That One Sound is a weekly column from senior internet culture writer Audra Schroeder that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok. Suggestions? Tips? Email audra@dailydot.com
Cat Person discourse returned this week, for better or worse. But let us instead focus on an actual cat. One named Mashed Potato, who inspired a song that has TikTok collaborating, duetting, and getting emotional.
The sound
The original sound is from TikToker june_banoon, who sings five simple lines to a grey and white neighborhood cat, as he casually approaches from the street: “Here comes the boy/Hello boy/Welcome/There he is/He is here.” If you’re a pet owner, you’ve likely performed a similar song when your cat or dog enters a room.
The TikTok has more than 4 million views, and june_banoon followed it up with some more intimate footage of Mashed Potato, the “snaggletooth boy wonder.”
Where’s it from?
As mentioned, the original lyrics are from june_banoon, who showed off her vocal talents in other TikToks. But in the week since it was posted, others chimed in via the duet feature. TikToker alexfromsf added beautiful piano accompaniment and that video took off, getting more than 3 million views.
Then synth, flute, violin, sax, trumpet, and harp were added.
Others added vocal harmonies, and eventually, there was something resembling full accompaniment.
Quite a few people said it sounds like a Steven Universe song. Others referenced its Vine-based predecessor, “I want to see my little boy,” aka “Here he comes.”
There are so many duets and layers, many of the newer comments on june_banoon’s TikTok are from people just now discovering it’s the original.
Sound off
The trend has made it to Twitter as well, a place where someone saying “This whole thread is so peaceful” is a rarity. This kind of collaboration isn’t new: Something similar happened with sea shanties on TikTok earlier this year. But that trend worked with an established song. Here, something completely new—and soothing, and comforting—was created.
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