Bikicsunáj
Encyclopedia
Bikicsunáj (ˈbikitʃʊnaːj) is an Internet meme
that appeared in Hungary
in May 2010.
László Szarka, a 40-year-old security guard from Ököritófülpös
, Hungary sang the Alphaville
song "Big in Japan
" with very poor English pronunciation on the first episode of the fifth season of Megasztár
, a talent show on TV2
. "Bikicsunáj" is the mispronounced title of the song, using Hungarian pronunciation spelling. The recording was first seen on TV2 on May 1, after that it immediately appeared on the Internet and rapidly gained extraordinary popularity.
The meme spread from user to user, people sent the link of the video through circulars and messaging services, then it appeared on blog
s too. On May 2, the recording was uploaded to the video sharing website YouTube
and within a week was seen by more than 500,000 people. The Internet community responded quickly to the video, Bikicsunáj labeled T-shirts can be bought and the Bikicsunáj fan club on Facebook
already reached more than 30,000 members. All of this was reached in less than a week.
He also performed the song "Forever Young
" by Alphaville with similar English pronunciation ("Furevü ján" pronounced furɛvy jan).
Szarka was invited as a guest to the popular Hungarian late night show Frizbi, aired on TV2 on June 6. In the show, he performed "What is Love
" in the presence of the song's original performer, Haddaway
; the resulting performance quickly became known on the Internet as "Don Hörbi". He also announced his plans to run for Mayor in his home village of Ököritófülpös. Finally, he did not fulfill this promise, and didn't run for the title on the 2010 elections.
Lyrics to the "Bikicsunáj" song:
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
that appeared in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in May 2010.
László Szarka, a 40-year-old security guard from Ököritófülpös
Ököritófülpös
Ököritófülpös is a village in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 2015 people ....
, Hungary sang the Alphaville
Alphaville (band)
Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold , Bernhard Lloyd , and Frank Mertens Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum,...
song "Big in Japan
Big in Japan (song)
"Big in Japan" is the debut single of the band Alphaville. It is from their 1984 album Forever Young. The title comes from a phrase Big in Japan, which was used to describe Western bands who are popular with Japanese audiences while garnering little attention in their home country.The single was a...
" with very poor English pronunciation on the first episode of the fifth season of Megasztár
Megasztár
Megasztár - Voice of the Year is a Hungarian voice talent television series that started in 2003 and is currently in its fifth season, on TV2...
, a talent show on TV2
TV2 (Hungary)
TV2 is a Hungarian commercial television channel operating since 1997, providing a large variety of programming. It is owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG...
. "Bikicsunáj" is the mispronounced title of the song, using Hungarian pronunciation spelling. The recording was first seen on TV2 on May 1, after that it immediately appeared on the Internet and rapidly gained extraordinary popularity.
The meme spread from user to user, people sent the link of the video through circulars and messaging services, then it appeared on blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s too. On May 2, the recording was uploaded to the video sharing website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and within a week was seen by more than 500,000 people. The Internet community responded quickly to the video, Bikicsunáj labeled T-shirts can be bought and the Bikicsunáj fan club on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
already reached more than 30,000 members. All of this was reached in less than a week.
He also performed the song "Forever Young
Forever Young (Alphaville song)
"Forever Young" is the title track from German rock/synthpop group Alphaville's 1984 debut album of the same name. Though it was not the group's highest-charting European hit and failed to reach the American Top 40 despite three separate U.S...
" by Alphaville with similar English pronunciation ("Furevü ján" pronounced furɛvy jan).
Szarka was invited as a guest to the popular Hungarian late night show Frizbi, aired on TV2 on June 6. In the show, he performed "What is Love
What Is Love
"What Is Love" is a 1993 dance track by the singer Haddaway, popular with club DJs. It was written and produced by Dee Dee Halligan and Junior Torello of Coconut Records in Cologne...
" in the presence of the song's original performer, Haddaway
Haddaway
Nestor Alexander Haddaway , better known by his stage name Haddaway, is a Trinidadian-German singer. He is most famous for his worldwide 1993 hit, "What Is Love".- Early life :...
; the resulting performance quickly became known on the Internet as "Don Hörbi". He also announced his plans to run for Mayor in his home village of Ököritófülpös. Finally, he did not fulfill this promise, and didn't run for the title on the 2010 elections.
Lyrics to the "Bikicsunáj" song:
| Big in Japan (The original) | Bikicsunáj (As he performed) | Bikicsunáj (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
Things will happen while they can I will wait here for my man tonight It's easy when you're big in Japan Aah, when you're big in Japan – tonight Big in Japan – be tight Big in Japan – ooh, the eastern sea's so blue Big in Japan – alright Pay! – Then I'll sleep by your side Things are easy when you're big in Japan Oh when you're big in Japan |
Csikmum houmvava gen Ou vej je nouma náj csunáj Oszil szil vojam bikicsunáj Óóó de bikicsunáj - csunáj Bikicsunáj vicsáj Bikicsunáj – tú rilisz tú szín szamdú Bikicsunáj – ó rájsz Szialájszí májoszáj Venszorízi vinyó bénking csunáj Ó rö bikicsunáj |
t͡ʃikmum houmvɒvɛ ɡɛn ou vɛj jɛ noumɒ naːj t͡ʃunaːj osil sil vojɒm bikit͡ʃunaːj oːː dɛ bikit͡ʃunaːj t͡ʃunaːj bikit͡ʃunaːj vit͡ʃaːj bikit͡ʃunaːj tuː riliːs tu siːn sɒmduː bikit͡ʃunaːj oː rajs siɒlaːjsi maːjosaːj vensoriːzi viɲoː beːnking t͡ʃunaːj oː rø bikit͡ʃunaːj |
See also
- Ken Lee (song)
- Homophonic translationHomophonic translationHomophonic translation renders a text in one language into a near-homophonic text in another language, usually with no attempt to preserve the original meaning of the text. In one homophonic translation, for example, English "sat on a wall" is rendered as French "s'étonne aux Halles" 'is...
- List of Internet phenomena
- Viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...