About

And Then I Go and Spoil It All By Saying Something Stupid Like… refers to a series of memes based on the lyrics of the Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra song "Somethin' Stupid," which go, "and then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you,'" in which "I love you" is replaced with another phrase or audio clip. Memes, videos and posts using the original lyrics have appeared online throughout the 2020s, with the specific phrase replacement trend becoming popularized on TikTok throughout 2024. In October 2024, a lip dub version of the trend specifically using a clip of actress Jennifer Lawrence from the film Joy singing the song went viral.

Origin

On March 5th, 1967, Frank and Nancy Sinatra released the song "Somethin' Stupid." The song features the lyrics, "And then I go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like, 'I love you.'" It is unclear when the lyrics were first used online in a memetic sense.

Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like, "I love you."

2024 Meme Trend

The song and lyrics were popularized as the subject of memes on TikTok as early as January 2024. That month, TikTokers began posting slideshow videos in which they write the lyrics over several selfies, followed by a final selfie that replaces "I love you" with another phrase. The earliest known example of this was posted by TikToker^[1] @nyla_sai on January 17th, 2024, in which she replaces "I love you" with "don't worry about it," garnering over 1.2 million views in nine months.

Spread

The trend continued to spread throughout 2024, inspiring both serious examples, where "I love you" is replaced with something someone might say to drive another person away and funny examples. For example, on February 13th, 2024, TikToker^[2] @epicgamergrandma4 posted a version of the meme where she sings to the song and chokes as she reaches the lyrics "I love you," garnering over 30 million views in eight months.

On February 16th, TikToker^[3] @zaramcdermott posted a video following the meme in which she recites the dialogue from the viral apparently kid video instead of saying "I love you," garnering over 5 million views in the same span of time.

October 2024 Resurgence

The meme continued to spread throughout 2024, with several popular examples of memes using the lyrics also appearing on X^[4] that year. In October 2024, a version of the meme went viral on TikTok using a specific clip of Jennifer Lawrence singing "Somethin' Stupid" from the movie Joy, with the original sound^[5] being used over 50,000 times by October 2024. The meme follows the same general format, in which the TikToker does something to replace the "I love you," such as playing a clip of them saying something funny or dancing in a funny way.

For example, on October 10th, Tiktoker^[6] @loveharl posted a version of the meme in which she sticks out her tongue and shakes her head wildly as Lawrence sings "I love you," garnering over 10 million views in five days. On October 13th, TikToker^[7] @uneekornkween posted a version of the trend where she plays a clip of herself making a joke in place of the "I love you," garnering over 15 million views in two days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References