{"id":5331,"date":"2022-04-29T10:46:58","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T14:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/?p=5331"},"modified":"2023-07-26T12:25:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T16:25:36","slug":"whats-in-a-meme-its-gonna-be-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/whats-in-a-meme-its-gonna-be-may\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s in a Meme: \u201cIt\u2019s Gonna Be May\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In just a few days, \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be May<\/a>.\u201d If you frequent social media, you have most likely seen this classic meme welcoming the start of May. The meme depicts NSYNC\u2019s Justin Timberlake singing the chorus of the boy band\u2019s 2000 hit song \u201cIt\u2019s Gonna Be Me,\u201d which is notable for the atypical pronunciation of the word \u201cme.\u201d It is an example of a phonetic translation or mondegreen<\/a>, a \u201cword or phrase that results from a mishearing, especially of something recited or sung.\u201d One of the most famous mondegreens is from Jimi Hendrix\u2019s song \u201cPurple Haze,\u201d in which listeners commonly substitute \u201cExcuse me while I kiss this guy\u201d for the actual lyric, \u201cExcuse me while I kiss the sky.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But have you ever wondered why Timberlake sings \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be May\u201d instead of \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be me\u201d? Let\u2019s take a look at some possible explanations.<\/span><\/p>\n

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One variation of the \u201cIt\u2019s Gonna Be May\u201d meme<\/p><\/div>\n

Diphthongization and Vowel Modification in Singing<\/h4>\n

When the \u201cee\u201d vowel becomes \u201cay\u201d in \u201cIt\u2019s Gonna Be Me,\u201d it splits into two in a process called diphthongization. As you can see in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) charts below, the diphthong in the word \u201cstay,\u201d or [\u03b5i], is roughly halfway between <\/span>the vowel in \u201ceat,\u201d or [i], and the vowel in \u201cletter,\u201d or [\u03b5], and it is essentially a combination of the two vowels in one. (Learn more about vowels with this interactive IPA vowel chart<\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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IPA English Vowels and Diphthongs; TheCPMills, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n

Singers commonly modify vowels to improve the tone of their singing and make it easier to hit high and low notes. This is especially true with close vowels, which can be difficult to sing due to restricted airflow. In general, the close vowel [i] is harder to sing at the higher end of someone\u2019s range, and the close vowel [u], as in \u201csoup,\u201d is harder to sing at the lower end of their range.<\/span><\/p>\n

When modifying these vowels, singers will often open their mouths a bit wider to improve airflow, and the result is generally a different vowel. In other words, if vowel modification was the sole reason for the vowel change, Timberlake likely would have sung \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be mih\u201d [\u026a],<\/span> or \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be meh\u201d [\u03b5].\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But if [\u03b5i] is more open than [i], why is it not a suitable replacement for the close vowel? The answer is: diphthongs like [\u03b5i] require their own type of vowel modification. When you say [\u03b5i], your mouth starts in the position it would be in for [\u03b5] and moves towards the position for [i]. So if someone sings the diphthong as they say it, they will end up with the same problem they have with [i]. Instead, singers are more likely to hold the more open [\u03b5] part for the majority of the diphthong\u2019s duration before briefly singing a modified version of the close [i] vowel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, vowel modification is unlikely to be the motivating factor for Timberlake\u2019s vowel change, because not only is the phrase \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be me\u201d not sung in a particularly high or low part of his range, but the chosen replacement, [\u03b5i], is nonstandard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dialects and the Birth of a Trend<\/h4>\n

So where does this particular type of vowel modification come from? Interestingly, this type of [i] to [\u03b5i] diphthongization is common in several dialects of English, namely Southern American English and London English. Atlas Obscura\u2019s article<\/a> about the \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be May\u201d phenomenon goes into a bit more detail about this process in Southern American English.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an in-depth history by Ace Linguist<\/a>, <\/span>we first see [i] becoming [\u03b5i] in the 1950s in country music sung by Southern American English speakers. The diphthongization next occurs in songs from the 1970s and 1980s by rock and punk bands from London (and those emulating their style), starting with the Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols. <\/span><\/p>\n

Over the next decade or so, [i] to [\u03b5i] diphthongization became firmly entrenched in the rock genre before spreading to other similar genres, and even to pop music. B<\/span>y the late 1990s, the trend was everywhere, used across all genres in songs by the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, and even Notorious B.I.G.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Timberlake, NSYNC\u2019s producer and songwriter Max Martin loved the sound and directed him to sing [\u03b5i] instead of [i]. Indeed, several singers, including Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift, have used this diphthongization in songs written and produced by Martin. Why? It could be because they were jumping on a trend, or the reason might go back to the trend\u2019s roots. In Timberlake\u2019s own words, \u201cI think [Max Martin] just wanted me to sound like I was from Tennessee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n