The Official “EW!” Music Video feat. Jimmy Fallon and will.i.am Goes Viral

I’d like to discuss my favorite video out right now, the “Ew!” music video featuring Jimmy Fallon and will.i.am. In the video, will.i.am. plays the role of mir.i.am, a ditzy teenage girl in a bright yellow dress, rocking pigtails and orthodontic headgear, and Jimmy Fallon plays the role of her brace-faced and equally colorful BFF Sara—”with no ‘h.’”

The BFF’s break it down and rap about things they think are EW! Among them, “FaceTime and reclining in airplane seats and then Vining.” It’s hilarious and catchy. It’s that song you can’t get out of your head and can’t help but sing along.

Have you noticed the impulse to recite: “Seriously seriously, EW! EW!”?

Written and produced by will.i.am, the video went viral within hours, as it was most likely intended. It’s been viewed 11.4 million times in just ten days, and placed No. 2 on Billboard Trending 140, as well as No. 26 on Billboard Hot 100. Impressive.

Check out Jimmy Fallon’s response to the success, here.

I might have been the last to know that “Ew!” is actually a video series by the Tonight Show, with previous videos featuring guests such as Taylor Swift, First Lady Michelle Obama, Channing Tatum and Will Ferrel. This (embarrassingly late) discovery led me to wonder what caused this video to go viral while the others had not.

Here are a few reasons I’ve come up with so far:

“What’s up with those duck lips? EW!”

1) It is relatable—the video includes teenage slang words such as “OMG” and “WTF” and pokes fun at relatable situations. Cue the awkward school dance scene and the overly confident step-dad that ruins the party. 

2) It is easy to share—in just one click, you can share it with all of your friends, on any social media channel. When I first watched the video, I shared it on my Twitter, Google+ and Facebook accounts. And now I’m sharing it here with you, just like that!

Photo found at https://twitter.com/iamwill

Photo found at http://buff.ly/1ug6qaa

3) It is incredibly well produced—from the kick-ass beat, sets, and wardrobe to the special effects and bullet motion, this video is a masterpiece production. You can tell it was well planned and thought out and that it’s a high quality video. 

4) It is for our entertainment—it isn’t trying to sell us anything! So many videos out there are just to sell us some product or service, but we appreciate “Ew!” more because it is purely for our entertainment. It succeeds in making us smile. And isn’t that what we’re all looking for?

5) It is (also) for charity—Surprise! The proceeds from “Ew!” actually benefit charity! Two to be exact: the SeriousFun Children’s Network and will.i.am’s i.am.angel Foundation. This was surprising and delightful fact to learn.

Let’s see what you can add to the list!