You know the meme by now. For roughly eight years, the internet’s sought to ring in the month of May with memes of a tight-curled, turn-of-the-millennium Justin Timberlake declaring not that it’s gonna be me, but rather it’s gonna be May, a gentle jab at his overwrought delivery on the No Strings Attached chart-topper. It’s delightful and dumb, a reminder of what Twitter was like pre-GamerGate.
You’d be hard-pressed to find it this year, however. With everyone in lockdown due to COVID-19—many states will remain closed throughout this entire month—spirits are simply too broken for the harmless memes of yore.
Well, they are for everyone except N’Sync, who didn’t appear to get the memo. Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, for example, came into this year’s festivities hot.
Timberlake, meanwhile, at least realized the meme was due for an update. Late on Thursday night, he shared a version in which he donned a face mask. “Spring Summer 2020,” he wrote. “Thanks for this, Internet.”
The band also saw to it that their No Strings Attached’s Spotify and Apple Music pages gave the song the alternate title of “It’s Gonna Be May,” which, if we’re being honest, sorta muddles up the song’s nuanced exploration of a loser guy telling his crush that one day she will settle for him.
Anyways, it’s cute.
Still, those old memes just don’t hit like they used to. Thankfully, some updates are already being tested.
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