January 12th is one of the most important days of the year.
Thats right, its the birthday ofJeff Bezos.
The lyrics tell the touching tale of Jeffreys selfless mission to become a tech oligarch.
The track was a highlight of Burnhams Netflix special,Inside,but its legacy didnt end there.
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The second life of Besoz I was a product of timing.
It emerged as countless workers were suffering from layoffs, pay cuts, and health problems.
After his maiden joyride, he thankedAmazonstaff and customers for having paid for all of this.
TikTokers quickly tapped into this economic chasm.
They used Burnhams song to soundtrack Amazon driversbraving natural disasters, warehouse workersgetting whipped, and Bezosmonitoring his sheep.
Many of the videos went viral.
Not every interpolation of the track was critical of capitalism.
Some creators used the tune to sincerely praise Amazon or celebratetheir own success stories.
The song was also recontextualized in TikToks tediousthree moodstrend.
In the social media age, an artist cant determine the meaning of their masterpiece.
At under a minute long and infectiously energetic, the track is tailor-made for TikTok-addled brains.
Yet that wasnt the only reason why Burnhams Netflix special connected with Gen-Z.
The melancholy musical comedy perfectly captures the pandemic life that supercharged TikToks popularity.
Its unsurprising that it resonates witha generation that spendsso muchtime onlineand hashigh rates of mental health struggles.
Such issues dont appear to be affecting Bezos.
In the words of Burnham:
Come on Jeff, get em!
….. SCREAMS…
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
