, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Bo Burnham Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Bo Burnham Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 23, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Bo Burnham – Bezos I". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Bo Burnham Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Bo Burnham – Bezos I". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 6, 2024.