Friday (Rebecca Black song)

"Friday"
Single by Rebecca Black
ReleasedMarch 14, 2011 (2011-03-14)
GenreTeen pop[1][2]
Length
  • 3:30 (single release)
  • 3:44 (music video version with rap)
LabelARK Music Factory
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jey
  • Wilson
Rebecca Black singles chronology
"Friday"
(2011)
"My Moment"
(2011)
Music video
"Friday" on YouTube

"Friday" is the debut single by American pop singer Rebecca Black, written and produced by Los Angeles record producers Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson. The song's music video was released on February 10, 2011; it was officially released as a single on the iTunes Store on March 14, 2011.[3] The song features a rap verse from Wilson, which was uncredited on the single. Its music video caught a sudden surge of hits after Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax comedian Michael J. Nelson called it "the worst video ever made" on Twitter and the song was featured on the Tosh.0 blog.[4][5][6] The song's reception was highly negative, and it was parodied by numerous artists and comedians.

The original music video was removed from YouTube on June 16, 2011, due to legal disputes between ARK Music and Black.[7] By then, it had already amassed more than 167 million views.[8][9] The video was later re-uploaded to YouTube on September 16, 2011. The music video for the song is one of the most disliked YouTube videos of all time.[10] Since the growth in popularity of the song and video, there have been numerous parody videos and remixes.[11] Forbes stated that the notoriety of the song is another sign of the power of social media—specifically Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, in this instance—in the ability to create "overnight sensations".[12][13]

On February 10, 2021, to commemorate the song's tenth anniversary, Black released an official hyperpop remix produced by Dylan Brady of 100 gecs featuring 3OH!3, Big Freedia and Dorian Electra to more positive reviews.

  1. ^ Lynch, Joseph Brannigan (March 14, 2011). "Rebecca Black's 'Friday': The Internet's latest bizarre music video obsession". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Moster, Jim (February 16, 2021). "Ten years after 'Friday,' Rebecca Black emerges an icon". The Observer. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Friday – Single by Rebecca Black". iTunes Store. March 14, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  4. ^ Allocca, Kevin. "The Rebecca Black Phenomenon". YouTube Trends. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Baldwin, Stephen (March 17, 2011). "Five things you need to know about Rebecca Black's Friday". National Post. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013.
  6. ^ Wasserman, Todd (March 24, 2011). "How Rebecca Black Became a YouTube Sensation". Mashable. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  7. ^ Gardner, Eric. "Rebecca Black's 'Friday' Taken Off YouTube (Analysis)", The Hollywood Reporter, June 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "YouTube's 100 Most Viewed Videos (5/30/2011)". YouTube. May 31, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference WaybackMachine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Friday – Rebecca Black – Official Music Video". YouTube. September 16, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  11. ^ Gallo, Lee-Maree (March 15, 2011). "Who is Rebecca Black? And is she really bigger than Japan?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  12. ^ Pasetsky, Mark. Rebecca Black: Why is She Trending on Twitter?. Forbes. March 14, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  13. ^ Perpetua, Matthew. Why Rebecca Black's Much-Mocked Viral Hit 'Friday' Is Actually Good Archived April 8, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.