Toxic

Album: Serotonin Dreams (2021)
Charted: 62
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • BoyWithUke is a masked singer-songwriter from Massachusetts who performs his songs on a ukulele. He made his name when this song went viral on TikTok.
  • On "Toxic," BoyWithUke skews his friends who did him wrong. He accuses them of toxicity, lack of ambition, rudeness, negativity, and not showing up when he needed help. BoyWithUke ponders whether he'd be better off on his own, but that would leave him feeling lonely. The other alternative is to make new friends, which is easier said than done. Depressed by the state of affairs, BoyWithUke resorts to alcohol to dull his pain.
  • BoyWithUke wrote the song because his unsupportive friends were taking up so much of his headspace. "This was during a time where I was going through some personal issues with friends and stuff," he told Billboard. "There were just a lot of toxic things about the relationships I had at the time."
  • During this period, BoyWithUke penned his tunes from ideas his TikTok followers gave him. The masked Massachusetts singer had a second TikTok account, which he used to comment on his main TikTok. He left himself the suggestion, "Oh, you should make a song about toxic friends," then BoyWithUke responded, "Oh look, one of my followers commented that. I'll just make a song about that."
  • BoyWithUke wrote and produced "Toxic" on his iPad in GarageBand.
  • After BoyWithUke dropped the song on September 10, 2021, it went viral and charted all over Europe. Its success earned him a deal with Republic Records.
  • "Toxic" topped the Alternative Airplay chart in the US, earning BoyWithUke his first #1 on a Billboard listing.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."