Running in the 90s — An anime-style illustration featuring character in casual 1990s clothing posed next to classic car in nostalgic 90s setting.

Running in the 90s

1998Music meme / remix source / montage parody soundtracksemi-active

Published March 10, 2026 · Updated March 17, 2026

Also known as: Lol Internet

"Running in the 90's" is a Eurobeat song by Italian artist Maurizio De Jorio (performing as Max Coveri) that became an internet meme after its use in the 1998 anime *Initial D*. The track found a second life on YTMND and YouTube, where it became the go-to soundtrack for anything involving speed, drifting, or absurd acceleration. Its catchy synth-driven energy made it a staple of montage parodies and remix culture throughout the 2010s.

initial d memes music memes anime manga ytmnd memes montage parody memes

Overview

"Running in the 90's" is a high-energy Eurobeat track that sounds exactly like what you'd hear blasting from a Toyota AE86 sideways down a mountain pass at 3 AM. The song features rapid BPM, soaring synth melodies, and vocals about "modern talking" and "cybersex on the line" that are peak late-90s internet optimism1. In meme contexts, the song is almost always paired with footage of things moving fast, drifting, or accelerating in ridiculous ways. Cars sliding through parking lots, shopping carts careening down hills, animals sprinting at full tilt. If something is moving with reckless speed, "Running in the 90's" is the default audio track2.

The song also picked up a slang meaning among fans of *Initial D*, where "running in the 90s" became shorthand for drifting at 90 mph/kph4.

Origin & Background

Platform
YTMND (early meme spread), YouTube (mainstream viral spread)
Creator
Casiopea
Date
1998 (song release), ~2004 (meme usage)

The song was written by Pamela Prandoni, Laurent Gelmetti, and Clara Moroni, with vocals performed by Maurizio De Jorio under his stage name Max Coveri2. De Jorio, born September 24, 1968 in Trento, Italy, had been working in the Eurobeat scene since the late 1980s under various pseudonyms before joining the Max Coveri group in 19963. The track first appeared on the compilation album *Super Eurobeat Vol. 85* in 19982.

De Jorio's path to Eurobeat started with his single "In A New World" (as Tom Maurice) in 1987, and he later signed with A.Beat-C. records in 19913. He eventually moved to Delta Music Industry, a label co-founded by Laurent Gelmetti (Laurent Newfield) and Clara Moroni, both of whom co-wrote "Running in the 90's"3.

The song crossed over from niche Eurobeat into wider recognition when it was featured in the Japanese anime *Initial D: First Stage*. It played during the final race scene of Episode 4, "Into the Battle!", giving it the perfect association with white-knuckle mountain drifting2.

How It Spread

The earliest meme usage of "Running in the 90's" dates to around 2004, when it appeared as part of YTMND sites under the name "Lol, Internet"1. From there it spread through a series of YTMND pages throughout the mid-2000s, becoming a recognizable audio clip in the site's remix-heavy culture.

The song hit YouTube on November 3, 2009, when user JoeDutchCoast uploaded a version that eventually reached 45 million views by April 20212. Another upload by PsychoDon904 on January 7, 2010 picked up over 1 million views and 8,900 upvotes2.

Throughout the 2010s, "Running in the 90's" became a fixture of YouTube montage parodies and remix compilations. The formula was simple: take footage of something going fast (or something absurd pretending to go fast), slap the Eurobeat track over it, and let the meme do its work. On November 20, 2017, YouTuber Nickimaki Clips posted a compilation of memes featuring the song that pulled over 6 million views2. That same year on August 26, YouTuber Sdronk uploaded a similar compilation that crossed 1.1 million views2.

The *Initial D* connection kept feeding the meme's relevance. Every time someone discovered the anime, they discovered the song, and vice versa. The Eurobeat genre as a whole got a boost from *Initial D* fandom, but "Running in the 90's" and "Night of Fire" were the two tracks that broke through most consistently3.

How to Use This Meme

The standard "Running in the 90's" meme follows a straightforward template:

1

Find or record footage of something moving at high speed, or something that looks absurdly fast in context (a Roomba, a cat sliding across a floor, a shopping cart on a slope)

2

Overlay the "Running in the 90's" track, typically starting at the chorus or the iconic synth intro

3

Optional: add *Initial D* style speed lines, a tachometer overlay, or text about "Eurobeat intensifies"

Cultural Impact

"Running in the 90's" played a significant role in introducing Western audiences to Eurobeat as a genre. Before *Initial D* memes, Eurobeat was a niche Italian export mostly popular in Japan. The meme pipeline went: *Initial D* anime → "Running in the 90's" memes → curiosity about Eurobeat → discovery of the broader genre3.

De Jorio and the other artists behind the Max Coveri alias saw renewed attention decades after the original release. De Jorio's work with Bratt Sinclaire's label SinclaireStyle and the Delta Music Industry discography got new listeners through meme exposure3. The 2019 releases of the *Delta Ultimate Collection* and *Bratt Sinclaire Eurobeat Style* compilations made previously obscure tracks accessible to fans who came in through the meme door3.

The song also cemented the "Eurobeat intensifies" meme sub-genre, where any dramatic driving clip gets an automatic Eurobeat soundtrack. This format outlasted the specific "Running in the 90's" usage and became its own template.

Fun Facts

Maurizio De Jorio performed under at least a dozen stage names throughout his career, including Tom Maurice, D. Essex, Dejo, and of course Max Coveri3.

Max Coveri was not a single artist but a group project. De Jorio joined in 1996, replacing Massimo Maglione, who went on to adopt the drag queen alias Billy More3.

The song's lyrics reference "cybersex on the line" and "get your credit card cos I need no money," making it one of the most accidentally prophetic Eurobeat songs about the internet age1.

De Jorio's musical career spans from 1987 to the present day. He still performs under the alias Dejo for SinclaireStyle3.

The song was part of the *Super Eurobeat* compilation series, which ran to well over 200 volumes, making it one of the longest-running music compilation series in Japan3.

Derivatives & Variations

Montage parodies

The song became a go-to audio track for montage parody compilations on YouTube, often alongside other *Initial D* Eurobeat songs like "Deja Vu" and "Gas Gas Gas"[2].

"Lol, Internet" YTMND pages

Early meme versions on YTMND used the song under this alternate title, pairing it with various looping animations[1].

Dashcam drift edits

A subgenre of memes specifically pairs the song with real dashcam footage of cars drifting or losing control, often with *Initial D* visual filters applied[2].

Frequently Asked Questions