The secret meaning of songs titled "Sunflower"
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- Опубліковано 16 гру 2024
- Niche Nonsense is a video essay channel that takes nonsense seriously and explores cultural absurdity.
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This essay is about that era where from 2017-2019 when a bunch of chart topping pop songs were titled "Sunflower", what I decided that means and how taking nonsense seriously is important culturally. This almost acts as a channel trailer.
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SUBTITLES
They were everywhere.
At first, I thought it was a fluke, but they kept coming.
And before I knew it, I was surrounded. Surrounded by songs titled “Sunflower.”
It started around 2017 and, while we’re never really safe, we seem to be through the peak.But why? Where did they come from? What were they trying to tell us?
Here’s my theory.
What if I told you that the rise in songs titled “Sunflower” was in response to the global bee population dying at an alarming rate?
It’s not. At all. But come with me on this one, I’ll tell you why later.
The year was 2007. The Shrek cash cow was drying up at Dreamworks and they were desperate to keep hold of their cultural influence. So with Jerry Seinfeld at the helm, his passion project Bee Movie was released into the wild.
The story of Bee Movie took on big honey, focusing the story on a landmark court case in which Barry Bee Benson sues humanity. And as the animated jury deliberated, people were forced to see bees' role in society. It paved the way for Bee-Human relationships and respect for the species shot through the roof. But even after the critical acclaim, we were still seeing the population die off. It wasn’t enough.
So what do you do next?
What we know about power is that once people get a taste for it they can’t stop. How else do you explain Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? So Jerry’s wondering what he can do with his. How can he go further? In Bee Movie, we already see the bee to music connection (“ya like jazz?”) So Jerry says to himself, “How can we continue to foster bee love in a capitalist society?” He did. He said that to me. And the answer?
Sunflowers.
I say that the increase in songs titled Sunflower a decade later is related. Seinfeld’s continued propaganda push to increase honeybee birth rates. A way to grow cultural appetite for sunflowers like when kale hit wellness world. And with more summertime flora, more bees. Let’s look at the proof in the songs. Harry Styles, Rex Orange County, and what really seals this, Vampire Weekend. And guess who is in the music video for Vampire Weekend? Steve Lacy… but also Jerry Seinfeld!
See this is the work of one man. A billionaire comedian working in the shadows of the music industry. Shaping the zeitgeist. A man who not only wrote, but starred in and financially backed a movie of bee puns. A man on a crusade to save the bees through any song necessary.
Or maybe not.
I made that up two years ago as a joke. But I think it captures why I have this channel. Even in a weird fake, conspiracy theory, there’s a way to explore how niche cultural moments shape how we see art and the world around us. And it proves that it’s possible to look at the world critically through nonsense.
There willl never be one true answer to any cultural analysis. The lessons we take from art are subjective. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Sure there might not be the secret hand of some sunflower lobby behind this. Odds are a few too many musicians named their songs after one of summer’s easiest metaphors. But isn’t it fun to question cultural anomalies? To step back and wonder why different symbols creep their way into culture? I think so.
And while most of my videos have more truth behind the wheel, the point is I’m not here to be an encyclopedia. I’m here to explore. To dive into niche nonsense. To find meaning in the pursuit, and joy in the absurd, overlooked parts of culture as I shout into the void. Like the soundtrack to a movie about farting corpses, or the exclamation point in a presidential campaign logo or the fact a few artists happened to like a flower around the same time. It all makes this whole mess worthwhile.
And like any good story, it’s better when there are people to share it with. So come along as I ramble on down the rabbit hole and see what Seinfeld’s cooking up next.
#videoessay #nichenonsense #culture #sunflower #beemovie #rexorangecounty #seinfeld #vampireweekend
This is literally the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard…. I love it 😂😂
this is my favorite comment i've gotten
Wow, man. Just wow. The writing on this is phenomenal; you really managed to evolve a joke into a deep, cultural discussion. Mad props!
appreciate ya man that means a lot!
I mean it makes sense if you don't think about it
Love this! What a fun opening conspiracy and ending takeaway message. Great editing and use of clips and music
just saying the opening shot The 1975's new music video that dropped today opens on a shot of him holding a sunflower: ua-cam.com/video/UVzVUDXoi0Y/v-deo.html&ab_channel=The1975VEVO
background music is too loud