My Name Is Richard and I'm Sitting In the Corner

About

My Name Is Richard and I'm Sitting In the Corner, continued Sitting In the Corner Playing My Recorder, refers to an original song and viral video posted to TikTok in mid-2023 by TikToker Richard Lindesay (@therichardlindesay) in which he is playing the recorder and singing about doing so. The song and Lindesay's video went viral soon after, gaining memetic usage and remixes in May 2023. Many creators used the TikTok sound and replaced the audio of other videos with Lindesay's song.

Origin

On May 17th, 2023, TikToker^[1] @therichardlindesay posted a video of himself sitting in front of a white wall, playing an original recorder song that started with the lyrics, "My name is Richard and I'm sitting in the corner. Sitting in the corner playing my recorder." The original video gained roughly 451,200 plays and 50,500 likes in 13 days, however, the TikTok's sound was later removed from the platform for currently unknown reasons. Regardless, on May 24th, TikToker^[2] @therichardlindesay posted the video again with a Spotify watermark, gaining more engagement than the original, receiving roughly 2.8 million plays and 342,600 likes in six days (shown below).

"My Name Is Richard and I'm Sitting In the Corner" Lyrics

My name is Richard and I'm sitting in the corner.
Sitting in the corner, playing my recorder.
My parents really wanted me to become a lawyer,
But instead, I spent my time just playing the recorder.

My name is Richard and I'm sitting in the corner.
Sitting in the corner, playing my recorder.
Some people can perform but I'm an outperformer.
I've been playing so much, I need to have a drink of water.

My name is Richard and I'm sitting in the corner.
Sitting in the corner, playing my recorder.
If recorders turned to robots, they would be a Transformer.
I think I might have some kind of social disorder.

Spread

Soon after the video's virality, creators on the app started making memes with @therichardlindesay's song. For instance, the earliest known were uploaded on May 26th, 2023, such as TikToker^[3] @i_like_clam_chowder who made a sped-up and slowed down remix of the song, gaining roughly 32,800 plays and 910 likes in four days (shown below, left). On May 27th, TikToker^[4] @pumpkincheesecakes posted a meme that used Eminem's 8 Mile Rap Battle and followed the X If They Were Good format, gaining roughly 1.2 million plays and 213,400 likes in three days (shown below, right).

The sound also gained usage in viral photo slideshows in the same timeframe, such as one uploaded by TikToker^[5] @stage_maniac on May 26th, that proclaimed the song was banned from his car, flashing a photo of his car seemingly totaled. The photos received roughly 563,800 plays and 68,300 likes in four days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References