All Eyes On Me - Reaction - Bo Burnham - Reaction

[@KPITGangsta]

Him grabbing the camera breaks the illusion of the performance in thinking he was in front of a packed house. It also disrupts your enjoyment like a panic attack abruptly if you think you’re just sitting back and watching feeling safe.

[@DinGYT]

Awesome interpretation

[@eiriksrvik1826]

Well put! I also think the movement from being held by him allows you to feel in part his inner turmoil, given away by the manic laughter and him eventually dropping us.

[@user_blank7446]

It's even better if you watch the special itself because the camera never really moves it just zooms so when he picked it up it felt uncomfortable but somewhat very soothing the camera actually fell down somewhere in the special and it felt like that too.

[@aarenrosson6358]

Yeah, I personally took it as "You think this is a joke? How about YOU get up here with me?"

[@laurensears2309]

Best interpretation I have heard so far, it totally evokes that feeling!

[@epicalduck]

I can’t get over the casual cruelty of “Honey, it already did” Gives me shivers every time.

[@ryanrex297]

Casual cruelty. What a great term. So much casual cruelty happening in the world these past few years. I’m going to steal that one. Hope that’s ok.

[@epicalduck]

@@ryanrex297 absolutely, go ahead! Feels great that I'm not the only one who feels that way!

[@zenmastermtl]

Well especially at the time this was made. This was the height of Covid. No vaccine in sight, thousands dying. People trapped in their homes, scared, and unsure of the future.

[@TheSwedishKiwi]

The way I interpret the “hands up, all eyes on me” versus “heads down, pray for me” is that the first is referring to the fact that he wants people to view his content and praise him for it because part of him wants and needs that attention. And the second part is about how he’s still not sure if he can handle it, so he’s asking us to pray for his mental health improving and not deteriorating again. That is just the way I read into those lyrics. No matter what it means, he’s a genius. Most people feel uncomfortable when he stares at the camera, but for some reason it felt really comforting to me, kind of like he was speaking into my soul telling me that I don’t need to be afraid. I normally hate eye contact, but because I see so much of myself in him (in regards to mental health issues and panic attacks), I somehow felt like he knew me and was trying to make me comfortable. It’s crazy how much I love this special. I’ve seen it about 10 times since it came out.

[@Cruxador]

If you consider his earlier work, especially "art is dead", another way to look at the second part might be not just that he doesn't think he can handle it, but that he needs salvation for craving and seizing it despite not deserving it (which is also an important theme in Comedy, near the beginning of this special). I feel the same as you about the eye contact; usually I don't like it but was comfortable with it in this case.

[@InternetsDadGaming]

Seems unlikely it would just be asking people to pray for him, Bo is very openly an atheist

[@tacticalbacon9361]

I don’t think people understand the reason this song sound amazing and so heartfelt is because this man is singing from his soul all the pain depression and so on

[@canefan17]

@@InternetsDadGamingI know atheists who pray. They just don’t pray to a god, or practice a religion.

[@dengaz4099]

One of his last shows was sort of similar, from “make happy”

[@galacticriminalx]

To be self aware enough to recognize the metaphors and see the beauty in something like this is not only incredibly mature but super refreshing in the youtube space and I appreciate that loads. It's not just what he's saying it's how he's saying it and how the music reflects the metaphors. I could go on for days. Just a shame tho. This special is enjoyed better as a whole than its parts. When this song hit....I cried like anyone should *edit...like any reasonable, critical thinking, empathetic human should Kudos 🤟

[@ashleyhoughton8592]

Honestly I've watched the whole thing 4 times, and cried every time. It's a subliminal piece of art.

[@ashleyhoughton8592]

No piece of art attempting to reflect the pandemic/lockdown will come close to encapsulating the times than this. Ever. This is it.

[@peterlewis2178]

*any reasonable, critical thinking, empathetic, emotionally unrepressed human should. Unfortunately, society pushes people (especially men) to repress their emotions to some pretty extreme ends, so there are plenty of people who are reasonable, critical thinking, and empathetic who may feel the emotion but be unable or less likely to actually express it through tears. For example, I've only managed to start crying watching film/tv/etc. in the past year or two, and that's with actively trying to feel the emotion in its entirety. Society has subliminally taught me to repress emotions for so long that my instinct is to hold it back/in, and I now have to work against that and try to undo that conditioning. So I didn't cry during this special, though I did feel the emotion and related to it.

[@galacticriminalx]

@@peterlewis2178 Hello Peter...my name is ALSO Peter...although my last name isn't also another first name, I feel for your plight. I had a stress dream last night, that I pulled u out of a fire....Wasn't the whole dream in fact it was entire..ely inspired by an old and ancient hymn....says "if ur guy is a girl who identifies as a squirrel...you can have the day off work"

[@AngeliqueJuliette]

Also, I think if someone didn't immediately cry or well up at this doesn't mean they aren't empathetic or critical thinking. They'll still be able to understand the emotion and sentiment behind it without having to break down into tears. People react to things differently.

[@duckduckpajamas3305]

His use of the laugh tracks in this and the song 'Comedy' are such a testament to how the crowd always laughs when he is being serious about something but it makes the crowd uncomfortable. The crowd laughs to relieve that awkward tension. In the song 'Comedy' when he is talking about how fucked the world is and "what the fuck is going on" he plays the laugh track also

[@danh.5998]

The laugh tracks are all misplaced whenever he uses them. There’s gotta be something deeper there. Maybe it’s that he feels so out of touch with the crowd, that’s when HE thinks they would laugh, so maybe it’s out of a kind of disdain almost for the crowd. Like they’re not getting it and laughing at the most inappropriate things or just at him in general. Or maybe he’s just saying he’s forgotten what people find funny, so in placing the laugh tracks, he’s misplaced them because he forgets what the crowds are like after 5 years. Could be so many things.

[@aCookieSoso]

@@danh.5998 I'm actually not sure if I would say that they are 'misplaced'? Like in older more serious performances of his the audience actually kinda did the awkward relief laughter..

[@Cloudypaws1933]

@@danh.5998 That’s exactly how I felt about this song. The crowd is laughing at him having a mental breakdown on stage, and at the end he laughs because they are cheering and being happy about the pain he’s gone through. I think that laugh is one of confusion and slight anger because nobody actually gets what he’s trying to say.

[@danh.5998]

@@aCookieSoso Maybe I’m reading too much into it, because you are right in that regard.

[@victorvale1015]

@@danh.5998 have you watched the video of him performing art is dead in the green room to a bunch of comedians, the people he’s mocking? The laughs happen at the most inappropriate times, at one point when he says ‘I could have fed a family of four for forty fucking fortnights’ the Camera pans to a woman laughing hysterically

[@icehellionx2226]

I think him picking up the camera is him "forcing" eyes on him. He's so frustrated he's going to make it happen. He's not even asking at that point, he's telling.

[@Sam-bd7gp]

I think so too. This comes at a point in the special where he’s reached breaking point psychologically. Not long before this we see him lose his temper when struggling to record one of the speaking parts

[@danh.5998]

I think it also simulates the perspective of an audience member at a music concert as well, with how frenetic it is.

[@KingAce595]

@@Sam-bd7gp that breaking point is even harder when you see how he starts at the beginning of the Pandemic/Special, and how he slowly unraveled

[@partycitydumpster]

And no one is actually doing what he's asking, because they're at home watching him on a screen. His desire for you to participate (and thereby fully connect with him) is not hypothetical, even though it's impossible for him to make you do anything. So he angrily picks you up and forces you to participate.

[@Sam-bd7gp]

@@partycitydumpster 💯

[@Dema_DontControlUs]

I always took the aggressive picking up of the camera to show his frustration of performing to no one. Like, is anyone even listening to what he's saying? So he's literally picking up the audience (the camera) and bringing them with him on the journey. Great reaction as always. Really glad you enjoyed it. If you want to do more from Bo, That Funny Feeling would be right up your street I feel. It's the greatest modern day folk song and the message is beautiful and horrible at the same time when you dig in as much as I know you can. Keep up the great work

[@SuffiReax]

That interpretation of him picking up the camera makes a lot of sense. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Dema_DontControlUs]

I'm glad it made some sort of sense. I have some trouble getting my thoughts out into words but I've got a lot going on in this crazy brain of mine

[@XxDeadEndHawkxX]

I found him picking up the camera was also like breaking the illusion. The way it was shot, facing forward with a lot of layers and amazing lighting. And then “I’m talking to you”, grabbing the camera and spinning around where you see the empty room and shattering the illusion of it being “live”

[@noahbohl2127]

I interpreted that as him giving up on perfection. The entire special is filmed and angled meticulously to give certain effects, and then in this song he just picks up the camera and sacrifices that perfection.

[@vilevalkyr]

I kinda thought it could be his anxiety taking control of him as a way for us to somewhat experience the thought process behind the mask he has when preforming

[@sherylh2570]

After watching my daughter slide into clinical depression 2 different times, Bo’s special was hard to sit through. The mom in me wanted to help him so bad! I hope he’s in a better mind space now. Mental health is a battle most people fight on their own, but their is help out there-please seek it🥰

[@Marina-cq2yt]

I hope your daughter is okay! You seem like a very sweet person ❤

[@haydencourtney7419]

I don't think we should hide mental health problems. They are symptomatic of a culture that can not do good to its population. I am sure you are a good mom and your daughter is a good kid. We are at a weird place and being mentally healthy right now would be a true indicator of illness. ❤❤❤

[@oOsillyrabbitOo]

You’re literally the only person who’s reacted to this song that actually connected each verse together

[@Clopez9000]

YOU FUCKING GOT IT! IVE BEEN WATCHING REACTIONS FOR THE PAST WEEK AND MOST WOULD PARTIALLY UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE SONG. Good shit my guy

[@jbbaladad95]

The "hands up, heads down" thing - you were on point about how it does paint this imagery of prayer/worship, but I saw it more as he's trying to get everyone watching to literally pray for him as his own way of crying for help. We were kind of on the same page with how I interpreted it when I first heard it. He is having that panic attack. It's the visual representation of the panic attacks he's been getting while performing on stage.

[@jbbaladad95]

@@ForeverxGone1 It's cool how some art gets interpreted differently yet is still undeniably art to everyone lol but I guess it helped me to know for context that in this film, the lead in to this song was an audio of him at a "live show" kinda asking his fans to do him this one favor before he sings the first line. He's also talked about the conflict he has with performing for his own fans in "Can't Handle This" in his previous special. Pieced it together based on what I knew from there.

[@jaded6064]

I watched the special with subtitles and they say “hands down” instead of “heads down” I don’t know if that affects the theory or not :)))

[@autumnoleary584]

"It's almost over" feels like he's talking about so many things, the song, the special, quarantine, the pandemic, a panic attack, life in general.

[@KonaKonus]

It will stop any day now (Any day now)

[@reedickyaluss]

Or he's telling himself.

[@maddiedoesntkno]

And the eye contact. He blinks right after.

[@matthewmcmeme]

Should definitely listen to that funny feeling by bo, so so good!

[@Dema_DontControlUs]

The best modern folk song

[@ThisisStephennn]

My favorite from the album/special Ive listened to the album way more than ive watched the special

[@auracle6184]

Be sure to leave a good half hour or so just for sitting in silence with your hands on your knees and occasionally saying "....fuck..." afterwards

[@mitchellman32]

That song gives me chills every time

[@tylergianlorenzo-leach4812]

Great song. Me and my friend watched this special together and That Funny Feeling was my favorite

[@galacticriminalx]

Another great analysis. I just love how you actually pick up on the subtle visual and musical cues and metaphors and give your relevant insight and TRULY understand how intellectual he is with everything he's doing. Maybe some of it is accidental on his part, but then again, Art is subjective Subbed

[@nilloc28]

When he went from 4:3 to 16:9 back to 4:3 in white woman’s Instagram, I cried.

[@DannyBridie]

@@nilloc28 can you explain that to me? I saw someone explain it somewhere, but I kinda didn't understand

[@silence.9376]

This guy flinched just as Bo looked at him because he got sacred by Bo's pure ALPHA MALE ENERGY

[@WeaklyStars]

LMAO

[@ravager6963]

bo putting out them sigma male type beats

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

PURE ALPHA since _I'm Bo, Yo_

[@theroadstopshere]

I think the ending, in which he picks up the camera, only to drop it at the end, is both a way to add to the chaos of the song and the video (like you said) and a way to highlight another message he's consistently hit on with this special and with some of his other more emotional pieces like 'Art is Dead' and 'Can't Handle This'-- the insatiable feeling of needing attention and praise from others as a performer, and how much conflict and instability that creates in performing artists. The mantra and chorus of the song DEMAND your attention and praise, and even suggest in those actions that you offer up worship for him, but even still that isn't enough. He pulls the audience in throughout the song, from the background crowd noise and laughter to make you feel like part of a group at a concert, in the first stare into the camera and address directly to the viewer, through the emotional interlude evoking your sympathy and empathy, to the chilling lines "...you're not gonna stop it, heaven knows you've tried. Got it? Good, now get inside." But even still it's not enough for him to feel like you're giving him your full attention. And so he asserts his power over the viewer in the most jarring way possible, stomping up to the camera and yanking it off the tripod, then wheeling around the room with it but always swinging the focus back to himself. But this attempt only further breaks the scene the artist was attempting to create, the wheeling camera revealing an empty room and the shadow of an artist on the edge of their sanity, creating fake audiences and stage lighting and projection for himself just to try and feel like eyes are on him again. And then, whether because he finally feels fulfilled after doing that, or because he grasps the absurdity of it all, he laughs mid-line, and drops both the mic and the camera to the ground, abandoning the song and the audience. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but everything about the song and the presentation really made me feel like I was watching a depiction of the raw emotions and desires of an artist alone but craving both an audience and to express what they see and feel happening to everyone around them. Really appreciate the reaction, have very much enjoying getting to see and hear the thoughts of so many people with experience and passion for different fields giving their thoughts on Bo's work-- especially when they're reflective and insightful reactions like yours. The best art makes people think as well as feel, and it's made me happy to be able to see that so many other people were affected by the art of "Inside" as well.

[@mandalaygray6917]

I think the "pray for me" part was more literal. Like he's actually saying that he's not okay and needs help.

[@torchy8974]

He also says" dont over think this" right at the beginning

[@jakedizzle]

@@torchy8974 he also has anxiety. He said it live* when I saw him in sf like ten years ago. It’s not anything about worshiping him. I don’t get why he thought that.

[@erinw4935]

I always interpreted this song as a response to all the fans that were prying into his life, wanting to see more, hear more, know more. This song is him saying, okay, you wanna go where everybody knows? Good. Then, get inside. Oh, wait, are you feeling nervous, seeing and hearing me at my most raw? Whoops. So, the grabbing of the camera to me was forcing the camera to get up close and personal, same thing with the screaming to get the fuck up. He's giving the people what they want while making them feel guilty for ever asking, and I think a lot of the special comes across that way. When you look at it, pretty much the whole special revolves around guilt and regret, directed both towards Bo and the viewer. It's interesting.

[@Possum.man27]

The whole ‘Got it? Good, now get inside’ part is the most beautiful harmony

[@Mac56k]

I feel like when he says "honey" during this special, he's somehow speaking with his mother's voice, and it really affects me.

[@jennahumphrey1]

I'm glad you said this. I've been trying to put my finger on that part. Chills

[@Bunderboats]

6:05 he just made me understand that part of the song so much better, everyone is saying the world is ending because everyone has to stay inside but to bo it ended 5 years ago

[@robertocortez5553]

I see this song as him holding onto the last piece of his sanity. He wants others to get up and watch him, but, as you said, it terrifies him. He needs us to pray for him so he keeps himself together. Him snapping at the audience, ragged breathing and the laugh is him loosing his mind. The audience is in his head. It's almost a fever dream. He's so distraught from loosing the chance to be in front of an audience that he's created one in his head

[@Sylfa]

I've always felt that this song is, at least partially, a representation of him before a show. Just imagine him looking into a mirror in the green room: "Are you feeling nervous. Are you having fun? It's almost over." Then his mind retorts 'It's just begun.' So he continues, "Don't overthink this. Look in my eye, don't be scared, don't be shy, come on in, the water's fine." In that light, the bit where he goes, "Get up. Get up. I'm talking to you, get the f--- up!" And then forcefully pulls the camera/himself up. Presumably to perform. While the world is swaying, and he winds up laughing manically. Obviously, there's many ways to interpret the song, I just feel this covers his early verses and also why he gets aggressive. Though, the whole song puts you in this state of unease, despite how lovely it is. Sort of like someone enjoying performing, but who's having panic attacks despite loving it.

[@wendycohen9038]

That laugh at the end is so manic. And I should know.

[@MayorBrownn]

He screamed “ get the f up” and picked up the camera as if us (the viewer) was getting up with him.

[@NiceHandTick]

I think the get the fuck up he was screaming at himself.. to get up and conquer the panic he suffers from..

[@obamanizer1463]

a great take. his Netflix Special is a masterpiece of Art and music.

[@Krewtaun]

My take on the final scene: Bo was finally ready for the world again, but for the first time the world wasn't ready for him. He's angry and stressed out because he's still stuck alone and without the chance to perform because of the pandemic, and he hates the fact that he has to stay in his same situation even though his mental state finally improved. He can only perform for himself and gets angry at the non-existent crowd for...well...not existing. That's why he added the sounds of the crowd laughing and applauding; to make him feel that he's back in the world he remembers that knew and welcomed him and also to make him feel that he's still in the mental state he's been trying to get back to for those 5 years that he was MIA. Think he's worried about falling back into his mental state that he climbed out of and was ready to leave behind. Other option: He's upset with himself saying that he needs to "get the fuck up" as in get out of his house and "come on in, the waters fine" as in it's time to get back out there even though he's "feeling nervous" about it, because truth be told he "doesn't give a shit" about the world getting worse because it's already basically fucked. So he's telling himself to just get out there. I think it's more the first one, but this songs has layers on top of layers of emotional depth to it

[@wack716]

The "you say the ocean's rising" part is him essentailly giving up on all of the issues he cared about throughout the beggining of quarentine and filming the special via a nihilistic panic attack. In the beggining of the special he is somewhat opptimistic and cares about political activism and has hope for humanity but later on you see him become more and more hopeless (like in "That funny feeling.") Picking up the camera is a metaphor for him being stuck in this room for months, talking to a still, unmoving, emotionless camera. He yells "get the fuck up" and picks up the camera because he's tired of speaking to an emotionless peice of technology and having no human interatction. At least that was my interepetation.

[@mag-narwhal]

I just realized "its almost over, it's just begun" is about how his 5 year break is over but then lock down just begun

[@rivalracer2710]

This doesn’t even do it justice either, him picking up the camera was such a monumental moment in that special cause the cam are was stationary the whole time for the rest of the special, when he picked it up it actually gave me chills

[@TJF98]

Anxiety can fuck up your life you can miss out on a lot of moments. You don't think about it in the moment but in a few years when you reflect on what you could have been you realize. Anxiety or being anxious for standing out is something nobody can understand unless they deal with it themselves. I felt this song. The vibe and mood I felt that shit lol

[@nicola1736]

It's hard to review this properly without watching the whole special I think, mainly because the show kinda takes you in a journey and this is near the end and you can see his demeanour change throughout. Bo is an AMAZING storyteller and and visual, lyrical and audio genius!! Loved this review!!

[@marahbaker8615]

The way he says "I am not well" and breaks down crying before this song kills me

[@FPClarks]

Im pretty sure the ending is him passing out from a panic attack

[@bitchmood7658]

"That's all fake. That's not real" This type of wisdom is why I subbed

[@robynk5028]

Lmao "BO! So aggressive..." made me laugh more than it should. Excellent reaction and excellent analysis, you always bring a new perspective and possible meaning that I never would have thought of and it's very engaging to watch.

[@MalMcWil]

I have been binging reaction videos to this song, as well as welcome to the internet. Your reactions for both of these videos are by far the best that i've seen as far as putting thought and analysis into what bo is actually singing about. Great videos! I'd love to see you react to Bo's Kanye Rant video next! As for the very end of the video, i dont know what the meaning of him picking up the camera like that was was. But when i saw it in the full context of the Inside special, at this point it seemed like Bo was really falling apart and losing his mind from being quarantined alone for so long. When i first saw it that last part felt like i was watching Heath Ledger's Joker or something, it was really jarring.

[@juanelganame7781]

Great reaction. As some have suggested, "Cant handle this" would be wonderful to react to, it will give some clarity on this also

[@travissaysthetruth]

All eyes on me and pray for me ... is his literal interpretation of his battle with depression ... when hes up , all eyes are on him but when hes down he needs you to pray for him .... its beautiful

[@hmm_okok]

"Cant handle this" is what he's referring to in the middle of this song, from 2016 the last show he did before retiring for 5 years if you haven't seen it it's worth checking out Great reaction, cheers

[@carley3986]

Yes please check out “can’t handle this” it’s just an amazing piece of art

[@Dema_DontControlUs]

I can third this. Just the work on the lighting alone but then you dive deeper into what Bo is saying in the piece and it really does open up into this great piece of art. I'm really late to the Bo Burnham "hype train" but damn, this guy is a real artist.

[@MayorBrownn]

Yes please!

[@CycleOfJudges]

Yessssss

[@ForgedInGlory]

Yeah Can't Handle This is an amazing song where he talks about his fears of performing in creative ways.

[@Rocksroxs]

The journey this song takes you on personally and with him makes it a masterpiece. He brings you into the scariness and walks you out of it.

[@SteamAddict91]

i think when he says: it's almost over it's just begun, is his depression. it was almost over after 5 years and then quarantine hits, and it's just begun. We're going to go where everybody knows everybody i think is also quarantine related, everyone knows everyone inside their house, and that's what you were told to do during pandemic.

[@Lari_A]

yeah and "it's almost over, it's just begun" can apply to a lot of things in life. for example finishing high school, starting college. finishing college, starting work. one thing worse than the one before.

[@evanvazquez2278]

It's almost over, it just begun for me is how the experience has just begun but the special is done.

[@issy4122]

It could also reflect what he was thinking on stage, trying to convince himself that the show is about to end to calm himself but it has really just begun

[@TheNraveles]

When I have panic attacks, the line “it’s almost over, it’s just begun” hits so hard because you seriously think the worst is over but in reality, it just gets worse and worse. It fucking hurts and is terrifying. You feel like you’re dying and I just cannot understand how he could get through having one on stage.

[@fredreader123]

Great analysis of the ‘heads down’ and ‘hands up’ lines. You might want to listen to two of his earlier works, ‘Art Is Dead’ and ‘Can’t Handle This’ for more insight into those ideas.

[@ktownkillaz3390]

I LOVE this new wave of music reactors who really analyze and consider what theyre listening to and watching. We're weeding out the people who just sit slackjawed and stare at the screen. This gets a like just on principal, thank you for caring about the content you make

[@sundawg3606]

The soothing effect comes from Bo’s use of the pentatonic scale. And because he lowered his voice it gives it a haunting sense to it as well.

[@togimeow]

would be incredible to see your reaction to the entire special tbh, i think you'd really enjoy it. so much to unpack and even more to analyze when you see this song in context

[@ergaeum]

Inside is the best way I can explain to people what major depressive disorder is like. I'm agoraphobic and he even talks about it in his songs. I related so hard to this special like nothing I have ever experienced before.

[@sindri1447]

I think the "pray for me" thing is more a call for help because of him having reached the rock bottom of his mental health.

[@leftofpunk]

If you watch the special in it's entirety, there are bits between songs that put it together and it's fucked up, depressing, wild, funny, everything.

[@TheSoulwriter88]

I love all of these comments and their analogies of this song. Mine would be this is also a bit of what it feels like in his panic attacks. A therapist I saw once told me to put my hands up above my head and breathe when I would have a panic attack... “get your fucking hands up.” She would say that sometimes you gotta let it run it’s course... which makes me feel like “it’s almost over, it’s just begun...” is. Of course when you get panic attacks, you can overthink things and feel as if things will be worse than they really are. He is taking us through his journey of a panic attack & his thoughts/feelings during it. I do know this also has to do with being in quarantine & the pandemic as well. But that’s just little tidbits I took from it. The beat is almost like pure serotonin & makes your head/heart feel more balanced & at peace. Bo knows what he is doing. ❤️ you should definitely check out That Funny Feeling by Bo next! This whole special is incredible. Thank you for reacting to it. I love your thoughts. 😊✌🏻

[@greetingswelcometotheillum4593]

Thanks for your support and care ❤️❤️ I really appreciate it and I want to use the moment to tell you I am very happy with all the love my lovely fan all over the world💞💞💕 Massage me at my Gmail [e-mail]

[@dgroves1570]

I feel like him swinging the camera was him interacting with us to show us the roller-coaster that goes on in his head. As someone who suffers mentally with anxiety and depression that's how it feels when I go into an anxiety attack.

[@SW_Y9]

If you listen to the ending song called "Possible Ending Song" or "Goodbye" it gives a reason as to why the laugh tracks are in the background.

[@camila0912]

i interpreted this song like, he was finally mentally stable to go out on stage and then quarantine again destroyed him mentally, he is again where he was five years ago having panic attacks and anxiety. also he has all these eyes on him , he is a public person but he is sick of it (sorry for my bad english lol

[@cole410]

It’s actually “ hands down, pray for me, heads down now”. It’s the duality of his emotions, he wants the crowd to be engaged and have a good time, but that it’s at his own expense, which is ultimately the thing that scares him, so the prayers are for his well being and mental health. Or at least that’s my opinion

[@hika_ariel]

One of the few who actually listened and paid attention not only to the funny jokes but to every word, visuals, action etc.. More please!!

[@monodescarado]

You should keep going with the Bo Burnham train and react to Can’t Handle This (Kanye Rant). Go back and see who he was when he was having these panic attacks.

[@Tucker948]

I definitely liked too with that early moment when his eyes suddenly dart to the camera that you can't help but physically react. You can tell that right then Bo did a moment perfectly to break through your personal space.

[@ronmrakovich747]

He's singing in a plannitonic scale. This is why it's haunting and soothing at the same time.

[@verth377]

"wasaa dude" man i honestly love that opening. im really enjoying that your actually understanding these songs unlike a lot of other youtubers who react to them.

[@stspeer0349]

i love everything about this song, the way he uses abrupt eye contact to take us by surprise and hold our focus, and then looks away but keeping his eyes focused to introduce the idea thhat hes looking to that future, where we're already there. As well as the sudden break from the song with him yelling at us to get the fuck up, and shattering the perceived boundary by reaching out to grab the camera, making all of us feel for a moment like he was actually about to grab us, and everything in the chorus from the lyrics to the tone to the blue color of the light inducing the feeling that hes giving us permission to grieve for the world were losing, and forgiving us for failing to stop it. absolutely incredible

[@womedrah1415]

"You say the whole world is ending honey it already did" Is such an oddly comforting line

[@flightdub6056]

Someone’s world’s always ending, someone’s is always starting. It’s almost over, it’s just begun

[@ericmcdonough6771]

He was saying pray for him. He’s in fear

[@loving.u]

THIS DESERVED A GRAMMY

[@AnastasiaTalen]

My read on the last part where he pretty much yells at the audience and picks up the camera, it reminds me of the last song "Can't Handle This" in his previous special Make Happy, where he confesses to the audience that they're his biggest problem and he both fears and needs us. This special shows him suffering without an audience at the same time as struggling with his mental health to try and get back to one, and I feel like the staging at the end of this song is him trying to mimic that feeling of being on stage, trying to force the viewer to engage with him, to look up at him on stage and be the audience he needs.

[@Ozloz]

9:57 I personally think that he picked up the camera because the entire time it seems as though he’s in front of a crowd, but he shows the entire room to reveal he is completely alone in a small, clustered room. It could also show how he may be imagining himself in front of a crowd only to realize half way through that he’s still alone.

[@spooksxv]

Goodbye by Bo burnham is awesome! It has a lyric from one of his other songs as well!

[@spEXartELITan]

so the key here is when you realize he's singing this to himself revealing the true meaning of get on out of your seat

[@BestSpaceGuy]

This song is a direct reference to his performance on Can't Handle This, it's all references, getting the hands up because of the "hands too big to fit inside of Pringle cans", the "it's almost over" because of the panic he was having at the moment just thinking "it's almost over", the laugh tracks are the people laughing as he was being serious after the "part of me hates you" part, and him picking up the camera is the desire to get the people to pay attention to what his saying while he's panicking. Even the song's title "All Eyes On Me" is a reference to the panic he was having while "watching the skinny kid trying to give them what he can't give himself"

[@MrSquare]

great reaction. It's infuriating how few people have watched this and 'got' it, and watched it like a comedy song; it's a song about despair and giving in to the feeling I think a lot of us have had of 'fuck it, the world is ending, my life is pointless, my attempts to improve myself have just been shit on, lets accept it and enjoy what we can'. Bo's story in the middle is sad (and true), but so many people have had equally tragic or much worse stories from the last few years, and this feels like him literally throwing his hands up and saying 'whats the point'. that also feeds into his anger and breakdown towards the end of the song too

[@Dynamiccookie14]

I never looked at the "Hands up, Heads down" thing as payer/worshipping before. What a great analysis and it makes total sense too!

[@jumpingjellybean2000]

I love how you are so tuned into what he is trying to say and so unlike most reaction channels. You were the first to actually point out, and I can't believe that I have not realized this before, that he is saying "Heads down" and not "hands down". For me, hands down meant that he was saying that people should be praying in a much more sincere way, putting their hands together in front of their chests and showing empathy for his mental sacrifice while putting on this show for our entertainment rather than just mindlessly raising our hands and rejecting any responsibility over what he is going through. Heads down is not a call to action and telling us how we should be responding to him, but rather a calling out of how we actually react to his content. Like you are pointing out, he is reflecting our own actions back on us and basically holding up a mirror to show us what we look like to him while letting us decide how we feel about this image. It is such a ballsy move to pair this message with one of the most angelic songs he's produced. You had even mentioned how pretty the song is; the layered vocals and visuals, the music progression that itself sounds like this sort of underdog story with the weight of the held notes but rise and triumph that still underpins it. I wanted to cheer for him, to feel his joy in the steep recovery and his devastation at being denied a comeback, but after feeling all those things, instead of enjoying the way that we have played into his narrative, he holds up a mirror to our worship and asks us, "is this what you want? Do you think it does me any favours? Because it doesn't."

[@letnievechera]

2016 Make happy. Nearly at the end of the show was the song "Can't handle this" about Pringles, burrito, and his problems with the audience. There was line "if you feel me, put your hands up", autotune, and he left comedy for five years. 2021 Inside. He comes back into comedy, nearly at the end of the show(and I guess that's why " it almost over") he uses autotune and talks about mental health. And that blows my mind. I didn't expect him to return to comedy, because after "make happy" he became a producer and director for other stand-up comedians, was an actor in films, and directed his own. But I'm glad he did it. Thank you for this video!

[@altsixtythree]

A take I saw that really resonated with me about “you say the ocean’s rising like I give a shit” is that, when you’re depressed, and it’s really really bad, and we know Bo has struggled with it for a long time, you become kinda apathetic, you have no energy to do basic self care like showering, brushing your teeth etc, and literally everything seems pointless. It’s difficult to care about stuff that’s ultimately out of your control when you’re struggling to find a reason to get up in the morning.

[@greetingswelcometotheillum4593]

Thanks for your support and care ❤️❤️ I really appreciate it and I want to use the moment to tell you I am very happy with all the love my lovely fan all over the world💞💞💕 Massage me at my Gmail [e-mail]

[@mctrashpedal]

The attention of the audience both empowered him and frightened him to the point of panic attacks. He takes control of the audience - first by telling us what to do with our bodies, then by actually grabbing the camera where our eye is based and manually pointing us. Amazing.

[@novashy7119]

I feel like the ending is him breaking the simulation. This isnt a show infront of people, this isnt the attention he craved again. As he's sang before in past songs, "My drug is attention, I am an addict." That was five years ago, but he got to the point where he was Ready for that drug again. And now he cant have it, now that he's ready he's Forced to not get it. So now look at, he's not even doing what he Wanted to do, he's singing to a camera, adding in special effects not for Us. But for himself, he wants to Hear the crowd for Himself. And he cant get that, not now.

[@Mark-pl3bv]

I feel like asking us to stand up then to pray for him is him saying "Appreciate me, but also see me as a person". It's his desire to be a show-man without losing his humanity to his fans.

[@laurenelise4688]

I love how hard this hit him. The beauty of this special is how REAL it is, for everyone

[@forcekin1350]

I think the song is a voice from his depression, and that ending is him getting better. "Get up, GET UP, I'm talking to you, GET THE FUCK UP!!" There's even the laugh in there at the end kinda showing he's better. I could be completely wrong but that's how i interpreted it.

[@ninni8806]

I take the end of the song (second half) as Bo Burnham trying to make a visual representation of what having a panic attack and blacking out from it is like.

[@nicholegallo1090]

He was doing the thing where singers and performers record the audience - and the “ put your fucking hands up” is the last thing he said on stage to the people and they did it.

[@ashash1338]

You can also interpret it as, his depression and/or anxiety is speaking through the song, hence the deeper more darker voice while singing a soothing melody trying to lead him back into a dark space, telling him it's okay to be this way and "don't be nervous, don't be shy. Come on in the waters fine."

[@HypnoTreatz]

I think him picking up the camera at the end just adds to the fact that it's just him in that room all by himself. It's just him, but all eyes are on him. He forces you to look at the rawness of it, just him in a room by himself trying to please everyone the only way he can at that moment and he did a damn good job at it!

[@AChickandaDuck]

I loved your analysis and think it’s spot on! I think when he picked up the camera, that’s when the pretense of performing for an audience falls away and you see that it’s just him and his shadow. It emphasizes his aloneness.

[@greetingswelcometotheillum4593]

Thanks for your support and care ❤️❤️ I really appreciate it and I want to use the moment to tell you I am very happy with all the love my lovely fan all over the world💞💞💕 Massage me at my Gmail [e-mail]

[@jack1231309]

This whole time, you have the illusion that there are people there, laughing and cheering, and when he picks up the camera, you realize it's just an empty room and he's all alone. It's like the difference between his dream of getting out there again and seeing people laugh and the cold dark reality that he can't.

[@Cha-tararan]

Whenever I listen to this song, all the tones and the entire music in general just makes you want to breakdown and cry. Not to say that every song in this special isn't sad, this just hits WAY harder than before. The themes of the special was a large portion expressing and visually showing Bo's depression, and this is the only song that focuses on it, no comedy at ALL which Bo usually doesn't do in his songs, this song ignores everything that Bo would usually put in his previous works, saying very dark topics with a very happy tune, its just purely dark, heavy and it genuinely feels like you're lost and under an ocean. And all of that was PURELY just from the tones and music not even the lyrics which makes the music feel much more heavier and heartbreaking. I don't think I need to say anything for the lyrics other than it's Bo's own depression and what he feels accompanied with the heavy tones. I also do think that the lines on the song is not only him and the pressure he feels, but also the lines could also be like showing us Bo's and his own depressions perspective. What shows this possibility is from the line " It's almost over" and "It's just begun" , the "Its almost over" line is Bo wondering when he'll stop feeling all of this pressure, his overall depression to stop, and the "Its just begun" is Bo's depression saying or to me at least, giving off a message that his depression saying that he's mental health could be going down forever in an endless cycle. This song is really great on showing on what Bo really feels, from the lyrics through the music. Normally without the music, you'd just be reading text and even though it signifies something very deep, it never hits you hard ( at least that's what I think) but if you add the music that suits PERFECTLY with the lines executes it in a brilliant way, it "modifies" the text. I do hope that Bo can eventually recover this, if not then if there's a chance that this pandemic finally goes away, then maybe once Bo goes outside at least maybe he can feel much more refreshed.

[@RagnarokB]

What you were saying about the music modifying the text, wow, you perfectly laid out the exact thoughts I've been having about this track today. Like if you were to sit down and read the lyrics (or at least everything before the monologue), one would assume that this might be an insipid, fun, upbeat party song. But then you listen, you get the low tone, minimalist, kind of dark sounding synth, and his downtuned vocals, and to my ears at least, it creates a real mournful atmosphere, almost dirge like, that clamps a vice grip on my emotions.

[@aries9teen]

so I already saw several reaction videos for this song but you are the first one that I found that noticed and commented how he put the sound effects of people interacting with him during the part ( the clapping, cheering,etc.) And it's something that I thought about a lot after the special, how in a song where he seeks praise and recognition ( get your hands up, all eyes on me) he gives himself a mock version of it: by creating it through laugh tracks. I liked the whole special, but this was my favourite part.

[@jennahumphrey1]

He's pairing forced perspective with intense emotion to make us feel something with him. "I don't give a sh1t" apathy, "pray for me" (I'm not ok) despair, "I'm f@ckng talking to you" rage. These are private emotions that make us feel alone but you're not alone here, he's feeling it all with you, literally locking eyes with you and yelling at you to do what he says, and that together with the beautiful music is very cathartic. And of course the oddness of this togetherness all being a simulation--he's not with you, you are alone, he doesn't even know you exist--is its own commentary on the hyper-reality of the internet.

[@NastyCrabcakes]

This whole special was incredible. It had me rolling at times, and emotional other times. It's hilarious and uncomfortable and genius. It's incredible that he did everything himself.

[@pinkred22]

My other favourite song from the special is "White Woman's Instagram", at first it seems like Bo is poking fun at the stereotype but there's a deeper meaning to the song Also it's really catchy, at least for me aha

[@catloowitlatkla6116]

I love how he focuses on his own shadow when he picks up the camera too, like he becomes part of the audience watching himself from outside of himself.

[@catloowitlatkla6116]

Feeling like you are outside of yourself is often part of severe panic attacks.

[@BornCloth24]

I'll say it once I'll say it again, it's so impactful when he picks up the camera. To someone who didnt watch the special they would have thought hes with a live audience. But no. Hes by himself. In a room. Isolated from the world. Wich makes it seem like hes going insane. But I interpret as his anxiety coming back: "are you feeling nervous? Are you having fun? It's almost over. It's just begun. Dont over thinks this, look in my eyes dont be scared dont be shy come on in the waters fine". That's him in his head trying to calm him down but his anxiety spikes and hes saying all of these things what's seems to be at once. I love this special if you haven't watched it. I implore you to. Bo Burnham should get a Grammy for this.

[@finnsadventure2243]

It is definitely worth watching the clips right before this song - to see the emotions he was going through. For me, this makes the song hit even harder. Great reaction!!!!

[@kleeklee1087]

I took the pray for me part as literally him asking us to pray for him and his mental health like we're in a hillsong united concert.

[@kristydubar6531]

when he talks about oceans rising, to me it feels like he's over his head and drowning with his anxiety and didn't care. i think this is a song about when his anxiety finally made him quit. it's such a powerful song.

[@dankneo7613]

"The eyes are the window into the soul" throughout the song he makes eye contact with it and then its followed by the line "come on in the waters fine dont be nervous" i have never seen such despair in a persons eyes before but he looks like hes on the verge of tears

[@brystalmelzer5722]

(I'm not sure if anyone has said this but) My personal interpretation of the line "you say the ocean's rising, like I give a shit. you say the world is ending, honey, it already did" is that he's expressing this sort of numbness to these serious topics because of this mental battle that he fought for 5 years. Why care if the ocean is rising in a world that you don't wish to be in anymore? I feel as though he felt dead to the world already, and vice versa; the world was already dead to him. So when he sees these people saying that the world is currently ending while he feels as though he had already experienced the end of the world he has no incredible, emotional, or concerned reaction to what we, as a whole, feel are some of the worst things for humans to experience. Hopefully my gibberish makes sense (: I loved this reaction. It's nice to see someone actually delve into what THEY believe the deeper meaning is and being appreciative of the work rather than just giving it a listen and saying "oh, yeah, it was a good song"

[@cassieroulstin7142]

I cannot explain in words how this song gives me so much comfort. Lyrically, his eyes are soft so they really don’t make me uncomfortable. And I’ve suffered from really bad anxiety pretty much my whole life, so idk this song helps. It’s peaceful.

[@shaerigir88]

Also when he looks into the camera and asks if you are feeling nervous. He asks that while staring so you can feel the way his anxiety makes him feel while he is performing. He wants all eyes on him because he loves to perform but its also his biggest fear.

[@AnOpalGhost]

To me the 'ocean's rising like I give a shit' describes to me the outsized grief of trying to handle these huge impersonal problems on a personal level. It's a problem so much larger than yourself and when you're already struggling to meet a certain level of expectation as a person the idea of mounting problems on top of that is laughable. I can't get out of bed, you want me to think about the ocean? I haven't been out of the house in two months. I'm sad about it, but I'm sad about everything too.

[@danijadedd]

It's almost as if depression is holding him hostage, hence the "get your hands up" and "all eyes on me" etc. There's other hostage imagery in Look Who's Inside Again. The more I listen to this song, the more meaning I glean from it.