video – Josh Stearns

One of the amazing things about the Internet is the way an idea can spread and grow. When my wife and I wrote a parody of Lorde’s “Royals” rewritten in the voice of overtired parents, we had no idea how much it would resonate with people. We got a huge outpouring of messages from parents who saw themselves in those lyrics and appreciated the chance to laugh a bit amidst the chaos.

When my old college friend Lisa Hilary saw the lyrics on Facebook she offered to recorded a studio-version of it – that’s when it really went viral. In a few short weeks it got almost 1 million hits and was being played on radio talk shows and discussed in TV segments. You can see the full lyrics below and hear Lisa’s version here.

Now two more people have recorded their own versions of the song, using our lyrics. Atasha Marlee is a mom of three (4, 2 and 6 months) who somehow had time to get into a studio to record her version of the song and make this video:

I don’t know about you, but I recognized a few of those scenes all too well.Continue reading ““We’ll Never Be Rested” a New Video Parody of Lorde’s “Royals” for Overtired Parents”

In recent weeks, much has been made about Obama releasing his first weekly address on YouTube. While I was glad to see Obama continuing to push traditional aspects of governing into new media realms, I was not that surprised to see him using YouTube. YouTube had been a key platform throughout his campaign, through both videos he released and an uncountable library of videos created by his supporters. It seemed obvious that he would continue to have a presence in the online video space after the election.

Obama, after all, was made for YouTube. He is a brilliant public speaker who comes off as composed and thoughtful in front of the camera and has the rare ability to translate the passion and energy that he presents live on stage into the more intimate setting of online video.Continue reading “YouTube, Obama, and the Revival of Rhetoric”