Flamingo (Kero Kero Bonito song)

"Flamingo" is a song by English band Kero Kero Bonito. The song was originally released on 22 September 2014 through Ryan Hemsworth's SoundCloud compilation album shh#ffb6c1. The track is a bubblegum pop song whose lyrics celebrate inclusion and originality. Upon its release, "Flamingo" became one of the band's most popular songs, and in 2018, its popularity was further bolstered by its popularity on the social media app TikTok.
Composition
"Flamingo" was written after the Canadian record producer Ryan Hemsworth asked the band if they wanted to contribute a song to an upcoming compilation album he was working on themed around the color pink. The lyrics to "Flamingo" which Sarah Midori Perry delivers in both English and Japanese using the coloring of a flamingo's feathers as part of a metaphor that celebrates genuineness and the collective experience. In an interview with the Japanese zine Uncanny, Perry explained what inspired the song's lyrics: "It all started with the question of why the flamingos at the zoo are always pink. I did some research and found out that when people hear the word "flamingo," they first think of pink flamingos. zoo intentionally the flamingos pink by feeding them pink food. That's how I came up with the lyrics." Laurence Day of The Line of Best Fit described the track's sonic nature as "a hybrid of 8-bit Nintendo-pop, saccharine jumprope rhymes and chilled tropical beats".
Release and reception
Commercial release
"Flamingo" was originally released for free on 22 September 2014 through Ryan Hemsworth's SoundCloud compilation album shh#ffb6c1 (itself a part of Hemsworth's "Secret Songs" project). Three days after its Souncloud debut, the track was also released through the Majestic Casual YouTube channel. After Kero Kero Bonito signed with Polyvinyl Record Co. in 2018, the band re-released "Flamingo" as a 7 inch single, which also included an all-English version of the song as a b-side.
Critical response
Paul Lester of The Guardian described the track's sound as "the theme tune to the Clangers recreated by twisted computer gamers". In early 2015, Kate Lismore of DIY magazine wrote that it was "arguably best song to date", and in 2022, Matt Moen of Paper magazine described the lyrics to the song as being both "absurd" and "charming". and it is a staple of the band's live shows. In 2018, as a result of a TikTok meme in which people acted out the lyrics to the song, the song received an additional boost in popularity. In an interview with CE Noticias Financieras, Loban called the viral success "crazy": "If your music works well today it's a big compliment because it means it's right, it's sticky and you're doing a great job and fulfilling what's required and exciting".
Track listing

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See Also

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