How 'here comes the boy,' a TikTok song about a cat, became a meme and music phenomenon

• TikTok user @june_banoon posted a song about a cat that people are calling "here comes the boy."
• Others have duetted @june_banoon's original video with piano, string, and vocal accompaniment.
• The song has become a meme of its own, soundtracking trends on TikTok and Twitter.

On June 30, TikTok user @june_banoon posted a video serenading a cat called Mashed Potatoes. "Here comes the boy," they croon as Mashed Potatoes saunters forward. "Hello boy, welcome, there he is, he is here."

The innocuous tune, which has amassed over 10 million views and 3 million likes to date, has inspired other users to add to the original tune with pianos, strings, flutes, and other musical accompaniment to turn it into a lush, soothing song that's become a meme in its own right.

The Duets feature is TikTok's primary collaboration tool, allowing users to add side-by-side video and simultaneous audio to an existing TikTok video. Musicians regularly use duet chains to collaborate with each other and make instrumental or vocal arrangements of songs.

It's made for plenty of musical collaborations in the past that have also generated viral buzz. In January 2021, sea shanties exploded on both Twitter and TikTok after TikTok users banded together to sing rousing tunes like "The Wellerman." Last year, songs written for a "Ratatouille" musical adaptation saw users singing together and composing in real-time.

"Here comes the boy" has inspired a similar phenomenon that's turned the song into a meme of its own. On July 4, TikTok user @alexfromsf added a piano accompaniment to the tune, and on July 5, @felixgabrielmusic added some strings. Other users have added guitar chords, violin, flute, and vocal harmony in different duets with the original video, turning "here comes the boy" into a full orchestral experience.

TikTokers are now using the original audio - as well as a version of the tune reuploaded by @felixgabrielmusic, who added the synth strings in the above video - to showcase videos of pets, boyfriends, and fictional characters from TV and film. That particular audio has been used in over 109,000 videos to date and appears to be the most widespread out of any of the arrangements circulating on TikTok.

While "here comes the boy" began as a single melody, it's expanded into a musical phenomenon that's soundtracking trends both on TikTok and other social media platforms. The arrangement featuring @june_baboon, @alexfromsf, and @felixgabrielmusic, has made its way to Twitter as well, cropping up in fan edits featuring K-pop idols, Minecraft YouTubers, and fictional characters alike.

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