# Bonfire Memes Bonfire Memes are audio mashups built on the vocals from Childish Gambino's 2011 song 'Bonfire', which became one of the most reused SoundCloud sources for mashup edits starting in late 2011. The format saw a second wave in 2018 when Elijah Who's remix started backing cursed image compilations. ## Overview Bonfire Memes are audio mashups that pair the vocals from Donald Glover's 2011 Childish Gambino track 'Bonfire' with unrelated instrumentals, from indie folk to video game themes[1]. The trend started on SoundCloud after fans got access to the isolated acapella and instrumental stems, which made the song easy to layer onto any other beat. The mashups lean on the same recognizable first verse and chorus, where Glover raps over a heavy, growling beat[1]. Pairing that specific vocal delivery with soft, mismatched backing tracks like Bon Iver or chiptune became the running joke[3][6], and the format got a second life through cursed image edits set to Elijah Who's remix in early 2018[9]. ## How It Spread The first widely heard Bonfire mashup showed up on SoundCloud on November 3, 2011, when DJ Fergie Ferg blended the vocals with Kavinsky's 'Nightcall', the track known from the Drive title sequence[2]. Three days later, user manonfiremashups paired Bonfire with Das Kapital's remix of Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love'[3]. Both tracks pulled in over 100,000 plays, and copycats piled on fast enough that SoundCloud started pulling many for copyright issues. By October 2012, the format was oversaturated enough that Redditor mtndrew11 posted a complaint on r/mashups about how often Bonfire was being used, drawing more than 110 upvotes[5]. That did not slow anyone down. On November 28, SoundCloud user imrobw uploaded 'Throw It In the Bonfire', cutting the vocals against a rotating set of backing tracks[4]. In February 2013, an account called Only Mashes Bonfire launched with a mashup built on the Wii Sports boxing results theme[6], then posted more than twenty Bonfire edits through 2018[7]. The joke moved beyond SoundCloud once the SiIvaGunner YouTube channel started using 'Bonfire' as a recurring bait-and-switch, uploading more than 75 high-quality rips that swap in the vocals[5]. A community SoundCloud playlist of Bonfire tracks stretched past 450 entries[8]. In early 2018, Elijah Who's remix of the song began soundtracking cursed image compilations, giving the source another run[9]. ## How to Use A typical Bonfire mashup takes the isolated acapella of the first verse and chorus and drops it over an instrumental that clashes with the aggressive tone of Glover's delivery. Indie folk, video game themes, and lo-fi loops are common picks[3][6], and the comedic mismatch between the growling vocal and the soft backing carries the joke. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Bonfire Memes? Bonfire Memes are audio mashups built on the vocals from Childish Gambino's 2011 song 'Bonfire', layered over unrelated instrumentals for comedic effect[1]. ### Where did Bonfire Memes come from? The trend started on SoundCloud in late 2011 after fan blog Forever Childish shared the isolated vocals and instrumental to Tumblr[5]. ### What does Bonfire Memes mean? The term covers any mashup that reuses the recognizable 'Bonfire' acapella, especially the first verse, as a source[2]. ### How do you use Bonfire Memes? Producers isolate the 'Bonfire' vocal and pair it with a mismatched instrumental, from Kavinsky's 'Nightcall' to Wii Sports themes[2][6]. ### Is Bonfire Memes still popular? New Bonfire mashups tapered after the SoundCloud peak of 2011 to 2013, though Elijah Who's 2018 remix kept the source in rotation for cursed image edits[9]. ## References 1. [https://soundcloud.com/glassnotemusic/childish-gambino-bonfire]() 2. [https://soundcloud.com/ferg/nightfire-childish-gambino-x]() 3. [https://soundcloud.com/manonfiremashups/bonfiver-childish-gambino-vs]() 4. [https://soundcloud.com/imrobw/throw-it-in-the-bonfire]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bonfire-mashups]() 6. [https://soundcloud.com/onlymashesbonfire/bonfire-sports-childish]() 7. [https://soundcloud.com/onlymashesbonfire/tracks]() 8. [https://soundcloud.com/jel-knowyourmeme/sets/bonfire]() 9. [https://soundcloud.com/elijahwho/dontforgettofeedyourneopets]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/bonfire-memes Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library