Cheerful song about being 'weird' wins hearts with its feel-good message

The internet has enough of its made-up lifestyle and standards. To add to that, it has rude and harsh comments and communication that can put people down even more. With such negativity around, a little cheerfulness and a smile are always welcome. Corinne Savage–who goes as @hicoorook on TikTok–and Olivia Barton, singer-songwriters from Nashville, Tennessee, set to counter this negativity with a delightful song titled “If I Were A Fish” and it quickly went viral on the platform. The duo wrote the song when they felt down and aimed to spread the message that it’s okay to be different and weird in the most joyous way. 

In their caption, Savage said, “I was having a bad day, feeling emotional, insecure and out of place. So I cried to Olivia after feeling through it. We wrote this song in 10 minutes to remember the joy in being different.” According to TODAY, the song—which has amassed nearly 19 million views—has also been published as a picture book. In their video, the duo is seen singing along with the guitar, chirpy and happy to be just the way they are. “If I were a fish and you caught me, you’d say, ‘Look at that fish, shimmering in the sun, such a rare one,” the song goes. The duo further revealed what inspired them to create and write it. 

“(That day), I had excitedly posted a TikTok video promoting one of my songs and people commented that I was 'cringe' and that the song was bad. I asked Olivia, 'Why am I so weird?'" said Savage, who uses they/them pronouns. "She said, 'I love that you're weird — let's make a joyous song about it.'" Barton further added that Savage’s unique qualities that people do not understand are what makes them the way they are. The main element of the song “Fish” was taken from Savage’s words when they said, “If I were a fish, they would love me.” Immediately, the duo got to their instruments and screamed at each other till they came out with the joyous masterpiece. People over the globe are appreciating the duo for being open and comfortable with themselves and urging others to do the same.

Several parents and teachers are also adopting the song to teach their kids, hoping they will understand what matters most is loving oneself and being true to who they are. Marissa (@hithisismarissa), a mom on TikTok, reposted the song and said, “I cannot wait to sing this to my baby daughter until she believes every word because we are breaking cycles over here.” In her caption, she wrote, “You guys are magic. I wish I had songs like this when I was a child. Healing my inner child over here.” 

The original video received over 49k comments and people applauded the duo for their infectious energy and cheerful poise. @liddlenicky said, “I’m so serious, nothing has ever made me as happy as this song has.” @chamberlin_kevin said, “This is my new theme song.” @hthaze said, “This song can cure world sadness, I’m sure of it.”