2007·Early YouTube·nostalgic
Chocolate Rain
You might remember it as Tay Zonday Chocolate Rain, I move away from the mic to breathe in
- SourceLikely original upload
- MediaPlayable from the source
A song about racism that the internet adopted for the voice it was sung in, and whose author kept saying so.
The line people quote“I move away from the mic to breathe in”
What this was
Tay Zonday sings into a condenser microphone in a small studio, in a much deeper voice than his appearance leads a viewer to expect, cutting occasionally to him playing a digital piano. A caption early on reads "I move away from the mic to breathe in", explaining why he keeps stepping back.
It first appeared in 2007, during early YouTube. A surviving copy is on YouTube.
The gap between the voice and the singer is what made it circulate, and the caption became a quotable line in its own right. The lyrics are a metaphor for racism against Black Americans, which Zonday has said repeatedly and which most of the audience did not come for.
It won a 2008 YouTube Award, was covered by John Mayer and Green Day’s Tre Cool, and appeared in South Park and The Office. Zonday has continued to give interviews about what the song is actually about.
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Grouped by explicit relationships where evidence exists, and by shared theme otherwise.
What we knowWhere it came from
High-confidence original source.
Earliest known source: YouTube
Created by Tay Zonday. Originally uploaded by TayZonday. Established by research, not by who posted the copy shown here.
- What happens
- Tay Zonday sings into a condenser microphone in a small studio, in a much deeper voice than his appearance leads a viewer to expect, cutting occasionally to him playing a digital piano. A caption early on reads "I move away from the mic to breathe in", explaining why he keeps stepping back.
- When
- Originally published April 2007.
- Where
- Known on YouTube.