Bo Burnham’s “Funny Feeling” Acts as the Emotional Centerpiece Of His Netflix Special ‘Inside’

Wikipedia, the best and most accurate source for all things, describes Bo Burnham as a comedian, musician, actor, film director, screenwriter, and poet. As it turns out, the site got it right this time around, as all of those titles fit Burnham well throughout his latest Netflix special Inside, his first special in five years.

Some standout, ridiculously catchy, and laugh-out-loud funny songs and videos from Inside include the delightfully absurd “Jeffrey Bezos” and bitingly accurate “White Woman’s Instagram.” But while the entire 1 hour and 27 minute special — which was completely written, shot, and edited solely by Burnham — showcases the depth of his brilliance and talent accumulated over the past 15 years of his career, it is Burnham’s number, “Funny Feeling,” that ultimately steals the show and best encapsulates his many job titles and monikers all in the span of less than five minutes.

Compared to the poppier and slightly busier “Jeffrey Bezos” and “White Woman’s Instagram,” “Funny Feeling” is much more contained and understated, which is probably what helps to make it so incredibly impactful. There are no synthy beats, flashing lights, or props to distract the viewer. It’s just Burnham and his acoustic guitar, backlit by a wooded background projected on his wall, emitting both a vibe and sound that’s contemplative, melancholy, and folky.

Arriving about three-quarters of the way into Inside, “Funny Feeling” enters the fray on the heels of songs and short bursts of stand-up revolving around the internet, but immediately sets itself apart by evoking the sort of titular funny feeling that’s repeated in each refrain. The song feels almost like a gut punch, as something about the words, so seemingly discordant with each other but all so familiar, may out of nowhere make you feel like you’re ready to cry. “Funny Feeling” makes it clear that “poet” absolutely deserves to be a role associated with Burnham’s name and work, full of evocative and hyper-specific lyricism that immediately resonates and helps this song to emerge as one of the top works of not just the special, but of Burnham’s entire career.

Throughout Inside, we see that Burnham is struggling with his mental health, and yet is shutting himself in this narrow room for months upon months to feed us insatiable consumers the “content” that we keep demanding. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an isolating and lonely time for most of us, and even worse for those who already suffered from depression and anxiety.

Burnham’s special demonstrates his complete understanding of this broad spectrum of feeling, from wacky to manic to furious to utterly miserable. In some parts of the special, it is hard not to look at Burnham and feel like this is a man who is suffering, who is breaking his back to make something to satisfy us, his desperate audience, but also to satisfy himself and his (perhaps unwanted and almost involuntary) desire for attention and praise.

“Funny Feeling” perfectly ties together all of these fragments of emotions, musical numbers, breakdowns, and bits. This song is so perfect for this special, in particular, because Inside — which reads as part comedy special, part Black Mirror-like work of dystopian horror and social commentary — will leave you with a funny feeling. You may laugh, you may be impressed, you may love and dance to some of the catchier music, you may feel unsettled or upset, or maybe you’ll feel all of the above. Your own mileage may vary, but Burnham inarguably succeeds at his ultimate mission: it’s impossible to walk away from Inside without feeling something.

“Funny Feeling”

Music and lyrics by Bo Burnham

Stunnin’ 8K resolution meditation app
In honor of the revolution
It’s half off at the Gap
Deadpool, self awareness
Loving parents, harmless fun
The backlash to the backlash
To the thing that’s just begun

There it is again
That funny feeling
That funny feeling

There it is again
That funny feeling
That funny feeling

The surgeon general’s pop-up shop
Robert Iger’s face
Discount Etsy agitprop
Bugle’s take on race
Female Colonel Sanders
Easy answers, civil war
The whole world at your fingertips
The ocean at your door
The live-action Lion King
The Pepsi halftime show
Twenty thousand years of this
Seven more to go
Carpool Karaoke
Steve Aoki, Logan Paul
A gift shop at the gun range
A mass shooting at the mall

There it is again
That funny feeling
That funny feeling

There it is again
That funny feeling
That funny feeling

Reading Pornhub’s terms of service
Going for a drive
And obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto V
Full agoraphobic
Losing focus, cover blown
A book on getting better
Hand-delivered by a drone
Total disassociation
Fully out your mind
Googling “derealisation”
Hating what you find
That unapparent summer air in early fall
The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all

There it is again
That funny feeling
That funny feeling

There it is again
That funny feeling
That funny feeling

Hey, what can ya say?
We were overdue
But it’ll be over soon
You wait

Hey, what can ya say?
We were overdue
But it’ll be over soon
Just wait

Hey, what can ya say?
We were overdue
But it’ll be over soon
You wait

Hey, what can ya say?
We were overdue
But it’ll be over soon
You wait

Hey, What can ya say?
We were overdue
But it’ll be over soon
You wait

Watch Bo Burnham: Inside on Netflix