Why Can’t the Internet Stop Singing Saturday Night Live’s “Loco”?

Saturday Night Live wasn’t holding back any punches when it came to their musical sketch titled “Loco.” Part of me can’t stop laughing at the surreal nature of it. Ego Nwodim is dressed to impress in a hip hugging dress that looks bomb on her. She’s at a club, doing what we all want to be doing right about now, when she locks eyes with a cutie. This one just so happens to be Regé-Jean Page of Bridgerton fame.

Nwodim is ready to pounce when the record practically screeches to a halt and he tells her, “No, I’m not real, I just live in your brain.” Excuse me? Like Nwodim, we don’t want anyone breaking the fantasy we have built in our brains that everything is alright and we can go out if we please. *Wraps blanket tighter around self while contemplating buying another pair of sweats.* This is what the quarantine has reduced me to, and I do unfortunately feel “Loco” or “Loca” sometimes when it comes to my mental health.

What follows is the most honest, yet fun, take on what is going on in the minds of young women and men who have been stuck inside for a whole year and the mental health ramifications that comes with it. Yes, we’re super comfy in our robes, fluffy pajama bottoms, and messy buns. And yes, we might have baked too much bread while watching Tiger King and attending too many Zoom meetings. That doesn’t mean we want to be called out and attacked like this. We’re a little delicate and tired of the monotony, people!

Mental health is at the core of this song for a reason, and it’s because we’re all suffering through the effects of stagnating with no end in sight, our seemingly only escape being a catchy song that gently teases about our worries and makes us feel accepted at the same time.

All the mental health effects of the pandemic have been compounded by its accompanying job loss, which can make it difficult to obtain necessary mental healthcare. In that event, the SAMHSA helpline may be able to assist with finding low-cost care, and the CDC has recommendations for coping and for those in crisis (as does CNBC). There are also support groups of people who are in the same situation.

All of this is why I kind of hate this song and love it in equal measure.

It’s honest, real, and feels like any other bop you would hear on the radio. Because we are tired and going “loco” while staring at our plants, a.k.a. our only friends in this inescapable void of mental health. Too bad that our plants don’t transform into musical guest star Bad Bunny, though. Or for some lucky few who know how to make their edibles work, maybe he does guest star in their lives on the daily. Who knows? The internet might if their reaction is anything to go by!

(image: NBC Universal)

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Lyra Hale

Lyra (She/Her) is a queer Latinx writer who stans badass women in movies, TV shows, and books. She loves crafting, tostones, and speculating all over queer media. And when not writing she's scrolling through TikTok or rebuilding her book collection.

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