# This Could Be Us But You Playing > This Could Be Us But You Playing is a 2014 Twitter hashtag-meme featuring couples in deliberately unglamorous or absurd photos, derived from a 2012 Maino song that accumulated 1.9 million mentions. "This Could Be Us But You Playing" is a hashtag-driven meme from early 2014 where people pair the caption #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin with intentionally unglamorous, awkward, or absurd photos of couples. The phrase traces back to a 2012 Maino song, but the hashtag exploded on Twitter in January 2014, racking up over 1.9 million mentions within weeks[4]. The meme crossed over into mainstream music when both Prince and Rae Sremmurd created songs inspired by it. ## Origin The phrase most likely came from the 2012 Maino track "This Could Be Us," which repeats "that could be us" throughout its chorus[4]. But the meme didn't materialize until January 18, 2014, when Twitter user @blackgalaxshe first used the hashtag #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin[4]. The format caught on fast. By February 2014, the hashtag had been tweeted over 1.9 million times[4]. The idea struck a nerve because it flipped a common social media dynamic on its head. Instead of aspirational couple content, people weaponized the phrase to highlight how hilariously far from perfect most relationships actually look. - **Platform:** Twitter (hashtag), influenced by Maino's 2012 track - **Creator:** @blackgalaxshe (first known hashtag use on Twitter) - **Date:** 2014 ## Overview The format is dead simple: take a photo of a couple doing something unremarkable, unattractive, or flat-out ridiculous, slap #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin on it, and post. The humor comes from the gap between the romantic aspiration baked into the phrase and the deeply unromantic reality of the image. Think couples sitting on a couch in sweatpants, eating fast food in a parking lot, or posing awkwardly at a family reunion. The hashtag works as ironic commentary on relationship goals culture, poking fun at the performative romance common on social media[4]. Some versions also leaned into NSFW territory, adding another layer of absurdity[4]. ## How It Spread Within a week of the first tweet, the meme had spread across platforms. A Facebook page titled "This Could Be Us But You Playing" launched on January 25, 2014, and the next day, the Twitter account @ButWhyYouPlayin started posting image macros of unremarkable couples paired with the caption[4]. On January 29, Bossip published a roundup of the best #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin photos[4]. By early February, The Daily Dot ran a piece calling it "the greatest hashtag," cataloging the awkward couple photos and noting the growing NSFW wing of the trend[4]. The meme was inescapable on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram throughout spring 2014. On May 21, 2014, Complex published an article titled "To the Grave: Time to End the 'This Could Be Us, But You...' Meme," declaring the format played out[1]. Writer Michael Arceneaux compared it to "the crunk music of memes" and argued it was really just "a subtweet with a picture and ugly font"[1]. He called out people posting photos of Beyoncé and Jay Z with the caption, writing: "You probably couldn't be Beyoncé and Jay even if you found her bra and an old pair of this rich man's draws at the local Goodwill"[1]. Despite the backlash, the meme had already jumped from internet joke to music industry inspiration. In June 2014, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Prince's upcoming solo album would include a track called "This Could Be Us," directly inspired by the hashtag[2]. Prince specifically cited an image macro that parodied a still of him and Apollonia Kotero riding a motorcycle from the 1984 film *Purple Rain*[2]. "Every No. 1 song, every Top 10 song, every song in the Top 40 is at least six months old," Prince told the paper. "We should be able to make music and put it out now"[2]. On May 12, 2015, rap duo Rae Sremmurd released the music video for their track "This Could Be Us," named after the meme and featured on their debut album *SremmLife*. The video pulled in 39 million views on YouTube[4]. ## How to Use The format follows a simple template: 1. Find a photo of a couple (or two people) in an unglamorous, awkward, or absurd situation. The less aspirational, the better. 2. Add the caption "#ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin" or a variation like "This could be us but you [specific complaint]." 3. Post it on social media. ## Cultural Impact The meme's biggest mainstream crossover was Prince writing a song inspired by it. The fact that one of music's most iconic artists saw a Twitter hashtag meme and turned it into a track on his album showed the meme had broken well beyond internet culture[2]. Prince's song was specifically sparked by seeing himself parodied in the format, with fans using a still from *Purple Rain* alongside the hashtag[2]. Rae Sremmurd's "This Could Be Us" track and music video further cemented the phrase in pop culture, bringing it to audiences who might not have been scrolling Twitter in early 2014[4]. An Urban Dictionary entry submitted on March 29, 2014 defined the phrase as a joke, "often in meme form," involving photos of unattractive or "ghetto" couples used as aspirational examples[3]. The definition captured the meme's core irony: treating obviously imperfect situations as relationship goals. ## Fun Facts - The hashtag hit 1.9 million Twitter mentions in under a month, making it one of the fastest-growing relationship memes of 2014[4]. - Complex compared the meme's trajectory to Lil Jon's career: huge burst of popularity followed by a "forced timeout"[1]. - Prince's interest in the meme was specifically triggered by a parody using his own image from *Purple Rain*, making him both subject and fan of the format[2]. - The meme functioned as what Complex called "a subtweet with a picture and ugly font," tapping into passive-aggressive social media behavior[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "This Could Be Us But You Playing"? It's a hashtag meme (#ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin) where people post unglamorous or awkward couple photos with the caption, ironically presenting them as relationship goals[4]. ### Where did "This Could Be Us But You Playing" come from? The phrase traces to the 2012 Maino song "This Could Be Us," but the hashtag was first used on Twitter by @blackgalaxshe on January 18, 2014[4]. ### What does "This Could Be Us But You Playing" mean? It uses the romantic idea of "this could be us" paired with deliberately unromantic images, creating humor through ironic contrast. "Playing" means the other person isn't taking the relationship seriously[3]. ### How do you use "This Could Be Us But You Playing"? Find an awkward or unglamorous couple photo, add #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin as a caption, and post. You can also add specific complaints like "but you ate my leftovers"[1]. ### Is "This Could Be Us But You Playing" still popular? The meme's peak was early-to-mid 2014. It's now a classic format that most internet users recognize, though active usage dropped significantly after 2015[1]. ### How many times was the hashtag tweeted? Over 1.9 million times by February 2014 alone, just weeks after the first use of the hashtag[4]. ### Did Prince really make a song about this meme? Yes. Prince confirmed in a June 2014 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune that his track "This Could Be Us" was inspired by a meme parodying his *Purple Rain* motorcycle scene[2]. ### What is the Rae Sremmurd connection? Rae Sremmurd released "This Could Be Us" as a single on their debut album *SremmLife* in 2015, with the music video reaching 39 million YouTube views[4]. ### Why did Complex say the meme should die? Writer Michael Arceneaux argued in May 2014 that the format had "run its course" and was just passive-aggressive relationship complaining dressed up as humor[1]. ## References 1. [Prince Reveals New Solo Album Featuring Song Inspired by #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin Meme | Pitchfork]() 2. [AZLyrics - request for access]() 3. [To the Grave: Time to End the "This Could Be Us, But You..." Meme]() 4. [This Could Be Us But You Playing - Know Your Meme]() 5. [You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?]() 6. [Urban Dictionary: this could be us but you playin]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/this-could-be-us-but-you-playing Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library