Don't "Call Me Maybe" ever again, Internet, but let's get ready to "Kiss."
Believe it or not, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" has been around for almost a year, and with the launch of her Kiss album Tuesday, it's time we say goodbye to the good times we've had with the catchy original and its countless parodies, lip-dubs and dance remixes.
On Sept. 20, 2011, the song came out in Canada, gaining little airplay. But then something "so absolutely shocking" happened, as Jepsen's manager Jonathan Simkin told Mashable: Social powerhouse Justin Bieber tweeted about it and followed that with an appearance in a viral lip-dub video:
Call me maybe by Carly Rae Jepson is possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard lol— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) December 30, 2011
"It's hard to beat that," Simkin said. But the people of the Internet sure as hell tried and tried and tried.
Their efforts rocketed Jepsen into international stardom on the web, as more "Call Me Maybe" love (and mockery) rushed in from Harvard athletes, celebrities, half-naked models, Sesame Street's Cookie Monster, musicians, digital versions of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney and more people on YouTube.
By June, "Call Me Maybe" finally hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, remaining on top for nine weeks.
The proverbial nail in the coffin came crashing down this week, though, as Glee's quirky cast spit out its too-little-too-late rendition. Remember Rebecca Black's "Friday"? Glee sent that one to the grave, too. Yes, Glee has helped less-known songs reach the masses, but with "Friday" and "Call Me Maybe," the show put those suckers six feet under. See for yourself:
Some 260 million YouTube views later, it's time for us to say, "Rest in peace, 'Call Me Maybe'," and point our ears toward Jepsen's latest infectious offering: the 14 other tracks on Kiss (listen below).
Seemingly coming full circle, Bieber is lending a hand yet again, teaming up with Jepsen for "Beautiful."
While it's highly unlikely any of the new songs will reach the unbelievable success of "Call Me Maybe," you haven't heard the last of this year's viral sweetheart. She handled fame and its hecklers gracefully in 2012.
With Jepsen in the driver's seat, her manager says she has "her seatbelt fastened for this insane ride!"
I'm buckled in the passenger's seat, confident she'll avoid crashing into the brick wall of pop has-beens.
How many times do you think you listened to "Call Me Maybe"? Be honest. And will you miss it?