It’s February, it’s cold out, we’re burned out, and some days we gotta do our best to just hang on. If you’ve been feeling that way too, then you’ll like Em Beihold’s newest song “Numb Little Bug.”
Prior to the release on January 27th, Beihold’s tune went viral on TikTok. She posted snippets of the song to promote the release and document her creative process. She earned some impressive numbers with this release, ranking up million views, as well as the hashtag “numblittlebug” that has 35.8 million views, and the contributing audio having 17.4k videos. Currently, the song has over nine million plays on Spotify, hitting over a million listens in less than 24 hours.
However, the history of the song goes a little further than that, as the writing for the song began in August 2021 when it also went viral online. In a TikTok, Beihold explained it took “5 months and 13 versions” to get it right.” The time seems to have been worth it though as it is now a big success!
The success of the “Numb Little Bug” can be attributed to the reliability of the lyrics. The chorus of the song says, “Do you ever get a little bit tired of life, like you’re not really happy but you don’t wanna die, like you’re hanging by a thread but you gotta survive… cause you gotta survive,” and it has become the anthem of all those who are just exhausted but trudging through. Online, people are recording their daily routines, their thoughts, and their art to this snip of chorus. Personally, I’ve been streaming it while working through my endless college homework.
You may also know Beihold’s other most popular song, “Groundhog Day,” that came out in May 2021 and also was received well, currently sitting with 8 million streams on Spotify. “Groundhog Day” is about the feeling experienced after moving back into her childhood bedroom during the pandemic and feeling burned out. Similar to “Numb Little Bug,” the song takes emotions that are typically too heavy to talk about and turns them into lyrics you can sing along to, which I think counts as a coping mechanism.
This song reminds me a bit of Beach Bunny’s “Prom Queen” in the feeling of an upbeat song with sad lyrics, so if you’re a fan of them, you may like this as well. Or, if you just need a new song that understands how you feel without completely bumming you out, go dance or sing along to “Numb Little Bug” by Em Beihold!
