Bo Burnham 's "Inside " includes the song lyric: "Googling 'derealization ,' hating what you find."- The mental health term "derealization" describes the sensation that you're surroundings aren't real.
- The number of searches for that term spiked on
Google following the premiere of "Inside."
In Bo Burnham's new Netflix special "Inside," a musical-comedy masterpiece packed with details and references many probably missed upon first-watch, he mentions Googling the mental health term "derealization" while singing a song about its manifestation in everyday life. And now a high volume of people are also taking to Google to find out just what "derealization" means.
The Mayo Clinic defines depersonalization-derealization disorder as occurring "when you persistently or repeatedly have the feeling that you're observing yourself from outside your body or you have a sense that things around you aren't real or both. Feelings of depersonalization and derealization can be very disturbing and may feel like you're living in a dream."
"That Funny Feeling" is a song about that mental phenomenon. Burnham's lyrics mostly comprise of a list of people, things, and events (like the "live-action Lion King" or "in honor of the revolution, it's half-off at the Gap") without much elaboration.
But one line in the song has struck a chord with Burnham's at-home audience. "Googling 'derealization,' hating what you find," he sings in the third verse.
If you look at Google's data for the number of people searching the word "derealization," there's a huge spike starting right around May 30 - the day "Inside" premiered on Netflix.
"That Funny Feeling" lists events or actions or objects that could make you feel like you're living in a warped simulation or have totally disassociated from reality, or perhaps have begun to accept that we're at the edge of the collapse of civilization.
Here's the full third verse, so you can see the mention of "derealization" in context of the song:
Reading Pornhub's terms of service, going for a drive
And obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto V
Full agoraphobic, losing focus, cover blown
A book on getting better hand-delivered by a drone
Total disassociation, fully out your mind
Googling derealization, hating what you find
That unapparent Summer air in early Fall
The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all
As he performs the song, a light rig in front of him flickers with the warm glow of fake firelight, playing off a projected forest background behind him. The set-up plays right into his signature meta style, as he contrasts the sincerity of his voice and lyrics with the fake backdrop.
For more analysis of "Inside," including the line in "That Funny Feeling" that could reference a seven-year climate change countdown clock, read our full breakdown of the special here.