# Rebecca Black Friday
"Friday" is a 2011 music video by then-13-year-old Rebecca Black that went viral for its simplistic lyrics, heavy Auto-Tune, and low-budget production. Uploaded to YouTube on February 10, 2011, the video was called "the worst video ever made" and racked up over 150 million views, becoming one of the defining viral moments of the early 2010s[5]. The song's inescapable chorus, "It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday," made it both a punchline and a genuine earworm that shaped how the internet thinks about ironic enjoyment and cyberbullying.
## Origin
Rebecca Black was 13 years old and living in Anaheim Hills, California, when her mother Georgina Kelly paid $4,000 to ARK Music Factory, a Los Angeles production company, to record a song and shoot a music video[2]. ARK was co-founded by Patrice Wilson and Clarence Jey, and the company's model was straightforward: parents paid for their kids to get a professional-looking pop music experience[9]. Black was given a choice between two pre-written songs, "Super Woman" and "Friday." She picked "Friday" because the other one "was about adult love" and she hadn't experienced that yet[5].
Wilson wrote the lyrics with minimal deliberation. He explained that he "wrote the lyrics on a Thursday night going into a Friday" and after being up all night, thought "Wow, I've been up a long time and it's Friday"[2]. The video was uploaded to YouTube on February 10, 2011, and sat quietly for about a month with minimal views[4].
- **Platform:** YouTube (music video), Twitter / blogs (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Patrice Wilson (songwriter, rapper), Clarence Jey (co-writer, producer), Rebecca Black (singer, subject)
- **Date:** 2011
## Overview
"Friday" is a teen pop song featuring Rebecca Black singing about her morning routine, getting a ride with friends, and looking forward to the weekend. The lyrics cycle through mundane observations ("Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal") and peak with an infamous breakdown listing the days of the week ("Yesterday was Thursday, today it is Friday... tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterwards")[5]. The music video shows Black and her friends riding in a convertible and attending a house party, all set against conspicuously cheap blue-screen effects. A rap verse by Patrice Wilson, a man in his early thirties, appears midway through the video, which many viewers found jarring[8].
The song uses the I-vi-IV-V chord progression (the same one behind "Heart and Soul" and "Unchained Melody") at 112 BPM in the key of B major, which contributes to its aggressive catchiness[5]. Rolling Stone's Matthew Perpetua described Black's Auto-Tuned vocals as having "a peculiar tonality that inadvertently highlights the absurdity of boilerplate pop lyrics" and "an alluring sort of anti-charisma"[5].
## How It Spread
"Friday" first broke out after Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax comedian Michael J. Nelson tweeted about it, calling it "the worst video ever made"[2]. The Tosh.0 blog picked it up shortly after, and from there it cascaded through The Daily What, Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and Tumblr[4]. By March 14, 2011, "Rebecca Black" was the top trending topic on Twitter[4]. The video hit 3 million views by March 15 and 10 million by March 17, with the single cracking the iTunes Top 100[4].
The hate was immediate and intense. On March 29, 2011, "Friday" surpassed Justin Bieber's "Baby" as the most disliked YouTube video, with 1.17 million dislikes (eventually climbing past 3 million, accounting for 88% of total ratings)[5]. Yahoo! Music's Lyndsey Parker asked if it could be "the worst song ever"[5]. Billboard's Kevin Rutherford wrote that "Friday" was "something that simply must be seen and heard to be fully appreciated"[5].
Late-night TV jumped on it fast. Stephen Colbert performed "Friday" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien recorded a parody called "Thursday," and Black herself appeared live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[4]. She also went on Good Morning America to share some of the hateful comments the video had drawn[4]. The song landed at the top of Google's yearly Zeitgeist list as the most-searched term, hit No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, and topped YouTube's rankings for 2011[2].
## How to Use
"Friday" works in a few common ways online:
1. **The weekly ritual post.** Every Friday, someone somewhere posts the chorus "It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday" or a clip from the video. This is one of the internet's oldest weekly traditions.
2. **Days-of-the-week punchline.** The lyric "Yesterday was Thursday, today it is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterwards" gets quoted whenever someone states something painfully obvious.
3. **Ironic earworm weapon.** Linking someone the "Friday" video unprompted is a mild form of trolling, counting on the song getting stuck in their head.
4. **"Which seat can I take?"** The line about choosing a seat in the car, when all seats are taken, gets used as a metaphor for having no real choices.
## Cultural Impact
"Friday" was one of the first viral moments to force a mainstream conversation about cyberbullying of minors online. Black received death threats serious enough for police involvement, and her story became a cautionary example cited in discussions about the human cost of internet mockery[6]. She was 13 when millions of adults and peers coordinated to tell her she was terrible, an experience she'd process publicly for the next decade[2].
The song also proved that negative virality could generate real commercial value. "Friday" hit No. 1 on YouTube and Billboard's Heatseekers chart, cracked the iTunes Top 100, and topped Google's Zeitgeist list for 2011, all while being almost universally derided[2]. The single earned significant download revenue despite (or because of) the hate.
Late-night television treated it as a gold mine. Stephen Colbert's rendition on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien's parody "Thursday," and Black's own live appearance on The Tonight Show all drew major ratings[4]. Kohl's used a reworked version of the song for their 2011 Black Friday campaign, a corporate adoption that split opinion between "smartest thing ever" and "lost me as a customer"[10].
The Awl published a satirical literary analysis treating the video as radical postmodern text, comparing Black to Rosa Parks and reading the convertible scene as a commentary on the illusion of choice in consumer capitalism[1]. While clearly tongue-in-cheek, the essay captured how "Friday" had become a Rorschach test for cultural criticism.
The 2021 remix marked a full-circle moment. Produced by 100 gecs' Dylan Brady and featuring hyperpop and bounce artists, the remix reframed "Friday" as a knowing piece of maximalist pop art[3]. Black's transformation from unwilling meme to self-aware artist with an upcoming debut album mirrored a broader cultural shift toward treating early internet punching bags with more empathy[6].
## Fun Facts
- Black's mother had doubts about the lyrics' quality, but Rebecca assured her "she sang it as they wrote it"[5].
- The song uses the same chord progression as "Heart and Soul" and "Unchained Melody," which is part of why it's so maddeningly catchy[5].
- The original video was removed from YouTube on June 16, 2011, due to a legal dispute between ARK Music Factory and Black's family, and wasn't re-uploaded until September 16, 2011[5].
- "Friday" once held the record for most disliked YouTube video, surpassing Justin Bieber's "Baby" with over 3 million dislikes (88% of total ratings)[5].
- ARK Music Factory charged parents $4,000 per song-and-video package, which Kelly said covered "one half or less" of the actual production costs[5].
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Rebecca Black's "Friday"?
"Friday" is a 2011 teen pop song and music video by Rebecca Black, produced by ARK Music Factory, that went viral for its simplistic lyrics, heavy Auto-Tune, and low-budget video production[5].
### Where did the "Friday" meme come from?
The music video was uploaded to YouTube on February 10, 2011, and went viral in March after RiffTrax comedian Michael J. Nelson called it "the worst video ever made" on Twitter[2].
### What does "Friday" mean as a meme?
As a meme, "Friday" represents ironic enjoyment of objectively bad pop music. The chorus and days-of-the-week breakdown are quoted to point out something painfully obvious or just to get the song stuck in someone's head[4].
### How do you use the "Friday" meme?
Post the chorus lyrics or a clip from the video on Fridays, quote the days-of-the-week lyrics when someone states the obvious, or link the video to someone as a mild trolling move[4].
### Is Rebecca Black's "Friday" still popular?
The meme saw a major resurgence in February 2021 when Black released a hyperpop remix for the 10th anniversary, produced by Dylan Brady of 100 gecs[3]. The original video is still frequently referenced every Friday on social media[6].
### Who wrote "Friday"?
The song was co-written by Patrice Wilson and Clarence Jey, co-founders of ARK Music Factory. Wilson wrote the lyrics "on a Thursday night going into a Friday" with minimal creative deliberation[2].
### How much did Rebecca Black's mother pay for "Friday"?
Georgina Kelly paid ARK Music Factory $4,000 for a song and accompanying video, which the company said covered about half the production costs[5].
### Why was "Friday" called the worst song ever?
Critics singled out the repetitive lyrics, heavy Auto-Tune, cheap video production, and a jarring rap verse by the much-older Patrice Wilson. Yahoo! Music asked if it could be "the worst song ever," and Billboard said it "simply must be seen and heard to be fully appreciated"[5].
### What happened to Rebecca Black after "Friday"?
Black faced severe cyberbullying, depression, and death threats throughout her teens[6]. She fought her former label for rights to the song, came out as queer in 2020, and released a critically better-received hyperpop remix in 2021[6].
### Who is Benni Cinkle?
Benni Cinkle is the girl in pink doing an awkward dance in the original "Friday" video. She became a meme herself via Tumblr GIFs and later released her own single "Can You See Me Now" alongside an anti-bullying website[7].
### What is the "Friday" remix?
Released February 10, 2021, for the 10th anniversary, it's an official hyperpop version produced by Dylan Brady of 100 gecs, featuring Big Freedia, 3OH!3, and Dorian Electra[3].
### Did "Friday" make money?
Yes. Despite the hate, "Friday" reached the iTunes Top 100, No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, and topped Google's Zeitgeist list for 2011[2]. The single generated significant download revenue.
### Why was the original "Friday" video removed from YouTube?
A legal dispute between ARK Music Factory and Black's family over song rights led to the video's removal on June 16, 2011. It was re-uploaded on September 16, 2011, after Black's family gained control[5].
## References
1. [Arms So Freezy: Rebecca Black's "Friday" As Radical Text - The Awl]()
2. [Rebecca Black's New "Friday" Remix Is Perfect Art]()
3. [Rebecca Black shares a chaotic video for her new ‘Friday’ remix | Dazed]()
4. [Rebecca Black - Friday - Know Your Meme]()
5. [Friday (Rebecca Black song)]()
6. [Rebecca Black - Friday - Urban Dictionary]()
7. [Rebecca Black on ‘Friday’ Hate and Debut Album’s Influences]()
8. [Where Is Your God Now of the Day: I am no longer looking forward to the weekend.
[thanks shawn!] – @thedailywhat on Tumblr]()
9. [Rebecca Black's Awkward Friend Has A Music Video]()
10. [This Is Literally The Worst Thing I Have Ever Heard]()
11. [COMMUNITY Christian Church | Helping People Find Their Way Back to God]()
12. [Benni Cinkle: The Next Rebecca Black?]()
13. [Rebecca Black's 'Friday' Becomes Internet Sensation (VIDEO) | HuffPost Entertainment]()
14. [Who the Hell Made Rebecca Black's 'Friday' Video? | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties]()
15. [Black Friday 2011: Kohl's Rebecca Black ad, the most annoying ever? | Daily Mail Online]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/rebecca-black-friday
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