Chocolate Rain: Difference between revisions
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"'''Chocolate Rain'''" is a [[song]] and [[music video]] written and performed by [[Tay Zonday]], a |
"'''Chocolate Rain'''" is a [[song]] and [[music video]] written and performed by [[Tay Zonday]], a 3-year-old [[songwriter]] and vocalist. WHO SUCKS COCK |
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After being posted on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA YouTube] on [[April 22]] [[2007]], the song quickly became popular with over 21 million views as of [[May 03]] [[2008]], and has gained further popularity thanks to the help of a recent [[South Park]] episode that [[Canada on Strike|features his likeness]].<ref name="video">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA Chocolate Rain on YouTube]</ref> The [[music video]] portrays a bespectacled Zonday in a recording studio wearing a white T-shirt and singing into a [[Microphone#Condenser, capacitor or electrostatic microphones|condenser microphone]]. Occasional cutbacks to Zonday playing a [[digital piano]] are also shown. The song, and its writer/performer, attracted major media attention. "Chocolate Rain" is ranked as the hottest [[viral video]] of Summer 2007 by [[CTV.ca]]<ref name="10 hottest viral videos of the summer (so far)">{{Citation | last = Droganes | first = Constance | title = 10 hottest viral videos of the summer (so far) | newspaper = CTV.ca | year = 2007 | date = August 1, 2007 | url = http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070801/summerviral_070801/20070801?hub=Entertainment}}</ref> and as the number 2 viral video in the world by utalkmarketing.com.<ref>[http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Article.aspx?id=2623&SectionID= Top 5 Viral Videos] ''utalkmarketing.com''</ref> It was the winner in the Music category in the 2007 [[YouTube Awards]].<ref name = "ap3">{{Cite web|url= http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080320/ap_en_ot/youtube_awards|title= Will the Obama Girl win a YouTube award?|date= March 20, 2008|accessdate= 2008-03-20|last=Carlson|first= Erin|publisher= [[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref name = "YouTube awards">{{Cite web|url= http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/03/21/youtube.awards.ap/index.html|title=Viral videos win big at second YouTube Awards|date= March 21, 2008|accessdate= 2008-03-21|last=Associated Press|first= |publisher= [[CNN.com]]}}</ref> |
After being posted on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA YouTube] on [[April 22]] [[2007]], the song quickly became popular with over 21 million views as of [[May 03]] [[2008]], and has gained further popularity thanks to the help of a recent [[South Park]] episode that [[Canada on Strike|features his likeness]].<ref name="video">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA Chocolate Rain on YouTube]</ref> The [[music video]] portrays a bespectacled Zonday in a recording studio wearing a white T-shirt and singing into a [[Microphone#Condenser, capacitor or electrostatic microphones|condenser microphone]]. Occasional cutbacks to Zonday playing a [[digital piano]] are also shown. The song, and its writer/performer, attracted major media attention. "Chocolate Rain" is ranked as the hottest [[viral video]] of Summer 2007 by [[CTV.ca]]<ref name="10 hottest viral videos of the summer (so far)">{{Citation | last = Droganes | first = Constance | title = 10 hottest viral videos of the summer (so far) | newspaper = CTV.ca | year = 2007 | date = August 1, 2007 | url = http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070801/summerviral_070801/20070801?hub=Entertainment}}</ref> and as the number 2 viral video in the world by utalkmarketing.com.<ref>[http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Article.aspx?id=2623&SectionID= Top 5 Viral Videos] ''utalkmarketing.com''</ref> It was the winner in the Music category in the 2007 [[YouTube Awards]].<ref name = "ap3">{{Cite web|url= http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080320/ap_en_ot/youtube_awards|title= Will the Obama Girl win a YouTube award?|date= March 20, 2008|accessdate= 2008-03-20|last=Carlson|first= Erin|publisher= [[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref name = "YouTube awards">{{Cite web|url= http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/03/21/youtube.awards.ap/index.html|title=Viral videos win big at second YouTube Awards|date= March 21, 2008|accessdate= 2008-03-21|last=Associated Press|first= |publisher= [[CNN.com]]}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 13:11, 7 May 2008
| "Chocolate Rain" | |
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| Song |
"Chocolate Rain" is a song and music video written and performed by Tay Zonday, a 3-year-old songwriter and vocalist. WHO SUCKS COCK
After being posted on YouTube on April 22 2007, the song quickly became popular with over 21 million views as of May 03 2008, and has gained further popularity thanks to the help of a recent South Park episode that features his likeness.[1] The music video portrays a bespectacled Zonday in a recording studio wearing a white T-shirt and singing into a condenser microphone. Occasional cutbacks to Zonday playing a digital piano are also shown. The song, and its writer/performer, attracted major media attention. "Chocolate Rain" is ranked as the hottest viral video of Summer 2007 by CTV.ca[2] and as the number 2 viral video in the world by utalkmarketing.com.[3] It was the winner in the Music category in the 2007 YouTube Awards.[4][5]
Critical response
The song is known for the deep voice of its singer and his unique mannerisms while singing, telling the viewer "I move away from the mic to breathe in" via subtitles.[6][1] David Lowe of The Sun characterized Zonday's voice as being “gravelly as Rod Stewart but alas without the groove”, expressing no surprise at Zonday's lack of formal musical training.[7] Other reviews have been more favorable. Garth Montgomery of The Daily Telegraph praises the song's “hypnotic quality” while criticizing its “cheesy drum loop”.[6]
During a brief interview on The Opie and Anthony Show, Zonday referred to the song as "cheesy", and stated that its cryptic lyrics dealt with deep racism.[8] This echoes Zonday's comments posted to the video's page on YouTube.[9]
Many attribute the initial spread of the popularity of the song to 4chan.[10] Tay Zonday said,
I'm pretty sure the "Chocolate Rain" attention started as a joke at 4chan.org, an image board that is credited with starting lots of popular internet phenomena. It spread to a general audience and people started uploading spoofs. I don't know what causes people to listen to my music. If I could speak it, there would be no reason to write songs.[11]
Performances
Clips of the video have been played or referenced on TV and radio shows, including G4TV's Attack of the Show,[12] Last Call with Carson Daly and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. On August 9, 2007, Zonday performed the song on the late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, as part of its "Internet Talent Showcase".[13] It has also been performed live on the BBC Radio 1 Chris Moyles Show.[14]. More recently, Zonday appeared on Lily Allen's new show where he sang a live performance of Lily's song 'Smile'.
Spoofs and tributes
"Chocolate Rain" is the subject of numerous parodies, tributes, remixes and covers on the Internet. Major musical artists, such as singer John Mayer[15] and Green Day drummer Tré Cool[16][17] have spoofed the song on television and YouTube.com, respectively. Even Blamesociety Productions produced its own parody using Chad Vader.[18] He goes on to make his own lyrics, breathe away from the microphone as in the original, and runs out of lyrics that fit the structure. During some 2007 performances, LeRoi Moore, the Saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band, interpolated the melody into an outro on the band's song "The Dreaming Tree".[6][1][2] Notable parodies include a song entitled "Vanilla Snow",[19] also a spoof of a McDonald's commercial,[20] a [remixed] version reminiscent of classic 8-bit video games on YouTube such as Mega Man,[21] and a mashup of the song with Radiohead's "Talk Show Host."[22] There was also a parody by "Stuttering Craig" (of screwattack.com) about a video game called "Vampire Rain" during the SAGY nominees of "Worst 360 Game of the Year."
Zonday himself appeared on the August 3 2007 episode of VH1's Best Week Ever and performed a parody of his song called "Summer Break".[23] Alex Albrecht spoofed the song in a fake commercial for Nestlé in the podcast Diggnation.[24] Tina Fey's character on 30 Rock referred to the character of Toofer as "Chocolate Rain" in the 2007 season premiere. Paul Reubens debuted a spoof educational film called Journey to Banana Land that beckoned Chocolate Rain when the narrator mentions cocoa trees. Zonday's Youtube video is used as Reubens sings along.
On April 2, 2008, South Park aired the episode "Canada On Strike" that contained an appearance of Zonday talking about "Chocolate Rain", along with other internet memes such as Tron Guy and Chris Crocker. Zonday was killed at the end of this scene when a stare from the Dramatic Look Gopher caused his head to explode. The title of the hit was humorously manipulated in the phrase "get ready for some chocolate pain" within the episode. The episode brought back the video's popularity and boosted its views by over one million in the days following its airing.
On April 8, 2008, Richard Micheal Alvarez, the original creator of the popular Stupid Mario Brothers series on YouTube, uploaded a video on YouTube called Chocolate Rain Parody by Stupid Mario Brothers.
MADtv had a music video sketch titled "Under Barack Obama" based on the Rihanna hit where Hillary Clinton impersonator wants Obama to pour "chocolate rain on [her]".
Advertisements
In November 2007, Tay Zonday licensed the song and recorded spoof lyrics to Comedy Central as a promo clip for their show Last Laugh with Lewis Black.[25]
On November 28 2007, Zonday released a spoof/sequel to the song entitled "Cherry Chocolate Rain." The music video is professionally shot, and makes many allusions to the original song. The video and song was created as part of a promotional campaign for Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr Pepper.[26]
License
"Chocolate Rain" has explicit licensing terms that are provided by its creator. The song and video are licensed under a Creative Commons by-nc-nd license. Although this license is not completely free, it has been suggested that the relative openness of the license has helped to encourage the song's spread. Creative Commons has praised Zonday specifically for this very reason.[27] Zonday has expressed his own thoughts on the licensing situation on his MySpace blog, stating "I want nonprofit radio and small mom/pop cafes to be able to play my music for free. But I also want giant corporations who can afford to give me a dime or two to pay fair royalties."[28]
References
- ^ a b c Chocolate Rain on YouTube
- ^ Top 5 Viral Videos utalkmarketing.com
- ^ Carlson, Erin (March 20, 2008). "Will the Obama Girl win a YouTube award?". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ Associated Press (March 21, 2008). "Viral videos win big at second YouTube Awards". CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ a b c Montgomery, Garth (August 3, 2007), "Chocolate Rain goes huge", The Daily Telegraph
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Lowe, David (2007-08-01), "Web crooner with 3m fans", The Sun
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Tay Zonday on the Opie & Anthony show". 2007-07-19. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "All Comments to "Chocolate Rain"". YouTube. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ Mathew Ingram (2007-08-15). "Who is Tay Zonday?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Make It Rain: Tay Zonday". HHNLiv. 2007-07-30. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Tay Zonday on Attack of the Show’s Daily Video Podcast
- ^ Zonday performs "Chocolate Rain" on Jimmy Kimmel Live, August 9, 2007
- ^ Zonday performs "Chocolate Rain" on The Chris Moyles Show
- ^ MTV News Staff (2007-08-06), "Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Roll Out Tour Dates; Plus Lindsay Lohan, Gwen Stefani, Nas, Amy Winehouse & More, In For The Record", MTV News
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Cashmere, Tim (August 3 2007). "Green Day Drummer Tre Cool Covers Tay Zonday". Undercover. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Tré Cool's parody cover
- ^ Chad Vader parody
- ^ "Vanilla Snow" on YouTube
- ^ Spoof on YouTube
- ^ Chocolate Rain 8Bit Remix Video Gaming Today
- ^ Mashup on YouTube
- ^ "Summer Break" from ifilm.com
- ^ Albrecht, Alex. Diggnation podcast 110.
- ^ Last Laugh 07 promo on YouTube
- ^ Cherry Chocolate Rain on YouTube
- ^ Parkins, Cameron (2007-08-01). "Tay Zonday's "Chocolate Rain"". Creative Commons weblog.
- ^ Tay Zonday's MySpace page