Memes For The Anniversary of 'Neil Banging Out The Tunes'

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Apr 13, 2023 10:00 PM EDT

'Neil Banging Out The Tunes' is an old meme, but not as old as you think. The image of the rodent playing a rainbow instrument was dated April 13th, 2006, but it wasn't posted online until late 2014. Even so, the image didn't go viral until 2016. There were ten years of Neil Banging Out The Tunes that the meme-consuming public didn't even know about! Go figure.

Time is so hard to track with memes. I remember exactly where I was when the Harambe meme started (World History Final Exam), but some memes I have no concept of when they began. I feel like "Is X in the room with us right now" has been around forever and ever, but it actually only started in 2018! I hope that Neil Banging Out The Tunes will be a meme that stands the test of time and that we never forget the history behind iconic rodent meme superstars like him.